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Ayurvedic Insight
Issue #8, May 2002
In this Issue
Simple Ways to a Happier and Healthier Feminine Cycle
Everyday, women of all ages, from menarche through the change of
life, experience a need for relief from pre-menstrual, menstrual,
pre-menopausal and menopausal symptoms. Conditions such as mood swings,
cramps, excessive bleeding, irregular cycles, hot flashes, and seemingly
insatiable cravings affect hundreds of thousands of women.
The simple dietary and lifestyle adjustments recommended below might
offer relief as we attempt to eliminate common premenstrual and menstrual
syndromes, and/or are opting for a smooth transition into menopause.
A healthy cycle will also naturally enhance fertility.
We hope that you find that adopting even one or two tips results
in a less painful and more balanced cycle for you or the women that
you love.
CHANGES TO YOUR DIET
Dr. Robert Svoboda, in his book “Ayurveda For Women”
states that changing your diet is likely to change your periods.
If you are experiencing symptoms associated with your cycle we suggest:
- Eating small meals of warm, mildly spiced, soupy foods.
- Avoiding or at least limiting everything cold and bubbly, and everything
heavy (meat, fried foods, most dairy products).
- Fulfilling cravings for salt by using seaweed or kelp powder. This
may help restore balance and should also dissipate sugar cravings.
- Extracting the most from the flavor of your foods, especially when
you’ve given into a craving.
- Eating slowly and savoring a mouthful for as long as you can. You
may find yourself more satiated with just one or two bites and you’ll
avoid the typical guilt that often accompanies caving into cravings.
- Eliminating caffeine. This can have dramatic effects, especially
in women who have fibrocystic breast disease.
- Reducing or eliminating alcohol. This will reduce bloating and
water retention in most women. Cutting back on salt, sour foods and
dairy products can also enhance this effect.
- Eating stewed whole apples to relieve constipation.
GET ADEQUATE REST
- Get sufficient rest by decreasing your overall activity and re-scheduling
or limiting stress-inducing activities. This is not to say that it
is recommended for you to engage in excessive sleep - especially during
the daytime.
- Napping during the day is best only in very hot weather or when
you are very weak or exhausted; otherwise, it is likely to make you
sluggish, clogged, heavy and/or dull.
LISTEN TO YOUR BODY
If you really listen to your body it will make precise, deliberate
demands for what it needs from you.
- Place special emphasis on the way that you are breathing. For example,
if you are stuck in traffic, take a nice deep breath and be sure to
inhale and exhale slowly and deeply. Allow your breath to travel all
the way down into the lower abdomen. This helps reduce stress, so
do it when you can, not necessarily just during your cycle.
- If it feels like it would be best to abstain from sex, please do.
ADD A LITTLE SPICE TO YOUR LIFE
- Sweetened ginger tea can sometimes encourage disturbed or absent
menses to regulate. For best results use raw honey or raw sugar.
- Fennel seeds chewed after each meal prevent gas and gallbladder
congestion. If you prefer tea, many women report that fennel tea alone
is sometimes enough to relieve PMS and regulate menstruation.
- Saffron regulates the menstrual cycle, relieves dysmenorrhea and
PMS, and promotes fertility. If using it for fertility, it should
mainly be used when the woman taking it is not bleeding. It is also
digestive and it relieves respiratory congestion. It can be used in
pastes to adorn the skin, to improve the complexion and to purify
the mind. Some texts hail saffron paste as the supreme cosmetic for
a woman’s breasts.
ENJOY HERBS THAT ARE PROVEN TO SUPPORT A WOMAN’S CYCLE
Herbs commonly reduce symptoms associated with premenstrual syndrome,
infertility and irregular or painful menstrual cycles. Herbs are also
known to foster a relatively smooth and graceful change of life.
The herbs Ashoka, Shatavari and Punarnava may be quite helpful for
specific conditions.
Ashoka:
Legend is that Ashoka is a romantic tree that flowers when a beautiful
woman touches it. Ashoka means “beyond grief” in Sanskrit.
It is astringent, sedative, hemostatic, and it is particularly good
for those with an uncomfortably profuse menstrual flow.
Shatavari:
Shatavari is translated as “she who possesses one hundred
husbands;” it has been traditionally used as a nutritive tonic.
