Sex & Your Cycle with Vianney Leigh

Do you know how powerful your period really is? Not only does the menstrual cycle act as your fifth vital sign and indicator of health, but you can also tune in to it to help you achieve better sex.

On today’s episode I’m chatting with menstrual cycle alignment expert, Vianney Leigh where we explore:

  • The four phases/seasons of the cycle

  • The 5 hormones involved in our cycle

  • The difference between male and female hormonal systems

  • Cycle as a marker of health

  • How to optimise your cycle

  • Best time in your cycle to have sex

  • Healing cramps through sex

Vianney Leigh is a certified life & success coach, menstrual cycle alignment expert, and host of the Periods & Power Moves Podcast. Vianney is also the founder of Status Flow Collective - an education, empowerment, and coaching business that transforms and elevates your life through the power of your period. The brand’s mission is to challenge and disrupt the status quo of menstrual cycles.

This podcast is for YOU, so if you ever have any questions you’d like me to answer on the show, or topics you’d like me to cover – reach out to me on email here or over on instagram @eleanorhadley

Links & Resources

Connect with Vianney on instagram

Vianney’s Programs:
Flow Zone Alchemy

Perfect Flow Formula

Period Power Activism

Read The Fifth Vital Sign by Lisa Hendrickson-Jack (for more recommended books about periods, check out my book list here)

Episode 18: Know Your Yoni: An Intro to the Fertility Awareness Method

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of The Sensuality Academy Podcast!

The Sensuality Academy Podcast is edited and produced with thanks to Music Producer/Mixer, Matthew Hadley. You can find his work at www.matthewhadley.net

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Episode Transcript

Hello and welcome to episode 32 of The Sensuality Academy podcast! Something I’m really passionate about is empowering you to embody your femininity and really tune in to your body. An incredibly powerful way to do this is by learning more about your menstrual cycle. It’s a topic that honestly most of us have been severely undereducated on. If you’re anything like me, you probably had one very lacklustre class on periods in sex education in high school, got thrown some pads and tampons, told to deal with it every month and then potentially even ended up being put on the hormonal birth control pill by some old doctor who never really explained the risks. 

Personally I was on the pill for over 14 years and it was only a few years ago that I finally got educated about the importance of a healthy menstrual cycle and subsequently decided to get off it. Ever since, I’ve learnt so much about my body and have become so much more in tune with my body and my feminine energy. It’s honestly something I think every human could do to learn about.

On today’s episode I’m chatting with Vianney Leigh, a certified life & success coach, menstrual cycle alignment expert, and host of the Periods & Power Moves Podcast. Vianney is also the founder of Status Flow Collective - an education, empowerment, and coaching business that transforms and elevates your life through the power of your period. The brand’s mission is to challenge and disrupt the status quo of menstrual cycles. 

I was lucky enough to be introduced to Vianney’s work early this year and participated in her insightful course, Period Power Activism, which I highly recommend to any menstruator out there who is committed to advocating for the rights of others and wants to figure out how to sustain their energy to do so through the power of syncing their activism efforts with their cycle. Honestly, this course is awesome and I will add a link in the show notes for those interested.

Vianney and I caught up to chat all things periods - plus, you better believe I spun the conversation towards sex. In this episode we explore:

  • The four phases/seasons of the cycle

  • The 5 hormones involved in our cycle

  • The difference between male and female hormonal systems

  • Your cycle as a marker of health

  • How to optimise your cycle

  • The best time in your cycle to have sex

  • Healing period pain through sex

  • And so much more

Something I want to point out before we get to the interview too, is that it’s important that we recognise that not all women have periods and not all people who have periods are women. I want to acknowledge that many women don’t have a menstrual cycle due to health factors and many people who menstruate may be agender, non-binary or trans folks. Please keep this in mind as you enjoy this episode.

Now, without further ado, let’s talk about cycles and sex! Enjoy the episode my loves!

ELEANOR: Hello Vianney and welcome to The Sensuality Academy Podcast. Thank you so much for joining us today. 

