One of the most Google searched inquiries in regards to self care on your period is, “is it okay to rest during my period?”

google search question

When we need permission from a search engine to confirm what we already know intuitively, there’s a problem.

So many of the you have no problem showing up for other people and helping them fulfil their needs… 

But when it comes to resting and giving to themselves (especially when they’re tired AF and feeling the heavy flow of the second day of their period)…. They freeze.

I had a student ask me once…. “What is rest? Do I just sit there and do nothing?”…

Most of us (yes, myself included), KNOW that we need to rest… but we have no idea how. 

And of course, we don’t, in a world where exhaustion or being really, really busy is a badge of honour, how would we?

Rest wasn’t modelled for us by our Mothers, teachers, or friends… so when the time comes around to do it, we find ourselves sitting on the couch, scrolling on Instagram,  or Tik Tok wondering if we’re doing the whole rest thing right.

Later this month, we’ll be opening our doors to our next online

Womb Sanctuary:
Yoni Steam, Womb Massage and Ceremony
Zoom gathering.  

This is all about rest, selfcare a womb connection

Join the waiting list here, so you can grab your spot.

Here you will learn womb massage technique,  connecting with you inner feminine power, womb healing, yoni steam with mantra

3 Steps to an easier period

If you’ve ever thought you needed to push through your period cramps or cursed your fatigue during the first few days of your cycle,  I wrote this blog for you. 

Let me make it clear that self care for your period goes so much deeper than simple period ritual and integrating menstrual cycle ceremony.

There’s a reason you may feel shame when we rest. There’s a reason you may want to take some time off, but have a nagging feeling that if you don’t keep up with the tempo, you’ll get left behind.

The culture we live in relies on Women denying the needs of their bodies in order to continue functioning. 

I know you’re here because you dream of another way for yourself and the future generations of this Earth. 

My prayer is that the tips below will help you make your dream a reality.

1. Eat foods (that you can actually digest)

During our periods, our digestive ability is lowered.This means that we don’t have the energy to metabolize difficult to digest foods like raw salads, stress foods like

alcohol or caffeine, or cold foods like ice cream.

In fact, according to traditional Eastern medicines like Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda, eating cold foods during your period can actually lead to internal cold and cause stagnation (a major cause of menstrual cramps!)…

Here are two period food recommendations that I’ll explain in detail below:

1. Cook your food
2. Add in carminative spices

Cook Your Own Food

(prepare and bath food in your inner spring/ summer to enjoying in your inner winter)

Your body is already using a lot of energy to shed your endometrial lining while on your period, not to mention the added loss of blood.

To work with the natural downward moving, cleansing energy of our menstrual phase, opt for cooked foods seasoned with warming, carminative spices.

And now, somewhere in the distance I hear a raw vegan screaming “but raw foods have more vitamins and enzymes!!” (I can only joke about raw vegans because for many months I was one and they accepted me into their club).

On paper, yes it’s true that raw foods have more vitamins and enzymes than cooked foods because they haven’t been broken down by the cooking process.

But when we’re looking for foods to eat on our periods, or when we have a weak digestive system in general, raw foods aren’t the best option for us.

Whether the raw food has more vitamins or not is not the question…

The question is, can we break it down and absorb the nutrients? For most of us when it comes to raw foods on our periods, the answer is no.

I noticed a huge shift in my health when I switched from regularly eating raw salads or snacking on raw vegetables and opted for steamed, stewed, roasted, or sauteed vegetables instead.

Add In Carminative Spices

Carminative spices and herbs don’t inherently make food more digestible, rather they encourage fresh blood and oxygen to nourish your GI tract, relax intestines, stimulate secretion of bile, and decrease digestive inflammation to fortify your body and increase the natural function of your digestive system.

Menstrual issues and digestive issues are often linked.

For a healthy menstrual cycle, it is essential to metabolize and absorb our nutrients. If we don’t, our systems are left undernourished and stagnated.

Now back to the spices… I always use carminative spices when I cook, especially when I’m making something that takes more energy to digest like dishes with meat or dairy.

List of carminative spices and herbs:

• Ginger
• Cinnamon
• Black pepper
• Turmeric (fresh and dried)
• Caraway seeds
• Asafoetida
• Epazote
• Hyssop
• Oregano
• Tarragon
• Cumin
• Coriander
• Fennel
• Basil
• Peppermint
• Lemon zest

2. Resting during the first few days of and before your period is essential to set yourself up for success for the month ahead.

Even after years of teaching this information, I need to read the sentence above again and again in order to drum up the courage to go against the programmed desire to grind, hustle, and work myself to the point of exhaustion.

Maybe you’re rolling your eyes at this suggestion… thinking “I don’t have time for that!”

Or if you thought you might skip over this one real fast, I’m speaking to YOU especially.

My guess is that you know you need to rest more, you just don’t know how the F to do it.

And as a mama to a voracious and curious toddler  and a five year old with ASD and full-time business owner, I get it. You’re busy.

But if you don’t advocate for yourself and your rest, who will?

Historically we see that when we leave it up to someone else (especially those who don’t menstruate or have a uterus), the cards don’t play in our favour.

If you can schedule your life around your cycle, that’s great. Take those first few days off to rest.

And if you can’t, I guarantee you can still find periods of meaningful rest. Even if it’s 10 minutes with your eyes closed without your phone, that is meaningful.

And if you feel like it would be easier to be guided through a practice of rest, 

It’s not just up to you to take care of yourself on your period though. Ideally, everyone in your household will know that you’re on your period, and will organize themselves in a constellation that feels supportive.

Because so many of us are out of practice when it comes to rest, and sometimes structure can help, here are some restful experiences that are great on the first few days of your period:

• Restorative yoga
• Yin yoga
• Taking a warm bath
• Yoga nidra
• Laying outside on a blanket the sun
• Turning off your phone for half the day or more
• Taking a nap for however long you damn feel like it
• Organizing childcare so you can have a few hours to yourself
• Listen to a guided womb heart river healing meditation We call the menstrual phase of our cycles “inner winter” for a reason.

In winter, we go inside, we rest, we retreat. I believe that reorganizing our world to support our cyclical bodies is essential for the health of our planet and the vitality of future generations.

Do you agree?

3. Create ritual with your period blood

When wrote Instagram post recently in which I mentioned me honouring my mentrual blood to give back to the Earth. I had a few women reach out to me and let me know that I was certainly calling in evil, Devil energy by working with my blood in this way. We talk about giving your blood back to the earth, watering your plants with it, and even creating healing art with it.

But after years of practice, working with my cycle and bleed  I have noticed a sense of  NOT being cursed after I give my blood back to the earth in ritual, for example..

Instead, I walk away with an incredible sense of sacredness, of being one with nature, of being a part of it all. It is fabulous, calming, and instead of evil… a feeling of being divine!

We talk about giving your blood back to the earth, watering your plants with it, and even creating healing art with it.

Your period  blood  can be used to heal through the grief of miscarriage and pregnancy loss, using your period blood to heal your womb, and even to release past sexual partners.

Let me know if this resonates,

With love

D