Latest / Healing Her Story with Riva Jean-Paul / Moon Phases & Feminine Power: Your Weekly Cycle Sync | How to Create Balance During the Waning Moon & Premenstrual Phase This Autumn

Transcript

Moon Phases & Feminine Power: Your Weekly Cycle Sync | How to Create Balance During the Waning Moon & Premenstrual Phase This Autumn · Healing Her Story with Riva Jean-Paul

• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: Hello, and welcome to today's episode of the Healing Her Story podcast.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: If this is your first time, welcome.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: I trust that you have found your way to today's episode in your perfect right time and way.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: If you are returning, welcome back.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: And I do have to first thank you for your patience on today's episode.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: I have honestly been navigating so much change recently, and it's taking some time to reorganize, reorient, and I'll share a little bit more about that.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: Before we get into some updates that I'll also be weaving in throughout the episode, and also, of course, this week's lunar energy.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: I would love to invite us into a minute of silence and perhaps a minute of stillness.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: And as we're moving through the season of autumn, I'm going to encourage you to really take these micro moments of slowing down.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: We are moving into a different season here in the northern hemisphere, or we we have moved into.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: And any nervous system really would benefit from this.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: So we're just kind of looking around, and as you're looking around, maybe there's something that you enjoy looking at.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: And just noticing what it's like to take that in.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: And then if you'd like, you can close down the eyes.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: And today I'm gonna offer a somatic practice for the eyes.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: And this is from Veronica Wattman of Waking Loom.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: Been really enjoying her work lately.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: So this is not something that I made up, this is something that I learned from her and was quite effective when I tried it earlier today.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm gonna offer it to you now.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: And we're just gonna offer a little break to the eyes.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: Now, obviously, if you're driving and do not recommend this, and if you're able to safely follow along with this invitation before I start the timer and go on mute, I'm gonna invite you to cup your eyes, but keeping your eyes open.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: So your eyes will cover your eyes, but your eyes will be open, and this will allow your eyes and your nervous system to feel like they're getting a break because normally when they are open, we're gonna be taking in information.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: But if they're open and they're not taking information, it's like a little rest for your nervous system here.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm gonna go ahead and get my timer set and mute my mic, and you're welcome to follow along with covering your eyes if you'd like.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: And we'll meet back in a minute.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: As you uncover the eyes and gently reorient to your space, just looking around again and noticing if anything has changed.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe something changed in your perception, or maybe something changed inside.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: I noticed I sat back into my chair a little bit more.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: I was sitting cross-legged, and I actually uncrossed my legs and put my feet flat on the floor.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: So my feet are connected to the earth now.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I also noticed myself take a deep breath and an exhale while we were in that minute.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: So if it worked for you, great.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: Feel free to take that with you and weave it into your day.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: If it didn't work, that's okay too.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: We'll start to um transition now.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: I'll share a little bit about where I'm at cyclically.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: I am cycle day nine today.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: And it's an interesting cycle nine.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: I'm definitely feeling the planning and organizing superpowers come online today, which felt really nice as I'm working on a big creative project for my part-time work.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: I love that feeling of being able to just get really clear and focused on what's ahead, especially when there's so many moving parts, especially for this particular project.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: So that was fun to play with today.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um I'm also noticing I've got a little something hanging out in my chest.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's a little bug from a little kiddo I picked up.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's my body gently reminding me of my limits and of my capacity as I'm in a slightly, I don't want to say busier season, just a different season.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, I'm really listening to that, giving myself permission to slow down and do less, which is why today's episode came out a little later.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: So thanks again for your patience on that.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: I'll share a little bit more as we're getting into the episode.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: I want to share more about where we are in our cycle this week.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: This week we are attuning to the energy of the waning moon.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: And the waning moon, as I've said many times before, and I'll say it again, this is one of the biggest missed opportunities that we have for creating more balance and harmony in our lives.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: And this time of year aligns so perfectly with the season that we're in here in the northern hemisphere, which is autumn.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: There is an inherent slowing down that autumn requires.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: It's the exhale of the breath, it's the leaves beginning to fall from the trees, the letting go, the contracting back into ourselves.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes we resist it.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: I know I do, okay.