VIANNEY: Thanks so much for having me. I’m super excited to talk to you. 

ELEANOR: I’ve shared a little about you in the show intro already but I’d love you to tell us more about your work. What makes you so passionate about periods and menstrual cycle education? 

VIANNEY: First of all, I never expected to be in this line of work. It came as a complete surprise - it hit me around the head really like a ‘violent’ calling. 

I used to struggle with PMS, my symptoms, my cycle and painful disruptive cycles and I was diagnosed with PMDD - Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder a couple of years ago. When I discovered I was actually dealing with a hormone based mood disorder that was cyclical it made so much sense as to why I was going on these repeat cycles of falling out with loved ones, having lots of arguments with my husband, my fiance at the time and struggling with keeping that momentum going whether it be in my entrepreneurial career or when I was working in a corporate jobs. Everything seemed like a rollercoaster and I had a night which seemed like a hormonal breakdown and I really struggled to understand what was going on with my emotions, my mental health, my wellbeing and I started doing a bit of research after that - the night of the dark soul - where I was literally screaming out to God - Why are you doing this to me? I didn’t understand why I was feeling like I was taking a couple of steps forward and a hundred steps back and everything was always up and down and I did my own research. I googled severe PMS after talking to my mum asking if she experienced severe symptoms when she was growing up. She mentioned that her symptoms were quite severe at times. The word severe never came up in my mind until I heard that come out of her mouth. While googling I came across PMDD which I didn't even know that it existed. I found a community, resources and tools to guide me through figuring out if this is what I was experiencing. I started tracking my cycle, doing all the things that the resources said that I should do. To take to my GP, to see if I could be recommended to see a specialist. At the time I felt quite ashamed and embarrassed as to why I was being so “hormonal”. I actually took my husband with me to the Doctors and I was referred to a specialist and I was diagnosed with it and my options for healing/recovery/management was to deal with it. Go on SSRI’s - antidepressants and I was given the option to be given a hysterectomy. 

To be honest, I have experienced a holistic journey through witnessing my mother heal from breast cancer when I was 11 years old. She completely changed her lifestyle around - her diet, her mindset, spirituality. Everything shifted and I saw her completely heal. She is still with us today so I knew there had to be other options for me. I decided to take my health into my own hands. When I recognised that there was this underlying wisdom and magic behind your menstrual cycle it was not just a thing that happened to you, that's when it clicked. It was like - WOW! There is something that has been completely missing here from our education as women or people with uterus’ and I became obsessed and started noticing things about my cycle and sharing what I was learning, reading and researching. It was really strange because I studied Cosmetic Science and also had an undergraduate degree in Health Studies. I learnt about the hormonal system, the endocrine system, biology and physiology. It’s funny because when something like this happens you realise that you were preparing for it, your life has been preparing you to take on that challenge of showing up in a bigger way so that you can help others who have been going through something similar as you or they are suffering alone. I’m super passionate about it because it has changed my life and my relationships, my business and my inner peace. 

ELEANOR: OMG. That’s so amazing. That is so beautiful as well what you said about your mum and seeing her heal and having that as an example that you can actually heal your own body and not having to rely on typical traditional western medicine if its not absolutely necessary. Amazing. 

VIANNEY: Absolutely. 

ELEANOR: With periods, I know that a lot of my listeners are menstruators and will be incredibly intrigued to learn more about their periods. It's something that for me  I had my eyes opened to this in the past 4 years going down that more spiritual, holistic, health path and realising that I have been on the pill for 14 years put on it as a kid and I think this story is one that a lot of people can resonate with. That we were not told anything about the side effects, the implications of it, what it really did. I only found out when I was about 27,  just before I actually went off it that it wasn’t giving you a real period. Each month I thought that I was getting a period but it was a chemically induced bleed and I had no idea. 

VIANNEY: Yep. 

ELEANOR: It’s wild.

VIANNEY: It’s an awakening now because there are so many people that are becoming more clued up to what is going on in their bodies, taking back that ownership and stop looking for solutions outside of themselves. 

