What is your Infradian Rhythm?

Whether we are consciously aware of it or not, our hormones are deeply connected to the cycles of nature.

In fact, there are two key cycles which affect hormone balance:

Circadian rhythm: occurs every 24 hours, following the sun (day/night)

Infradian rhythm: occurs every 28 days, following the moon (monthly)

While all humans respond to the circadian rhythm of light and dark, only women have this second hormonal wave - the Infradian rhythm.

This makes our hormonal needs very different.

What’s important about this is that, as a woman, you are not designed to feel the same way every day.

You are not a static creature, but instead a lively being with shifting needs at different times of the month.

Just like nature’s seasons, there are four phases in your infradian cycle. How you treat your body during each phase has a big impact on how you feel mentally, physically and emotionally throughout the month.

There are times in your cycle that support productivity, creativity, drive and ambition.

AND there are other times when slowing down and resting are essential for your health.

To truly feel at home in your body, it’s vital to honour every stage of your cycle so you’re harnessing and enhancing the energy of each phase, rather than battling against your own natural rhythm.

Unfortunately, our hyper-fast, stressed-out, productivity-driven culture devalues rest and relaxation to the point of pathologizing it. As a result, we internalise the toxic belief that we should be always “on”, being all things to all people, all the time.

We have been programmed to believe our body should be the same every day. And it confuses and frustrates us when it’s not.

When you dismiss and suppress your natural cyclical inclinations, it wreaks havoc on your hormone balance, your emotional wellbeing and your health in general.

Your body then responds in the only way it can: with symptoms.

Have you ever wondered why that class you did last week seemed so effortless, and yet this week you struggled through it like you were wading through treacle?

And did you beat yourself up about that afterwards? Tell yourself you should have tried harder / shouldn’t have eaten X, Y, Z last night?

When we don’t understand the natural cycles and rhythms of our body it can be easy to blame them when they don’t “perform” on cue. This all too quickly leads to self-recrimination, guilt and dissociation from the very thing that is designed perfectly to support you: your body.

Learning to work with the natural ebb and flow of your cycle is a gateway to greater awareness of your own needs, allowing you to come back into right relationship with your body and start living with more ease and less struggle.

How to start working WITH your cycle

The best way to start getting in touch with your body’s wisdom is to track your cycle. There are plenty of apps on the market nowadays to help with this (many are free), or you can simply keep a note in your diary or calendar.

Below, you’ll find a short guide on the Four Phases of Your Cycle, and what to expect in each phase.

Note this is based on a 28-day cycle, although a healthy cycle can vary anywhere from 26-32 days.

The important thing is to establish what is normal for you.

The Four Phases of Your Cycle

Days 1-6

Menstrual phase – Winter

Energy is naturally at its lowest. This is a time for turning inwards, resting, reflection, letting go, connecting more deeply with your intuition and prioritising self-care. Reclaim the power of your “no”.

Days 7-13

Follicular phase – Spring

Energy starts to rise as hormone levels increase. In a healthy cycle, it’s natural to start feeling more positive, outgoing and confident. It’s a great time to start a new hobby or project, plan adventures or try a new class.

Days 14-20

Ovulatory phase – Summer

Hormone levels are at their peak, helping you to feel more energetic. You may feel a desire to be more “out” in the world: socialising, connecting, having fun.

Days 21 – 28

Luteal phase – Autumn

Energy naturally starts to ebb again, the desire to “do” turns back into the desire to just “be”. This phase is a wonderful time to pull together and finalise any activities or plans you set into motion earlier in your cycle as you prepare to rest again.

Building self-trust

The more familiar you get with your own cycle, the more you strengthen your relationship with your body and build self-trust.

Key to this is honouring how you feel at different points in the month – and responding accordingly.

Tired? Allow yourself to rest.

Hungry? Allow yourself the deep nourishment of a nutrient-rich meal, made with love.

Angry? Scream into a pillow or dance that sh!t out.

Sad? Allow yourself to cry. Tears are a form of detox.

Food is also  wonderful way of supporting your shifting needs over the course of a month. Read my article on Cycle Syncing with Food if you’d like to know more.

Most importantly, give yourself permission to meet yourself where you’re at without judgement.

By allowing yourself to feel what needs to be felt – instead of supressing your emotions or making yourself wrong - you send a deep signal of safety to your body.

When your body feels safe and cared for, it responds in kind by switching on all the hormones and nerve cells involved in growth, repair and regeneration.

The more care, attention and curiosity you can show your body in this way, the stronger it will grow, and the easier it becomes to trust it.

And a woman in sync with her body is a powerful being indeed. 

“The moon changes its mood 28 times in a cycle.

Let yourself feel things”

~ Jaiya John