Fertility Yoga for the Menstruation, Winter
Giselle Rouvier
Exercise
29 min
00:00:00 Hi and welcome to today's practice. We are focusing on the menstrual phase, the winter of your menstrual cycle. This is a time when your body is releasing the uterine lining and preparing for a fresh start. It's a phase of breath, release and renewal, much like the new moon. We are transitioning from the energy of the waning moon which aligns with the luteal phase and moving fully into the quiet and introspective energy of the new moon. This shift from fall to winter and introspective energy of the new moon. This shift from fall to winter
00:00:31 mirrors your body's need to slow down and turn inward. If you've been trying to conceive this can be an especially emotional time bringing up feelings of grief, frustration, sadness and even confusion. It's okay to feel all of this. We'll honor these emotions today by moving gently creating space for both physical and emotional release. In this practice we'll focus on restorative poses that support your body's natural process of letting go while also nurturing the
00:00:58 support your body's natural process of letting go while also nurturing the emotional side of this phase. This is a time for reflection, for rest and self-compassion. So grab your blanket, a bolster, a block and let's move through this phase with intention, aligned with the quiet energy of the new moon. So for this practice we're going to start on our backs so come down into your meds. You're going to bring your knees together and your feet are going to be
00:01:28 You're going to bring your knees together and your feet are going to be met distance apart and you're going to bring both hands to your belly and you could close your eyes here. Start to bring your awareness to your belly, to all the sensations there. Maybe Start to bring your awareness to your belly, to all the sensations there. Maybe you're feeling a little bit of cramp. Just taking your awareness down there and just feeling what you feel. Now bringing your awareness to your breath, to the just feeling what you feel. Now bringing your awareness to your breath, to the
00:02:30 rhythm of your breath, noticing the sway of the inhales and the exhales of your belly as it rises and falls. And as you cradle your womb, your womb space, your lower belly with your hands, And as you cradle your womb, your womb space, your lower belly with your hands, just notice the warmth that you're creating with your hands and the heat, the support that you're giving your body as it moves through this phase. And then bringing your attention to your internal landscape, your emotional landscape, your thoughts.
00:03:29 landscape, your thoughts. Taking a moment to honor all these feelings, all these thoughts, all that is happening inside your body. Allowing the confusion to be present, allowing the frustration to be present Allowing the confusion to be present, allowing the frustration to be present with us as we move through this practice, allowing the emotions to also move, as we connect the emotions, observe them and gently release.
00:04:20 Gently start to bring your feet into a more Gently start to bring your feet into a more straight position, stamp the lower back into the floor, gently release your hands and inhale, reach your arms all the way up, exhale, bring both arms back down. Now I want you to imagine that you are exhale, bring both arms back down. Now I want you to imagine that you are moving through hot chocolate, so really slow and easy and soft.
00:05:12 As you inhale and exhale, the arms move slow and soft. Last one, inhale, arms up. Exhale, slowly bring the arms all the way down. Gently draw the knees to the chest. You can leave a little room for your belly if it's cramping, and you can hug your knees. And slowly release, we're going to draw circles slowly with our knees. And slowly release, we're going to draw circles slowly with our knees.