You are absolutely right, it starts so young. You were about 13/14 when you can start going on birth control but there are girls as young as 8/9 who start their periods. It's like a right of passage where you automatically go on birth control. I just think it’s so important for you to understand when you go on birth control to understand why you are going on it because if you are trying to prevent pregnancy we are only fertile 4-5 days out of your cycle, if you are trying to clear up symptoms you may end up with more symptoms than you originally started with.  It's all about educating yourself and asking those questions - why are you doing this? How is this going to help or hinder me? 

ELEANOR: Absolutely. I think that so often we take this really quick fix, bandaid solution to our health - I’m just going to take this thing and it will fix everything and we are getting so disconnected to our bodies and not listening to them and understanding what they are telling us. I know that our menstrual cycle is often referred to as our 5th vital sign. I think it's Lisa Hendrix Jack who wrote that book “The 5th Vital Sign” and it's so true because it tells as a lot about our bodies. 

I would love for you to share with our audience the different phases of the menstrual cycle - we are going to learn today that it's much more than just your period each month. What each phase means and the different indicators and all that goodness. 

VIANNEY: Oh my gosh absolutely. To irritate what you said, your menstrual cycle is your 5th vital sign. I think that it’s important that if anyone doesn’t know about their menstrual cycle to make your life easier. It’s there to utilise a source of power. I really want you to understand that when you are hearing that your menstrual cycle is your 5th vital sign it's like your doctor would check your temperature, your pulse, respiratory rate, your blood pressure. Your menstrual cycle is just an important marker of health when it comes to those things. We haven't been taught these things as kids sadly most women don’t have a clue how their bodies work until they start about having kids or they are dealing with something serious as their health. 

Let’s talk about the 4 phases of the menstrual cycle. 

If we go back a little bit I want to talk about the 5 hormones that drive the menstrual cycle experience which is estrogen, Progesterone, Testosterone, Follicular -stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone. Now these hormones blends, they change up to four times during the course of your menstrual cycle and those four changes actually create those four phases of your menstrual cycle. 

The four phases are Follicular phase, Ovulatory phase, Luteal phase, and Menstrual phase which is your bleed phase, your actual  period. 

If we were to simplify this and speak to this experience that helps people connect with it in a way that people are familiar with we can say your menstrual cycle reflects nature because we actually are nature. We reflect that experience. When we think about the four seasons - spring, summer, autumn, winter and those cyclical changes - the blossoming of the trees, the longer nights of summer the more high intensity of summer, the slowing down, the grounding down that autumn can sometimes bring and the winter of resting, restoring, hibernation. That is exactly how your menstrual cycle can actually appear if your hormones are balanced and you are working to pay attention, respect and honour every single phase of your cycle. It can actually be like the four seasons. It’s absolutely incredible each season or phase holds a unique super power for you. It will in multiple superpowers, in the follicular phase - spring - you have just finished bleeding and you start having more energy and your creative mind starts activating and you are able to plan, set intentions, create big visions, make those connections clearer, you are so much more playful during this time. 

The next week - summer - from a hormonal standpoint your estrogen, the feel good hormone and Testosterone which also appears in women, peaks. You have more sexual energy, more desire, you are actually more attractive during this time. Did you know that your face actually changes during this time. Your lips get fuller, your curves get curvier and you are releasing these pheromones. In the summertime you have this creative superpower of communication so you are really able to speak in a way that comes from a place of your higher self. You are able to communicate your message more clearly. You are able to be more of a nurturer and do all of these things and then as you move out of that phase and your hormone levels start dropping a little bit into your luteal phase - inner autumn - sometimes given a bad reputation because of things like PMDD, PMS, Mood problems. This phase is a time to turn inwards. I think this is where we all have got this all twisted. We think that we need to keep going and going and going and live off that high of the follicular and ovulatory phase  when really it is a shift, a change in gear for you to slow down. I think that this is where we have missed the mark, when some many problems happen. That inner autumn time is such a special time if you actually surrender to the experience. 