It is anti-spasmodic, and contains glucosides, a food precursor of
estrogen. Common indications are: regulation of menses, to bring on
menses when one is experiencing amennorhea (absence of periods). Shatavari
is also commonly used for dysmenorhoea (painful periods).
Punarnava:
Punarnava rejuvenates the endometrium and enhances the tone of the
uterus. It has been traditionally used for: endometriosis and fibroid
tumors.
Your Ayurvedic practitioner can prescribe a formula that is suited
to you specifically. Our “Women’s Support” or “Shatavari”
tablets can also assist you in attaining optimal feminine and overall
health.
Note: We’ve gathered notes from various courses we’ve
taken on the Ayurvedic approach to women’s health and combined
them with Dr. Robert Svoboda’s material in Ayurveda For Women.
It is with his exclusive permission that we are able to pass along
the information in this article.
You can purchase Ayurveda For Women at www.banyanbotanicals.com or
by calling 888.829.5722. The book is also available via Lotus Press
and through Amazon.com.
Ayurvedic Specific Condition Review: Premenstrual Syndrome
By John Douillard, D.C.
Introduction
The premise of Ayurveda is not based on the removal of symptoms;
rather, it empowers the body’s ability to heal itself. In this
regard, the focus of the treatment identifies and addresses the initial
cause of PMS. The root cause of most cases of PMS begins early in
the lifestyle of a menstruating young woman.
Caraka and the other Ayurvedic authorities state that the suppression
of natural urges, excessive sex and excessive physical exercise, along
with an improper diet, are linked to the cause of female reproductive
disorder. But here in the West the average female strays from following
some of the major feminine health guidelines that are taken for granted
in the culture of India’s Ayurveda. The causes of some of our
modern diseases, which did not exist as such in Vedic times, have
to be reinvestigated from a modern perspective of lifestyle and behavior.
Understanding the Cleansing Cycle
There is a general consensus among Ayurvedic physicians, who come
from India to tour the country, as to why the excessive amount of
female disorders plague the West and not the East, and it has much
to do with honoring the cycle itself.
In India, the menstrual cycle is a highly respected cycle that is
an expression of the female connectedness to the cycles of the moon.
This cycle regulates the tides, migrations, mating times, and, of
course, the twenty-eight day cycle of menstruation.
Menses is a time when the female body is providing extra energy
to insure an effective and complete sloughing of waste products. It
is a natural time of cleansing and rejuvenation, traditionally accompanied
by a time of rest or light duty. It is understood that in traditional
cultures there were extended families that supported women during
their monthly cycle and through menstruation. Here in the West, this
is not the case. However, this does not mean that modern working women
cannot respect this time of the month, taking a lighter load or scheduling
around their time of the month.
Basically, the Ayurvedic recommendation is to act in accord with
how one feels. Ignoring this cycle is often at the root of the premenstrual
syndrome. If there is some desire to rest during menstruation and
this is not provided, then symptoms of some sort are sure to come.
This resting is not a sign of weakness: it is a time of pulling back
the bow so that one can later engage in more dynamic activity. Some
of the Ayurvedic doctors comment that the menstrual cycle and monthly
cleansing is one of the factors that lead to the generally longer
life span of women [vs. men].
Treatment According to Doshas
PMS - Vata Type
Symptoms of vata imbalance as they manifest in relation to the menstrual
cycle include: nervous tension, mood swings, anxiety/depression; insomnia;
forgetfulness/confusion; constipation; light amount of flow; menstrual
pain/cramps/backache; extended length of period with dark, clotted
flow; irregularity of periods or flow
General Treatments
Avoid coffee, tea, tobacco, drugs, and extremely spicy foods.
Favor foods that are warm, heavy, and oily.
Minimize foods that are cold, dry, and light.
Favor foods that are sweet (e.g., wheat, milk, rice), sour (e.g.,
yogurt, tomatoes, citrus fruit), and salty.
Minimize foods that are spicy, bitter (e.g., green leafy vegetables),
and astringent (e.g., apples, beans).
Eat larger quantities of food, but not more than you can digest
easily.
Dairy: All dairy products pacify vata. Always boil milk before you
drink it, and drink it warm. Don’t take milk with a full meal.
Sweeteners: All are good for pacifying vata (but don’t overdo).
Oils: All oils reduce vata.
Grains: Rice and wheat are very good. Reduce intake of barley, corn,
millet, buckwheat, rye, and oats.
