Exercising in sync with the seasons.
Are you a seasonal exerciser and yet you never realized it?
Should we ALL be exercising in tune with the seasons?
I have been researching the importance in living in tune with the menstrual and/or lunar cycle. In short, this means that when we move towards menstruation/the dark moon we slow down, rest and reflect on the month just passed and then as we move towards ovulation/the full moon we naturally increase our productivity, the intensity of our workouts and our social calendar.
CYCLICAL LIVING
Women have lived for so long brushing their period to the side, encouraged by society and tampon adverts which often portray our periods to be nothing more then a nuisance in the way of getting ahead in life. It is quite natural for us, as women, to feel frustrated by our cycle as we live in a rigid linear based (and dare I say Patriarchal) society in which we are expected to show up exactly the same no matter where we are in our cycle. And yet on the inside we are mostly experiencing a constant state of flux as we continuously transition between the 4 parts our cycle; menstruation, pre-ovulation, ovulation and pre-menstruation. As a result of society’s rejection of our inherently cyclical nature, we live in an uncomfortable place of disconnect from our bodies and resistance to the pain, different emotional qualities that want to wave through us, and burnout due to always being in a state of push. My proposition is that we tune back into our body’s natural wisdom, and refine the art of knowing when it is time to go and when it is time to flow.
EXERCISING IN SYNC WITH THE SEASONS
So through my open minded observations of my own impulses and the behaviors of my clients; and in fact that of society in general, I have drawn the conclusion that perhaps we should allow ourselves to soften and slow down as we approach winter, and then utilize the energize of Spring to increase the intensity and frequency of exercise. It is not an invitation to completely abandon ship for 4 months of the year and then go on a 1 month intensive weight loss retreat in April, it is more an encouragement to find more flow and flexibility in how we are approaching our exercise regime throughout the whole year.
Take a deep breath right now.
Close your eyes, what does your body really feel like doing right now?
When I have mentioned cyclical living, and more recently exercising in sync with the seasons, the over-riding reaction I get is a deep sigh of relief. It’s like I have just given people permission to be a little more like a free-flowing human and a little less like rigid robot about to break. And for most people it feels like coming home to the true essence of who they are, that the internal resistance to their human nature has dissolved.
I don’t believe that anyone is broken or lazy, I just believe that we have all been hypnotized by the media or the dysfunctions that have been handed down to us, and we are so disconnected from our bodies that we can’t hear what they want anymore. We follow the orders of our mind and not the guidance of our body. If we were connected to the wisdom of our bodies we would always find our way back to health and harmony, and most likely cyclical living.
THE MISTAKE WHEN FEEDING OUR BODIES
Another aspect that makes us feel like we constantly need to push our bodies, is that we often over feed our bodies by consuming food, when actually what we really need to do is feed our minds or feed our souls!
If we apply this to Seasonal Exercising theory, we might say that as we approach winter, perhaps it is time to feed our souls with more time in enjoying restorative yoga or meditating with candles and music. And to feed our minds with a new book or journalling and reflecting on the year gone by. And in Summer perhaps we need to feed our souls with more creative activities, setting new fitness challenges or exploring new places. Or feed of minds with learning a new skill or taking a course.
If we lived cyclically AND we were connected to our TRUE needs on a day to day basis, perhaps we would not need to be on a constant diet or exercise regime. Perhaps we would naturally flow in and out of them, and it would feel easy and fulfilling. I know from personal experience of suffering from an eating disorder and then committing to my own healing for the last 10 years, that practicing menstrual cycle awareness, tuning into the changing seasons, and being aware of the needs of my body, mind and soul, that I my approach to fitness comes with joy and openness, rather than fear and control.
HOW TO LISTEN TO YOUR BODY
Feeling more, thinking less
In order to feel to connected to our bodies again, we actually have to spend more time feeling and less time thinking. This practice will begin to mend the severed connection between us and our bodies. I would recommend a consistent meditation practice which involves feeling the sensations of your body, this could be done at an allocated time of day, or simply throughout the day.
2. Breath-work
By practicing controlled breathing techniques we increase the energy flow through the body, wake up stagnant energy and even areas that may feel numb. It can also be used to help slow down the nervous system which will help to slow your mind and make space for your feel into what your body is saying to you.
3. A DAILY PHYSICAL PRACTICE
Connecting to your body through mindful movement everyday will help you to deepen your relationship with it. As we spend more time consciously inside of our bodies (and not just our heads), we will become more finely tuned to it’s subtler signals and energetic shifts. And there will become a tipping point where the bond is so strong that no part of us can ignore the GPS that our body offer us. Your daily practice could range between, Strength Training, Yoga, Dance, Sexual Pleasure, Walking, and so much more! The body just keeps giving.
NOW make a list of ALL the activities that you would like to explore through your body!
LAYERING THE CYCLES
Throughout the year we have an yearly cycle and a monthly cycle, and so they have an overlapping effect on us. So for example, when we are in Summer and we are Ovulating (the highest energy point of the cycle), we might feel the most energized of the whole year. And when we are in Winter and Menstruating, we might have the lowest moods and energy of the whole year. So this is another aspect to bare in mind when setting goals and scheduling periods of rest.
So there you have it, my different perspective on exercise.
WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HOW MY APPROACH WILL HELP YOU?