The Luteal Phase: A Discussion on Menstrual Cycle Phases for Better Well-being

Hello beauties and welcome, welcome to your autumn time, welcome to your luteal phase. There is a beautiful, beautiful woman today, and in this intro we speak about when we heal, uh, women, we heal the planet, and I really do firmly believe in that. There are very few wellness coaches out there that take the womb into consideration, that take the cycle into consideration. But what Jodie does differently is she comes from the feminine way, and I'm going to let her explain more about what she does. But for me, she's one of the women I would completely trust when it comes to your cycle in terms of what you're eating, how you're detoxing. Literally, she puts everything together and guides you through the most beautiful processes. So it truly is an honor and a privilege to have you here today. Thank you for being here, and I'm gonna leave the rest up to you.

Thank you so much. I'm so happy to be here. And whoa, that song really like took me somewhere else. I almost started crying, like so powerful. I'd love if you could share that with me. Um, beautiful song. Wow. It just dropped me into being surrounded by so many women, and oh, it's so beautiful to be here to speak about the luteal phase. I have just come out of my luteal phase, and today's the first day of my bleed, actually. So I'm feeling soft and tender and grounded and present. So I'm really looking forward to taking you through a journey of the luteal phase in particular. around how you can detox your body and how you can nourish yourself in ways to have a more harmonious luteal phase. So I've prepared a little presentation which I'll open up now, as I feel it really helps to visually see and to really anchor it in by hearing and seeing at the same time. That always helps me. So I'll open that up now. If you do have any questions, please feel free to pop them in the chat. I'll, I'll keep that open so I can see. And yeah, looking forward to taking you through.

Here we go.