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: I get quite activated during this part of my menstrual cycle, the pre-menstruum phase, and it makes sense.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_00: Because as a culture, there is this constant idea that we need to be producing, expanding, growing, reaching, striving, or rather, we are constantly fed this idea.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: You may not even notice it, honestly, because it's the water we're all swimming in.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I truly believe it's the source of so much dis-ease and friction and struggle we experience because we are trying to live in a constant state of going and doing when that is simply not how life works.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: Look it out, look out into nature.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: There is a time of letting go, there is a time of slowing down, and that time is now.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: There's also a time for death, and there's a time for rebirth, and this season that we're in right now, this is us making our way towards the death.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: That's the winter that's inevitably coming, and that whole process, it can stir up a lot.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I also want to name that this season, both in the seasonal arc and this phase of the menstrual cycle, or excuse me, of the lunar cycle and the menstrual cycle, excuse me, are associated with menopause and perimenopause.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're really feeling that one.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: So for some of you, this time of year may carry an extra intensity.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_00: And there are some other things happening astrologically now.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not going to go too deep into that today.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: I am hoping to bring someone on here in the near future to talk to us about it.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: For me personally, though, I've actually come to quite enjoy the waning moon and the luteal phase.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: The earlier to mid-luteal phase is honestly where I feel my absolute best.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: So I don't think that it has to be all struggle and friction here.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_00: I think when we can really tap into the medicine of this phase, there can be a lot to enjoy here as well.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: So, with that, I'm going to offer you three invitations for creating balance and harmony during the waning moon, which is this week.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: These also apply to the season of autumn, which is the season we're here in the northern hemisphere.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: And if you happen to be pre-menstrum, this one's also for you, too.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: Or perimenopause or menopause as well.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_00: The first is letting go.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_00: Letting go can be, oh my gosh, so hard.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: I think for many of us, myself included, I guess I'll just speak for myself.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: I know that I can hang on to relationships, jobs, patterns, places, ways of doing things, and attempt to stay in the comfort and safety of what's familiar.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_00: But one of the superpowers of this phase, both in the waning moon and the luteal phase, is discernment and also premenstru and perimenopause.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: Truth telling.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: The ability to get honest with yourself about what's actually working and what isn't.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: Our capacity changes on a physiological level during this time, specifically luteal, premenstruum, and perimenopause.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_00: We genuinely cannot handle the same amount of stress, stimulation, and activity, or rather, we don't handle it the same way that we do earlier in the cycle when our estrogen levels are higher.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_00: And guess what?
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: That's okay.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: The struggle really comes when we ignore it and we keep pushing anyway.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm really living this real time right now.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_00: Starting graduate school has put me in what feels like a giant pre-menstrual sized season right now.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I've had to get really honest about what I can carry and what I need to put down.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're wondering where I'm going with this, I'm not letting go of the podcast.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_00: This is something I truly love and I'm committed to.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I do need to be honest about my limits.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_00: So starting this next cycle, we're going to be slowing things down a little here on the show.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: You can still expect our cycle sync episodes every Monday.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: That'll stay the same.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: However, our Friday episodes, those are going to slow down quite a bit.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll just see how it unfolds.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: I'm also letting go of the way I've been doing my mailing list.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_00: I decided I'm going to be moving over to Substack, where I'll share writings inspired by what you're already hearing on the show.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: And as I'm going through grad school and soon to be doing a lot of research on, oh my gosh, so many things, all things healing and female nervous system.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_00: I'm really excited to have a new way to express and share.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_00: If you are on my mailing list, I'll be sending out an email with a link to join me there.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_00: I'm also going to be letting go of my trauma recovery mini course.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_00: If you've had access to that, just know that it won't be available for much longer.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_00: I've honestly wanted to update it for a while, and letting it go right now just feels right.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you see, even as I say all of that, I take a deeper breath.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_00: That exhale, the letting go begins to create more ease, more space.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_00: And so maybe you're finding some inspiration in what you're hearing, turning it back to you now.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_00: Is there something you've been holding on to that's been taking your time and your energy that maybe just isn't the right fit for the season that you're in right now?
