Menstruation as a Dialogue with the Dao

The following essay, "Menstruation as a Dialogue with the Dao," was originally written in Vietnamese by Hiếu Đức and shared on his Facebook page.

I was deeply moved by the way he weaves together traditional philosophy, Daoist principles, observations of the feminine cycle, and reflections on living in harmony with life's natural seasons.

Because many of my readers may not read Vietnamese, I have prepared this English translation to make his words accessible to a wider audience.

This translation is offered with respect and gratitude to the original author. All original ideas, teachings, and insights belong to Hiếu Đức. Any errors or nuances lost in translation are my own responsibility.

May these words be received in the spirit in which they were shared—as an invitation to listen more deeply to the wisdom of the body, the rhythms of nature, and the unfolding seasons of a woman's life.

Here is a faithful English translation:

Menstruation is a silent dialogue between a woman and the Heavenly Way—a place where every pain, every release, every recovery carries a lesson about the way of living and the karma one has sown.

"Yin and Yang are the Way of Heaven and Earth." Therefore, if we look at menstruation only through the lens of physiology, we see hormones, ovulation, menstrual bleeding, menopause, and so on.

But if we look through the lens of the Dao, we see within a woman's body the entire cycle of Heaven and Earth: birth, growth, harvest, and storage; fullness and emptiness; opening and returning.

As many of you know, around the age of fourteen (two times seven), Heavenly Water arrives, the Ren meridian opens, the Chong meridian flourishes, and menstruation begins according to its proper timing. Those words—"according to its proper timing"—hold profound meaning.

A woman's body has its own seasons.

There are times to release.

There are times to nourish.

There are times to open.

There are times to withdraw.

A woman who follows the Dao is not someone who is always strong, always radiant, always pushing forward. A woman who follows the Dao is someone who knows how to live in harmony with her own seasons.

Menstruation: The Season of Release

The days of menstruation are the season of letting go.

Blood leaves the body not because the body is impure. It is a natural act of returning.

Throughout the cycle, the womb quietly prepares, gathers, and nurtures the possibility of creation. Yet when the conditions for life do not come together, the body knows how to clear away the old, release what is no longer needed, and prepare for a new cycle.

In this quiet process, the female body teaches a profound truth:

Not everything once cherished must be kept forever. Not everything that once belonged to us is meant to remain.

When something has completed its time, fulfilled its purpose, or reached the end of its season, it can be set down peacefully. Life is the same.

Some relationships have reached their natural ending, yet we cling. Some sorrows have grown old, yet we continue to chew on them. Some wounds were inflicted long ago, yet we preserve them as cuts that refuse to heal.

Some roles, expectations, responsibilities, and burdens no longer fit who we are, yet women often continue carrying them—afraid of disappointing others, afraid of appearing selfish, afraid that if they let go, they will no longer be needed.

Every month, the body knows how to release the old and restore balance. Yet often the mind has not learned this lesson. The body longs to rest while life demands constant effort.

The blood and energy seek stillness while the mind remains tangled in anxiety, responsibility, sleep deprivation, irregular eating, suppressed emotions, and an unsustainable pace of living.

Thus, when a woman lives too long in stress, burden, and endurance without recovery, the body begins to speak. Some experience more pain. Some develop irregular cycles. Some become irritable, sensitive, exhausted, or unable to sleep before menstruation.

These should not be viewed as signs of weakness. They are signals that body and spirit need to be heard and realigned. Menstruation is not merely a reminder to change a pad, drink warm water, or rest.

It also asks:

* What in my life is ready to be released?

* Which burdens have become too heavy?

* Which sadness no longer needs to be fed?

* Which relationships are draining my vitality?

* Which parts of myself have I neglected for too long?

A woman who understands the Dao does not see menstruation as an inconvenience. She sees it as her body's reminder:

Slow down.

Soften.

Return what no longer belongs to you.

For some seasons require leaves to fall before the tree can survive the next one.

Some things must leave body and spirit before new life can emerge.

After Menstruation: The Season of Nourishment

Once the blood has been released, a woman enters a new season. Energy and blood begin to rebuild. The mind becomes clearer.

The body resembles fertile earth after a great rain—soft, moist, quiet, yet already stirring with new life beneath the surface. This is not the time to rush back into overexertion. This is the time to replenish.

Women often have a beautiful yet painful habit: the moment they feel slightly better, they immediately take on everything again.

Household duties.

Work.

Children.

Family.

Business.

The emotions of others.

Just as they begin recovering, they forget that they too need care.

The "Huangdi Neijing" teaches: "Eat with moderation, live with regularity, and do not exhaust yourself with excessive labor." This is not merely a method of caring for the body but also a way of nurturing the spirit.

After menstruation, a woman may ask:

* What nourishment do I truly need?

* Adequate sleep?

* A warm meal?

* Quiet time?

* Kind words?

* Relationships that do not drain me?

