This 28 day challenge was born from a place of welcoming back the whole month of a woman's cycle. Often, it's just the time of menstruation that we give any consideration to our cycle. Our complete cycle is the inner compass to our bodies needs, and a guide to living a more balanced, meaningful connected life.
Day 24 - Autumn {Premenstrual phase}
Moon 3.9% - in Pisces
Luteal Stage
Progesterone decreasing
Creative phase
I am so grateful that over the last few years I have been on a breathwork journey, it's been such an insightful time. However, learning about the drop in progesterone and how it affects my breath has been the lightbulb moment. In the past, the normal premenstrual feelings I've experienced, I just accepted as PMS, however I now know this is actually just chemical change in the body and it's something the breath can assist with. These feelings often left me anxious and feeling as though the whole world was lying heavy on my heart. It actually all makes perfect sense... and the breath as always, is the solution. Breathwork for the Premenstrual Phase (please see below).
Today, I have woken feeling much better after having spent the last couple of days deeply in the premenstrual breath.
Day 23 Rituals
Breathwork for the Premenstrual Phase
* Breath Holds
By holding the breath for short periods of time, the gas nitric oxide (NO) slightly pools inside the nasal cavity and the gas carbon dioxide (CO2) slightly increases in the blood. Upon resumption of breathing, breathe in so as to carry NO from the nasal cavity into the lungs. As you hold your breath, you may feel a light hunger for air. This signifies that the gas CO2 is increasing in your blood. Both gases play an important role in opening airways, improving blood circulation and allowing more oxygen to be delivered to the cells. This exercise is ideal for a warm up, to help reduce stress, asthma symptoms and breathing recovery following physical exercise
Instructions
Posture
Instruction
As you hold your breath nitric oxide pools inside the nasal cavity. Breathing in after
the breath hold will carry nitric oxide into the lungs. There it will help open the airways and improve oxygen uptake in the blood.
You should not feel stressed while doing the exercise. If the air hunger is too much,
then hold the breath for 3 seconds only.
Results
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* Studies in rats have shown that withdrawal of the female hormone progesterone increased susceptibility to panic-related anxiety, indicating that the lower levels of progesterone during the days before the period may be a trigger.
The symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) are directly related to hyperventilation. In a 2006 study it was found that women with PMS experience a much greater decline in blood carbon dioxide in the premenstrual phase than women who do not experience symptoms.
As progesterone increases and blood CO2 decreases, symptoms appear. When the luteal phase ends, progesterone decreases, CO2 levels normalize, and symptoms disappear.
*Copyright © 2017 Patrick McKeown