Menstrual Phase Meditation Shamelessly Ambitious Podcast — [Bonus Episode 174]

Filed in All Episodes, Connection, Emotional Intelligence, Motherhood, Unconventional Living — February 12, 2026

Hello, my friend 🤍

Welcome back to the Shamelessly Ambitious podcast. This is a very special bonus episode—because I’m bringing something from behind the scenes of The Regulated Woman into the public space.

Inside The Regulated Woman, I have a program called Her Rhythms—a deep dive into using your menstrual cycle as a blueprint for your energy. And as we’ve just closed out The Energy Is Everything Series, it felt deeply aligned to share these phase meditations with you.

Cycle syncing has been one of the most profound ways I’ve learned to honor myself—both in business and in life. I’ve been practicing it since I was pregnant with my daughter (she’s seven now), and I can honestly say it has changed the way I rest, plan, create, and lead.

Over the next few bonus episodes, I’ll be releasing the phase meditations from Her Rhythms. We’re starting with the menstrual phase, and every other week, I’ll share another phase so you can return to these practices again and again.

This episode is for your menstrual phase.


What is the menstrual phase?

The menstrual phase is often called your inner winter.

It’s the part of your cycle designed for:

  • rest
  • release
  • reflection
  • nervous system repair

This is not the phase for pushing, proving, or powering through.

It’s the phase for listening inward, softening expectations, and letting your body reset.

Many high-functioning women struggle most here—not because they’re doing anything wrong, but because we’ve been conditioned to treat rest like something we have to earn.

This meditation is your permission slip to do the opposite.


What this menstrual phase meditation supports

This guided meditation is designed to help you reconnect with your body during your inner winter—without guilt, pressure, or productivity expectations.

Inside this meditation, you’ll be guided through:

Nervous system settling

Gentle breathing to help you shift out of “doing mode” and into safety and presence.

Inner winter visualization

A peaceful winter landscape—quiet, still, soft—to mirror the natural rhythm your body is moving through.

Releasing pressure and guilt

An intentional exhale of expectations, urgency, and the belief that you should be doing more.

Rest permission affirmations

You’ll repeat:

“I give myself permission to rest.
I trust that my body and mind are rejuvenating in this stillness.”

Gentle reflection

Space for insight without forcing—allowing clarity to arise naturally rather than chasing it.


When to listen to this meditation

This menstrual phase meditation is especially supportive if you are:

  • on your period (days 1–5-ish)
  • feeling emotionally tender or overstimulated
  • craving rest but struggling to allow it
  • navigating burnout, grief, or transition
  • caught in a “I should be doing more” spiral

You can also return to this meditation anytime you’re in an inner winter season, even if it’s not tied to your cycle.


Menstrual phase self-care (simple, supportive ways)

You don’t need a perfect routine during your menstrual phase. You need gentleness.

Here are a few ways to support your energy alongside this meditation:

  • reduce stimulation (less noise, fewer inputs)
  • nourish with warm, grounding foods
  • protect sleep and rest early
  • simplify decisions and commitments
  • create intentional white space
  • allow yourself to receive help

Rest is not a detour.
It’s part of the design.


Why cycle syncing is nervous system work

Cycle syncing isn’t about being more productive.

It’s about becoming more regulated.

When you stop fighting your biology, your nervous system learns it’s safe to soften. That’s when energy returns—not through force, but through alignment.

And the menstrual phase is where that trust is built.


Episode 174: Menstrual Phase Meditation

This meditation is meant to be returned to again and again—especially during seasons when you feel tempted to override your body.

You are allowed to pause.
You are allowed to rest.
You are allowed to be human.

Thank you for honoring yourself in this way.

xx, Ash

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Ash McDonald is a therapist and nervous system–first business mentor for high-achieving women who want lives and businesses that feel as good as they look. With a unique blend of psychological depth and embodied strategy, she helps women expand their emotional capacity, receive more of what they truly desire, and actually feel the richness of the life they’ve built with self-led momentum.

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