Guide To A Healthy Menstrual Cycle With Ayurveda

Aum Shakti Thank you for joining me for this practical knowledge session to uncover the hidden treasures of Ayurveda's ancient wisdom,

Particularly based in the grounded seat of the divine feminine.

But first,

I feel it's important to address the fact that I am a male,

Talking on the topic of menstrual health.

I acknowledge that your first impressions about this may be dubious,

Or you may even be triggered by these circumstances,

But I want to share with you why I am so passionate about women's health,

And why in my clinical and holistic health education practice,

I choose to devote a lot of my energy towards women's health.

I see women's health as the foundational opportunity for the best preventative medicine.

Women are the core strand for a healthy society.

If we look at family structures,

If we look at villages,

Communities,

It is clear that when women are well and the feminine is dynamically radiant as its nature is to be so,

Harmony ripples throughout the collective consciousness.

The ancient Vedic texts,

Which are based on the laws of nature,

Emphasize this very point.

On a physical and biological level,

If we can optimize the female reproductive system,

If we can optimize the seeds of biology,

The future human beings brought into this world will have optimal health for the rest of their long life.

But hold up,

It's not only the women that are responsible.

It takes two to tango.

The masculine is half the picture in shaping the future of the future health of our offsprings of this world.

But in the tradition of Ayurveda,

The science of life,

I want to honor the grand capabilities that the feminine hormones and feminine energy has to contribute to society as a whole.

In my early days in Ayurveda college,

My lecturer said something to me which swelled my heart with a fresh and shockingly exciting perspective.

She said,

Menstruation is the greatest gift for a woman.

This monthly lunar rhythm has a profound time to purify.

It's a profound time for regeneration.

It's a profound time to cultivate passion for life.

And this is to be honored by not only the menstruating person,

But those around her,

Those closely to her family,

Friends,

And beyond those that are intertwined in societal behaviors and structures.

As a practitioner,

I also treat a lot of gynecological disorders in my clinic,

Hormonal imbalances,

Menstrual disorders,

Fertility issues.

These are some of the biggest areas of health that I work with,

And that's for a variety of reasons.

So now,

Based on my clinical experience,

Learning closely from my teachers who are master Ayurvedic doctors,

World renowned for gynecological healing,

And of course,

To a large extent,

My divinely feminine fertile wife,

Allow me to offer you protocols for a healthy menstrual period for hormonal balance and overall harmony.

Principle one,

Rest.

This is a big principle and the most profound part of the Ayurvedic menstrual period.

And it is to allow yourself to rest,

Not excessively nap or sleep during the day,

But slow down.

This is a core principle because during the menstrual period,

This profound purification,

We want that energy,

We want that blood flow to be in the pelvic region and to do its job of purification.

And when we are resting,

That happens in a profound way.

So for this reason,

We want activities to be reduced and really keeping what is just essential to the body,

Mind and blood flow.

That way we can keep that blood and that energy in the pelvic floor.

Resting the body,

Especially in regards to physical,

To exercise,

Movements,

Travel,

This is going to usher the downward flow of energy and blood to purify effortlessly.

And also resting the mind from activities like studying,

Mental work,

Stress.

When we rest that aspect,

We have the energy going down.

But if we're stressed,

We're thinking,

We're studying,

The blood flow and energy is going to move upward.

And that is against the gravity of the natural menstrual flow.

So this is really a time to rest as much as possible,

As much as you can.

It's a time to schedule less meetings,

Definitely schedule less social activities.

I'm going to speak about socializing soon.

This is why men need to be educated as well about this powerful time,

Because it's a time when the men or the other people in life,

In your close family who live with you,

Have to step up.

It's when they've got to take responsibilities for home chores,

For shopping,

Cooking,

Taking care of kids,

If that's the case.

So if one is unable to rest for the whole period,

That's fine.

At least try take the first one or two or three days with a greater focus on day one,

As much rest as possible,

And even towards the first three days.

And again,

Emphasis on taking it easy,

Avoiding excess running,

Excess exercise.

We're going to speak about ideal exercise soon,

But we want to just take it easy and rest.

