WINTER WOMB CARE: Meeting Your Cycle and Yourself in a New Way
In this article you’ll find a few very simple suggestions for nourishing your womb during winter, what that even means, and why it matters.
For those who want to skip right to the simple practices, you’ll find those first. Those who desire more context and explanation may read on.
THE PRACTICES
KEEP YOUR WOMB WARM.
WEAR LAYERS around your womb area and lower back. Forget the crop tops for now, even just around the house. Think undershirts and vests instead.
WEAR SOCKS or slippers to keep your feet warm. Your feet, ankles, and womb are energetically connected (via meridians in Traditional Chinese Medicine) so keeping your feet warm in winter is actually womb care.
HYDRATE!
Let the first thing you consume in the morning be WARM MINERAL RICH WATER. This one hits both hydration and warmth.
Focus on minerals throughout the day. Drink water with plenty of minerals, mineral rich herbal infusions, and other nourishing beverages and broths.
That’s it! Ok, of course there are many more, but I did say “simple suggestions” so I’m keeping it very simple here.
Do those four things (warm womb, warm feet, warm water in the morning, and minerals throughout the day) and know that you’re taking steps to support your womb in winter.
Times to focus on these practices:
During the cold winter season
When you’re bleeding
And especially when you’re bleeding during the cold season
For those desiring more depth, read on about our inner winter and why womb care in winter matters.
Supporting your womb in these above ways during the cold winter months is a beautiful practice of devotion to your body. As a way to go even deeper - focus especially on these womb support practices during your overlap of external winter (the colder season) and INTERNAL WINTER.
What is “internal” winter?
As women, if we’re actively cycling, meaning we’re not on birth control that prevents ovulation, pregnant, early postpartum, menopausal etc., then we experience a turning wheel of four inner seasons.
According to our hormone levels and what’s happening in our womb space, we experience distinct types and levels of energy, tendencies, and needs. Just as the outer four seasons hold different energies, tendencies, and needs, so does our cycling feminine body.
Winter = Our bleed, the beginning
Spring = Follicular, the building up
Summer = Ovulation, the peak moment
Autumn = Luteal, the release before next cycle, the decline
Internal winter is the portion of your cycle when you’re bleeding (be mindful of a true bleed vs. a hormonal birth control “withdrawal bleed”). Bring in these practices not only during the external winter months, but also during your internal winter season each cycle, and especially during your overlap of the two.
When you support your womb during your internal winter, you may experience less menstrual pain, more balanced hormones and energy levels, and a more steady connection with and understanding of your incredible body.
If you’re not actively cycling (perhaps you’re part of one of the categories listed above and are not experiencing ovulation) then you won’t have these “inner seasons” to the extent that you could or once did, but these easy to implement practices will still support better connection with your womb and your own unique energy shifts.
As a postpartum mom I eventually began to long for my inner seasons and looked forward to the return of my first bleed and cycles to follow. It’s an honor and feels so sacred to me to be a cycling woman again and these simple practices have helped me to acknowledge that. Anything can be sacred when you make it so.
Whether you’re reading this during the cold winter season or not - you can still bring in these habits to support your inner winter!
The next time you bleed, remember:
Warm womb
Warm feet
Warm water
Minerals
Since utilizing these easy practices (and more than what’s represented here) I’m noticing signs of healthy bleeding patterns, nearly painless periods, a deeper appreciation of my amazing postpartum body, and the ability to better support my energetic needs as they fluctuate.
Cycle literacy and honoring the season you’re in is truly a superpower. Support your womb a little extra during your next inner winter and watch the shifts begin to take place. What do you notice in your body? How does she respond to these four simple winter womb care practices?