Fruits: Favor sweet, sour, or heavy fruits, such as oranges, bananas,
avocados, grapes, cherries, peaches, melons, berries, plums, pineapples,
mangoes, and papayas. Avoid or reduce dry or light fruits, such as
apples, pears, pomegranates, cranberries, and dried fruits.
Vegetables: Beets, cucumbers, carrots, asparagus, and sweet potatoes
are good. They should be cooked, not raw. The following vegetables
are acceptable in moderate quantities if they’re cooked, especially
with ghee or oil and vata-reducing spices: peas, green leafy vegetables,
broccoli, cauliflower, celery, zucchini, and potatoes. It’s
better to avoid sprouts and cabbage.
Spices: Cardamom, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, salt, cloves, mustard
seed, and small quantities of black pepper all help reduce vata.
Nuts: All nuts are good.
Beans: Avoid all beans, except for tofu and mung dhal.
Meat and Fish (for non-vegetarians): Chicken, turkey, and seafood
are fine; beef should be avoided.
Food Supplements
- Take 1 teaspoon of castor oil every night for one month. Take
less if there is a laxative effect.
- Take 2 tablespoons pure (no preservatives) aloe juice after meals,
twice a day, but not within three days of the end of menstrual flow.
- Take fennel and licorice tea, as desired.
Specific Herbal Supplements
If you usually have a light amount of flow; menstrual pain/cramps/backache;
extended length of period with dark, clotted flow; irregularity of
periods or flow you may want to combine:
- 2 parts shatavari
- 2 parts musta
- 1 part licorice
- 1 part punarnava
Then mix 1 teaspoon of the resulting combination with sugar and
ghee and take three times/day.
If you usually have nervous tension, mood swings, anxiety/depression,
insomnia, forgetfulness/confusion, and/or constipation, you may want
to combine equal parts:
- brahmi
- jatamamsi
- ashwagandha
- guduchi
Then mix 1 teaspoon of the resulting combination with water and take
three times a day.
Activity
Emphasize the importance of maintaining the proper balance of rest
and activity throughout the month. Rest during the period, and practice
daily abhyanga (oil massage) and exercise.
Specific Home Treatments
- Daily self-massage with warm sesame oil.
- 7 to 10 days before your period, one hour after your self-massage,
take a hot tub bath. Massage the abdomen in a clockwise motion during
the bath.
- 7 to 10 days before your period, follow your self-massage and
bath with the following laxative therapy: On an empty stomach, take
four tablespoons castor oil mixed with ½ cup juice (any juice
except grape juice). Do not eat until the majority of the laxative
action has occurred (4 to 6 hours). Usually this procedure results
in 2 to 3 bowel movements. You may repeat this monthly for up to
6 months.
For pain experienced during the period, application of heat externally
to the lower abdomen is advised. This may be accomplished by rubbing
ripened sesame oil on the abdomen followed by the application of a
hot water bottle directly to the oiled skin or placed on tip of a
cotton cloth soaked in fresh ginger juice or on top of a paste made
from ginger powder and warm water.
For persistent or severe cases take an extended panchakarma treatment
(5 to 7 days) as soon as possible.
PMS - Pitta Type
Symptoms of pitta imbalance as they manifest in relation to the
menstrual cycle include: irritability/anger; increased appetite; headache
(especially migraine); excessive body heat or sweating; diarrhea or
increased bowel movements; skin rashes/acne; excessive menstrual bleeding;
increased frequency of periods; bright red flow
General Treatments
- Pitta-pacifying diet (see below)
- Ghee (clarified butter) and raisins daily
- Avoid alcohol, coffee, tea, chocolate, cheese, yogurt, and animal
products
- Avoid delaying or skipping meals when you are hungry
- Avoid sour, salty, and pungent foods
Pitta-Pacifying Diet (simplified)
Favor foods that are cool and liquid. Minimize foods that are hot.
Favor foods that are sweet, bitter, or astringent. Minimize foods
that are spicy, salty or sour.
Dairy: Milk, butter, and ghee are good for pacifying pitta. Avoid
yogurt, cheese, sour cream, and cultured buttermilk; these sour tastes
aggravate pitta.
Sweeteners: All sweeteners are good except for honey and molasses.
Oils: Olive, sunflower, and coconut oils are best. Reduce sesame,
almond, and corn oil, all of which increase pitta.