Inner winter is your bleed phase - we have been conditioned to pop a pill, take a bandaid approach to dealing and sitting with our symptoms without any judgement. This inner winter time is a time for visioning and clarity. Believe it or not  when you start working with your cycle it can be a really powerful and intuitive time for you to get those soul messages of what to take next in your life, business, career, relationships if we just stop and actually rest. It’s an inbuilt time to rest and I think that is where we have gone wrong, when we think that we have to always be busy all the time producing and being productive. 

That’s the magic of your menstrual cycle if you look it at those seasons. 

ELEANOR: So incredible. When I first heard about this idea of our cyclical seasons I was blown away. It just makes so much sense and it gives us so much permission. We were talking about this before we started this interview. The idea of permission to rest - ooh - what an exhale, what a relief. 

VIANNEY: It is so good when you give yourself permission to rest like guilt-free rest. 

ELEANOR: Yes! Like absolutely knowing that by resting intentionally at certain times that it's going to help everything else in your cycle. Making your summer phase even more amazing and energetic if you allow that rest in your winter phase. 

For anyone who is understanding that we have these seasons as menstruators and our hormonal system. What about the masculine, the male hormonal system. How does that differ?  This is something that really blew me away when I understood the difference between us being cyclical throughout roughly a 28-day cycle and then the masculine being quite different.

VIANNEY:  Yeah, it is very different. We actually replicate typically a 28-day cycle which also matches the lunar phases of the moon but the male hormonal cycle is completely different. They do have a hormonal cycle; it is a 24-hr cycle. Instead of having a month long cycle men go through their whole male cycle in a 24-hr period.  Which goes to show that as women we have been trying to live in alignment with that male hormonal cycle thinking that we need to do everything in 24-hrs. Not saying that men need to do everything in 24 hrs but their bodies are changing at 24 hr period every single day. 

In the mornings their testosterone levels are at the highest. That makes the very energetic, focused, competitive, they want to go and do that HIIT workout in the morning or have sex in the morning. This is the best time for them to do those types of things, in the morning. 

In the afternoon, their testosterone is lower but they are still focused. This is the best time to have meetings, brainstorming ideas, lunch with a date. 

Their testosterone is lowest in the evening. Winding down enjoying relaxation time with family & friends so they can recharge and start the exact same cycle again. So it is very different to a women’s hormonal cycle. It is really interesting, I am glad that you highlighted that because people don’t realise that men follow a hormonal cycle at all. 

ELEANOR: I really think that it provides context - we are all hormonal, we are all cyclical but very differently and depending what hormones we have going on it's either this 24-hr or 28-day cycle and it's such a difference. 

For us to be raised in a patriarchy, we are constantly conditioned to feel like we must do this like a dude. We must exist in this 24-hr up, do the thing, then go to bed. It’s just its not the way that we work and if we and when we tap into our cyclical nature and that full seasonal cyclical embodiment that is when we really see ourselves step into our power. It’s only actually through learning about this stuff through people like you who can educate us about what this means and how we can really harness it, it's not until then that we can tap in properly and stop blaming ourselves. I know that this is me and the story for a lot of people out there blaming ourselves - why we are so exhausted today, why am I energetic one day and not the next it can make us feel “crazy”, driven mad by this “inconsistency”, it's actually very consistent but its not a daily thing, a monthly thing. 

VIANNEY: It’s very consistent and very predictable. We are actually predictable, we can take that as a good thing and get excited about that predictability in our life or we can take that in a way that doesn’t focus on the positives. I like to see it as a positive because at the end of the day I like to plan, I’ve got business, clients, relationships, family and friends and I like to plan and make sure that I am optimising my hormonal advantage at every single point I think that when you are aware that you can do that that is such a game changer. It allows you to be more expansive and confident. I think that is the missing piece to the puzzle of finding that inner motivation and confidence. 

ELEANOR: Gosh, so powerful. I love this, it has been such a game changer for me learning this and really taking the time to honour myself. We had a chat before we started recording about what day we are on, I am on day 4 right now and I spent the first 2 days of my cycle doing absolutely nothing and it was glorious. I spent all day in bed, I watched some Netflix, I had my Tarot out and it was so wonderful. I felt amazing for doing it and ever since I've given myself the permission to do nothing especially on day 1 it has changed everything. My energy is so much more consistent when I get to those more spring/summer phases of my cycle I get shit done I can really power through and get really creative and then I can allow myself that rest, it's a game changer. 

