Three Golden Opportunities
The “Three Golden Opportunities” for those of us with menstrual cycles are:
≙ Postpartum Sitting Moon
≙ Peri-Menopause
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These events mark the allocation of a vital substance known as Jing or Essence. You can read more about Jing in my blog post about the 7 Year Cycles here. Essentially, there are opportunities to amend great losses of vital substance in order to recover, reduce injury and replenish our reserves. If we fail to replenish, we age much quicker and become more vulnerable to disease and injury.
Every month, during our bleed, we allocate Jing. Menstrual blood as well as our eggs are reflections of our vital essence. Sperm is another reflection of Jing. Childbearing and Postpartum marks our greatest Jing allocation. Much energy goes into the transfer of an egg at conception, our qi (energy) is taxed to support the fetus through pregnancy and we expend qi & blood during delivery and breastfeeding. There is a tremendous amount of effort to conceive, bear, birth and nourish our young. Every traditional culture recognizes this and has its own version on the best practices for new mothers to recover from such taxation. In China, it’s called Sitting Moon or Golden Month zuò yuè zi . In Korea, it’s called Saamchilil which means Three-Seven-Days (totaling 3 weeks). My mother in law calls it Quarentena. Ayurvedic Medicine says 42 days for 42 years, meaning that postpartum care has far reaching health benefits for our entire lifetime. They all share similar themes of warmth, nourishment and rest to ensure full recovery.
Peri-menopause which may start as early as our 5th Cycle of life (around age 35), marks the slow shift of our hormones (qi & blood). We may start to see and feel the earliest signs of aging. To aid in sustaining life, our bodies reconcile the hormonal offset by pulling at our reserves; our kidneys/adrenals. This process can be a difficult transition for some. It can manifest as sleep disturbances, hot flashes, menstrual irregularities, decreased libido, vaginal discomforts, severe mood swings and much more. We can employ a level of participation to help ourselves journey through this transition with ease and grace.
Equipped with this knowledge, we can approach our rhythms and natural life cycles proactively. Much care can be put into taking care of ourselves during our monthly bleed, we can make a plan for deep nourishment during our postpartum period and shift our lifestyle as we near our 5th & 6th cycles into more reservation vs. depletion. If you seek guidance, take a look at our offerings and maybe book a coaching consult.
For a beautiful and supportive approach to your postpartum care, I’d encourage you to read my friend Kimberly Ann Johnson’s book, The Fourth Trimester. My other dear friend Kestrel Gates authored a workbook, Build Your Nest , that guides you into planning your sacred postpartum time.
In Health,
Kris of The Way of Yin
The connection between our physical and emotional well-being offers profound insights into our health. The Heart and its correspondence to our emotions and bodily functions are the core of this ancient healing system.