Ayurveda
Vata governs downward movement, and menstruation is that movement made visible. Cold, dry, raw food and travel aggravate it; warm cooked meals, oil, rest and quiet settle it. Classical texts are unusually direct about resting in these days.
MENSTRUAL PHASE
The menstrual phase, in practice
Roughly days 1–5
Water · Kidney & Bladder · Vata
Day one of bleeding is day one of the cycle. Oestrogen and progesterone are at their lowest, the lining is shed, and energy is genuinely low rather than lazily low. Inner winter: the phase asks for warmth, iron and permission to do less.
Quick tips
- Warm before anything else — warm food, warm drinks, a hot water bottle on the low belly or back.
- Replace iron deliberately: cooked greens, beans, red meat if you eat it, with vitamin C alongside.
- Sleep is the training session this week. Go to bed an hour earlier rather than pushing through.
- Note the date bleeding started — it is the one number the rest of your cycle is measured from.
What is happening
Both hormones bottom out, prostaglandins contract the uterus, and blood and iron leave the body. Many people feel clearer and quieter by day three as the hormonal noise settles. Cramping, low back ache and fatigue are most common in the first forty-eight hours.
How to move
This is the lightest week of the month. Walking, gentle mobility, restorative yoga and sleep do more than a hard session will. If you feel good by day four, ease back in — but treat the first two days as recovery, not a test of discipline.
How to work
Review rather than launch. Reading, reflection, deciding what to drop and quiet solo work fit this week; back-to-back meetings and public performance rarely do. Whatever can move off days one and two usually should.
What to eat
Favour
- Warm soups and congee
- Beetroot
- Cooked leafy greens
- Red dates and goji
- Bone or vegetable broth
- Ginger and cinnamon tea
- Red meat or lentils for iron
- Black sesame
Ease off
- Iced drinks
- Raw salads
- Excess caffeine
- Alcohol
- Very salty food
Keep warm, replace iron, and rest without negotiating.
What the traditions say
Chinese Medicine
Blood is being released and Qi moves it, so warmth keeps it flowing freely while cold is said to congeal it — the reasoning behind avoiding iced drinks and cold food. Red dates, ginger and broths support the Kidney and Blood through the shed.
The three skies
Day one is where our readings start counting. The same first day under a Moon in a fiery nakshatra reads differently from one under a watery one, and your Bazi day master explains why this week empties one person and clears another.
See which phase you are in today
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The follicular phase, in practiceTraditional wellness guidance for general education only. Not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Speak with a qualified clinician about your health.