Discovering your menstruation as a spiritual practice
Yasmine understands her menstruation as a spiritual practice and shares in this interview how she is connecting more with her own body through cycle awareness.
On May 28 is World Menstruation Day, so let’s celebrate periods today! From a period perspective, the date is easy to explain: An average menstruation lasts five days and takes place every 28 days (exceptions confirm the rule, because many cycles vary from these average figures). The NGO WASH United has initiates this day in 2013 to draw attention to the challenges that people around the world face because of their menstruation. The official name of the day is ‘‘Menstrual Hygiene Day’. But I personally prefer to speak of ‘World Menstruation Day’, which sounds more neutral to me. Because the word ‘hygiene’ is more likely to have associations of unclean or dirty. Words that, in my opinion, have nothing to do with your period.
Why do we actually need a World Menstruation Day? It is a continuous cycle where the period is not talked about and therefore not prioritized in politics, society or school. So the topic remains unnoticed. As long as it is not a priority, there will be little change, research or innovation in this area. Because of the menstrual taboo, we do not learn enough about the topic and we often lack self-confidence about our own period and body. Therefore World Menstruation Day is intended to help in this and to draw everyone’s attention to menstruation. Let us celebrate our bodies and our periods!
My very personal wish is to normalize menstruation, meaning that periods are nothing to be ashamed of anymore. That the times when we go to the toilet with a hidden tampon under our sweater are finally over. I want to be part of the menstrual movement, do my part and campaign for more menstrual justice. And this is exactly why Vulvani was born – let’s revolutionize the menstrual world together!
We all have to learn to see menstruation as something normal and to talk about it openly. The annual World Menstruation Day is intended to help us do this. The most important thing is that as many different people as possible actively take part in discussions about menstruation and thus consciously break the silence taboo. It is important that different perspectives, experiences and opinions are given a voice. This is the only way to enable all menstruating people to manage their periods normally. The first step to break the stigma is to use words like menstruation or period and not one of the over 5000 synonyms. Because menstruation is not a bad word. On the contrary: let’s make it a beautiful word that we enjoy saying. Because we don’t have to use any playful terms, such as strawberry week, shark week or cherry time. So let’s all say it once together very loudly PERIOD. Not so bad, right?
Yasmine understands her menstruation as a spiritual practice and shares in this interview how she is connecting more with her own body through cycle awareness.
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…and empower countless women to make empowered choices about their bodies!
