An Ayurvedic Perspective on the Menopause
I’m sharing this great article by Vrinda Devani MD for Banyan Botanicals in my blog this month as I am co-hosting a menopause workshop in September, where I will be delving deeper into Ayurvedic tips to help this life transition go smoothly. Menopause is a hot topic right now and I firmly believe all women have the right to experience this without difficulty and with maximum support from society. Ayurveda brings its ancient healing ways to all aspects of our life and with just a few simple changes to diet and lifestyle and the addition of some very powerful herbs we can ease the symptoms hugely. Dr Vrinda Devani is both a western and Ayurvedic doctor and this truly lights up my heart! There is always a place for both systems and with greater education on prevention at home, the natural way, we are less likely to require later intervention with allopathic medicine.
Celebrating Menopause Guide
An Ayurvedic Guide to Menopause
In a culture that tends to glorify youth and productivity, thinking about menopause and the changes that come with it can bring up trepidation. Navigating this time of life can be challenging to say the least, but it can also be a window of opportunity and a new beginning—a chance to realign with our values and prioritize our own well-being.
We may have heard stories from friends about their own trials through menopause—and for those of us who have yet to go through it, we might end up feeling resigned to a similar experience.
For many of us, it conjures visions of hot flashes, dizzying mood swings, and long nights lying awake.
Thankfully, the Ayurvedic approach can help ease many of these challenges and support a different experience—one that is graceful, luminous, and empowered
Menopause in Ayurveda
The classical Ayurvedic texts do not refer to menopause as a disorder. In fact, menopause, as a disease, has been known to be relatively uncommon in the East until recently, particularly in non-urbanized areas that have been less affected by westernization. For this reason, many refer to it as a disease of the West.
Let us join together to dispel the discouraging negative connotations of menopause in our society and support a more empowering story.
From an Ayurvedic perspective, the stage of life you’re going through at a given moment can impact your overall health—especially when it comes to menopause and its associated experiences.
Ayurveda recognizes three major stages of life —childhood, adulthood, and elderhood. Each stage is associated with one of the three doshas.
Childhood (Brahmacharya Ashram) is generally viewed as a time full of growth, building, and learning. Ayurveda associates this stage of life with Kapha the dosha of earth and water.
Adulthood (Grihastha Ashram) is considered the time of achievements and accomplishments, and is associated with pitta, the dosha of fire and water.
Elderhood (Sannyasa Ashram), traditionally, has been viewed as a period of letting go of the need to achieve. It is associated with vata, the dosha of air and ether.
When you enter menopause, you’re transitioning into the vata-dominated period of your life, which allows for insight, clairvoyance, and wisdom to grow from deep reflection and contemplation on the life lived thus far. Vata also has a dispersing nature, which may inspire some to share this wisdom with their loved ones and society at large.
Some reach this stage of life with a sigh of relief—knowing that all of our major responsibilities have been taken care of, and fully ready to shift awareness within. This stage of life is a terrific opportunity to get to know ourselves and make time for self-care, reflection, and meditation.
That said, not all of us are retired (or even close to retirement) when we reach menopause, which can make the experience a more daunting prospect.
So how do we balance menopause with our daily lives? Can Ayurveda’s ancient wisdom still apply to modern day living? The answer is yes! Read on to learn how.
An Ayurvedic Perspective on Menopause and Hormones
During menopause, levels of estrogen and progesterone, two powerful female hormones, drop. Both of these hormones provide two subtle, yet vital substances in our body:
1. Ojas. Ojas is a superfine substance that is responsible for building immunity, stability, and nourishment. As such, it can be seen as a very subtle and refined form of kapha. The very end product of nutrition in our body, after it passes through all of the seven layers of tissues (or dhatus ) including the final layer of our reproductive organs, is ojas.
Our immune system, which thrives when we have strong Ojas, gives us the ability to tolerate our external environment, as well as changes to our internal ecosystem. So it happens that those with low ojas are more prone to imbalances and illnesses.