Grains: Wheat, white rice, barley. Reduce corn, rye, millet, and
brown rice.
Fruits: Favor sweet fruits such as grapes, cherries, melons, avocado,
coconut, pomegranates, mangoes, sweet, fully ripened oranges, pineapples,
and plums. Reduce sour fruits such as grapefruits, olives, papayas
and persimmons, and sour, not-yet-ripened oranges, pineapples, and
plums.
Vegetables: Favor asparagus, cucumber, potato, sweet potato, green
leafy vegetables, pumpkins, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, okra, lettuce,
beans, green beans, zucchini. Avoid hot peppers, tomatoes, carrots,
beets, onions, garlic, radishes, and spinach.
Beans: Avoid all beans except for tofu and mung dahl.
Spices: Cinnamon, coriander, cardamom, fennel, and small amounts
of black pepper are good, but the following spices strongly increase
pitta and should be taken in moderation: ginger, cumin, fenugreek,
clove, celery seed, salt, and mustard seed. Chili peppers and cayenne
should be avoided.
Meat and Fish (for non-vegetarians): Chicken, pheasant, and turkey
are preferable; but beef, seafood, and egg yolk increase pitta.
Food Supplements
Fennel and/or coriander tea
Pure aloe vera juice (no preservatives). Take 2 tablespoons after
meals twice a day, but not during or within 3 days of the end of menstrual
flow.
Specific Herbal Supplements
If your symptoms as they manifest in relation to the menstrual cycle
include: irritability/anger; increased appetite; headache (especially
migraine); excessive body heat or sweating; diarrhea or increased
bowel movements; skin rashes/acne; excessive menstrual bleeding; increased
frequency of periods; bright red flow, you can try:
- 2 parts shatavari
- 1 part tumeric
- 1 part brahmi
Take 1 teaspoon, with water, three times a day.
To decrease pitta and vata, take manjistha three times a day after
meals.
Exercise
Those experiencing pitta-type PMS symptoms should be encouraged
to stay active and focused during the premenstrual phase. Overheating,
however, should be carefully avoided.
Specific Home Treatments
- Daily self-massage with coconut oil.
- Each day for seven days before the period begins do a self-massage
with coconut oil, followed by a hot tub bath one hour later. Massage
the abdomen in a clockwise motion during the bath.
- 7 to 10 days before your period, follow your self-massage and
bath with the following laxative therapy: On an empty stomach, take
4 teaspoons of castor oil mixed with ½ cup of any juice (except
grape). Do not eat until the majority of the laxative action has
occurred (4 to 6 hours). Usually, this procedure results in 2 to
3 bowel movements. You may repeat this monthly for up to 6 months.
Other Specific Recommendations
- Rinse the external genital area twice daily with cool water.
You also may splash cool water on the eyes twice daily.
- Apply coconut oil to the head and feet at bedtime for more restful
sleep and headache prevention.
- Apply ghee to the nostrils for one week before the period.
- Avoid overheating, hot water on the head, and overexposure to
sunlight.
- When irritable or out of sorts, it is important to ensure that
you are getting adequate rest. Also, try to stay focused on specific
projects.
- Be sure not to take long hot showers or hot baths during your
heavy flow days, as these tend to increase flow. Take a short shower
or sponge bath instead.
For persistent or severe cases, take an extended panchakarma treatment.
PMS - Kapha Type
Symptoms of Kapha imbalance as they manifest in relation to the
menstrual cycle include: Weight gain; fluid retention; breast enlargement;
abdominal bloating; acne; menstrual stiffness in back, joints, etc.;
pale, mucousy menstrual flow
General Treatments
- Kapha-pacifying diet (see below)
- Avoid salt, cheese, yogurt, chocolate, and refined sugars and
flours for one week before and during the period.
- Lassi (½ cup yogurt, ½ cup water) and hot boiled
milk are okay.
- Avoid overeating, especially at night.
- Do not eat when you are not hungry.
- A primarily vegetarian diet is highly recommended.
- Include ginger in your daily diet: take a pinch of fresh ginger
root with a few drops of lemon juice before each meal.
Kapha-Pacifying Diet (simplified)
Favor foods that are light, dry, and warm. Minimize foods that are
heavy, oily, and cold.
Favor foods that are spicy, bitter, and astringent. Minimize foods
that are sweet, salty, and sour.
