Honoring Your Cyclical Nature: Self-Care and Ayurvedic Wisdom for Menstrual Wellness
Written by Emma Dasco
While there is an abundance of information on maintaining your health, from dental care, heart and bone health, and gut maintenance, there is a significant gap in women’s wellness. How do we care for our womb and our cycle through the premenstrual phase through menopause? Equipping women with the knowledge, community, and tools needed to truly thrive through the various hormonal shifts we will experience in our lives.
In various cultures worldwide, the menstrual cycle is revered not as an inconvenience, but as a profound source of feminine power, fertility, and creativity. This perspective echoes the wisdom embedded in Ayurveda, an ancient Indian holistic health system that teaches us to live in harmony by honoring the cycles of nature. As women, our menstrual cycles connect us intimately with the natural ebb and flow of life, serving as a reminder of our inherently wise and dynamic nature. In this blog, we will explore the importance of embracing your menstrual cycle as a gift, and look at insights from Ayurveda on fostering your wellness through mindful self-care practices you can implement.
A New Perspective on Your Cycle:
All of the seemingly unpleasant symptoms we might experience leading up to menstruation are commonly referred to as PMS, but more accurately, they are a request for more self-care. Ayurveda encourages women to embrace this time as a gift, giving themselves permission to slow down and receive. Ayurveda views the menstrual cycle as a monthly cleanse and emphasizes the importance of supporting this natural process. In many traditions, women are offered the opportunity to step back from their daily duties and lean into more introspection during their cycles. While we can’t always drop our “daily duties” as modern women, we can find ways to bring more rest, ease, and rejuvenation into our daily habits– especially during menstruation.
So many women suffer from menstrual imbalances, leaning on a limited number of tools, and are often dismissed by the typical Western medical system. Given that it is such a huge part of our life, coming monthly can be frustrating, burdensome, and even debilitating without the correct support. Ayurveda provides alternative solutions for menstrual imbalances, addressing root causes rather than merely alleviating symptoms. By viewing the menstrual cycle as a natural cleanse, Ayurveda encourages women to work with their bodies towards greater health. This holistic approach not only offers effective solutions but also allows women to use their menstrual cycles as a barometer of their internal well-being, providing an opportunity for proactive self-care.
General Menstrual Self-Care Practices:
Eat a Nutrient Dense Diet:
Women need 200-300 extra calories leading up to menstruation, especially high quality protein and fat, due to high utilization during the luteal phase. Embrace a nourishing and simple diet leading up to and during your menstrual cycle, focusing on foods that support your unique constitution. Lean into warm, thoroughly cooked meals that ease digestion, herbal teas, and warming spices like ginger and cinnamon.
Cold creates constriction. We need open channels to allow the blood to flow downward without constraint. Eat warm, moist food such as oatmeal, soup, stewed dates, and baked sweet potatoes leading up to and during your cycle.
Increase Iron Intake:
During menstruation, iron levels tend to drop. Support your body with adequate minerals like copper to aid in the absorption of Iron, and consider incorporating some grass-fed red meat.
Yoga Practices:
Engage in yoga practices tailored to your internal seasons. Focus on restorative and gentle yoga practices during your Luteal and Menstruation phases, and perhaps more vigorous practices like a heated vinyasa yoga practice during Ovulation. A yoga practice will keep your body strong and limber, removing physical blockages for pranic flow. Poses particularly great for the female reproductive system are Child’s Pose (Balasana), Butterfly’s Pose (Baddha Konasana), Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana), Plow (Halasana) and reclining Hero (Supta Virasana).
Honor Yourself with Rest and Rejuvenation:
The physical body requests that we slow down and take care of ourselves during this unique time. Acknowledge the need for rest and rejuvenation during your cycle, aligning with the natural rhythms of your body. Typically, we continue to plough through as usual due to a sense of unrelenting responsibility, obligations, and commitments. But the truth is, prioritizing our own well-being by taking time to slow down and rest will allow us to show up even more fully to the things that are most valuable and important to us.
Honoring your sacred cycle through Ayurvedic wisdom involves embracing the transformative power of menstruation. By incorporating mindful self-care practices, viewing the menstrual cycle as a cleanse, and aligning with the cycles of nature, you can foster holistic well-being and reclaim your innate connection to feminine wisdom. My intention is this holistic approach empower women to navigate their menstrual cycles with grace, resilience, and a deep sense of self-care.
PHOTO: Faruk Tokluoglu on Unsplash