VIANNEY: It really is. I like to say that I used to dread my periods Now, when I come on my periods, that Day 1, Day 2, that rest it literally feels like Christmas Day. It’s an event. I plan and make sure that I have got all the things that will really nourish my mind, body and soul and sometimes its not doing all the things. Sometimes I pull my cards as well, I do an oracle deck. Sometimes its just a day of Netflix or 3-hr bath or just laying in on bed or just being on the sofa. Knowing that you have got that to look forward to because who can actually raise their hand and say I actually have a date scheduled with myself to rest now knowing that you can do that every single month is a game changer. 

ELEANOR: It really is. I hope that everybody is feeling inspired to learn more about this and dive in to understanding your own phases. Before we go on to talk more about sex which we are definitely getting to. I love to ask you Vianney to share how would you recommend people to get started - I want to know about this cyclical thing, I want to have self care day on Day 1  how do they get started what’s the first step to understanding and working with your cycle?

VIANNEY: 1) say yes to yourself, you deserve to claim back your body, claim back your power. Say yes you deserve all of the goodness that comes from aligning with your cycle and being more attuned to that rhythmic flow that you have that is your superpower. Saying yes to yourself. 

2) Start tracking your cycle and how you can do that, I’ve actually got a free guide, clicking on the link in my bio on my instagram - the Perfect Flow Formula - it's a jam packed guide, the downloadable tracker that you can use to start noticing some detail, patterns, telltale signs, the way that you are at every single day and how you can start self caring at each phase of your cycle because how you would do self care in your winter isn’t the same how you would do it in your summer. A full checklist of how you are going to self care also in order to start balancing your hormones so that you can stop that wild ride there is something that you can start doing is the Seed Cycling Method. I've got a cheat sheet and a video in that guide as well how you can start using the Seed Cycling Method to balance and regulate your hormones. There is everything there to get you started especially if you are a complete newbie even if you haven’t got regular cycles there is going to be something in there for you within that perfect flow formulas guide. 

ELEANOR: Amazing. We will put that in the show notes as well so everybody can find that. We will get a link in there for you.Also, seed cycling - I’ve been doing Seed Cycling for awhile now and that’s so helpful, especially for me dealing with healing endometriosis, that’s been so helpful. 

VIANNEY: Brilliant. It sounds crazy - how are seeds going to help me? - But trust us on this guys.

ELEANOR: Definitely, give it a go. It’s amazing, nature is so powerful that it can have such an impact on us. 

Let’s get into the spicy side of things. Given that all my work is all about Sensuality, Sexuality and Feminine Embodiment what I would love to do is for us to take a look at the cycle from this perspective and talk more about how we can now use our knowledge of our cycle and our phases to have better sex. We have mentioned a couple of things - feeling a bit flirtier in the first phase especially considering men’s sex drive as well I would love for to explore as well. When is the best time in our cycle to have sex?

VIANNEY: Definitely in your Follicular and Ovulatory phase. It depends on when and how many days you bleed for. As an example, I usually have 4 days of bleeding which will take me up to day 4 of my cycle so you start counting from Day 1 which is full flow blood then after day 4 you start going into your follicular spring and your summer and how can actually imagine this. What you were talking about this earlier, with a male hormonal cycle they have testosterone up and down their bodies every single day but for women the first half of their cycle is more masculine the more of the yang energy so that is the phase of your cycle where you will definitely be more turned on, open to being flirty and having sex. During your ovulation phase as well it is probably 2-3 days where you ovulate where you can call it rabbit week. Where you are just on it, if you are with a partner they can sense that as well. The first half of your cycle. 