Love is not always giving. Sometimes love means allowing yourself to receive without guilt. To nourish oneself is also a spiritual virtue.

For the fuller a woman becomes within herself, the purer the love she offers to others. The more depleted she becomes, the more sacrifice risks turning into resentment, loneliness, and a longing to be repaid.

Ovulation: The Season of Opening and Creativity

When Yin blood has been fully replenished, life force begins to bloom. This is not only the capacity to conceive a child. It is also the ability to conceive ideas, love, inspiration, connection, and beauty.

During this phase many women feel more radiant, gentle, compassionate, and expressive. They want to connect, create, beautify, love, and engage with life. Mind and body become like a flower in bloom.

Yet a blooming flower does not mean everyone has the right to grasp its branches.

Opening one's heart does not mean abandoning boundaries. Gentleness does not mean permissiveness. Love does not mean self-neglect.

The Dao of this season is to remain open without becoming lost, to love without losing oneself, to give without surrendering one's dignity. True feminine energy is not found in seduction nor in seeking pity. It is the natural life force flowing within—a softness that is not weakness, a warmth rooted in strength.

Before Menstruation: The Season of Inner Reflection

This is often the most delicate phase. The body feels heavier. Emotions become more sensitive.

A careless remark can hurt deeply. A small act of indifference may feel like abandonment.

People often call this being "difficult." But in truth, this is when the inner world becomes more visible. Old hurts, insecurities, unmet needs, exhaustion, and suppressed frustrations rise to the surface.

Premenstrual days act like a mirror. They do not create suffering. They reveal what was already hidden beneath.

The Dao here is neither suppressing emotions nor surrendering entirely to them.

It is pausing and asking:

* What pain is this anger protecting?

* What wound is this sadness crying for?

* What needs of my own have I ignored for too long?

Emotions are not enemies.

They are messengers.

But messengers should be listened to with compassion and wisdom, not handed control of one's entire life.

Menopause: The Great Change of Season

Eventually there comes a season when menstruation becomes infrequent and then ceases. This is called menopause.

Many women feel as though youth has abandoned them or femininity has diminished.

But according to the Dao, menopause is not an ending.

It is a great seasonal transition.

If menstruation was the season of creation, overflow, and release, menopause is the season of gathering inward. Energy no longer flows outward through the rhythms of fertility. Instead, it condenses into experience, wisdom, and depth.

Women at this age possess a different kind of beauty. The beauty of having weathered storms while preserving kindness. The beauty of enduring change while continuing to honor oneself.

The beauty of understanding that physical appearance is impermanent, but character can deepen with time.

Living in Harmony with the Seasons

Menstruation has never been merely a bodily function. It is a bell calling women back to the hidden rhythms of life. Menstruation teaches release. The days after teach nourishment.

Ovulation teaches openness.

Premenstrual days teach self-reflection.Menopause teaches inward gathering and return.

The Dao does not require women to be radiant all the time. It simply asks them to live according to their season. The moon is not ashamed when it wanes.

Flowers do not blame themselves when they fade.

The ocean does not panic when the tide recedes.

Why, then, should a woman criticize herself for being vulnerable, sensitive, longing for a hug, or needing a moment of quiet?

Each month, as the body moves once again through fullness and emptiness, let her remind herself:

"I am not diminishing—I am changing seasons."

"I am not weak—I am listening."

"I am not losing—I am learning the way home."

For ultimately, the Dao of womanhood lies in learning to move with one's own deepest rhythms:

Knowing when to release.

Knowing when to nourish.

Knowing when to open.

Knowing when to withdraw.

Knowing when to become still enough to hear the voice arising from the heart.

And to parents:

Please listen to your daughters more deeply.

Do not simply look at their age and say, "You're thirty now; it's time to get married."

Do not simply look at their role and say, "Women must learn to endure."

Do not look only at appearances and forget to ask: "Are you truly at peace?"

For some words spoken out of love can become another stone placed upon a woman's heart. Some advice given with good intentions can become a wound when it lacks understanding.

A woman does not only need to learn sacrifice. She also needs to learn how to listen to her body, protect her spirit, release what is no longer healthy, and choose what brings peace into her life.

To love a daughter is not to push her to keep pace with society's timeline.

To love a daughter is first to help her move in harmony with the rhythm of her own body and soul.

My dear friends,

*"Gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā."*

("Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone completely beyond, awakening, so be it.")

May all be well.

That is what I have to say.

---

Note: This essay blends concepts from traditional Chinese medicine, Daoist philosophy, Buddhist language, and modern reflections on women's emotional and physical health. It is intended as a spiritual and philosophical meditation rather than a scientific explanation of menstruation.

Original Author: Hiếu Đức

Source: Originally published in Vietnamese on the Facebook page of Hiếu Đức.

This translation is shared for educational, cultural, and inspirational purposes. Copyright of the original Vietnamese work remains with the original author. If the author requests revisions, additional attribution, or removal, I will gladly comply.