“the greatest gift to a woman is her menstrual cycle” 

Women are powerful creators, and are the foundation for all human existence. With such great power, comes great complexity. From monthly menstrual cycles, to pregnancy, to motherhood, and menopause; the female body is constantly changing and adapting to all that life brings her way. 

Ayurveda reminds us that alignment with nature also aligns us with ourselves, which is a beautiful thing. This simple wisdom has so much practical knowledge to offer women at every one of these stages in her life. 

A woman's menstrual cycle is an indication of the successful formation of the life generating material that is gifted from the higher energies of her life and the moon. It is a profound purification, or cleansing of her shakti, her divine energy. Connecting to our menstrual cycle when it occurs is a way that we can blossom into the rest of our cycles with ease and grace.  

A woman needs to be a fertile ground. Just like in agriculture, you need the soil to be moist and have a healthy composition for a fertile crop; the same can be said for a woman's reproductive health.  Women embody the power of generating life. Fertility is not simply a means to have children; fertility is to also have the moistness and heat that is necessary to be a healthy, thriving woman. 

The menstrual cycle and preservation of fertility is not only being linked to the capacity to birth children, but also to the essential qualities of Shakti; which is birthing creativity and individual expression in the world. 

Ayurvedic Protocols For Menstruation. 

1) Allow yourself to rest: You might have heard of this before, or intuitively felt it, but Ayurveda recognizes that as your body is sending all of its energy downward towards your pelvis to shed the structures not needed for conception, you in turn need to allow yourself to rest. This does not mean sleeping during the day, but does mean slowing down, working less and turning inward. 

2) Avoid exercising: When we exercise, the wind element within us is scattered, as it is sent in all different directions as a result of our movement. When menstruating, we want the wind element within us to be focused downward; otherwise the cleansing will not take place properly. 

3) Favor grounding, cooling, and easy to digest foods: In essence, you want to support the downward movement and heat generated from the menstruation. Rice based dishes such as kunji is a wonderful choice. Fresh, organic raw milk from cows that are treated well is great; you can heat ½ a cup with some ghee and a pinch of cardamom powder. Coconut based dishes can be suitable as well as long as you are not in a cold climate or season. Lastly, eating easy to digest foods like kitchari will allow for the blood concentration to be directed to the pelvic floor and will enliven the cleansing process; instead of sending the blood upwards towards the digestive system to break down a heavy meal. 

4) Avoid hot foods and raw foods: Such as tomatoes, eggplant, garlic, onion, or any excessively spicy food. Also excessively cold and raw foods should be avoided since all of these will increase what you are already feeling.

5) Sleep closer to the earth. This is a tradition still practiced by many Ayurvedic practitioners in India; which involves the woman who is on her moon cycle to sleep in a grass bed on the earth. This is another technique for grounding the wind element that is active during menstruation. 

BONUS TIP! Castor Oil Packs: Applying warm castor oil on the lower abdomen can be immensely helpful for women who experience cramps. The oil helps allow prana vayu to move downward with ease. You can put some cotton gauze on top of the warm oil, and put a heating pad on the area for 15 minutes for additional pain relief. This is also a helpful technique after birth. 

Things to Avoid during Menstruation 

1) Avoid showering. To the best of your ability, avoid taking a shower during your moon time. This is the same principle as exercising. Bathing, water and cleansing the body directs the wind all over the body, when we want it moving downward.

2) Avoid copulation or engaging in any sexual activity.  It is contraindicated for this period as it interferes with the natural movement of energy in the woman. 

3) Avoid cooking. To the best of your ability try to avoid preparing your food. First off, the woman should be resting. Secondly, there is a heat and sliminess women experience during their periods that needs to be observed. When physically interacting with the food these properties are going to embed themselves in the food and affect its properties and qualities. 

4) Avoid chanting and going to temples. Spiritual practices imply the upward movement of prana vayu, which allows for the elevation of the soul. But once again, we are focusing the prana downward. Mantras carry specific energies to them; some are more warming and some are more cooling. In general it is best to abstain from them to preserve your own body’s chemistry of menstruation. 

5) Abstain from your abhyanga practice. Even though abhyanga is calming for vata dosha, which is aggravated during your period, the movement that comes along with your self oil massage is contraindicated for your period.   

A women’s cycle is a divine blessing that should be honored with the utmost care. Try wearing white and smelling the aroma of jasmine the next time you are on your cycle and connect to the reminder that you are a rich, vertile field. 

Please reach out and connect with me if you are currently experiencing any pain or symptoms with your period. Everybody has a unique constitution that has unique needs. One on one guidance can be the most powerful way to transform your current state of health.

Please let me know if you found this article helpful!