Okay, you can see that okay, everyone? Beautiful. Okay, so how to have a harmonious luteal phase. So I believe we all deserve to have a harmonious luteal phase and that PMS is something that we do not have to live with. And our luteal phase really shows us what isn't harmonious in our life. It's a great time of review. So as opposed to seeing it as I don't have a harmonious luteal phase, it's like, how can I have a harmonious life? And when we have a harmonious life, a harmonious body, our luteal phase will naturally begin to harmonize. And there's so many different things that we can do, but today we'll focus more on the nutrition and the detox elements, as I mentioned, as I'm sure many other people have shared so many other lifestyle things that you can do as well. Such a big topic, and there's so much that you can do to shift your life by becoming more in alignment with your cycle. So the first area that we'll go into is more around what is the luteal phase and my journey into why I started to see the importance of embracing our luteal phase. So I was a detox coach for many, many years, and I was taking women and men through really, really deep detoxes, and I was noticing that men and women were getting different results. But I didn't really understand why that was happening. I, I was thinking, why are men like thriving on this detox path and women aren't? And then I started to learn that all medical research was done on men. And in that moment I was like, that's it. That's why nothing's been working for me and I'm not excelling as much as men and for other women. And I started to learn the optimal time to detox within a woman's cycle and how we have just different rhythms and To men, because for men, their body is the same every day. Their hormones change throughout the cycle of a 24-hour, 24-hour rhythm. And women, our bodies are changing over a 28-day cycle. So for us, it's a much slower progression of hormones. And if during the luteal phase we do a detox, we completely traumatize our body, and our body freaks out. It goes into starvation mode because it's worried. Well, what if I'm pregnant? I'm trying to get pregnant because our body's constantly trying to create life. And if we're detoxing at a phase where we could be in that process of a child forming in our body, it's not healthy or safe. So our body will hold on to everything. So I started to experiment with my body a little bit, and I would notice if I detoxed before my ovulation phase that I would feel great. I would feel energized and I'd get amazing results. But if I did a detox just before my bleed, my body would actually gain more weight. I'd be holding water retention, and I would feel absolutely exhausted. So this for me was really the missing link in my journey from becoming a detox coach to now becoming a women's health awareness coach, which involves detox, which is a lot more slower cleanses, maybe for a couple of days, as opposed to doing month-long fasts. Like, I used to do crazy types of things. Like, once I even only ate bananas for a month. I did long dry fasts, water fasts, and all of that. And, and honestly, for women, it can be really dangerous. So that's my journey on that topic. So I know you probably already know quite a bit about the luteal phase, and you've heard that from some other people speaking, but I'll just give a little recap to bring us back into luteal phase mode. 'Cause the more we hear it, the more we start to anchor that into our bodies. So the luteal phase, as you can see on this chart, and just by even looking at the chart, it looks like a rollercoaster, right? Like so many different things are happening. And I always say to the men in my life, you know, you're lucky to date a woman because you're dating 4 different women in a month 'cause we're constantly changing. So during the luteal phase, this is the second phase of the cycle. And as you can see, that's where there's the most activity. So many different things are happening to our hormones in this phase, and that's why we experience all different types of emotions, sensations in our bodies. And it's the longest phase of our cycle. So we spend 50% of our life every year in this phase, or our entire life we're spending 50% of our time in this phase. So if we can learn to understand this phase more and maximize it to our best ability, We can really have a more harmonious life. So yeah, generally it's 12 to 16 days in length depending on the woman, and as we get older, sometimes it does become shorter as well. And also, if we are having shorter luteal phases, it often gives us information of what's going on in, in our bodies as well. So during this phase, there's basically our ovulation, our estrogen is at its peak. That's when we're feeling amazing and wonderful and we're full of life, full of energy, we can take on the world. But then we move into our luteal phase and the estrogen starts to drop off, and we have 2 dips actually. So it drops down and then we start to feel this, we feel the slowness, we start to slow down. That's because progesterone starts to increase, which is a sedating hormone, which is actually there to stop contractions in our body and to help us create life actually. Without progesterone, we're not able to hold a baby in our belly. So then we have another dip, and this is the one that we usually feel. You know, we kind of start to feel a slow little dip, and then all of a sudden it comes up again, slight little up, and then it really drops. And that's when we're like, oh, I'm in the luteal phase, I'm tired, I need to slow down, I can't do as much. Maybe you become more introverted and you don't want to see as many people. That's how you know that you're in this in this phase. And I love this point I have here about, you know, your body is preparing for a potential pregnancy, and you'll often notice that you'll be more worried about things. You might wash your hands more. You might not want to share a drink with someone else if you're worried about their germs. You might want people to drive their cars slower. So these hormones are actually influencing how we live our lives. because our body is like, well, I want to protect a potential baby that could be in my belly. So super beautiful, our hormones. I, I love them very much. And when it comes to our digestion, this also gives you a lot of information about what is happening. So at the beginning of our cycle, generally we're not as hungry. That's because our metabolism actually slows down. And in the second phase, during our luteal phase, you know you're in there because you're so hungry and you wake up hungry, you want to a lot of food. So in this phase, it's actually important that you do eat more