This badass yoga instructor makes a statement while free bleeding during her practice
Girl power is alive and well! In honor of being a fierce female, this yoga instructor did yoga while free bleeding in all white, and we say bravo.
Yoga instructor, Steph Gongora isn’t ashamed of being a woman and getting her period, and neither should you.
Last week Gongora posted an inspiring video on Instagram where she wore all white and proved free bleeding is totally okay. Plus, her yoga skills are pretty awesome in the video as well!
In case it’s not obvious, “free bleeding” is when a woman doesn’t use a tampon, or pad, and just lets it flow. That is exactly what Gongora did, while finding her zen, and we totally respect that.
"I am a woman, therefore, I bleed," she wrote at the beginning of her post. "It's messy, it's painful, it's terrible, & it's beautiful. And yet, you wouldn't know. Because I hide it."
“I bury things at the bottom of the trash. I breathe, ragged and awkward through the cramps, all the while holding onto this tight lipped, painted on smile,” she added.
Gongora revealed that she doesn’t understand the need for tampons, or any other feminine hygiene products for that matter.
“Tampons? Shhh. We don’t say those words out loud. Hide them. In the back pocket of your purse, in the corner of the bathroom drawer, at the very bottom of your shopping cart (please let me get a female cashier),” the yoga guru writes.
“Events or engagements get missed. I’ll tell myself it’s the PMS, sure, but it has more to with the risk of being ‘caught,’ at what…I’m not quite sure. And I’m lucky.”
The yoga lover then continued to point out that we are the lucky ones. We might not like tampons, but at least we have access to them.
“Over 100 million young women around the globe miss school or work for lack of adequate menstrual supplies, & fear of what might happen if the world witnesses A NATURAL BODILY FUNCTION. WHY?” she asks.
“Because hundreds of years of culture have made us embarrassed to bleed,” she explained. “Have left us feeling dirty and ashamed. STOP PRETENDING. Stop using silly pet names like Aunt Flo because you’re too afraid to say ‘I’m bleeding’ or ‘vagina.’ Stop wasting so much effort hiding the very thing that gives this species continuity.”
Instead of shying away from the awkwardness of having your period, own it, Gongora says, and we like what she’s saying.
"START talking about it. Educate your daughters. Make them understand that it can be both an inconvenience and a gift, but NEVER something to be ashamed about," she continued. "Educate your sons so they don't recoil from the word tampon. So when a girl bleeds through her khaki shorts in third period (pun intended), they don't perpetuate the cycle of shame and intolerance."
Preach, Steph, preach!
Okay, this is SUCH a strong girl-power message, and everyone really should read it. Don’t be ashamed of being a women, and having your period. Why should you be? It’s natural!