At home with snuggs x Aimee Owen

"At Home with Snuggs" is a series that celebrates the raw and authentic stories of individuals as they navigate their menstruation journeys and beyond.

This month, we had the privilege of sitting down with Aimee Owen, a yoga teacher, Leo, and new mother to the wonderful Rory. In this conversation, Aimee opens up about the rhythms of motherhood, the profound lessons of her menstrual cycle, and the beauty of embracing change.

From shedding what no longer serves to flowing forward into a new version of herself, Aimee shares an honest, heartfelt glimpse into the challenges and joys of this transformative chapter in her life.

Q1- To begin with, would you mind introducing yourself, and giving us a brief overview of you, your work and what you are all about?

Hello I’m Aimee, a Leo, 26 years old and a new mummy to baby Rory. Before my initiation into motherhood I worked in the yoga world as a teacher in West Wales. My classes were heavily focused on authentic, feeling based movement, working with the energetic and emotional body to uncover our most authentic version.

Although I’m not teaching yoga at the moment, I am definitely living it. I always taught the importance of an ‘off the mat’ practice as I follow Yoga as a lifestyle and belief system. I’m not really sure who I am at the moment. I don’t remember who I was before pregnancy, birth and motherhood but I think that’s kind of the point. I’m morphing in and out of myself everyday with no interest in “bouncing back” only flowing forward into this new version.

My yoga practice currently takes the form of holding myself in radical self compassion as I navigate this insane, incredible, magical and super challenging phase of womanhood. 

Q2- Can you tell us a little about your period/menstrual cycle? Do you suffer with cramps? Endometriosis? Had a unique experience?

I adore my period and I honestly felt incredibly lost without it during my pregnancy and current postpartum experience. After deciding to listen to my body’s rejection of invasive contraception methods eight-ish years ago (the copper coil & hormonal birth control were not my friends), I have never looked back.

My period is my greatest teacher and source of wisdom, we truly have the most harmonious relationship now that I work with her and her power. My monthly cycle connects me deeply with Mother Nature and has taught me so much about my power as a woman. Holding space for my body to ebb and flow through its 28 day manifestation of spring, summer, autumn and winter has been one of the most potent forms of physical and spiritual healing I’ve ever experienced.

My monthly bleed allows me to shed what no longer serves and begin anew each month- what a gift! I’m not sure when my bleed will return (I’m exclusively breastfeeding) but I have a feeling it will be with the spring, as I start to venture out of my deep postpartum hibernation. Whenever she returns, she will be welcomed back with so much love and gratitude.

Q3- If you're breastfeeding, have you noticed any delays in your period or changes in your cycle? How has that affected your experience of postpartum recovery?

Nothing prepares you for how difficult it is to recover from pregnancy and birth whilst simultaneously breastfeeding and keeping a whole human alive. My partner went back to work five weeks after Rory was born and my body, mind and spirit were not at all ready for the adjustment. I’ve probably been in fight or flight mode for the past five months.

A short while after these photos were taken I lost a dramatic amount of weight due to how demanding breastfeeding has been. I’ve watched my baby get bigger while watching myself shrink. I think my period will return when I’m back to a healthy weight and my body no longer thinks it’s being chased by a lion. Proper postpartum recovery is near impossible in this current society. We need to be taking more care of our postpartum mothers.

We need to be nourishing and holding space for them rather than offering to hold the baby for them. My baby won’t remember who held him in these early months but I will always remember the remarkable women who held and listened to me during the depths of this postpartum recovery. 

Q4- After all the focus on your baby, how do you feel about your own body’s changes, like your period coming back or your body adjusting to new rhythms?

There isn’t much rhythm at the moment, more of an off beat symphony of soft tears, roaring love, baby babbles and soul reviving sighs. My body and mind feel jumbled, achy and as though they’re on different time zones but I’m choosing to completely trust in the process.

