It’s ‘that time’ of the month again and you are feeling crampy, emotional, fatigued, craving all the foods, and overall just blah. Maybe it’s the couple days leading up to the start of your cycle or you’ve already started it.

At my house, my husband knows when he sees the heating pad sitting on the couch, it’s time for him to tread a little more lightly and maybe tell me I’m pretty a few more times than usual (just kidding, kind of). Dysmenorrhea, or pain with menstruation, is a real thing and is actually quite common – probably more so than you would think. Up to 91% of females experience dysmenorrhea to some degree throughout the menstruating years. Up to 29% of women report ‘severe pain’ – limiting daily life activities such as work, caring for family, recreational exercise, etc. – during their cycles.

Odds are, if you are a female, you are going to experience pain or discomfort during your menstrual cycle at least once in your life! So, after looking at those statistics or if you have personally experienced dysmenorrhea to some degree, it might seem hard to truly love and appreciate your uterus and all that it does.

The average uterus is approximately 7cm long by 5cm wide. That’s only the size of a small hand! It has the ability to expand more than 100x greater than it’s original size and can support up to 150x its normal weight. It is also the only organ that is capable of physically creating another organ – the placenta. Now, that’s pretty darn cool if you ask me. The uterus is also sometimes known as the 2^nd heart of the mother because it is in the uterus where the heart of her child is formed.

In Latin, uterus actually means ‘womb.’ In ancient medicine, the uterus was considered a sacred organ. It was known not only as a spiritual center, but a source of intuition, emotional well-being, and physical vitality. The uterus is where a new life is conceived, grown, and birthed.  The womb doesn’t always mean the actual organ either. It can be representative of a spiritual or energy center that exists whether you physically have a womb or not and whether your womb is fertile or not. This spiritual place can carry immense power and can also be a center for unconditional love. Most of us have quite a bit of difficulty tapping into this deeper center and/or aren’t really sure as to how to begin the process.

So, what are some easy ways to start tapping into that deeper energy center? A big component is diaphragmatic breathing. As you breathe in through your nose, imagine your breath traveling down into your womb, essentially ‘filling it up.’ As you exhale through your mouth, imagine your negative energy and thoughts leaving with your breath. This is an easy activity to do throughout your day and doesn’t take much time to perform a few rounds. Another great way to connect on a deeper level is to practice more self-love. If you are needing tips to help with that, check out Dani’s most recent blog here for all the information!

So ladies, all in all, our uteruses aren’t all bad all the time!

Next time you are feeling crampy or blah, remember how much of a superwoman you are in that your body can do such amazing things!