food, really important that you eat more food. And that's actually something your body— your metabolism is actually faster. So it's really important to listen to that. But what also shifts in your digestion is that it actually slows down. So it actually becomes harder to digest. So even though you're wanting to eat more food, It— you can more likely get constipated, and many women talk about getting constipated before their period, and then all of a sudden their period comes, and like, yay, I can go to the toilet again, and all of a sudden everything opens up. And some of us get the, you know, the crazy period poops where we're going like 5 times a day. I know that sometimes happens to me. I always make jokes about it with my partner. I'm like, we can't go out on the day of my bleed because I need to be close to a toilet. But ultimately, you know, I used to get that really bad, and now it's just a slight little shift that I feel. But for, for the women, or for those of you that are getting that drastic change from your luteal phase into your bleed, where you're all of a sudden releasing, it's because there's a misbalance in there, and it's usually connected to stress. Because when our body is stressed, we release something called prostaglandins, and those prostaglandins are designed to help with the contraction, to help you bleed. But if there's too much of that, it's like an overproduction because of stress. So by managing your stress during your luteal phase, you can actually prevent that from happening. And I'll speak more later about the nutrition that you can do to help your digestion in this time as well. So as I mentioned at the beginning, some of you joined a bit later, but PMS, I believe, is Actually, a term I'd love to remove completely out of the dictionary because it's labeled as something that's normal. And of course, everything we experience is normal. However, I do not believe that PMS is something that needs to be normalized. I believe that we don't have to experience it. It doesn't have to be this, you know, time of the month when we all have our luteal phase. I feel doesn't need to be a time where we are going through. discomfort. And as you can see, all the symptoms here— the mood swings, the water retention, the bloating, the cravings, skin sensitivity, swollen breasts, lower energy, and feeling more introverted— none of this actually has to happen. All of these things are just showing you that something is more out of alignment in your body, and naturally you will definitely feel a little bit more tired. You will always feel a little bit more hungry. But if you're feeling really overwhelmed and really anxious, this time is actually telling you something is out of alignment for you to look at, because it's a time of introspection. So that when you feel introverted, it's actually your body just guiding you to go within, to ask questions, to see what's not working, because it's, it's where we're actually able to evaluate, because our brain is functioning different thanks to these beautiful hormones. So it's, for me, a bit of a reframe of it's not wrong to feel tired. It's not wrong to be experiencing these introverted moments. And when I actually gift myself that time to go within, I honestly unravel so much. So I really invite you, if you're experiencing any types of symptoms that you see here, to really try and listen to your body and what it's trying to tell you, because That will make you have in the other times of your cycle as well. You'll have better bleeds, you'll have better ovulation, and you're going to maximize your life in in every way. And I feel that tracking your cycle is the best way that you can start to understand what is actually going on. Eventually, after you've been tracking your cycle for a while, you'll get to a point that you can actually. just know where you're at in your cycle. And because every month as women it changes, you know, one month you might ovulate on day 14, another month it might be on day 12 or day 16. So it's really important to not just systematically say, well, I always ovulate on day 14, but to learn like, when is my body ovulating? When am I in my luteal phase? And when you can start to know your body and what it's doing, you become so empowered. And that's been my journey. I can literally just look at my mucus and know where I'm at in my cycle and feel my body and know, okay, I'm coming into luteal, I'm having a dip of estrogen and knowing what I need to give myself. On my website, actually, I have a free tracker that helps you track things out and there's so many you can find online as well. Many apps. I love Clue. It's free. And they also have a paid version and you can input all of your data, how your digestion is, your sexual activity, your sexual drive, your skin, and it can help you see what's going on. And it even can pop up. You can even have it pop up things to your partner to say that you're coming into your luteal phase so they know. Because honestly, it's really important if you are having difficult luteal phases that the people that you love or you live with are aware that you're struggling during this time, so you can ask for support to maybe not give you added responsibilities and things like that. Because for some of us, our luteal phase can be a really debilitating time if we're experiencing a lot of emotional pain or trauma. So yeah, tracking your cycle and sharing that with others can be really helpful. Okay, so this is the part that I'm most excited and passionate about, and that's How you can detox your body to have a better, better luteal phase. So your if you are experiencing difficult luteal phase, detoxing the excess toxins that are in your body is going to support that. So if we have accumulated toxins in our liver in particular, which is where all of our toxins. toxins are filtered, or we have a congested gut. Basically, around ovulation, when your hormones are at their highest, you know, your estrogen is just like peaking through the roof, and some women will get discomfort around that time or skin breakouts, which will indicate that maybe that's happening. And if you cannot filter that excess estrogen out at ovulation, it gets stuck, and that can create a really disharmonious luteal phase. So doing some type of liver cleanse or taking liver herbs in the lead-up to ovulation and particularly during ovulation and really focusing on what you're eating at the time, like high-fiber foods and things to help pull that excess estrogen out, can really support you to have a better luteal phase and a better bleed. So here are some signs on the right-hand side that share some signs that you maybe need to do a liver detox. So Oh, one second.

