On forgetting your body
Notes from a recovering zombie
For most of my life, I tried to ignore my body.
As an adolescent, I was deeply insecure about my appearance. My face was too wide, nose too pronounced, ribcage too broad. As a performer, I was constantly comparing my looks to others and came to the punishing conclusion that I wasn’t beautiful or desirable.
So I chose to disappear instead.
I immersed myself in hard work and studiousness as a way to escape the vulnerable softness of my body. I would be smarter than I was un-beautiful. But that meant ignoring my body: its gifts, its messages, its pains, its need for rest.
It also meant suppressing my intuition and capacity for deep delight.
There are a few practices that helped disrupt this pattern in my life, but one of the most important ones is Cycle Charting.
I came to Cycle Charting seeking a method of non-hormonal contraception and instead found a new way of being in the world.
This practice only takes a few minutes each day, and it completely revolutionized my relationship to my body.
The Menstrual Cycle & Awe
Cycle Charting offers present tense indicators of your health and wellness. In fact, the menstrual-ovulatory cycle is often called “The Fifth Vital Sign” because it offers a window into key aspects of your health.
It tells me:
When I can potentially get pregnant during my cycle (hint: it’s not every day of your cycle!)
Indicators of possible hormone imbalances
How changes in my sleep, diet, and exercise may be impacting my body
Understanding the how’s and why’s of Cycle Charting blew my perception of my body wide open.
I came to understand that the menstrual-ovulatory cycle—often seen merely as a biological process—holds profound wisdom for understanding the deeper layers of our health, our bodies, and our world.
Cycle Tracking brought me in touch with awe for my own body on a daily basis, something I didn’t know I was capable of.
If you are looking to connect with your body in a new way in the new year, I am offering a FREE intro to cycle charting & body literacy next month.
We will touch on:
An overview of Cycle Charting & its applications for contraception, conscious conception, life passages, and hormonal health
The history & context of the method
Myths & realities of Cycle Charting
Cycle Health as the “Fifth Vital Sign”
The risks of DIY & predictive apps
To learn more, visit earthbodyschool.com/cycle-tracking
Here’s to more awe in the new year.
With gratitude,
Kate