How to Cycle Sync with Vira

Written by Mimi Thompson

What is Cycle Syncing?

At Vira, we use the term “Cycle Syncing” a lot. If you’re unaware of the practice, Cycle Syncing is when you adjust your lifestyle and schedule to align with your menstrual cycle.

Essentially, you change your habits — daily activities, diet and exercise — to cater to your changing hormones and optimize overall hormone health. By doing so, you’re taking charge to offer your body the exterior care it deserves for all the interior chemical changes we don’t fully control and cannot see immediately.

Cycle Syncing means we can anticipate our feelings and plan accordingly to feel more stable, energized, and empowered by our bodies. Women can manage painful symptoms associated with each phase, avoid feeling overwhelmed or burned out, and improve their metabolism.

How do we know when to Cycle Sync?

The menstrual cycle lasts around 28 days, but is a unique experience for everyone, for each cycle. You don’t need to have a perfect 28-day cycle — as long as your period starts every 21 to 35 days, you have a healthy cycle. It can even vary a little month to month.

People who menstruate experience 4 distinct phases, which are marked by differing levels of hormones, and these influence emotional and physical parts of our mind and bodies.

Let’s explore each of these phases briefly*.

*The following information is all accurate, but simplified for an understanding of Cycle Syncing. Stay tuned for a more in-depth explanation of the hormones and processes involved in the 4 phases.

MENSTRUAL PHASE 1.

Approximately Days 1-6 of your cycle.

This phase begins when you start to bleed (or “get” your period). Your hormones estrogen and progesterone are at their lowest, and because of their interaction with other hormones, such as serotonin and insulin, people tend to feel low energy levels and low moods. People who menstruate often experience bloating, cramps, headaches, which, naturally, makes us feel irritable and tired.

However, for some women, period pain may last longer and be more extreme. Severe period pain is caused by an underlying medical condition such as endometriosis or adenomyosis, and should not be overlooked.

FOLLICULAR PHASE 2.

Days 7-12 of your cycle.

This phase actually also begins on the first day of bleeding, but lasts longer than the Menstrual phase. The Follicular phase is when your hormone estrogen rises. At this point, your bleeding is very light or has stopped. You may start to have more energy, lighter moods, and begin feeling renewed.

OVULATION PHASE 3.

Days 13-15 of your cycle.

Ovulation happens when one of your ovaries releases an egg. The process starts when you get a surge of luteinizing hormone (LH). This hormone is always in your body, but it spikes around the middle of your menstrual cycle, stimulating the release of an egg. Ovulation happens about 36 hours after the start of the LH surge. It takes a while for LH levels to peak, and ovulation happens about 12 hours after the LH peak. People often feel their best during this phase, with high energy, confidence, and emotional stability. Since your hormone testosterone is highest in this phase, you may experience an increase in libido.

LUTEAL PHASE 4.

Final days of your cycle, until you bleed again. A normal luteal phase can last anywhere from 11-17 days.

This phase begins after ovulation and ends at the start of your next period. Your hormone Estrogen (after a dip) rises again. Your hormone progesterone rises to its highest level of all the phases, which has a calming effect on the brian and body. People tend to feel more introspective, sensitive, brain fog, and other symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). If conception doesn’t occur, both hormones drop at the end of the phase, setting your body back into the rhythm of a new cycle, and your incoming bleed.

The graph below shows the levels of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone in the context of your 4 phases:

So, we understand the 4 phases and their associated hormone levels. How can we use that information to Cycle sync?

Knowing when your energy levels are potentially the highest or when you’re going to feel low emotionally is the information crucial to your Cycle Syncing. For example, in anticipation of your period starting in Menstrual Phase 1 and having lower energy & a lower mood, Cycle Syncing might cause you to reschedule your social events, adjust your workouts to be lower impact, and eat foods that are nutrient rich and bring comfort.

We can’t tell you the exact things to do for a “perfect” cycle sync, because it’s a work-in-progress practice that is unique to you and your body. However, there are science-backed recommendations that are proven to help, which we’d like to share more about.

Vira has a suggestion on how you can Cycle sync with what you drink…

Introducing our Cycle Syncing Tea.

These four tea sets are a holistic blend of Thai organic herbs, naturally caffeine-free, crafted especially to align with the changing hormones of each of your phases and support you at all levels of energy, mood, and sensitivity.

We created 4 tins of tea bags with key ingredients in each. At any point during your menstrual cycle, you can brew a cup of the tea that aligns with which phase you’re currently in.

In Thai culture (and so many others), tea is a beloved drink: ritualistic in how we awaken, socialize, and unwind. For a month or two, why not swap your tea bags or tea blends for Vira’s Cycle Syncing tea and feel the benefits throughout your body?

“There’s something deeply grounding and nourishing about the ritual of tea drinking—a pause amidst the chaos, a return to myself.”
Pear, Founder of Vira

Here are a few ways our Cycle Syncing Teas work in each of the 4 phases.

During Menstrual Phase 1, the White Magnolia Champaca: Champee flowers have a calming and centering aroma to uplift lower moods. It is also rich in antioxidants to reduce inflammation.
During Follicular Phase 2, the Rose Petals improve your blood circulation, which comes at the right time to support rising energy levels and more movement.
During Ovulation Phase 3, Ginger enhances sexual arousal, enhancing the way testosterone naturally impacts our libido.
During Luteal Phase 4, Bergamot Leaves assist with pain relief, such as bloating, headaches, and aching as our bodies prepare to start bleeding again.

Our tea packaging includes the names and applications of each of the Thai organic herbs in the blends for you to understand how they work in your body. There is a science to our mixture.

The more you drink this caffeine-free tea, the more in-sync you can feel with and within your menstrual cycle, and larger cycles of womanhood. We partnered with Araksa Tea Garden to craft this tea, so when you purchase a set of teas, you are contributing to a woman’s economy — a sustainable cycle that empowers and uplifts local women tribes of Chiang Mai.

Araksa grows high quality organic tea and employs women in the Akka Tribe, Hmong Tribe, Lisu Tribe, as well as local Thais. Vira is proud to be supporting an incredible Thai business. We give you the opportunity to as well, by trying our teas, noticing how it adjusts to your body and your cycle, and in doing so, you’ve contributed to a larger, empowering cycle of supporting the sustainable, ethical tea trade.

Are you ready to Cycle sync?

Cycle Syncing isn’t a magical thing that will automatically and suddenly cure everything. But, it is something women can do to listen to their bodies, their minds, and their hearts during times of change, giving us a little more control over our periods. Vira created this tea as one way to assist with the natural process of menstruation because we believe it is empowering to discover and know your own body. Our tea may not be magic, but it’s soothing, delicious, and specially hand-crafted just for you during all 4 phases of your menstrual cycle — and, for us, that’s close enough to magic.

During this International Women's Month, we will be sharing more about Vira’s Cycle Syncing tea, its creation and use of traditional Thai herbs, how it can be enjoyed, and its benefits to our cycles.