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_00: The second invitation is to slow down.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_00: I know it can be hard, especially for those of us who are still trying to maintain that same pace that we had in, say, the follicular or the ovulatory, or perhaps the spring or the summer, or perhaps in your maiden or mother life cycle.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_00: This part of the cycle that we're in right now, it is asking us to do less.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_00: And in regards to the female body, it's a physiological change.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_00: It's not something that we just make up in our minds.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's a very real shift.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_00: Slowing down, I think, can be really simple if we let it.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: One of my favorite ways to slow down in autumn is a slow morning.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_00: I have my Wednesdays and my Saturdays are my slow mornings where I can just leisurely move through the first hours of the day instead of waking up and going right into productivity, whether it's chores or social things or whatever.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_00: Just sitting, having my tea, taking in the morning sun, eating breakfast at the table with my husband and talking about our week.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_00: It can even be brushing your teeth slower.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_00: We're in such a rush all the time, I think.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know, maybe notice.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_00: Notice for yourself.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_00: Are you in a rush all the time?
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_00: Are you in a rush to eat?
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_00: Are you in a rush to get ready in the morning?
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_00: What would it look like to move through your day with a little less urgency and a little bit more ease?
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_00: If you're someone who genuinely struggles to slow down, it can sometimes not just be about a habit.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_00: It can be something that like feels impossible to some of us.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: And that could be a sign that your nervous system hasn't quite learned that it's safe to slow down and stop.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_00: There are very real things that happen in our histories that shape our physiology in that way.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_00: And if that resonates, it might be worth reaching out for some support and tending to those parts of yourself with some care.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: What I will do is I'll leave a link for our autumn equinox episode in the show notes.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_00: I've offered a somatic practice there.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_00: Feel free to just skip ahead through all of my um my um preface before getting into the practice.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_00: And in that practice, we explore slowing down.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_00: So maybe working with that over these next several weeks if that's something that feels supportive for you.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_00: The third invitation is to write a gratitude or celebrations list.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_00: Now, this might sound more like a full moon practice.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_00: It definitely can be.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I find it especially helpful during the pre-menstrum phase because this is where the inner critic can get really loud.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_00: So I do want to be clear, this isn't about bypassing the inner critic.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_00: Olivia Pope from Red School talks about how there might be 5% of truth and what the inner critic actually has to say.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_00: So it can be worth listening.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: And we also want to give ourselves a chance to recognize where things are actually working, to balance the inner critic's voice with something else that's equally true.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_00: And as you're sitting with a gratitude or celebrations list, I'd also invite you to think about how you can weave in some pleasure.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_00: Getting that oxytocin moving through your system can help to regulate the nervous system in a really meaningful way.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_00: That might look like cuddling, massage, self-touch, time with a loved one that genuinely nourishes you.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_00: So I'll let you feel into what feels most supportive for you.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_00: There is a lot happening right now.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if you're feeling it, but I'm definitely feeling it.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_00: If you're feeling it, let me know.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_00: Send me a message over on Instagram at Healing Her Story Podcast.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_00: Feel free to leave a comment if you're listening on Spotify.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_00: And especially if you are really feeling it, as I know I've been really feeling it, inviting you to take really good care in this season, as it can bring up so much.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_00: And we'll keep exploring all of that as well.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_00: There will be no Friday episode this week.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_00: I'll be back next week with our new moon episode, and I look forward to connecting with you then.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_00: Bye for now.