This is going to really help.

Now,

The second principle is to be within yourself.

And this is related with rest.

And the menstrual period is a gifted time to naturally slow down.

It's a time that nature supports the rhythm of hormones,

To attune oneself,

To go more inward.

This is going to help balance physical organs,

Like the colon and the bladder and the hormonal changes.

And it's going to maintain positive emotions and positive period.

But really that menstrual period is that time to go inward.

It's like pulling back the bow.

The menstrual period is the time for a woman to pull back that bow,

Take your time,

Really rest,

Really take it slow,

Pull back the bow,

And then fire into ovulation.

And ovulation is not only for having a baby and for birthing,

But it's for birthing creativity,

Birthing your projects,

Birthing your work,

Birthing love and relationships.

It's that outward,

Where the menstrual period is the inward.

Like full moon is that outward extrovert,

Full light,

Express yourself.

And the new moon is that no moon.

It's the dark,

It's going inward and allowing yourself to build back up to the full moon.

This is the same with the menstrual cycle.

The menstrual cycle is really that time to go inward and be within yourself,

More meditation,

Definitely less socializing.

And then the ovulation or the full moon,

Someone's period regulates with the moon cycle,

Or if they're not menstruating,

Still they can have this moon energy.

So really being within yourself,

Honoring that.

And that goes with socializing,

Right?

You want to have less social activities and especially less of sexual activities,

And even any touch and loving with your partner.

In India,

It's common that some people don't even see the partner.

And in other traditional relationships,

It's a time to be a part.

And I personally think it's healthy to have a time once a month where partners have some distance from each other.

And it's again,

It's like the rubber band effect.

It's like pulling back the bow in the relationship as well.

Good to have a break and good to honor a different energy that's occurring and saying,

Okay,

Now's the time to be by yourself,

Or now's the time for me to be by myself.

And then we can recalibrate after in this refreshed way.

And there's a magnetic attraction which occurs after you pull back the bow and do this work of inner purification,

Which is happening not only a physical level,

But also on a hormonal level,

On a subtle emotional level.

Being within yourself,

A beautiful practice.

And of course,

All of these practices,

Which I'm going to share in this track,

Is something which you refine throughout your life and you cultivate and you build on bit by bit in a way that suits you and integrates you in a way that's relevant to your current situation.

The third principle I want to talk about is about diet and nutrition during the menstrual period.

The main principle,

And of course,

When we talk about Ayurvedic nutrition,

It's all about principles of nutrition.

It's not,

Oh,

You have to eat this,

Don't eat this,

Eat that,

Don't eat that.

No,

It's about principles of nutrition because Ayurveda is based on the principles of natural law.

So when we eat according to natural law,

We reap the benefits of a natural body,

Which is health.

And the main principle of diet and nutrition during the menstrual period is to eat easy to digest foods.

And that's going to allow the blood to concentrate in the pelvic floor and enliven the cleansing process instead of being sent in a strong flow towards the digestive tract.

If we eat a heavy meal,

Like for example,

Meat or deep fried foods,

Something takeaway,

The blood flow is going to require to be in the gut.

And it's got a lot of jobs to do.

It's got a lot of work to do.

We want to have light to digest food.

Let that be in the pelvic region.

We want to eat cooling and grounding foods like rice-based dishes or sweet grains.

Cow's milk is wonderful.

It can be warm and that will give that nourishment.

Coconut-based dishes and avoiding hot foods like eggplant,

Tomatoes,

Spicy foods like chili.

And also definitely,

Especially anything that's very cold,

Like straight out the refrigerator or raw foods.

All the hot foods will irritate the blood and make it too much agitated.

And the cold and raw foods will create roughness in the system.

So we want easy to digest,

Nourishing,

Cooked foods.

Any foods that balance out the dry and hot qualities of the period,

Which is naturally happening during that transformative shedding of the uterine lining,

That there's qualities of dryness and of heat.

So any foods that will balance that,

I.

E.

Lubrication,

Good amount of oils like ghee,

And also balancing out the heat with some cooling,

Sweet foods that will promote well-being.