For instance, you will see that with hot flashes, a lack of hormones causes the temperature zone in which we feel comfortable to narrow substantially. This makes it difficult to remain within a comfortable temperature range.
2. Tejas. Tejas is a refined version of pitta. It acts as the positive subtle essence of Agni our digestive fire. It governs intelligence, discernment, enthusiasm, and all types of digestion and transformation.
Without tejas, there is no guidance as to where pitta and heat should flow to so it can serve its purpose. Ideally, the mind and body by this point in the life cycle have built enough intelligence to continue with these functions without necessarily needing hormones to guide it. But if tejas is lacking, we can experience imbalance.Since hormones serve vital pitta and kapha functions, it is very important that these two doshas, specifically, are balanced to a very healthy level when entering menopause. Pitta should primarily reside in its home in the core, providing a solid source of agni. Kapha should not be depleted, as it nourishes all tissues so that they are not whisked away with the littlest change.
During menopause, we are low on ojas, and so we have a lessened ability to maintain balance, even in the same environment and with the same stressors. Couple that with the erratic nature of vata, and when unchecked, our body shifts into a sympathetic overdrive.
Our nervous system is a delicate balance of the sympathetic nervous system, a stress-oriented system that exists for self-preservation, and the parasympathetic nervous system, which functions to relax and renew. These two branches work as opposing yet complementary systems.
Because of low ojas, menopause becomes a state of high sympathetic nervous system—cortisol levels increase, blood pressure increases, heart rate increases. This state of stress drives high pitta throughout the body, ready to attack any threat.
Further this with the cessation of the monthly blood release. The menstrual cycle can be seen as a therapeutic rakta moksha. This is a therapy used in traditional panchakarma, where blood is let out for the purpose of releasing excess pitta.
In the ideal, healthy state of the menopausal individual, we shift away from pitta predominance, mentally and physically, to vata predominance. In an ideal scenario of perfect health, the body would transition just fine. But with persistent pitta activities ( work, stress, daily life pressures) and constant activation of the hot and sharp sympathetic system, pitta remains trapped in the body. In the end, we are left with the following process:
1. Elevated, ungrounded vata disperses throughout the body, carrying your core digestive fire, agni, away from its home in the stomach and intestines. This leads to difficulty with digestion and overall nutrition.
2. The heat traveling in the circulatory system gives rise to hot flashes, troubled sleep, and, in an extreme case, heart disease.
3. High vata also flows downward, drying out the vagina.
4. High vata in the colon and other deeper tissues causes dryness. In an extreme case, it can lead to conditions such as osteoporosis.
5. Superfine tejas, also decreased, leads to troubles with memory and concentration and a higher predisposition to cancers.
How the Doshas Influence Menopause
As with all of Ayurveda, there are many ways that an imbalance can manifest. The interplay of the doshas add different layers of diversity. Use the table below to understand what flavour your menopausal transition has or will have. Knowing this will help you see what doshas may be out of balance so that you can adjust your diet and lifestyle accordingly. Take the dosha quiz by Banyan Botanicals to determine which dosha or doshas you should focus on balancing.
Vata
Dry skin or mucous membranes (including the vagina)
Scanty bleeding during perimenopause
Digestive discomfort and occasional constipation
Trouble concentrating or sleeping
Anxiousness, worry, and fear
Bone loss
Pitta
Hot flashes
Irritability
Heavy bleeding during perimenopause
Skin discomfort and imbalances
Anger, irritation, jealousy, criticism, competitiveness
Feelings of excess heat in the body
Heart imbalances
Kapha
Weight gain
Feeling sad, unmotivated, or greedy
Decreased concentration due to dullness
Feeling “bogged down”
Adapted from Lonsdorf, Nancy, et al. A Woman’s Best Medicine. Jeremy P Tarcher/Penguin, New York. 1995. Pp 271-272.
All of these shifts—the changes in hormones, the reduction of ojas and tejas, and the influence of the doshas—often cause an imbalance in the gunas, or qualities, leading to too much dry, rough, mobile, subtle, spreading, cold, or hot qualities. We can see these reflected in the above table—increased dryness can lead to dry skin, while increased heat can lead to hot flashes and irritability.