00:06:05 So move very slow and with intention, just allowing the pelvis to open and release so that you can allow everything to move out of the body. This is a process of detoxification that the body moves through every month, so helping your body to really take out anything that's through every month, so helping your body to really take out anything that's not supposed to be there so that the next cycle can come stronger, can come even better and
00:06:43 maybe finally open up for potential pregnancy. Move to the other side with the circles, if you haven't already. Just really feeling to the lower back as you move, the lower back might be sore. lower back might be sore. So connecting to that space and releasing the tension that you might feel there . Gently release the left leg down, keep holding onto the right knee
00:07:21 and then press that knee into your chest. Breathe here. Slowly bring the left knee in, grab onto that knee and release the right leg in Slowly bring the left knee in, grab onto that knee and release the right leg in front of you straight and then press the knee into the chest. Gently release and we're going to move very slow today. So turn to the side Gently release and we're going to move very slow today. So turn to the side
00:08:12 first, roll over to the side, gently start to bring yourself up, going to move into a child's pose. So here you can bring the toes together and open the knees to the sides. If you want more sensation you toes together and open the knees to the sides. If you want more sensation you can bring a pillow or a boaster in between your legs and then slowly come down to the floor. So for this child's pose
00:08:48 I want you to bring your arms close to you, make a little pillow with your hands and press your head to the hand. If you are with a boaster you're going to turn to one side, I'm to the hand. If you are with a boaster you're going to turn to one side, I'm going to let you know when it's time to come to the other side. So not the head job. And here I want you to feel the breath into your lower back, into your belly as you inhale
00:09:18 and as you exhale slow and deep, sigh out. If you have a boaster now it's time to move to the other side. If you have a boaster now it's time to move to the other side. Bringing your awareness to your lower back, the back of your heart, all of your back body, all of your back body, sending it love, sending your entire body love. Slowly start to move out of this pose, come up. If you have a boaster in front
00:10:29 of you gently, of you gently, release it to the side. We're going to use it later so keep it close. Come back to the child's pose and this time I want you to reach your arms forward, really creating a lot of space from the fingertips all the way to your toes and lower the head down. From here take a deep breath in
00:10:51 as you exhale walk your fingers with that same length that you just created, walk the fingers walk the fingers out to the right and keep your head down. Breathing to the side, the left side of your body and exhale come back to center. Inhale reach with the hands, create a lot of space from the fingertips to your toes and then gently walk all the way to the left
00:11:28 side, the same thing. Inhale taking all that pain, all that oxygen to the side, the right side of your body and then exhale gently come to center again. Reach with your hands forward, creating room and space in that body. Exhale start to come out of the pose, come back up. Now we're going to come Exhale start to come out of the pose, come back up. Now we're going to come into an all-force position
00:12:10 and here we're going to draw big circles allowing the lower back to release, allowing the body to move all of that energy, all of the sensations, all of the emotions so that it can digest it and release it. digest it and release it. So move from side to side, you can even think the hips here if that feels good. Now just draw big circles, maybe you let the head drop, close your eyes and feel into your body, feel into your breath.
00:12:54 Allow the breath to help you wash away all of these emotions, all of the pain Allow the breath to help you wash away all of these emotions, all of the pain maybe that you're the physical pain that you're feeling, allow it to wash it away. And gently let's come back to stillness and sit on your heels, you can keep your toes tucked just for us to prepare for our next pose. So if you have a bolster with you, you can bring it close to you. If you don't So if you have a bolster with you, you can bring it close to you. If you don't
00:13:38 have a bolster you can always use a chair and you can just lean your body onto the seat of your chair. You might want to cover it with a blanket for softness. If you're coming with me and you have a bolster and blocks, you're going to grab the blocks and you're going to make a little and blocks, you're going to grab the blocks and you're going to make a little runway for your, just a support for your bolster. You're going to open the legs to the sides
00:14:13 and just go as wide as it's comfortable for you. One block is in front of you, the highest height, the other one is on the second highest height. And you're going to place the bolster on top. So if you need to be propped up higher, you can also add a little pillow for So if you need to be propped up higher, you can also add a little pillow for comfort. Now from here slowly, grab onto all of those props, give it a hug and come down and allow the body to drop. I'm going to stay a little higher up just because
00:14:53 of the mic. You can drop your head to one side and release. and release. We're going to stay here for a few breaths. Allow the body to release and open and let go. This is a great pose for menstrual cramps if you're feeling them. This is a great pose for menstrual cramps if you're feeling them. So even if you're not doing this practice where you're feeling the cramps, you
00:15:42 can always go back to this pose on your own. Gently turn the head to the other side. I know you might be questioning yourself, asking yourself, why am I not I know you might be questioning yourself, asking yourself, why am I not pregnant? Why is my body doing this? What's wrong with me even? And know that you're not alone in the questioning, in the losing of hope and
00:16:16 And know that you're not alone in the questioning, in the losing of hope and faith. But what we're doing here is allowing all of these feelings to come and stay and move through them so that we can allow the body to feel ready, supported and open for the new cycle to come. With the new cycle there's always hope. So eventually we're going to connect to that So eventually we're going to connect to that
00:17:02 hope for a new beginning. This doesn't have to mean it's the end, it could also mean it's a new beginning . Gently start to bring yourself up out of this pose. You can bring the props to the side. There's a lot of props today. There's a lot of props today. And then bring the soles of your feet together in front of you
00:17:41 and bring the feet close to your pelvis. Lift the heart, lift and lengthen the spine up. And gently start to lean forward to fold over your legs. And gently start to lean forward to fold over your legs. You don't have to go far, you can stay where you are, just move until you find a comfortable place for you to relax, allowing the upper body to become really heavy. [silence]
00:18:20 [silence] Gently start to bring yourself back to center. Inhale, lift the chest up, exhale, twist to the side. Inhale back to center, exhale, twist to the other side. Inhale back to center, exhale, twist to the other side. Inhale back to center and gently extend the legs out in front of you. When I move to the side. And you can even give it a little shake.
