I had a longer post planned. In this post, I was going to write a brilliant and cogent analysis of the portrayal of and reaction to menstruation in our culture and in ancient India, and talk about the lack of consensus about whether one should do inversions (that is, anything that turns your body upside down, like headstands or downward-facing dog) while menstruating (some say it's helpful, some say it's harmful). I was also going to mention that there's no actual medical research supporting the claims that have been made about why inversions are bad for menstruating women, and if they do apply it's only for women who hold inversions for an extremely long period of time - several minutes as opposed to the standard 30-90 seconds for the average practitioner.

The upshot of all this was going to be that menstruation (as well as menarche and menopause) are ultimately signs of female power that women can embrace in a number of different ways, and that the question of whether to do inversions on one's period is a matter of personal choice and listening to one's own body and assessing one's energy level, just like any man or woman should do at all times. But one shouldn't desist from inversions during menstruation simply because of dogma or pressures from a yoga instructor.

This view may be controversial with some of you, and I accept that. This is just what I've found to be true for me in the last 20 years.

Yoga practice is about listening to your body, I was going to say, and that's one of the things you learn on the mat. The menstruation taboo in yoga doesn't have to be sexist, but it often is, and it can be a fine line.

I was going to write all of this, and include lots of relevant links, but I'm on day two of my period and I'm just feeling a little tired today. I think menstruation is a beautiful thing. Sure it can be gross sometimes, it can be inconvenient, but it's a reminder that I have the power to create and destroy right inside my own body, that this is one of the gifts of the female body. I think menopause is a beautiful thing, too, even though that also can be inconvenient and uncomfortable as my friends and relatives have told me. I should say that being female and menstruation are not entirely synonymous - one can certainly be a woman and never have experienced menstruation. The female hormonal and body cycle has many different faces and expressions, as there are all kinds of women in this world. It's all beautiful, in my eyes.

Yet there's something about the female cycle that continues to invite derision and mocking by what I think is still this deeply sexist culture of ours. Whether you bleed monthly, have stopped, or are a woman who hasn't menstruated, there's something about all of it that makes people think they can make judgments about who you are, how you behave, etc., and so a lot of women feel shame when they shouldn't at all. I've battled my own demons on this front throughout my life, and I've talked with a lot of women who have, as well.

Anyway. Last night's yoga practice was and tonight's will be simple and mostly restorative. I'm going to miss my favorite yoga teacher's class only because if I really listen to my body, it's telling me to chill out, and if I go to that class I will really push myself harder than I should.

So in listening to my own body, I'll just leave you with these thoughts, respectfully, and hope that all you women reading will share your own respectful thoughts about menstruation and the body.