However, when you go into your luteal phase, that first half of your luteal phase is 10-14 days, the longest phase of your cycle and the first half can be quite active for you as well. It's really a great way to release any pent up anger, any irritation that you may have whether in solo sex or sex with a partner and a top tip - a day or 2 before you actually bleed sometimes you get that desire to be sexual as well. In a nutshell, your ovulation phase is that time for you to get it in. 

ELEANOR: Amazing. When we are talking about the ovulation phase this is when we are most fertile and I actually have an episode for anybody who's interested - Know your Yoni - I will put it in the show notes. This is where I spoke all about Fertility awareness and the Fertility Awareness Method. That is something that we can reference but when we are ovulating this is when we are the most fertile, it’s essentially our bodies are like - make a baby, make a baby, make a baby - that is why we feel so hornier because our bodies are sending us those messages that this is the time you are able to get impregnated. So we need to be careful if this is not on the cards for us. 

VIANNEY: Absolutely. It’s  4-5 days when we are the most fertile. Our bodies are designed in such a way that we can't question what it is actually doing. It is the time when our body is gearing up to find a mate and to reproduce. That ovulation phase is super powerful. Depending on how much longer you want to take in with this, you can share this information with your partner as well. Make it fun. Tell them this is the week or I’m feeling like this right now. During the luteal phase - I’m going to need more stimulation during this time because everything changes week by week. 

ELEANOR: Let’s talk about that. Our body changes every single day because of the hormones changing within us and so there is going to be different phases when we feel more sensitive to pain, more sensitive to pleasure and also the Cervix moves up and down throughout the cycle so how does that impact our potential sex life and what type of sex we might more aligned to during the different phases?

VIANNEY: The Cervix does move up and down. It’s higher during your ovulation phase. You can have more deeper penatrative sex during that time and in your latter part of your luteal phase you are going to need more foreplay or lubrication, if you are having penetrative sex, its really important that you have different times where your sex will be heightened, sex will be more pleasure able, better orgasms. You might get to the point where you know the exact day that you are going to have multiple orgasms. 

ELEANOR: Imagine. - Ok, babe, it’s multiple orgasm day. 

VIANNEY: Multiple orgasm day, get that in the diary. After your follicular phase it's all about having fun, be playful because estrogen is rising. You are going to be more lubricated. Keep that in mind. Have lots of fun during that time. In your ovulatory phase it's all about you are the most prime for receiving so you are going to be the most work during that time. 

Your luteal phase is more about communication, what it is that you need or what you really want. You can have enjoyable sex during your premenstrual phase, your inner autumn, your luteal phase and you can still have a strong sex drive but it will start to wean off towards the later half of your cycle. During your bleed phase you probably just want to rest If you don’t you can still have sex but you have to bear in mind that its not going to be as easy, your cervix is going to be a lot lower but it’s a preference. 

ELEANOR: I think that this is so vital for us to know because going back to this idea of us thinking that we have do everything like a dude, do life like a dude, do our work like a dude, it’s the same with sex. 

We are so conditioned to see everything through the male gaze and male perspective and even sex regardless from the fact that we different, we have very different organs, they work very differently. I still have so many clients who don't understand why they are unable to orgasm, really get into the moment and its because their partner is probably doing a few pumps and they are done, there’s a lack of communication, lack of foreplay, lack of understanding that our bodies take time. Now, we can understand that my body is very different and receives pleasure and experiences pleasure very differently everyday of my cycle. I think that is so empowering for us to know that. It’s so important for us to know because I think that so many people and a lot of my clients have said that they feel confused because sometimes they really like this kind of sex and sometimes they don’t and their partner especially - hopefully they are men listening to this - because it’s so wonderful to know that when are not the same every day, we don’t feel the same every single day. So that move that struck gold last week, this week because our cervix is lower it's going to be painful. 

VIANNEY: Yes, exactly. I love how you have been saying that we have been trying to do it like a dude. It is exactly spot on. There is music like this - Jessie James’  - doing it like a brother, do it like dude. We have to wake up and realise that we are not ---- the hormone expert or flow in the flow. She says ‘women are not little men, we are not. We have a completely different biological makeup. 