00:19:21 You can draw circles with your ankles, both ways. A lot of us can feel the retention of liquids before this phase, so it's a nice A lot of us can feel the retention of liquids before this phase, so it's a nice way to allow the circulation to come back and the liquids to move through our length, move through our body and it talks with demonstration. And gently we're going to come down to the floor again, so bring your back to the floor.
00:19:58 bring your back to the floor. And we're going to start with a little bit of movement to find stillness, so reach arms up, feet on the floor. And with your arms either in a Vip shape or even a T-shape as you wish, you're going to bring both knees to the floor to the left side. you're going to bring both knees to the floor to the left side. And then you're going to bring them up and all the way over to the right side.
00:20:38 Now here you can move with your own breath for a few rounds. And this time when you reach one side you're going to stay and breathe deeply into your belly, open the mouth, release. Stay for another breath. Let's move all the way to the other side and hold. Let's move all the way to the other side and hold. Take a deeper thin, open the mouth, let go. And inhale, come back to center and if you have your props nearby we're going
00:21:56 to prop ourselves for their final pose. And you're going to need the blocks. And you're going to need the blocks. If you have an IPLU you can use the IPLU as well. If you have a blanket, bring that to you as well and blocks. So we're going to start with the back. So you're bringing the bolster to the side.
00:22:27 So you're bringing the bolster to the side. If you don't have a bolster don't worry, you don't need it. But if you do have a bolster nice to have that additional support, bring your blocks on both sides of your mat. The pillow is going to go on top of the bolster for your head. Your hips are really close to the end of the bolster. You're going to bring your soles of the feet together in front of you in that
00:22:58 You're going to bring your soles of the feet together in front of you in that same diamond shape that we just did. And then bring the blocks to a position where you feel like you can just release without any effort on your part. And if you like you can bring the blanket for comfort to your belly, to your lower belly. And then you're going to lean back.
00:23:28 Make any adjustments that you need before you release and relax. Make any adjustments that you need before you release and relax. If you have the IPLU you can cover your eyes. Palms are up and open to the sides. And here we're going to do three rounds of bees' breath. Which is great for this time of the menstrual cycle. Which is great for this time of the menstrual cycle. And bees' breath is a very simple breath that you can do anytime that you need
00:24:08 to stop any negative thinking. And it's just a simple inhale and as you exhale you keep your mouth closed and you just hum like a bee. It's very soothing. It's very calming. We're going to do three rounds. Inhale, exhale, exhale, inhale through the nose,
00:24:44 exhale, hum. Last one, inhale through the nose, exhale, bee. Last one, inhale through the nose, exhale, bee. Beautiful. Allow your body to sink deeply into the spose. Create space between the breath. Create space between the breath. Create space between the thoughts in your head.
00:25:36 [silence] [silence] [silence] [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO] If you have the time to stay here for as long as you like, please do so.
00:26:44 If you're coming with me, you're going to gently bring a deep breath into the body. You're going to open the mouth and release out. Start to bring tiny movements to your fingertips, to your toes. And gently take the props out of the way, the blanket, the blocks to the sides, the eye pillow. Gently close the legs, bring the feet to the floor, bring a right elbow to the right side,
00:27:37 and just turn to the side while you push yourself up into a seated position, just like we started. You can keep your eyes closed if you like, bringing the right hand to the belly , the left hand over your heart. But reconnecting again to the love that's pouring from your heart down into But reconnecting again to the love that's pouring from your heart down into your womb.
00:28:07 Imagining this phase as the new beginning, the new opportunity. Wishing you an incredible new cycle ahead, full of health, joy and potential Wishing you an incredible new cycle ahead, full of health, joy and potential for pregnancy. Bring both hands together in front of your heart. And gently bow down to the wisdom of your heart. Thank you so much for practicing with me. Namaste.
