Beyond the Ads: Listening to Your Body During Menstrual Cycles

She watches the screen.
A girl her age dances freely, sprints across a field, laughs without a care — all while a cheerful voice promises,
"Nothing has to change during your periods. Be unstoppable!"
It’s a powerful image.
It’s also, sometimes, a heavy one.
Because for many girls and women, the first days of the cycle bring a different reality: fatigue, inwardness, tenderness — a call for slowing down.
And that’s not weakness.
That’s biology.
That’s wisdom.

When Empowerment Becomes a Quiet Pressure

Modern sanitary pad advertisements often celebrate activity as the measure of freedom during menstruation.
It's a refreshing change from old taboos — and yet, unintentionally, a new kind of burden has emerged:
“If I don’t feel like running and jumping during my period... am I lacking?”
This subtle pressure risks disconnecting young women from their bodies’ real needs.
It risks promoting performance over presence.
Because true empowerment isn’t about doing more — it’s about being allowed to listen, without guilt, to what your body needs.

Ayurveda’s View: Periods Are a Sacred Pause

In Ayurveda, menstruation is called Rajaswala Kala — a natural time for rest, restoration, and inner alignment. (Please click here to know more )
It’s not because women were seen as fragile.
It’s because they were honored:
• Warm nourishing foods were encouraged.
• Workloads were lightened.
• Rest was seen as a path to vitality, not as a weakness.
This approach teaches us: you are not meant to "power through" cycles.
You are meant to heal through them.

Choice Matters. Awareness Matters More.

This is not a call to ban movement or condemn those who feel energized during their periods.
Many women do feel better with gentle exercise, and that’s beautiful too.
The problem is not in the activity — it’s in the lack of choice and diversity in the narrative.

We need a fuller picture:

🌿 You can be active — if it feels good.
🌿 You can rest — if that's what your body asks.
🌿 Both are valid. Neither defines your strength.
When ads only show one experience, they risk making every other experience invisible — and invisibility breeds doubt, shame, and unnecessary self-judgment.

What We Need: A New Kind of Representation

Imagine period ads that say:
• “Some days, you’ll dance. Some days, you’ll curl up with tea. Both are powerful.”
• “Your cycle is your wisdom, not your weakness.”
• “Honor your rhythm. Own your choices.”
That’s empowerment.
That’s freedom.

A Gentle Invitation

To every woman reading this:
If your body asks you to pause during your period, know that you are not alone.
You are not wrong.
You are wise.
Rest if you need to.
Move if you want to.
And always, always honor the quiet intelligence that lives inside you.

Healing starts with listening.

"At J-AMADA Remedies, we believe Ayurveda isn't about perfection — it's about living in rhythm with yourself. Explore natural ways to support your cycles gently and wisely." [www.j-amada.com]