Our biochemistry is changing up to 25% in our brains every single week due to our menstrual cycle experience and that affects everything. Just listening to this right now will help shift things for you when you have that awareness it really is the gateway to start making a change. 

ELEANOR: Wow. 25% each week. That's amazing. Gosh, that explains a lot. 

VIANNEY: We are not the same person every week and that is more than ok. 

ELEANOR: Gosh if we learnt this at school it would be the most powerful thing. I wish everybody learnt this growing up because it could save so much heartache. 

VIANNEY: Yep. Going back to the patriarchal system, I feel that the world would be living in a much better balance because a lot of things that we struggle with come from our ego and our ego is driven by fear and I think when we are not scared of who you can actually be your potential, creativity, sexuality, power, when you are not scared of those things and you lead with love instead of fear the world would really be a better place. So much more would be balanced and that is my whole mission. I’m trying to get people to wake up  and live their lives in a different way that doesn’t follow a preprogrammed outdated system that doesn’t work anymore. 

ELEANOR: That’s so powerful. Thank you so much for sharing. I want to ask about period pain and sex - because I have heard some people say that having sex can allieviate cramps. Is that true? 

VIANNEY: it's really interesting. Something else that we haven't been taught, is that our body produces these hormones like prostaglandins which are natural pain relievers. Cramps are a manifestation of so many things - eating inflammatory foods - and the more inflammatory foods that you eat the more prostaglandins it will produce but however we can produce this other prostaglandins that is like popping a nurofen. It can actually heal those cramps but when we talk about sex it really depends if you are doing things that really sync with your cycle and I like to go back to your beliefs become your biology - if you really do believe that having sex and you’ve got cramps it’s going to be painful, your body will make it painful for you. It’s all about changing your thoughts behind it. Really catch your thoughts and having these experiences choose for it to be easy, to be pain free, feel loving and kind. I personally think it is down to the individual, biological makeup it's not the same experience for everyone. There are a lot of underlying factors but give it a go. If you are having painful periods and your sexual energy is high, you are turned on and you can have sex or you can masturbate do it. It’s the same with relieving headaches with sex. 

ELEANOR: Amazing. I think that our view point and mindset around it can definitely be very powerful. If you are not be feeling like partnered sex, a full session with a partner go for that self pleasure. That’s such an empowering thing. I am such a huge advocate of self pleasure because understanding our own bodies and honouring our own bodies and reclaiming our pleasure is a huge part of what I advocate, I think it is a very important thing to do. 

I could talk about this for hours but I think we will leave it for that for now. It was so wonderful to have you on Vianney and can you share with us where we can find you and a little about your upcoming program as well?

VIANNEY: Thank you so much for having me on Eleanor. Honestly, we said we would have a great time talking about this and we have done that. I really enjoyed this conversation. 

Where you can find me, instagram - @ statusflow.co YouTube channel - Status Flow Collective and Podcast -  Periods & Power Moves where all the podcasts are broadcasted. 

I am gearing up for another round of my signature program Flow Zone Alchemy which is prove a method to really help you stop worrying about when your period is going to start. You can let that go and really start maximising the magic of your monthly cycle so that will be coming later on this year and if you're interested there is a link in my bio and join the waitlist. Also, I love speaking to people on the DMs. 

ELEANOR: We will put all those links as well into the show notes so you can connect and find Vianney over on Instagram. 

Thank you again so much, it's been such a pleasure chatting with you. I adore your work, I think you’re fabulous and this conversation was so much fun. 

VIANNEY: Thank you so much.

ELEANOR: I hope everybody enjoyed this wonderful conversation and I hope you are feeling inspired to really tap into your power of your menstrual cycle. 

As always, stay sensual.

Eleanor Hadley

I’m a Sensuality Coach & Pleasure Practitioner. I help womxn reclaim their inner sensualista so that they can develop a deep appreciation for their bodies, have mind-blowing sex and soulful, connected relationships.

https://www.eleanorhadley.com
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Welcome to Season 2: A Slow & Sensual Start to 2021

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Dear Men: 6 Things Women Wish You Knew About Sex