Mini Series: Self-Care During Your Sacred Moon Cycle

Part 1: Self-Care Rituals To Help You Relax & Unwind

Krystal Ariel

Published in

Kiva Yoga Institute

6 min readJun 30, 2019

Self-Care Rituals

What is a sacred moon cycle?

A moon cycle is (in my opinion) a more accurate way of describing what is more commonly known as, our period.

The term “moon cycle” comes from the belief that menstrual cycles and lunar cycles are in sync.

The word ‘MENSTRUATION’ or ‘MENSES’ comes from the Latin word ‘MENSIS’ meaning ‘MONTH’, related to the Greek word ‘MENE’ meaning ‘MOON’.

Many women of ancient cultures and tribes (and now a growing population of modern women) honor the moon cycles as well as their own.

“Yurok, a native tribe from the northwest coast of the United States stratified by class, had a group of aristocratic women who saw their periods as a time for purifying themselves. They were on a shared menstrual cycle and did a series of rituals during the cycle that they said was a period of their most heightened spiritual experience.”

That was said by Alma Gottlieb, professor of anthropology and gender & women’s studies at the University of Illinois and author of Blood Magic: The Anthropology of Menstruation, in an NPR article about cultures and menstruation.

If you are new to this whole “honoring your moon” — thing or are curious and would like to learn more about it, this article is for you!

Here, you’ll find self-care rituals, recipes for Ayurvedic & herbal teas, and a 3-day nutrient-rich meal plan I follow during my sacred time.

Self-Care Rituals

1. Take a shower or a bath.

Get under some water and reset your energy. This is recognized as a time of heightened spiritual connection and purification. It’s important to cleanse your energy. Nothing says purification like a warm bath or waterfall. Speaking of water, drink lots of it during this time.

2. Connect with your body.

This can mean different things to different people but if you’re looking for a place to start, bring your hands to your pelvic area. Close your eyes while you focus on your breath and the sensations of your womb.

When I experience any pain or cramping, I like to apply dōTERRA’s ClaryCalm roll-on oil to the lower abdomen and give myself a nurturing massage. This simple act of applying oil and lovingly rubbing it in sends calming signals to the brain and body. If you can, honor your body by ditching the Tylenol for some turmeric and a heating pad. Works wonders!

3. Use a menstrual cup and reusable cloth pads.

When I used disposable pads and tampons from the brands we know and love, I constantly found myself curled up in the fetal position on the bathroom floor. I had painful periods with ovarian cysts that had me in the OBGYN’s office every other month.

Switching to a cup and cloth pads significantly lessened my pain and the frequency of pain. But how is that possible?

Disposable pads and tampons contain chemical toxins linked to:

• Abnormal tissue growth in the abdomen and reproductive organs
• Abnormal cell growth throughout the body
• Immune system suppression
• Hormonal and endocrine system disruption

Switching to menstrual cups and cloth pads is an act of self-care and self-love. Protect your temple from chemical toxins that harm your body.

Mainstream pads and tampons are not only toxic to you, they’re toxic to the Earth and all the beings we share this planet with.

Check out this powerful graphic by OrganiCup.

Buying reusable cups and cloth pads saves your health, saves the earth and saves you money! It’s worth the investment. Watch this video where I go into more detail.

4. Dress the part.

Ancient cultures believed that wearing a skirt heightens a woman’s connection to the earth and its wisdom. Skirts make me feel grounded and free. The last thing you want to do is wear pants or anything constricting when your body is expanding and requiring space. So if you must wear pants, keep them loose and wear certain pieces like a special ring or necklace that you only wear on your moon days.

5. Create your space.

Now that you’re in comfortable threads, it’s time to create some relaxing vibes. Add flowers, sage, crystals, and essential oils to your environment. Play some music like healing sounds, zen vibes, or spa music.

For Advanced Moon Fairies: Escape to your garden and find a spot that feels right. If you feel up to it, go into a deep squat, Malasana, and free bleed. Focus on the exhale and the energy of apana, downward flow.

6. Practice gentle yoga

This is especially helpful when experiencing painful bloating or cramping. The most important thing here is to listen to your body. It will tell you what it wants. Perhaps it seeks a kind of movement not found in a typical yoga sequence. Tune into your body and let go of judgement. Move to the rhythm of your breath and intuition.

You can start with gentle hip opening poses like pigeon pose, Eka Pada Rajakapotasana or butterfly pose, Baddha Konasana, and heart opening poses that extend the pelvic area like cobra, Bhujangasana, or sphinx pose, Salamba Bhujangasana.

Courtesy of Lauren Jane @aligned_purposeful

7. Track the moon.

Keeping track of the moon’s cycle can help you keep track of your own. There are contradicting beliefs as to whether or not the moon phases are tied to our menstrual cycles. Try it for yourself! Take note of when your cycle shows up and what that means for you. Notice the difference in how you feel when you bleed during the new or the full moon.

8. GET SOME REST

Seriously, though. Don’t schedule any appointments, classes, meetings, or outings on Day 1 or 2. Give yourself room to moon (especially when you’re in pain). Take naps. Honor and respect this time as sacred. Our energetic connection to spirit is heightened during this time and we can benefit by slowing down and going in.

Whatever you and your body decide to experience during your moon is up to you. A ritual can be a homemade hair mask, face mask, an Ayurvedic abhyanga massage, a journal entry, or a warm cup of tea.

Create your own rituals! The point is to bring awareness to the cyclical magic of nature that happens within you every month.