And you may have heard,

Oh,

But it's good to eat meat during a period,

Especially because I have heavy periods and I'm losing my iron.

Well,

Yes,

We can use meat as medicine,

Certainly,

But not needed during the period itself.

Ayurveda recommends to have meat as medicine outside of the period,

If that's a way that you want to use to increase iron,

If you're losing blood flow,

Which is completely valid as heavy periods or menorrhagia is the biggest cause of the low iron epidemic,

Which we are seeing all around the world.

The fourth principle of healthy menstruation is bathing,

The bathing practices.

Now,

Bathing naturally aggravates the nervous system,

What we call vata.

Now,

It's not only the nervous system,

It's the energy which moves.

So when we bathe,

We have,

Again,

The blood flow goes to the peripheries,

It goes to our skin,

Because when the water hits our skin,

It goes there.

And what happens then is that it's leaving the pelvic floor.

So it's the same thing.

It activates the lymphatic system,

Which is the first tissue which sits under your skin.

We don't really want the lymphatic system so activated during the period.

We don't want the blood flow going to the peripheries.

We want the blood flow concentrated and preserved in that pelvic region for the proper purification.

So bathing should be less.

We want to reduce bathing.

We don't want to be having,

Certainly,

Baths.

A light shower is ideal.

And we don't want to be in a shower for a long time and really scrubbing and perhaps not even washing the hair.

And we don't want excessively hot showers or excessively cold showers.

Just lukewarm is ideal.

You can even skip a shower on the first day if you don't want,

Or just do what some people call a bird bath,

Just rinsing the armpits,

The bits and privates,

The pits and bits,

As some people call it.

So definitely less bathing is something to focus on,

And less swimming,

Certainly,

And less baths.

And then again,

All these things I share in this podcast,

We want to especially pay attention to on day one of the period,

Because that is very doable.

And I really encourage you to honor one day of your period at least.

And also,

You can extend it to the first three days.

And then even beyond,

Depending on your blood flow,

Five days,

And then even beyond some,

Lead up to seven days.

And at the end of this podcast,

I'm going to speak about the importance of this track for not only the menstruating person,

But for those around her,

Including men.

Because as you may recognize,

This is important for all people,

Not only the menstruating person,

But for all genders and everyone who wants to respect and honor the feminine in their life.

So again,

This is,

We don't want to wash the hair during the period.

Just simple bathing is going to be good enough.

And water also is guided by the cosmic energy of movement,

Of rhythm.

It's one of the five powerful elements to bless,

Cure,

Heal,

Nourish,

Nurture,

And revive the body,

Mind,

And spirit.

Water is sacred,

Powerful.

It has a it has a unique cosmic energy.

It is revered as God in many cultures.

So that itself can influence the flow of the menstrual cycle and even exacerbate the flow.

It's like a calm,

Peaceful,

Smooth,

Flowing body of water has the potential to turn into a tsunami or an avalanche or a storm.

But we don't want that intense water energy.

We want one of the other five elements,

And we want the fire element,

Because the fire element is the metabolizer and the governor of blood.

It governs the blood to flow in the right temperature in its own rhythm and its own tune.

The fifth principle,

Which I want to share during the menstrual period,

And this is,

For this we're going to we're going to bring a Sanskrit word,

We're going to bring an Ayurvedic term for you to know about,

And you may have heard about it,

And it's called vata.

Vata is one of the three primal attributes of nature.

It is one of the three what we call doshas,

Or summary of elements,

Because vata,

All it is is the air and space element.

And the fifth principle is to balance vata,

Balance the air and space element.

And vata is associated with pain,

It's associated with movement,

It's the factor which makes the menstrual blood flow.

So if the menstrual blood is too light or too heavy,

If it's painful,

If it's not coming at all,

Not only menstruation but also urination,

Defecation,

Birth and labor,

Anything coming out the pelvic floor is related with vata.

So we want to keep this vata energy,

This energy of the air and space element,

In balance.

So one principle and the fifth principle of the program of menstruation is keeping vata pacified,

Or pacifying vata.