Is that back? Yep. Okay, good.

Sorry about that. So similar to the, the PMS symptoms that I shared with you, if you're having any of those PMS-type symptoms, that's definitely a sign that doing a liver cleanse would be supportive because the liver works not just on a physical level but on an emotional level It also helps you clear out suppressed rage and anger and resentment that you have towards people, like in a, in a really big way. You know, when I've done liver cleanses and I'm, I'm purging, like sometimes I'm screaming, releasing a lot of trapped things that are stuck inside my body. So these symptoms here, so if you're having the heavy clotted periods, irregular bleeds, irregular cycles, you know, ovulating all over the place, bleeding at different times, Hormonal imbalances. Maybe you've been tested and it shows that you do have some hormonal imbalances. If you're holding weight, irritability is a big one. If you're feeling really irritable before your, your bleed and during that luteal phase, that's a big sign there's some liver stuff going on. Feeling really kind of sluggish, heavy, constipated is a big sign of that. And also if you're having like dark under-eye circles or you're waking up in the morning and your eyes are just like really sore, really painful, it's another really big sign. And as I mentioned, difficult luteal phases. So when you can support your liver, um, I may add that we all need to look at our liver because the world that we live in now is just filled with toxins. You know, everything in our home is toxic unless you've taken the time to buy natural cleaning products. The things we put on our clothes, in our foods, they're filled with parasites, with pesticides. And unless we're knowing how to wash them, we're knowing how to buy natural products. And then even as soon as you step foot outside your house, there's toxins from the cars and we're breathing that in constantly. So we all need to be looking at our liver and our bodies to detox it from time to time. So this is Zen Cleanser, some products that I've been working with that I just wanted to speak about at this point that I feel can be really supportive. I've been experimenting and trying different types of liver cleanses for all of my life, and I was doing the disgusting olive oil and Epsom salts, which every time I would do it would make me gag. And I was like, there has to be another way, there has to be something else. And when I found Zen Cleanse, finally it was something that tasted yummy, that was simple one-day cleanse which is gentle for the female body. So if you'd like to know more about that, I've got some blogs and things on my website that I can share more about that. But I'd love to speak more about what else you can do in relation to detoxing other than just doing liver cleansing, because liver cleansing is something that I feel comes later. Um, so first I feel it's really good to start with some gentle things that you can change with your eating habits, because when we go straight into a liver cleanse, if we're coming off like a really toxic diet and we've never done anything like that before, it can be a little bit rough on the body and As women, this is what I learned and why we're really different to men, is that if we do anything too aggressive, that our body goes into fear. Our body goes into, oh, please don't do that to me again. And it's like traumatizing for the body. So the approach to detox and health for women needs to be very slow and very gentle. So even with these tips that I'll share with you now, even slowly implementing them is actually the best way. I know many of us, you know, are programmed in a masculine way of being, and we just go in and it's like, okay, I'm gonna do everything right now. I want to do a detox, I'm taking 2 weeks off work, and I'm going to change everything. But honestly, it's better to make these gradual changes if you want long-lasting results and you don't want to have difficult cycles. Because I was doing this, I was detoxing myself intensely, and I was getting great results. I was Losing a lot of weight. I was loving how my skin was looking, but then as soon as I would get my period, it would be agonizing and painful. Or it went to the opposite extreme where I actually didn't get my cycle for 9 months because my body literally became so afraid and so scared that it didn't know how to bleed. It was holding on thinking, I need to focus on other things in the body. I can't create life right now. And because my body couldn't create life, I became so disconnected from my femininity. So I share that with you as I feel it's really important to, to know that before jumping into any type of cleanse. But some gentle eating habits that you can start to implement: organic produce is one of the greatest things you can do. Or if you can't get organic produce, learning how to wash your fruits and vegetables. In particular, anything that you eat raw needs to be washed well or be organic, and the reason for that is they spray with so many different chemicals and things these days. Roundup is used on nearly everything, and many people, for example, talk about gluten intolerance, but one of the main reasons that there is a gluten intolerance is because they spray it People didn't used to have gluten intolerance until they started spraying it with Roundup. So you can't wash your, you know, bread, so that makes it difficult. But if you, for example, can buy organic products, it then can really support your body, um, to feel better and to eliminate some of this toxic load which prevents you from needing to do liver cleanses and stuff, because we shouldn't have to do a liver cleanse. Our body is actually naturally able to detox a certain amount of toxins, but because we're so overloaded because of the world that we live in, these are some things that you can do to really support that. So the other thing you can do is eating local produce, because if it's local, that means that they haven't had to spray it as much. It means that they haven't had to put so many things on it to make it last longer. So These are a few little tips that will help. And if you cannot afford or you cannot source organic produce, washing with soap. Now I know this is going to sound absolutely crazy to say washing your fruits and vegetables with soap, and when I say soap I mean a natural soap. And that's because the Roundup is oil-based, and same with parasite eggs actually, which is another topic altogether. But the only way to actually properly remove the pesticides is with soapy water. So these little changes are actually one of the greatest and biggest things you can do beyond doing a deep detox. If you do this every day, you'll definitely get results. Another huge thing that can really support, especially during your luteal phase, is to avoid stimulating foods like coffee. For some people, cacao, even chili Onions and garlic can be stimulating for some people, or even just something that creates a reaction in your body. So for those of you that are sensitive to gluten or gluten intolerant, definitely avoiding any of those foods that can create inflammation in your body