LUNAR CYCLING

There have been some amazing results seen by woman who have tried lunar cycling.  For some of you, this might be totally foreign so I’ll do my best to explain! When I first heard about it I was totally confused and wasn’t sure (a) how to do it and (b) why it was beneficial. For woman like me, with irregular cycles, or no cycle, cycling with the moon can be an awesome way to bring things back to their natural rhythm. The moon cycle lasts 29.5 days which is roughly the same as a healthy menstrual cycle. I haven’t 100% tried lunar cycling but I have tried seed cycling. In my opinion I think it is best to try both together if possible, or if you want to just try one, I would suggest lunar cycling.

The term ‘Lunaception’ was coined by Louise Lacy about 35 years ago. The basic theory of Lunaception is that our bodies evolved to respond to the light and dark of the moon’s rhythms, menstruating at the new moon and ovulating at the full. It can be said that irregular and uncomfortable periods are the effect of a diet and lifestyle that disconnects us from the rhythm of nature. Artificial light affects our bodies ability to product a healthy amount of melatonin, which helps to control the hormones that regulate our periods. If you’re not sure if you should try lunar cycling ask your self the following questions: Do you have irregular cycles? Do you skip periods? Do you have painful cycles? Are you trying to get pregnant? Have you been diagnosed with PCOS or hypothyroidism? All of these are reasons to try try lunar cycling!

To rebalance our bodies and get our cycles back on track we must ‘recreate’ nature in our own home! This might sound totally weird to you, or you might be worried your partner is going to think you are totally crazy but there have been a huge group of women who have benefited from lunar cycling. If you’re up for it and can embrace feeling like a wild moon goddess, I say give it a try!

You need to sleep in complete darkness except for 3 nights surrounding the full moon each month. The 3 days are the day before the full moon, the day of the full moon and the day after the full moon. If you aren’t sure about the moon cycles this app is really helpful! Complete darkness means complete darkness. No night lights, no open curtains, no bare windows. Create a little den for you and your partner and sleep in complete darkness for the entire month except on the 3 nights surrounding the full moon. On these 3 nights, turn on a light in the hallway or somewhere in your room that isn’t directly beside you ( this is mimicking the full moon). This is called night lighting. There are some people that will suggest sleeping in complete darkness for 2 or 3 months before you start night lighting but it’s up to you. If you’re pretty regular and are just using this as a tool for motivating ovulation then go ahead and start! In my situation, where I’m dealing with irregular cycles, I might start with 2 months of darkness before introducing night lighting just to see if I can start by matching my cycle with the moon to begin with!

SEED CYCLING

Seed cycling is really interesting – it is basically a way to help balance and promote a healthy amount of natural estrogen and progesterone during the two phases of your cycle – follicular and luetal. By simply adding ground up pumpkin, flax, sunflower, or sesame seeds to the diet at the right time in your cycle, you can assist the body in either producing more of a needed hormone or processing and eliminating excess hormones. The seed hulls contain lignans, which are chemicals that help bind up excess hormones, while the seed oils contain essential fatty acids that provide the building blocks for making hormones. Irregular and unbalanced hormones can be the reason why you might be experiencing wild cramps, PMS, irregular cycles and more! You can read more about it here!