The information and views set out in this post are those of the author and do not reflect any official opinion of Esfinges.

By Kimberley Smithbower-Roseblade

PERIODS! There. I said it and got it out in the open right away. Our periods. We have been made to view them as a hindrance and an inconvenience that we as women have been cursed with that prevents us from doing things such as swimming in public pools, biking in short-shorts, or training and competing in HEMA.

We’ve been taught to see our periods as not just an inconvenience, but as something to be ashamed of and to keep hidden. We’ve been taught that we need “sanitary napkins” or “feminine hygiene products” which imply that our blood, and even more so our vaginas, are unsanitary and shouldn’t be touched. Heaven forbid that a woman might actually explore, understand and relate to her own body and cycle! As yoga instructor and slam poet Julie Peters has said:

“Tampons are designed to avoid such contaminative contact: they have contraptions involving white plastic applicators designed by NASA scientists that can help you to never touch your vagina even while you are inserting a piece of bleached wood pulp by-product into it. The first time I tried this, I got the applicator tube stuck, and only when I went to pull it out by its white string did I realize that there was a plastic thing with a sharp sphincter-like end that, for all I know, was trying to eat my cervix the whole time it was in there.”

This attitude that we as women have been forced to adopt through media and commercialism needs to be quelled. It is counterproductive to us, as women, to feminism and to the mentality we take with us into our training. Since we can’t ignore our periods (despite how much we may try!) we might as well find ways in which we can work with our periods.

The attempt to ignore, suppress and be ashamed of our menstrual cycles – and for older women our menopausal cycles – has only added to the problem. The more we are allowed to understand and honour our cycles and share this with other women and our male colleagues, the more we’ll be able to find success and comfort with our bodies and with our place as martial artists. We can use our cycles to help us train better and to understand the art in which we practice.

When we are ovulating, we are most energetic and magnetic. This is a great time to train hard, compete and to spar lots. If we are teachers, this is a great time for us to give lectures and workshops. When we are menstruating, the right and left hemispheres of our brain are communicating better than any other time in our cycles, which increases our intuitive and creative capabilities. This is a great time for us to read and even translate historical manuals, or start a discussion group with other HEMA practitioners as we dissect and think about the body mechanics we use and how we apply them to our training.

I am fortunate to teach at my academie. One of the classes I coach is called SwordFit, think of modern day circuit training and calisthenics mixed with solo form and weapons flow drills. I can’t take a week off or stop training when I am bleeding – my students are depending on me. When menstruating we have the hormone relaxin running through our system, which is the same hormone that loosens the muscles and joints of pregnant women preparing for labour. Strenuous exercise with a core that can’t fully engage runs the risk of putting your lower back in danger– trust me I know this from experience. I tried to lead my class in an intense abs and oblique set when I was menstruating and for three days afterwards my lower back was extremely displeased with me. However, I can alter my classes so that I’m not putting strain on my core and abdomen which squeezes up on muscles that are trying to release. Instead, I will lead my students in weight training exercises focusing on the arms, shoulders and upper back, or work on strengthening the legs. When menstruating, I avoid deep stretching after my classes and instead opt for soft yoga where I allow my belly to relax.

A great way to understand your cycle better is to start tracking it! Listen to your body and make notes. What foods do you crave when you’re ovulating? Do you experience any pre-menstrual cramps or other signs that your period may be approaching? Does stress or lack of sleep make your period arrive later or earlier than usual? Some women are lucky and have never experienced cramps, or heavy bleeding with their periods. Every woman is different and our own individual cycles change all the time. The more we begin to understand our bodies and can recognize signs and patterns the easier it will be to work with our bodies.

Try looking into alternative menstrual products that are healthier for you, your body and Mother Nature. Try organic, non-bleached tampons, or if tampons are not for you, there are luna pads and other options that are far better for your body and our environment. Many women I talk to swear by their diva cups – a product I have yet to try myself. The diva cup is a reusable, bell-shaped menstrual cup that is inserted and worn internally and sits low in the vaginal canal. The diva cup collects your blood rather than absorbing it and most women need only to empty, wash and re-insert it twice a day when on their periods. Many of my woman friends have said that since switching to the diva cup (also known as a moon cup) their periods have become lighter and they encounter less blood when compared to the gush many women experience when removing tampons. Many of these women are very fit and work out, train, do yoga and run and they have found that their diva cups are a great companion for an active lifestyle.

Don’t be afraid to let the people you train with know that you are on your period. When we are recovering from ‘flu, or getting over an injury we have no problem letting our instructors and training partners know that we need to adjust our activity levels. Why should our periods be any different? Periods are a part of our life and a very frequent, common part of our life. By breaking away from the shame our western culture has tried to push on women in regards to our periods we can start to work towards an age of acceptance and communication- and not just with other women but with the men in our lives.

Many men I speak to say they wish that they understood women’s cycles better. Many heterosexual men don’t even become exposed to it until they enter their first serious relationship with a woman and often their girlfriends, wives and lovers try to hide and shy away from them when they are menstruating. When we open ourselves up and allow the men in our lives to know when we are on our periods, and what that means for us when we’re training, we are opening up a better way for them to understand us and communicate with us. Many men are curious and are afraid to ask questions about a women’s cycle. When we openly talk about our cycles, breaking this cultural taboo, it allows men the chance to feel comfortable to approach us and ask these questions that will allow them to better understand us.

I know for some women the idea of talking about their cycles to a man- and even another woman- makes them feel uncomfortable. I am lucky to train and live on the West Coast of North America where such candid, open discussions happen regularly. However, HEMA and Western Martial Arts spreads itself into an international community. In certain ares of the world talking about one’s period to anyone is not something that is culturally or socially acceptable. It is each woman’s individual prerogative as to whether or not she wants to openly discuss her cycle. Take whatever you want, or don’t want to from this article. No woman should ever feel pressure to do anything that she does or does not want to do. May every woman be allowed to learn, experience and grow into her power in whatever ways she feels is best suited to her- and may we as women help encourage each other on this path.

So let us embrace our cycles and help ourselves and other women learn how we can work with them. Our periods don’t have to be a hindrance that stops us from training. The better we understand our bodies and our natural rhythms the more it allows us to become better fighters and practitioners of the art that brings us all together.

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