Dairy: Low-fat milk is better. Always boil milk before you drink
it (making it easier to digest) and take it warm. Do not take milk
with a full meal, or with sour or salty food. You might add one or
two pinches of turmeric or ginger to whole milk before boiling it
to help reduce any kapha-creating properties in the milk.
Fruits: Lighter fruits, such as apples and pears, are better. Reduce
heavy or sour fruits such as oranges, bananas, pineapples, figs, dates,
avocados, coconuts, and melons, as these fruits increase kapha.
Sweeteners: Honey is excellent for reducing kapha. Reduce sugar
products, as these increase kapha.
Beans: All beans are fine, except tofu.
Nuts: Reduce all nuts.
Grains: Most grains are fine, especially barley and millet. Do not
take too much wheat, rice, or oats, as they increase kapha.
Spices: All are fine, except for salt. Salt increases kapha.
Vegetables: All are fine, except tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet potatoes,
and zucchini, all of which increase kapha.
Meat and Fish (for non-vegetarians): White meat from chicken or
turkey is fine, as is seafood. Avoid or reduce red meat.
Food Supplements
- Spice food with turmeric, ginger, black pepper, and cinnamon.
- Take 2 tablespoons pure aloe vera juice (no preservatives) after
meals twice a day, but not during or within 3 days of the end of
the menstrual flow.
Specific Herbal Supplements
If your symptoms in relation to the menstrual cycle include: Weight
gain; fluid retention; breast enlargement; abdominal bloating; acne;
menstrual stiffness in back, joints, etc.; pale, mucousy menstrual
flow
Combine equal parts:
- shatavari
- ashwaganda
- trikatu
Mix with honey into a paste and take 1 teaspoon three times a day.
If you are prone to sluggishness, prepare a calamus nasya:
Combine ½ teaspoon calamus with 1 ounce sesame oil. Place
10-15 drops into each nostril, three times a day.
If you have both types of symptoms:
Mix 1 teaspoon dashmula in 2 cups water and boil down to ½
cup; drink ½ cup two times a day. Dashmula, a.k.a. dashamoola
is a compounded formula containing ten roots.
Exercise
It is especially important to get daily exercise. A brisk walk for
30 minutes is the minimum exercise required. Perform deep nasal breathing
during exercise.
Rest
Do not sleep during the day unless illness or unusual circumstances
cause exhaustion. Always try to avoid sleeping within 2 hours after
a meal.
Specific Home Treatments
- Daily self-massage with sesame oil.
- 7 to 10 days before your period follow your self-massage with
a hot tub bath one hour later. Massage the abdomen in a clockwise
motion during the bath.
- 7 to 10 days before your period, follow your self-massage and
bath with the following laxative therapy: on an empty stomach, take
4 teaspoons castor oil mixed with ½ cup any juice except
grape juice. Do not eat until the majority of the laxative action
has occurred (4 to 6 hours). Usually this procedure results in 2
to 3 bowel movements. You may repeat this monthly for up to 6 months.
For persistent or severe cases take an extended panchakarma treatment
(5 to 7 days) as soon as possible.
References
Sharma, P.V. Cakradatta, Chaukhambha Orientalia. New Delhi, India.
1994.
Atha Vale, V.B. Basic Principles of Ayurveda. Bombay, India Town Pinery.
1980.
Bhishagratna, K.L. Shushruta Samhita, Vol 1 and 2. Varanasi, India.
Chowkhamba Sanscrit series. 1981.
Sharma, P.V. Caraka Samhita, Vols. 1 and 2. Varanasi, India. Chaukhanbha.
1981.
Devaraj, T.L. The Panchakarma Treatment of Ayurveda. Dwanwantari Orientalia
Publications, Bangalore India. 1986.
To learn more about Ayurveda via Dr. John Douillard, please go to
www.lifespa.com.
Or you can reach Dr. Douillard via:
John Douillard's LifeSpa
6666 Gunpark Dr E #102
Boulder, CO 80301
303.516.4848
Balanced By Banyan Botanicals
THANKS for helping me.
I am 56, married to the love of my life (grin) with 2 adult stepdaughters,
both married, 4 grandchildren, and two younger kids, a daughter 23
and a son who is 18. I am very active, play singles tennis 4 times
a week, walk 2 miles a day, and garden. I work as a technical editor
in the real estate appraisal field; my husband is the leading author
in that field, with 28 books in print.
