Lunar Yoga for Hormone Balance

Probably the number one question that I hear as both a dietitian and a yoga instructor is: "How does yoga help my diet?"

If you are wondering what does yoga have to do with eating, keep reading because this is my favorite thing to talk about!!

Cultivating Awareness

Have you ever tried to remember what you had for breakfast only to come up empty and no matter how hard you try you simply can't remember what you ate? You know that you had something, but over the course of your very hectic day you pushed it right out of your brain because it was taking up space that you needed for other stuff? That my friend, is mindless eating. It's what gets us into trouble with eating too much sugar, loading up on junk food, and not realizing that we are drinking our entire day's worth of calories at one football party.

Simply put, when you eat mindlessly you aren't paying attention and you miss the important cues. Usually it catches up to you later that day in the form of feeling sluggish, GI issues, or guilt.

Yoga teaches mindfulness.

Every time you step on your mat, sit on a meditation cushion, or pause to do a body scan you are doing yoga that is helping you to strengthen your mindfulness muscle.

You need to grow your mindfulness muscle just like you would your biceps or buns- add resistance repeatedly over time with periods of rest & recovery. Your yoga practice is like going to the gym to strengthen awareness.

The best part is, that the more often you practice the more you'll reflexively be aware. You'll notice that you don't need such a large portion to be happy. You'll notice when you eat something that doesn't feel good so that next time you might skip it. You'll notice more about your relationship with food.

OK so now you know how yoga helps, but what the heck is up with lunar yoga?

Hormone Balance with Yoga

Conveniently, the lunar cycle follows a 28-31 day rhythm. As a woman, your hormones follow a 28-31 rhythm. Even if you don't subscribe to the concept of lunar energy influencing human lives you can't argue that the visual of moon cycles isn't a convenient way to practice mind-body awareness.

I teach women how to use the lunar cycle to become more aware of their own cycles of energy, moods, hunger, and wellness because it offers a visual cue that traces the same pattern every single month. Some women line up perfectly, others simply use the lunar cycle to mark their own patterns.

Using the predictable pattern of the lunar cycle, you can schedule yoga practices that bring more awareness to when you need to nourish your mind & body and when you need to back off and nurture yourself. Wait, WHAT?!

Yes my dear, you can plan days to unplug in advance, you can schedule a meal prep session to be prepared for when you just don't have any f*cks to give, and you can tap into those precious days when you have more energy, more time, and all the motivation to get sh!t done!

This benefits hormone balance because you aren't constantly battling your body and mind trying to fit into the 24-hour-7-day mold that doesn't apply to women. You will learn to rest when you need, be prepared for moods, and get the most out of the days you have more to give. When you aren't fighting your body, it actually supports your busy life and you get more done. When you aren't at war with your hormones your body can detox, build muscle, age with grace, and feel fabulous.

You don't need to attend a 60-minute class every day, or even every week- all it takes is 5-20 minutes a few days a week to begin to see results. Even better, when you follow the lunar flow, some weeks all you need to do is breathe- I'm pretty sure you can make time for that.

I teach lunar flow workshops each season, but you don't have to wait to attend a session. You can enroll in the Mindful & Balanced Intensive program and get a guided journey through 3 lunar cycles. That's 3 months of food, yoga, and self-care for hormone balance.

If you have "improve my relationship with food" on your to-do list then I highly recommend lunar yoga and the Mindful & Balanced Intensive .