And the principles to pacify vata are warmth,

So keep yourself warm,

Eat warm foods,

Avoid especially wind which is the element for vata,

So keeping warm,

And lubrication.

So as many with the foods should have some good lubrication,

Never eating the dry foods,

And regularity,

Being in regular systems and regular routine,

And rest.

So rest includes of course good sleep time,

Good meditation regularly.

So these are some things to balance vata and we also want to handle cravings comfortably,

Because some women will naturally crave salt or sweets or sugar during this period.

Try to balance salt cravings and if sugar persists,

Sugar cravings,

A glass of hot water or a glass of hot milk with spices is a good option to balance this vata which may rectify the cravings.

And you can make a hot milk elixir with some half milk,

Half water,

Boil it with a date inside of it,

And even some crushed almonds and coconut inside of it.

And once it's boiled,

Once it's about to overflow,

You can add some cinnamon and cardamom and some ghee,

A teaspoon of ghee,

And a pinch of turmeric and pepper.

And this can pacify that sweet craving if that's something for you.

And even if it's not a craving for you,

A good way to balance vata.

So this is related with the vata pacifying regimes.

And as I said,

This vata energy,

This pelvic floor downward moving energy,

Is when it's out of balance,

Pain occurs.

Pain is the quality of vata and it's really important to understand that menstrual pain is not natural.

I kind of have to say it's becoming normal,

But if you're taking proper care of your body,

Having menstrual pain should not be normal.

It is not natural and there should not be any pain at all.

During the period,

Yes,

There is heightened sensitivity that should be present,

A greater ability to perceive emotions and other people's energy,

Or you're more sensitive,

But that doesn't mean weak and that certainly does not mean pain.

So it's really important to,

First of all,

Know that menstrual pain or menstrual discomfort or PMS,

Having emotions premenstrual,

Having pain premenstrual,

Having uncomfortable swelling,

This is not natural.

Unfortunately,

Due to the prevalence of hormonal imbalance,

It's becoming normal.

But first of all,

Know that it's not natural.

And if these things are happening for you,

These symptoms,

Then number one,

Honor your menstrual cycle,

Which is what this track is all about.

And number two,

Work with a practitioner to get to your root cause.

The menstrual cycle is there to cleanse.

It's for you,

Right?

If you have a lot to cleanse that month,

It will probably be more rough.

But if you take more care of yourself that month,

Probably the period will be more smooth and more painless because there's less to purify out that month.

Similarly,

If you really rest during your period,

The month ahead will be more smooth.

But if you don't honor the cycle,

If you don't honor the menstrual cycle,

The month ahead will be a bit more rough.

So now the sixth principle I want to emphasize is about exercise and physical activity.

How this is a really important thing,

And people recognize it should be shifted,

But there's not an adequate shift and an adequate honoring of the physical body.

As I said earlier,

It's the same principle.

We want to be in a rest mode so that the blood flow is not going to the peripheries.

Even if you're going on a fast-paced walk,

Or especially a run,

Or you're doing weights,

Or even just body weights,

The blood flow goes to the muscles,

The blood flow goes to the joints.

Blood flow is moving out of the pelvic floor,

And we're getting that disturbed blood circulation where it should be going down and out.

But no,

Now it's going to compensate for the exercise that you're doing.

So this wind element,

Which happens in exercise,

Will be scattered throughout the body,

Which is the vata,

By the excessive movement.

This vata,

This factor for moving things down and out,

Is irritated by excessive movement.

So when that's irritated,

The cleansing will not properly take place.

So what is the best exercise during period?

Light walking is best.

And along with that topic,

There's a practice in Ayurvedic medicine called Abhyanga,

Which is Ayurvedic oil massage,

Which on Insight Timer,

We have tracks on how to do your own self-oil massage,

Which is part of the Ayurvedic daily routine.

But during the menstrual period,

That is one of the times to not do this,

Or receive any massages.

Because again,

Same principle,

Blood flow is going to the peripheries when the massage is happening,

When the sense of touch is activated in the skin,

The massage goes up.

