Cycles Not Schedules

Honouring your natural rhythms in a world that runs on deadlines

There’s a quiet rebellion happening.

It’s in the woman who cancels her 6am run and chooses sleep instead.

In the mum who lets the laundry wait and takes 10 minutes to stretch in the garden.

In the Yoga student who finally stops forcing herself through the same intense class every week and starts listening to what her body really needs.

This rebellion isn’t loud. It doesn’t wear a cape. But it’s powerful.

It’s the rebellion of living by cycles, not schedules.

Why Living in Tune with Your Body Feels Better Than Forcing a Schedule

Most of the women I work with live in a world that demands consistency, performance, and productivity. Every. Single. Day.

Work deadlines. School drop-offs. Meal planning. Gym sessions. Family obligations. The “perfect” morning routine. The “right” time to journal, meditate, move, glow up.

But I just wanted to remind you, that you are not a machine.

You are a living, breathing, beautiful cyclical being. Just like the moon. Just like the tides. Just like the seasons.
Your energy, mood, motivation, creativity, and even your physical body aren’t designed to stay the same every day. That’s not a flaw by the way, that’s a feature.

When we ignore our cycles (menstrual, seasonal, emotional), we run ourselves into the ground trying to be consistent. When we honour them, life starts to feel softer, more spacious, more like us again.

So what if this was the moment you stopped forcing yourself to keep up with a schedule that was never designed for your body?

What if you chose to tune in instead of push through?

Your Body’s Natural Cycles (Menstrual, Seasonal and Daily Rhythms)

Let’s talk about cycles in a few ways:

The Menstrual Cycle

If you menstruate, you experience a natural 4-phase rhythm each month, similar to the seasons:

• Menstruation (Winter) Rest, release, slow down

• Follicular Phase (Spring) Energy rises, creativity sparks

• Ovulation (Summer) Social, confident, expressive

• Luteal Phase (Autumn) Focused, reflective, inward-turning

Each phase brings its own wisdom. But we often ignore the quieter phases (like menstruation or the luteal phase) and power through, frustrated that we’re not as “on it” as we were last week.

What if, instead, you scheduled rest where you usually schedule hustle?
What if you let your Yoga practice mirror your cycle, taking a restorative class one week, and an energising one the next?

The Seasonal Cycle

You also move through seasonal energy throughout the year, even if your work/life responsibilities stay the same.

• Summer asks you to stretch outward and enjoy connection

• Autumn invites reflection, decluttering, nesting

• Winter is the time for stillness, rest, dreaming

• Spring brings new ideas, energy, and plans to grow

Our society tends to expect “summer energy” all year round, that bright, productive, social, energy, but this isn’t always possible - you’re not solar-powered after all!

Even if you can’t change your workload, small tweaks can help you align more gently with the season you’re in.

Could you make winter meetings shorter and spring walks longer?
Could your Yoga classes shift with the light? Could your self-care reflect your energy, not your schedule?

The Daily Cycle

Ayurveda teaches us that we move through different energies during the day, too. These daily rhythms (called dosha clocks) explain why you feel more alert in the morning, sluggish mid-afternoon, and dreamy in the evening.

Instead of resisting this (3pm coffee break anyone?), what if you worked with it?

A short walk or a calming Yoga pose at 3pm might do more for your wellbeing than another task ticked off.

“But I Don’t Have Time to Follow My Cycle!”

Hang on a minute!

If you’re thinking, “That sounds lovely, but I have work/kids/life and I can’t just opt out of my schedule…”
You’re absolutely right. You’re not living in a forest with no Wi-Fi and zero responsibilities.

This blog isn’t about burning your planner or cancelling all your commitments. It’s about finding moments, even tiny ones, to tune in instead of tune out. To be mindful of what you body needs and adjust to that.

Here’s how you can start:

Simple Ways to Honour Your Cycle (Without Adding Extra Stress)

1. Swap “I have to” for “What do I need today?”

Instead of sticking rigidly to your morning routine, try asking:

“What would support me today?”

Maybe it’s a walk instead of a run. Or breathwork instead of emails first thing.

2. Let your Yoga practice reflect your rhythm

Busy day? Try child’s pose, legs up the wall, or a 10-minute gentle stretch instead of a power flow.

Energetic day? Go for the strong standing poses and arm balances.

Let your Yoga practice support your energy, not drain it.

3. Use your planner to protect energy, not just schedule tasks

Block off time around your period, deadlines, or family events to rest and reset.

Even just 20 minutes of stillness after a busy day can make a world of difference.

4. Embrace "good enough" as your mantra

Living cyclically is about presence, not perfection. So if dinner’s on toast and the laundry’s unfolded, you’re still doing life beautifully.

Yoga, Self-Care and the Power of Listening to Your Body

In Yoga, the concept of Ahimsa (non-harming) isn’t just about how we treat others, it’s about how we treat ourselves.

Pushing through exhaustion?
Overriding your body’s cues?
Telling yourself you're not doing enough?

That’s subtle self-harm. Living in rhythm, choosing rest, honouring your body’s needs is Ahimsa in action.

Another Yogia principle is Svadhyaya, the art of self-study. Living cyclically is a practice of self-study. It’s noticing your patterns, watching your energy and being curious, rather than critical.

Your body is a wise teacher, all you need to do is listen.

Let This Be the Season You Stop Forcing Consistency

If you’ve felt tired, inconsistent, or like you’re always falling behind, it’s not you, it’s the expectation that you should function the same every day.

So here’s your invitation:

Let this be the season you stop forcing consistency and start embracing your cycles.

Let your Yoga practice meet you where you are. Let your body lead the way.
Let your self-worth be rooted in who you are, not what you get done.

You don’t need to be perfectly aligned with your cycle to benefit from this.

You just need to start noticing. Start listening and start trusting that your enough-ness has been there all along, it just got buried under a rather large to-do list.

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