or make you feel uncomfortable during the luteal phase and all of your cycle if you choose to. But coffee, for example, during your luteal phase, if you are sensitive to it, and you know you're sensitive to it if you have one and you start shaking, if your hands are going like this, or your jaw is shaking, or you're speaking really fast, you're sensitive to it. So minimizing that can really support your body. In particular, when we spoke earlier about the period poops, if you're having that big jump from being constipated to then all of a sudden your period comes and you're racing to the toilet, coffee is one thing that you could stop having which might support that. But I do know for many women that having coffee helps them go to the toilet during their luteal phase because it stimulates you to go. However, I really recommend that you find alternative natural ways to stimulate that if that's why you're drinking it. Um, so when I mentioned earlier about the digestion changes that happen in your body, um, I mentioned that your digestion gets slower during the luteal phase but your metabolism increases, so you naturally need to eat more foods But you need to eat foods that are easier for the body to digest. And what that means is eating foods that are already cooked really helps a lot. And if you're eating raw food, not eating as much as you might be able to during your follicular phase. So stews, soups, cooked things that your body can easily digest but is also slow-burning foods. And what I mean by slow-burning foods is things like sweet potatoes versus white potatoes, whole grains versus white grains, things like that, making those switches. I do have a chart actually that lists all of this out. If anyone's interested in that, I can send it over to you. I think I already shared that before, so we can share that with you, which basically outlines really simply all the best foods to eat at the different phases to help you be more comfortable. If you're in somewhere in the world where you have access to mangoes, for example, during the luteal phase, are an absolute game changer. And the healthy fats also, because the healthy fats are really filling, so they satisfy that craving, but they're also very nourishing during this phase too. So trying to get your hands on lots of healthy fats. For me, it's— I make my own chocolate, which is an absolute game changer. In addition to that, I've got a list of just a summary of some of the best foods. Lots of leafy greens, cauliflower, asparagus, broccoli, peas, cabbage, cucumber, zucchini, kale, and sprouts. So these are some foods that during the luteal phase I would definitely eat a lot more of. And honestly, these foods here at any time of your cycle are really good to eat just because they're really supportive for the body. They're high in fiber and they're anti-inflammatory as well. Um, food combining. So food combining, many people may or may not have heard of, but food combining was actually one of the first things that I discovered that really transformed my digestion and my hormones. So one of the reasons why I love food combining is because it means that you actually don't need to eliminate as many of the foods that you love. It more so means learning how to combine them with foods that are compatible. So some foods digest at different rates, and if you eat them together, basically one's trying to digest faster than the other, and it creates discomfort in your belly. So particularly during the luteal phase, when you're already more sensitive, you're already more prone to constipation, it's more important to pay attention to those food combinations and You know, this is a whole nother topic, um, but I kind of plant that seed in your consciousness to think about it. There's a lot of charts online. I have a free one also on my website, um, that you can explore. And I've written a book about this as well because I was reading all the different blogs and all the different articles and it just became super overwhelming. So I originally just wrote a book just for myself to understand it and to learn it, and now I have it available on my website as well. People. So checking out food combining can be a real game changer, especially if you're experiencing those digestive issues during your luteal phase. Um, here, um, seed cycling. Seed cycling is another game changer for your health. So seed cycling basically is when you're combining different seeds at different phases of the cycle. That have different nutrients to nourish your body. So during the follicular phase, it's pumpkin and flax seeds, and that's because of the, the zinc in particular is really supportive in there and the omega-3s. But during the luteal phase, increasing sesame and sunflower seeds for that 14 to 16 day portal can make the world of difference. And by doing this for just 3 months Literally just adding seeds into your diet, rotating them from every 2 weeks. I like to crush them and grind them, especially the flax seeds, in my follicular phase as they're easier to absorb in the body. Otherwise, sometimes they come out the other end whole. Um, so doing this alone can really balance your cycle, really balance your hormones in such a huge way. Actually, this is what I did When I mentioned earlier when I lost my cycle for 9 months, this is what brought it back. So it's a really powerful, simple practice, very nourishing way of balancing your body. Here I mentioned birth control. If anyone is on birth control, I know many of us are on birth control. I was on it for 10 years actually. And coming off birth control, I think I tried 3 or 4 times and I kept going back on it because when I was coming off it, it was just horrendous. I was crazy. I was getting skin breakouts. And, you know, whenever I'd go to the doctor, they'd say, go back on it, your skin will be nice again. And that's what happened. So as a young, young woman, I naturally wanted to have nice skin and feel good. But eventually I got to the point where I'm like, okay, I have to come off it. I have to detox it out. And as I mentioned before, the liver detox is a wonderful way to detox the pill out of our bodies. It can really take a really long time to do that, and liver cleansing is a great partner in that detox journey of the pill. So if you are still on the pill, the birth control, and it's something you want to come off, definitely these practices that we've shared will support you to regulate faster. The seed cycling in particular. and the liver cleansing as well. And during the luteal phase, your blood sugar levels are more likely to be out of balance, and by balancing your blood sugars during this time, it also supports you to have a much more harmonious luteal phase. So cinnamon is such an easy thing you can just start sprinkling on things, making a hot drink, putting some on, that can really support you to balance your blood sugars as well. And If you do have like a crazy craving or something like that, having— and you indulge and you have a lot of sugar, the cinnamon is going to really support to balance that as well. I'm just seeing— I saw— I'm just checking the chat now. You can hear me okay?