My body and mind have been stretched, cracked open, pushed to their limits and felt the most intense love imaginable…I can’t imagine ever going back to who I was before, why would I want to? I love my postpartum body for all that she achieved and all that she continues to hold space for…she’s in desperate need of some rest though. 

Q5- When are you most connected with your body?

I’m most connected with my body when I make space for it to show up exactly how it needs to, when my movement is unrestricted, authentic and free flowing. It could be a 7pm dance party in the kitchen with my partner, a yummy yoga flow that takes me to another planet, or simply co-regulating with my baby after we’ve both lost our patience. 

Q6- How are you kind to yourself, others and the planet? 

I can only express kindness to others and the planet when I’m kind to myself. It all starts with my relationship with myself and ripples outward. I think that’s why living a life of Yoga (union of man, nature, body, mind & spirit) is so important to me because it directly impacts how I interact with everything around me.

Q7- Could you share any rituals or self-care routines you follow during your menstrual cycle, and how does Snuggs fit into these practices

Day one and two of my bleed (pre-baby) were dedicated to cocooning and going inward. I would sit in prayer, meditation and the waves of emotions that would show up. I’d journal on the past month, what I’d learnt and what I needed to un-learn. I’d make time for tears (I love to cry) and wrap myself in deep  compassion. I’d drink a heart warming concoction of raw cacao, rose powder, manuka honey and coconut milk.

If the cramps were roaring to be felt then I’d have a hot water bottle handy, some womb frequencies playing in the background and get into some really juicy breath-work practices. I believe that the body speaks in pain so try to acknowledge my body’s signal rather than suppress them. I used to view my cramps as practice for labour and birth…I now know that period pains don’t even come close to the pain of a contraction (my naivety was very sweet haha). 

I have no idea what my new ritual and routine will look like now I have a baby. My Snuggs are going to make that first period so much more comfortable and easeful and cosy. I can’t wait to not have to fuss around with pads anymore (especially now I have a baba). 

Q8- Can you describe your personal journey with your menstrual cycle and how it intersects with your day to day life. 

I was 14 years old when my period arrived. I don’t remember there ever being much discussion about it. I got handed a pad and that was that. Although I do remember my older sister running around the garden shouting “you’re a woman now, yay!”. I was one of four girls so periods weren’t a taboo subject but we never discussed them in great detail either. I remained pretty disconnected from my period until I hit 20 and journeyed deeper into my spirituality.

I met my homeopath around 22 years old and she helped heal my hormonal health and changed my whole life with her teachings. Homeopathy remains one of my favourite methods of healing the body (emotional, energetic and physical) and my homeopath has become one of my greatest friends of all time. My cycle is now my inner compass, which is probably why I feel so lost during this postpartum experience. I was so in sync with my body (pre-baby) that I never made big decisions or changes unless I was ovulating. I would only ever put out yoga workshops or co-create with other teachers when I knew my hormonal body was in it’s most energised, magnetic and vibrant state.

Even my workout routine changed every week to accommodate and work with where I was at in my cycle. I was taught by a dear friend to think of ovulation as the full moon: bright, vibrant, full of energy and utterly magnetic vs my monthly bleed as the new moon: dark, deep, vulnerable, receptive and introspective. The more I witnessed myself as a beating part of nature, the deeper and more beautiful my relationship grew with my period. We are not separate from nature but living within and around it. I view my cycle as a direct link to Mother Nature and can’t wait to be tapped back into that flow of being again. 

Q9- How has your understanding of your own menstrual experience influenced your perspective on menstruation in a broader context? 

I think as women we are taught from a very young age to live separate from everything. We’re especially taught to live separately from our bodies and from nature…I think this is part of the reason why we are seeing so many issues with women’s health today.

Menstruation is a gift and a privilege. I feel if we were taught the spiritual significance of menstruation in school rather than the very dated lesson we get given, the effect on women’s health and wellbeing would be profound.