Something that has been popping up a lot lately, perhaps under the influence of a few Cosmic forces, is how much of modern life is organized around the assumption that we should be relatively consistent.

Consistent energy.

Consistent productivity.

Consistent motivation.

The same capacity to concentrate, socialize, create, problem-solve, and get things done, regardless of what's happening within us.

And yet, our bodies (as Life itself) are dynamic.

Our energy changes in response to sleep, stress, nourishment, movement, our environment, and a whole host of physiological processes that we don't always consciously notice.

For women who menstruate, there's another layer to consider... the hormonal shifts that occur throughout the menstrual cycle.

Estrogen and progesterone don't remain at the same levels from one week to the next. They fluctuate across the cycle, participating in a complex interplay that prepares the body for a potential pregnancy and influences various tissues and systems along the way.

For some women, these changes coincide with noticeable shifts in energy, mood, appetite, sleep, libido, or their desire for social engagement.

For others, the patterns are subtle, inconsistent, or difficult to identify.

There's no single way a menstrual cycle should feel.

But I have witnessed, personally and professionally, the tremendous value in becoming curious about our own patterns.

For one, it can help us begin to unlearn generations of conditioning that have taught us to interpret changes in our capacity as personal failings.

Why am I so motivated this week and struggling to get started the next?

Why do I feel drawn toward connection at one point in my cycle and want more quiet at another?

Why does my body seem to ask for different things at different times?

Sometimes there are many factors at play. Our hormones aren't the only explanation for how we feel, and tracking a cycle won't answer every question about our wellbeing.

But understanding our physiology gives us another piece of the picture.

And it raises a question I find especially interesting:

What happens when we become more skilled at working with our changing capacity, rather than continually expecting ourselves to override it?

There's a physiological distinction worth understanding here, too.

Testosterone follows a daily rhythm in many men, often reaching higher levels in the morning and declining over the course of the day. In women, estrogen and progesterone undergo broader fluctuations across the menstrual cycle, which commonly spans several weeks.

These are different hormonal patterns, although there's considerable individual variation, and testosterone also plays an important role in women's physiology.

Neither pattern tells us exactly how someone will feel or what they'll be capable of on a given day.

But our cultural expectations don't always leave much room for understanding these differences.

We're often expected to organize our lives around a relatively steady output, even when our internal experience is anything but steady.

And I wonder what might change if more of us understood our own rhythms well enough to make informed choices about how we care for ourselves.

Not to use our cycles as a rigid calendar.

Not to decide that certain phases are for productivity and others are for retreat.

And certainly not to assume that we should be able to explain every feeling by looking at where we are in our cycle.

But to become more observant.

To notice patterns over time.

To recognize when our bodies might be asking for something different.

To learn the difference between a familiar fluctuation and a change that deserves further attention.

To make room for the fact that our capacity can change without that change meaning we've somehow become less capable.

This is one of the things we'll explore in Wild Woman Wellness.

We'll spend time learning about the female reproductive system and developing a deeper understanding of our cyclical nature, alongside practices that invite us to pay closer attention to our bodies and the rhythms we experience.

My hope isn't that you'll leave with another set of rules about how to live.

It's that you'll leave with a deeper understanding of your body, greater awareness of your own patterns, and more information to draw on as you make decisions about how you want to live your life.

Wild Woman Wellness is a six-week, self-paced experience, so you can begin whenever it feels right for you. Enrollment closes Oct. 25th, with Oct. 26th offering a beautiful opportunity to begin in alignment with the Taurus Full Moon, should you feel called to do so.

The experience includes six immersive modules, more than 30 teachings and guided practices, weekly one-on-one check-ins with me, and 90 days of access.

If you'd like to explore whether Wild Woman Wellness is right for you, you can find all the details here.