Yeah.

Yep. Okay, good. Just checking. Okay, now I wanted to touch on a few self-love practices also for the luteal phase that can support in addition to the detox and the nutrition elements as well. So as I mentioned, stress is one of the biggest causes of not having a harmonious luteal phase. So by managing your stress I know everyone talks about stress and everyone says stress, stress, stress, stress is the cause of everything. But I honestly really didn't anchor that in my body until these last few years. I, I was pushing, I was operating in a masculine way. I wasn't listening to my body. You know, I said that I was and I was talking about stress, but it wasn't embodied until my body really forced me to embody it. I got to the point that I literally Broke down, burnt out, and my body did that to show me, hey, you weren't listening to the little warning signs. And our luteal phase is the warning sign. So if your luteal phase is making you like in bed, you can't leave, you're absolutely exhausted, this is your beautiful body saying, hey, you've not been honoring me, you've been pushing me too much, and I cannot do it anymore. And your hormones are literally forcing you because your hormones are just messengers. They're just telling you information because we are not our hormones. So we, we are not a tired person. We just— our hormones are telling us we need rest. So it's— this is a really good shift in understanding when our body is tired, not being angry at it, not being frustrated, and just saying, oh, thank you, body. Thank you for telling me what you need. So really listening to your stress signals and finding ways to regulate, whatever that might be for you, having nice relaxing baths, reading a book, going for gentle walks really helps. And that's my, my next point about exercise. So many women maybe have a regular gym routine or a regular exercise routine that they do. And they do the same thing all month. And doing the same thing all month for women does not work. And the reason for that is our hormones are changing. So if during the luteal phase you're doing the same hardcore intense HIIT workout that you were able to do in your follicular phase and you're wondering why it was easy then and now it's difficult, That's because it's meant to be difficult, because your body needs a different type of practice. We need more slow practices during this time, and I can assure you that you'll actually get better results in your body. Like, if your, your goal is muscle tone, your goal is to lose weight, but actually following the rhythm of your hormones in your body and listening to them and weaving that into your exercise routine, you're going to have far greater results. So during the follicular phase, you can go hardcore. Same with ovulation. You can just do whatever you want for most of us, depending on your condition and how you are with physical exercise. But when it comes to the luteal phase, no matter what level of fitness abilities you have, it's important to listen and never, ever, ever push yourself to exhaustion. Not to do a workout where by the end of it you're on the floor like, This isn't a good thing. Of course it's good to raise your heart rate, but it's much more effective to do, you know, fast-paced walks, yoga flows, intuitive movement, dance, things like this that is a lot lower impact. And this will make a huge difference on having a more harmonious luteal phase. Yoni steaming— I'm sure this has been talked about so much, so I won't go into it in too much detail, but it's good to keep planting that in there, how beneficial it can be. And with yoni steaming, you know, there's different herbs that you can use also for different phases of your cycle. So depending on what your goals are, if you're wanting relaxation, for example, which is really great for the luteal phase, you can use more soothing herbs like lavender, for example, that can really drop you into a more relaxing space. And then, for example, after your bleed, there's different herbs and things you can use as well to help if there's any excess blood that didn't leave your body, and to help you and support your body to really release as much as possible. So it's good to learn about the different herbs for each phase of your cycle, and to really bring that into your practice as well. I find it deeply, deeply supportive to help relax my entire body as well. And yet I've noticed since doing it that my periods are a much more harmonious as well. So belly massage, I'll incorporate with the castor oil packs. So I mentioned the belly massage because those of you that are feeling constipated, which, you know, I'm constantly hearing about women feeling constipated during their luteal phase, if you do belly massages, you can use castor oil or other relaxing essential oils and things. And you massage from the right side up along the digestion track. There's many videos online that speak about that if you don't know the way that your digestion flows, but it basically goes from your right side to your left. So if you start at the bottom and work your way up, I'll try to show you kind of up and around like this. And you just gently massage on those areas. It can really actually support you to go to the toilet and help the body relax. Because we often don't really notice that during the luteal phase we're quite tense. So we need to really find ways and notice where our body is holding. And a lot of the time that is in our stomach, and that's where we hold a lot of lymphatic fluid as well, which, you know, during the luteal phase, you know, we get more inflamed, we hold more fluid. So by massaging our stomach, it can be really supportive. Um, and the castor oil packs— so castor oil is something that you can put on your liver actually, and I would recommend potentially exploring castor oil packs before you go into doing an intense liver detox. So castor oil packs, basically you apply castor oil on a cloth, you put it on the area, then you place heat on top of that and you hold it there. And that helps with the absorption. And after doing this on your liver, the next day you would find that you probably have a really big release on the toilet. So doing this during your luteal phase is absolutely profound. So really recommend trying castor oil if it's something that you haven't heard of before. And Epsom salt baths. So Epsom salts are high in magnesium. Magnesium helps with stress. and relaxation and going to the toilet. So by having baths— if you don't have a bath, you can do a foot bath, putting a lot of Epsom salts in there. You know, these deprivation tanks that you might have seen popping up all over the, the world are also a great option to try. They put a lot of Epsom salts in there, and the more you can put in there, the better, actually. And that really helps you to absorb the magnesium. Actually, more powerful to absorb magnesium through your skin than to do it through taking something orally. So these are my top self-love practices that can really support you to have a more harmonious, livelier face.

Okay.