The Path to a Graceful MenopauseWhile most studies are small or preliminary, there is a growing body of evidence and exciting initial findings to support an alternative approach to menopause that embodies nourishment, contentment, and balance.
There is also growing support for herbalists and alternative practitioners and their care for reproductive health. A holistic approach not only eases many of the challenges that many who go through menopause face, but also empowers us to live with more joy and fulfilment.
Ultimately, attaining the luminous, graceful menopause that the sages have lived from time immemorial can be simplified into three main goals:
Increase juiciness. Some kapha during menopause is a great thing, as long as it is in balance.
Be calm. Bring vata and pitta back to balance by calming the sympathetic nervous system.
Strengthen your agni. When your agni functions optimally, your whole body functions optimally because it is well nourished and has the intelligence it needs.
Keep these goals in mind as you make your way through the basic pointers outlined below. Remember the aggravating qualities of menopause—dry, rough, mobile, subtle, spreading, cold or hot—and see the opposing qualities come to life in the recommendations.
Make Peace with the Past. Making peace with the past and creating acceptance for the present and future is the single-most important element of your transition. There is nothing that drives our stress like anger, resentment, and irritations—especially from the past.
Take time and make space to make peace with yourself, all those that you have crossed paths with, and your life at large.
Do a Monthly Cleanse. Take two tablespoons of ghee with neem & turmeric twice daily for four days each month as you go through the transition, especially if you are experiencing lots of heat and high pitta.
Eating an easy-to-digest kitchari diet and doing a daily self-massage during these four days will support the cleansing process.
Eat a Vata-Balancing Diet. A vata-balancing diet (that does not aggravate pitta) consists of warm, well-cooked foods, cooked with spices that aid in digestion, such as cumin, fennel, coriander and turmeric.
Support Your Agni. Have a teaspoon of grated ginger with lime and a pinch of salt before and after meals. You can also drink CCF tea throughout the day (cumin, coriander & fennel seed tea).
Practice Pranayama and Yoga. Learn the art of breathing slowly and deeply and use yoga to calm your nervous system, decrease stress, and help with menopausal symptoms. If you’re new to pranayama, start by practicing Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing) daily for up to 20 minutes.
Try Yoga Nidra. Also known as yogic sleep, yoga nidra is a meditative process done while lying on your back or in a similar comfortable position. Take at least 10 minutes every afternoon to practice this restful process to ease your mind and calm your nervous system.
Bathe Yourself in Moonlight. Spend summer nights moon bathing. The direct illumination from the moon was traditionally used as a therapy to increase ojas and bring coolness to the body. Even just 15 minutes a few times a week can make a difference.
Take Shatavari. Known as ‘The Women’s herb’ this wonderfully, grounding herb pacifies both Pitta and Vata
Increase Moisture. Rasayana literally means “increasing juice.” Dryness is the quality that tends to become most excessive in the menopausal body.
Ways to Increase Moisture
Abhyanga. Not only does the practice of self-massage literally oleate the body, but it also is one of the most effective ways of calming vata and also the nervous system. Study after study has shown massage as effective in easing anxious feelings and stress. It can also be very effective at helping with uncomfortable joints.
Shirodhara. The slow pouring of oils on the third eye, is a classic therapy for calming and balancing the mind.
Hydration. Your body is 75 percent water and requires this fluid for nutrition and elimination of wastes. Drink plenty of water and have sufficient electrolytes and essential fatty acids to help maintain the quality and quantity of your waters.
Chyawanprash. One of the most classic rejuvenating formulas used in Ayurveda. It was created to build nutrition and ojas. It also has natural antioxidant properties, as amalaki is its primary ingredient.
Nasya. Placing drops of medicated oil into the nostrils every morning is one of the core teachings in Ayurveda. Read more about it here
If you would like to delve even deeper and join a small, personalised, half day workshop with Ayurvedic lunch, please visit my events page for booking.