We don't want that.

We just want to leave the energy,

To leave the pelvic floor,

Do its thing.

Let's not interfere.

The seventh principle is an interesting one.

And it's one of the more traditional principles,

Which are observed in traditional cultures and communities.

And I thought I would mention it last,

But I still wanted to mention it,

Because there's some beautiful wisdom behind it.

And that is to avoid gardening,

Cooking,

And being near the preparation of food during the menstrual cycle.

And it's not due to irrational thinking that,

Oh,

Menstrual blood is unclean,

Or unhygienic,

Or toxic,

And you're going to make the food dirty.

No,

It's not at all.

It's more this traditional culture of honoring the women,

That this is the time when you rest,

Let us cook,

Let us garden.

And because the food and the plant life is imbued with life force,

Which in the Vedic system we call prana.

And this life force that is in foods and plants is a rising energy.

It's an energy that flows up from the earth towards the sun and the sky.

But in contrast,

Menstrual blood is instilled with downward moving,

Downward flowing bodily air,

Which is pulled from the body by the magnetic forces of the earth downward.

These two powerful roles of nature do not harmonize together.

Plant is derived from growth.

Food is derived from growth in nature.

It's earth element.

It's full of youth giving energy that nourishes and builds the body.

But menstrual blood is dominated by fire.

And that is what fosters cleansing of the body and cleansing of tissues,

Which is catabolic and even cleansing of the spirit.

You know,

Menstrual blood and the menstruation is not only to cleanse any physical or hormonal,

But perhaps more profoundly,

It's to cleanse the emotional,

The subtle,

The spirit,

The impurities in those subtle bodies.

So it is unwise to introduce the rising energy nature of food or plants into the menstrual blood or to mix the downward flowing cleansing energy of the blood into our food and our substances,

Including preparing food even or eating heavy foods during the menstrual cycle.

These are principles and protocols and rituals and wisdom on a way to live and commune and act during menstrual period for all members involved,

For the person menstruating and for the others.

And it's to promote health and to promote vitality and radiance and balance.

This is what Ayurveda is about.

It's about living in tune with nature's rhythms.

And when you live in tune with nature's rhythms,

You live in your own human nature.

And what's really important is for you to gradually integrate these rituals and practices into your life.

But more importantly,

Implement these principles of living in tune with the intelligence of natural menstruation.

I want you to take these principles and integrate them into your unique life.

We're not only balancing the reproductive hormones,

But the whole hormonal web,

Sex hormones,

Thyroid hormones,

Adrenals,

Stress,

Sleep hormones,

Melatonin,

Hunger hormones,

All the hormones are connected like a web.

How a woman honors her menstrual cycle from day one menarche determines her fertility.

How a woman honors her menstrual cycle determines how she will reach menopause later in life.

The menstrual cycle and the cultivation of fertility is not only linked to the capacity to birth children,

But also to the essential qualities of what we call in the Vedas,

Shakti.

The essential qualities to be able to birth creativity,

Love,

Express the dynamics of the feminine and all dynamics of the world.

Contents of this track can help support menstrual and hormonal imbalances,

But this is not a substitute for professional health.

There are no scientific claims.

And if you are experiencing hormonal imbalance and uncomfortable periods,

Please consult a quality health practitioner to address the root cause and holistically treat.

My deep intention is that you and those around you,

Those close to you,

Especially those that share your household and those beyond the overall collective that functions in the various structures of society.

Together we can enliven the cosmic creative potential to honor the sanctity of feminine energy for wholeness and health.

If you have any questions,

Please ask these questions on the comment section of this track.

And I would invite you to please leave a review on Insight Timer.

If you found that you resonated with this wisdom,

If you've learned something,

If you're taking something home,

I would love to hear about this in the review section.

And I would love for you to contribute this reciprocal alliance in enlivening the collective towards honoring the menstrual period for greater health in the whole of society.

And on Insight Timer under Dylan Smith,

Which is my profile and my name,

I have other courses and tracks on other rituals and practices on how to live in tune with natural law towards a disease-free society and perfect health.

Thank you.