I am also known as a parking witch (I always know where there's a
spot) and "home grown wizard" in the natural healing area,
offering practical advice to family and friends on homeopathic and
body-friendly treatments for common conditions from migraine headaches
to hot flashes. A dear friend gave me my first Neti Pot and I have
found it the magic intervention I need to head off a sinus infection,
instead of having to take gruesome antibiotics, which make me feel
miserable.
After nearly a year with sinusitis as a child, without proper treatment,
I am highly susceptible to sinus trouble whenever I get even a little
sniffle. Now, I use my Neti Pot as needed, and find it soothing and
relaxing, as well as very helpful in easing congestion. HURRAH Neti
Pot.
Thanks again.
Ruth Lambert, 56
New Haven, Connecticut
Recipe: Sivananda Cookies
These large, energy-packed cookies are a standard after-class treat
at most Sivananda Yoga Centers around the world. They are very nutritious
and make a meal in themselves.
Ingredients:
- 250g(9 oz.) rolled oats
- 100g(4 oz.) whole wheat flour
- 150g(5 oz.) brown sugar
- 50g (2 oz.) raisins
- 50g (2 oz.) raw unsalted peanuts
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 200 ml (7 fl oz.) oil
- about 200 ml (7 fl oz.) water
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Oil two or three baking sheets.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, add the oil
and mix thoroughly. Stir in enough water to make a firm mixture.
Take a spoonful of mixture, about the size of ping-pong ball. Roll
into a ball, place on one of the oiled baking sheets and flatten to
a round about 10cm (4 in) in diameter. Repeat to make 12 cookies.
Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until golden at the edges. Cool
on a wire rack.
**Use sunflower seeds, roughly chopped almonds and/or desiccated
coconut instead of, or as well as, the unsalted peanuts.
Recipe reprinted with permission from The Yoga Cookbook by Sivananda
Yoga Vedanta Centers, Gaia Books Limited, London ©1999 All Rights
Reserved.
Prana
A Monthly Interview With Certified Yoga Instructor, Chitra Giauque
Ayurvedic Insight (AI): Today you want to talk about diaphragmatic
breath, also known as full yogic breath. I know this is important
in yoga, but is it also important to think about or use in daily life?
Chitra: One of the things that we know is that the breath has a relationship
with the nervous system and with how the nervous system is functioning.
We can observe the state of our nervous system by looking at the breath.
If we want to participate in coming into a state of relaxation rather
than just letting the body do its thing - we can do that by going
into our breath, noticing the breath, slowing it down, lengthening
it, really relaxing into it. This is going to bring us into a Parasympathetic
Nervous System response versus a Sympathetic Nervous System response
which is more commonly referred to as a “stress response”
or a “fight or flight response.”
We know that fight or flight responses cause detrimental chemical
reactions in our bodies. If the body doesn’t need to be in a
fight or flight response, I mean as long as a dinosaur isn’t
chasing you, it’s not so great to trigger our bodies that way.
For instance, if we are just stuck in a traffic jam, the body doesn’t
need to be in that state. We should be resting our body at that time.
We can invoke a state of relaxation anytime we choose to go to the
breath. We can invoke it in any moment by changing how we are breathing.
AI: How can people begin to incorporate this into their lives?
Chitra: If we just start noticing the breath, let’s say five
times a day begin to notice how we are breathing, then when we get
stressed we notice what our tendencies are: do we hold the breath,
begin breathing rapidly or erratically?
And we take that information and compare it to how the breath is
right before sleep; it’s probably dramatically different. Chances
are that right before bed we are breathing really slowly, fully and
much more relaxed. Your body is probably moving with that breath and
responding to it.
So, by just observing the different states of breath we can get a
sense of – wow…how am I in my life everyday. Am I usually
in a stress response or a relaxation response? Then in the future,
we can practice using our breath to control how we respond to each
situation.
AI: How does one take a full yogic breath?
Chitra: First just lie down and do nothing but notice. Then, the
first place you will feel the breath come in is into the belly. Then
it really grows up into the upper torso like a wave. So, you feel
the belly filling and it will slowly come up into the lower chest
and then into the upper chest and it’s an expansion in all directions.
