There’s a secret ingredient to all of our courses. It’s incredibly simple, and utterly life-changing. I (Sjanie) learned about it when I was 3.5 years into life as a desperate sleep-deprived mother. Miraculously I discovered the brilliant organisation Hand-in-Hand Parenting. And they recommended I find a “Listening Partner”.
Twelve years on and not only do I still connect with my listening partner, we now weave listening partnerships into all of our Red School courses, because they are a game-changing way to harness the power of community to create a vital lifeline of affirmation, validation, insight and support. I’m forever grateful to Patty Wipfler, the founder of Hand-in-Hand.
If you choose to join us for our Cycle Power course, (it would be amazing to have you with us), you'll have the opportunity to create your own listening partnership with a cycle aware companion, as well as be immersed in an online community of support as you journey through the course.
Here are some of the benefits we’ve found from this kind of cycle-aware friendship and community:
One: It gives us freedom from the menstrual and menopause taboo
When we get together with others who understand or sense the power and wisdom of the menstrual cycle and menopause, we can be transparent about our passion for this work, without fear of feeling stigmatised and judged.
Two: We can embody our power, shamelessly
When we truly start attuning to our cycles, many of us experience a kind of upgrade in our understanding of our power. It can feel liberating, but also lonely because this kind of embodied power goes against the grain of much of our current culture. Gathering with other cycle aware people emboldens us to express our fullness.
Three: We get to be our whole selves
Menstrual Cycle Awareness helps us to grow the muscle of really embodying our individuality and who we find ourselves to be on any given day, rather than denying or shutting down certain aspects of ourselves because they aren't palatable or they don't fit in. In a cycle aware community that honours and dignifies the full spectrum of our humanity, all aspects of ourselves are welcome at the table - how liberating!
Four: We get to know our true needs, and claim them
One of the obstacles to understanding and acknowledge our needs, especially as women, is shame. Shame thrives in silence, so when we feel safe to share stories about our needs within a like-minded circle, we give each other permission to feel what we're feeling, to need what we're needing, and to claim a life that is built around our rhythm and flow.
Five: We trust ourselves more
The sacred experience of being met with care and validated by others allows us to follow the quiet inner breadcrumb trails of wisdom and cyclical intelligence inside us. It is a powerful way to overcome the subtle gaslighting that happens in a world that denies our cyclical nature. In order to trust our cycle insights, we need to have our cyclicality mirrored back to us.