So that's me all finished. I'm curious if anyone has any questions about what I've shared. I know I went into many areas, so if anyone has any questions, please let me know. If anyone has any questions that are watching the replay, I can also get back to those too in the Facebook group. So yeah, please let me know if you've got any questions about anything I've shared, or if you'd like links to any of the resources that I've given you as well. Thank you so much for being you, beautiful women. And yeah, it's so beautiful to have been here with you today on the first day of my, my bleed. Um, I'm in quite an isolated place right now in the world, so to feel all of you watching now and those that will watch the replay, thank you for being here in this portal with me through this Sacred time. Thank you, Sarah.

I saw you come on video. Do you have a question?

No, I just came on video just to to say thanks. It's been very interesting talk. I wish I had watched it years ago when I suffered from PMS.

Yeah, I wish they taught this wisdom in school, you know. They don't. If only.

Uh, can I ask a question? Thank you for sharing. Um, about, uh, yeah, I've had quite a weird, irregular lunar cycle just recently. I just had a sort of cycle starting 2 weeks after my last cycle, and which lasted 2 days. Um, I mean, I was going through like quite a stressful period last week. And have you heard of this happening? Do you have any experience with that? What should I do other than try to de-stress?

Yeah, I mean, our body, like I mentioned during the talk, it's constantly telling us something. And if we are coming later in our cycle, It can be for multiple reasons. You know, stress is naturally one of the biggest causes, but it can also be a realignment. Sometimes we sync up with the planetary energies, and sometimes that means that our body wants us to switch. For example, as women, we naturally sync up with the moon. So often we'll jump from new moon to full moon, and, you know, new moon is more of a time if we're bleeding on the new moon, more of an introverted time, a time to go within, do the inner work. And sometimes we jump more to the full moon bleed, which is more of a time of extroversion, going out, or like having to face more, you know, because when we bleed with the full moon, the collective energies are much higher as well. So sometimes it means it's a time for us to take those energies inside, whereas in the past we might be more external. So that's on a more esoterical level, but on a physical level, If we're feeling stressed, will definitely may delay our cycle. So you know times of great stress, our body is very intelligent, and it will say she's if I give her a bleed right now, or if I support her with this, it can mean that it could be more overwhelming. So sometimes our body is just intelligent enough to delay it, and it's nothing to worry about. You know I didn't bleed for nine months. There was nothing wrong with me. I've met women that haven't bled for 3 or 4 years. It's completely okay. Our body is just doing what it needs to do in order to regulate, in order to feel safe. So it's good to pay attention, to notice it. And if it happens month after month like that, then it's good to maybe start looking at some practices to try and balance your hormones because something's going off balance.

Here it's actually not delayed. It actually was sooner. So I finished the— yeah, I finished the— I still I started my cycle 2 weeks before and I finished it, and then I started bleeding again like 10 days later.

10 days later?

Yeah.

Yeah, this can be so many different things that can have happened, you know, and if it's only happened as a once-off event, it can be from stress, it can be from so many things, and without knowing exactly what's going on in your life and with your nutrition and all of those things, it's hard to say. But because it's a once-off, I wouldn't worry about it. I recently, like, I live and breathe this lifestyle. This is what I do. And the other day, my moon came on day 20, you know, and I usually come on day 27, 28. And then this month, they came a little bit later, and that's because I've been traveling and I've had family here and I've been eating a little bit differently. It's very, very normal and nothing to worry about. So, but just pay attention to see if it continues. Okay. Thank you. Yeah.

Sorry, can I ask a question about something you said? You said some women might not get their period for like up to 3 or 4 years. Is that correct? Right, because, um, because like I had my menopause, um, a good few years ago, and at the time, um, I was suffering from severe Crohn's disease.

Mm-hmm.

And, um, and I was just— I just— and then after like, I think maybe a year or two, like, uh, like the, the side effects of the menopause were so bad that I went on HRT. So, I've been getting periods because of the HRT. Well, I'm just wondering if it's possible that it wasn't actually the menopause, that periods stopped because of the excesses, but there's still life in my ovaries.

Yeah. So, it can be a multitude of things that can cause this. Um, as we mentioned, the stress and nutrition are all parts of that. But often it's when the body is maybe focusing or directing energy somewhere else, because our body will send the energy where it's needed most. So for example, some women that experience a lot of those digestive issues, they'll be unable to bleed because all of the energy is going to the digestive system, which is the number one most important system of the body, followed by— it goes into the liver, which supports that. So if these 2 systems aren't working optimally, our cycle can stop because our body says, well, this body isn't safe or healthy right now to conceive life, to create life. So it stops that system down, actually to protect us, you know, to protect a potential baby coming in, to prevent you from having an experience that wouldn't be comfortable. So it may be something to do there. Maybe there was another system in your body that actually needed more love and care, more energy directed to it, that, that needed to stop in that moment. Do you feel that that could be something to do with what you're experiencing with the Crohn's?