It’s not just in the front of the body; but you feel it as a
kind of radiant expansive energy. It’s very gentle. And then
once you feel the top of your chest filling, the chest will gently
empty, the abdomen draws in and the breath is just pushed back out.
With the inhale you feel the whole body opening up and expanding
just like a balloon filling, and with that exhale you feel that emptying
and softening and release.
After three or four sessions like this, one should notice how long
the inhale and exhale are. And discover what habits are there. Is
there more of a habit of taking in or more of a habit of dispersing?
If the ratio between the exhale and the inhale is really different,
the thing to do is start to practice devoting an equal amount of time
to the exhale and inhale. Then add little pauses at the end of the
exhale and inhale. Later, for a relaxation response you should really
lengthen and pause at the end of the exhale. If we really lengthen
and go into the natural pause at the end of the exhale, the whole
body relaxes there and it’s just a natural response.
And I just want to add that these are really mechanical descriptions
of breath…it’s not really like that…it’s a
gentle filling and expanding. It’s really a wave of breath.
In that place, it’s completely effortless.
AI: During a yoga practice, how important is attention to breath?
Chitra: For yoga teachers there is a way of doing diagnosis by simply
looking at the way a person is breathing. You’ll see that where
the breath is not moving, that’s probably the place where there
is illness, or some site where there is some weakness in an organ
or tissue. Just by encouraging someone to experience her/his breath
more fully into the whole organism, this allows for a harmonization;
that can happen through that very simple inhale and exhale. It tends
to be like a wave.
For many people that have physical limitations and don’t want
a hard practice, if they begin using full yogic breath a more advanced
practice may become fully accessible to them. There are exceptions
of course, like people with emphysema should be cautious about this
and some people who have serious asthmatic conditions should also
be careful. But even people with lung conditions such as asthma can
benefit from a full diaphragmatic breath and feel better because of
it.
Some people that have been practicing hatha yoga for years still
don’t really know how to breathe. This full yogic breath should
really be like a prerequisite to any pranayama technique and it is
really key to being in any of the poses, because if a person goes
into a pose and they just lock up and stop breathing, they are really
not receiving the benefits they could if they were breathing fully
and having an experience with their inner landscape and that comes
with awareness of breath.
AI: Breathwork or yoga during menstrual pain or PMS symptoms?
Chitra: Some techniques are heating and will increase hot flashes
and the amount of breathing. If we just breathe with awareness on
the spaces that feel blocked or painful, we can help break up the
congestion. We feel cramped because there is simply no movement sometimes.
So you may get relief just by breathing into the pelvis; you can do
this from the fetal position, lying down or even in a forward bend.
As you’re beginning to breathe just notice the expansion of
the pelvic region and the back and front of the body. Focus the breath
there to relieve the pressure. It will gently loop into the full yogic
breath.
AI: If our breath feels stuck or blocked, how do we handle blockages?
Chitra: If you get into the wave of the breath, it’s just like
the waves in the ocean. Say that there is a sand castle. Breath is
like the water to the sand castle. The breath comes to surround the
obstruction and then slowly erodes that stagnation. Moving in a fluid
way in the body is a way of removing obstacles without having to come
up directly against them. It’s inclusive.
By identifying with what is moving, what is flowing, what is expanding
and releasing, we can slowly start including that part of the body
that feels stagnant. It will respond by feeling included and just
by being in proximity to movement, it will start moving. That’s
the nature of a vibratory field. It’s like the teachings that
tell us to that if we want to do well and be good, all we have to
do is hang out with all the people that are good. It’s the same
thing in the body. It’s a universal principle. What do we want
to vibrate with?
And our thought patterns come into play too- are you going “I
wish this thing would move” or are you paying attention to what
is moving and saying: “wow…there is so much movement around
this inviting it to participate.” How we think about it has
a strong influence over how the body can respond to it and move it.
These things take time. People have so much stuff around their breath;
some people hold their breath. Some people have had trauma about not
being able to breathe. So, first we just want people to begin breathing
correctly anatomically. Later, they will be able to enjoying the benefits
of a relaxation response, that’s ultimately what we want.
Namaste.
Chitra is a certified breema bodyworker and private therapeutic yoga
instructor based in Albuquerque, NM. She is on staff at the Ayurvedic
Institute and New Mexico Sports and Wellness. If you are interested
in a private session, Chitra can be reached at 505.323.8023.
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