Women's Health

In our day and age, stress is an epidemic. Ayurveda provides us with tools that can help build resilience to the hormonal imbalances we are so susceptible to. The mind and body vacillate between two states, rest and digest (parasympathetic) and fight-or-flight (sympathetic), which we can liken to prakriti, our natural state, and vikriti, imbalance.

Motherhood is a gift of immeasurable love. We are forever changed by the arrival of our precious child and instinctively inspired to offer our nurturance and care. The word “Mother” can be defined as: creator, protector, healer, one who provides nourishment and support, one who is earth connected, loving, steady, and stable.

Divine feminine Ayurveda asks us to trust in our bodies, as they contain the intelligence of the cosmos, the intelligence of nature. This practice asks us to be responsible for ourselves and to find balance through our own resources.

Bodywork, such as massage, can be undervalued in our Western society. It is often seen as a luxury or a splurge rather than an essential. Ayurveda has a very different standpoint in this regard. Apart from some conditions, massage is a non-negotiable when it comes to self-care. In some instances, the whole body receives massage, and in other cases, specific regions, such as marma points, are given special attention.

In the first part of this series, we reviewed what a healthy cycle would be like and the second part focused on the painful and bloated or vata period, and the third part looked into the puffy and heavy (kapha) period. Now, let’s explore the pitta period. Again, remember that this can fluctuate month-to-month depending on what was going on the previous month.

In the first part of this series, we reviewed what a healthy cycle would be like and the second part focused on the painful and bloated or vata period. Now, let’s explore the kapha period. Again, remember that this can fluctuate month-to-month depending on what was going on the previous month.

Highly consider this cycle type, especially if you had significant kapha-provoking diet or lifestyle changes in the month before or in your life in general. 

In the first part of this series, we reviewed what a healthy cycle would be like. Now, let’s dive into the imbalances and identify which type your body is predominantly showing. Again, remember that this can fluctuate month-to-month depending on what was going on the previous month. But usually there are trends.

Did you realize that your period is not just indicative of the health of your reproductive tissues but is one of the biggest windows to the overall health of your body? That’s right! According to Ayurveda, the menstrual flow itself is a byproduct of the first, most basic tissue layer in the body, the plasma (or rasa dhatu). As such, if there are imbalances in the menstrual flow, you are sure to find similar imbalances throughout the body since the plasma is the foundation from which all other tissue layers are produced.

When is the last time you took a few moments to treat your breast with the love and care they deserve? The breasts are organs of love, support, security, care, and nourishment, as well as pleasure. Taking care of these female organs with breast massage is one of the best things you can do for yourself.

If you are trying to conceive, are thinking about conceiving, or know someone that would like to conceive, this webinar is for you.

Ayurveda has a long tradition of supporting couples through the preconception period, which begins long before conception. To optimize the health of the child and parents, Ayurveda recommends a phase of cleansing and rejuvenation prior to conception, filled with a rich tradition of determining good timing and good practices for conception. In this way, the preconception period is often viewed as being even more important than the pregnancy period itself, from a preparatory and preventative point-of-view. 

Daily self-breast massage is the very best thing we can do for our breasts. The breasts are often over looked, or even thought to be in the way, as we go about our daily routines and activities. Giving love to every part of your body is essential to building and maintaining well-being. That’s why daily self-breast massage is a wonderful way to care and nurture your whole self.