Maybe?

It, uh, yeah, I suspected that maybe that might be the case. Uh, yeah. So like, so I was wondering, but the doctor said the doctors are useless. Like they just kind of like, Yeah. No, without even looking into it to say, yeah, your ovaries are dead. That's, that's it. But I never had any proper test.

Yeah, I get so, so, so frustrated with the medical system that what I've heard, some of the things I've heard them say to healthy women, oh, you're, you're premenopause, your chances of children don't exist anymore. And I know so many women that have had children into their late 40s. You know, and the doctors have said you'll never conceive. It's not healthy. It's not safe. And I feel, you know, when the medical industry tell us things, the only people we can really go to that can create any safety for us tell us this. We believe it naturally because we have no one else to speak to. And that literally becomes us. We believe what they tell us. And I feel that can actually— because we're so intelligent as a species on a subconscious level. We actually create everything. We create all of our illness, all of our pain, all of our suffering to be who we are. And all of these outside forces, you know, bring that information in. So I'm so sorry that that happened to you and you weren't supported and you weren't helped and that happened. But it sounds like you're reopening and that awareness is coming to you now. So yeah, I'm sending you a big hug.

Thank you.

Yeah.

You are an absolute wealth of knowledge, and it was a complete spoil to have you here. Um, the— I, I use a Read Your Body app, and then I obviously love— I'm old school, so I track and chart. Um, but you've got a different app that I think seems quite a lot better than the one I'm using. I use Read Your Body. I like it because they don't use your data. It's kept private. But I would be very interested in having a look at that from my side. And then will you explain to the ladies, you are getting such a beautiful gift, and if there's any way that they can work with you as well, if you can let them know?

Definitely. Thank you. Yeah, there's so many wonderful ways that you can track your cycle in different apps. And, and yeah, as you mentioned, some of them, they are taking that data. So it's important to find one that feels in alignment for you. But yeah, I mentioned during the talk a book that I wrote, which is about balancing your cycle. It's a very, very basic book and chart, and I would love to give that to anyone that watches this video. And basically what that does is it explains your cycle in a super easy to understand way, recommends foods for different phases of your cycle. And also different self-love practices, different things you can do to help you really optimize your life and your cycle. On my website as well, I actually have a blog I wrote which talks about more from a working perspective, creation perspective, how we can use that creation energy into everything we're creating in life, which would be really good to read as well if you're interested in this topic. And for anyone that's suffering from digestive issues, hormonal imbalance, and anything that we spoke about today around PMS and these symptoms, I do offer one-to-one coaching if anyone would want to work for me, anywhere from one session up to as long as we need to go. And nowadays I really bring in a more esoterical, uh, emotional level into everything because I realize that a lot of the symptoms that display in our bodies, you know, there's usually a trapped emotion or a trauma or something in the body as well. And We can only go so far by changing what we eat and what we do in our life, that if we don't address like the root cause of our symptoms, that we kind of end up coming back time and time again to where we started. So yeah, if anyone would like any additional support, please reach out to me and we can have a discovery call and have a chat and, and see if we're in alignment with each other.

Thank you. Thank you so much. If you ladies I wanted to double-check on what moon you're cycling on. We did cover that in day 1. There's tracking also in day 1, but I've also got Jodie's tracker. It's amazing. So on the replay, you will get all the information about her website, about what she's discussed. Then I'm going to link you to her IG account. If you have watched this or you are watching it and you want access to that guide, then just DM her as well. And again, thank you for your time. Literally, this woman is a wealth of information.

Thank you.

wealth of information. She takes in all aspects, and I really haven't seen anyone who does it quite like she does. Um, and the Zen Pens, if we're interested, is that also on your website?

Yes, it is. I've got a discount code up there as well if anyone wants to buy it, which makes it a lot cheaper because they're not the cheapest products. But honestly, they are profound, big game changer. But I've got free guides and things on how to use them as well because some of the stuff on their website didn't fully resonate, so I adapted it into my own way as well, which is available. But thank you so much for putting this together. Honestly, like, I know it takes a lot of work to create something like this, and I'm sure it's serving and supporting so many women. As I mentioned, I wish they taught this in school. So for everyone that's taking the time to learn this, please pass it on to any women you know, any children that you know and meet, because I know if I learned this when I was little, my life would have been very different. So thank you for being here and doing this work for all of us.

Thank you. Thank you, ladies. We'll see you tomorrow. Tomorrow we have, um, decluttering. Luteal is a great phase where you begin to organize, and Jamie will give you some tips and tricks on how to organize so that you Don't have to worry about and feel overwhelmed with what's going on. Thank you again, Mala, and thank you, ladies. See you tomorrow. Bye.

Thank you.