AYURVEDIC MENSTRUAL CYCLE

HOW YOUR AYURVEDIC DOSHA AFFECTS YOUR PERIOD.

Your menstrual cycle provides a unique insight of your bodies, and depending on your dosha you will experience it differently.

Each of the doshas plays its part in your menstrual cycle, at different times. Menstrual symptoms that may manifest in your body (from cramping and mood swings to increased appetite and sweating), will all directly relate to the balance (or imbalance) of the doshas in your body. The severity of symptoms is also greatly affected by the amount of toxins that are held in the tissues, so one of the most important ways to restore sattva to your monthly cycle, is to gently lighten your body’s toxic load.

Vata Menstrual Flow

Vata to the stage of bleeding and cramps. Light, short flow, frothy, thin, dark-colored blood; prickly, sharp feelings in the abdomen

When you menstruate, as this time you are in the vata part of the menstrual cycle. This is because vata is the energy that governs movement and flow, and Ayurveda encourages us to support the downward flow of this energy, so that we support our-selves in the clearing of our menstrual blood from our bodies. In the female reproductive tissue, vata acts through blood vessels, helping flow go down and out. Apana vayu, which governs downward flow, particularly in the pelvis, is the vehicle for continuous and easy outlet of wastes, such as feces and urine, in addition to menstruation.

As you think about the qualities of vata (light, mobile, cold, dry, rough, subtle, clear), the types of vata menstrual qualities become obvious. Also think about the home of vata—the pelvis and thighs—because the imbalances will often arise in those areas. Vata types are the most likely to experience scant, absent and painful periods. This is due to the effect of vata on the blood vessels.

Where ever there is a blockage for the free flow of Vata, there will be pain. So most of the Vata dosha dominating cycles will be painful.

If you have Vata dominant in your cycle, you may experience:

Pain that is sharp, spasmodic in the lower abdomen or back
Drying or lightening flow
Darkness in color
Stiffness in the body
Emotions of anxiety, nervousness, or fear
Some constipation - right before the cycle

irregular period is associated with a Vata imbalance 

Pitta Menstrual Flow

Pitta the time after ovulation and the series of hormonal changes leading to the bleeding phase. Red, hot blood; strong odor; steady flow at the beginning and light at the end

Pitta is characteristically hot and sharp. With the heat so too comes irritation in the body, which can provoke swelling. Such is the case with tender, swollen breasts that many women will experience during the premenstrual period. We can feel warmer, more prone to sweating, and increasingly hot-tempered at this time. Pitta cycles are often heavy, and they can begin quickly, with heavy bleeding coming on all of a sudden. With the rush of flow and increased heat in the tissues, pittas are also more likely to have loose bowel movements and diarrhoea during their periods; many too, may feel nauseous. If the blood contains toxins, the flow can be painful and unpleasant, too.

Kapha Menstrual Flow :
Dark, clotted blood; heavy flow; slow to start, then lasts longer than 5 days; feeling of lethargy; dull cramping; bloating

With the elements of earth and water, kapha is the heaviest and most lethargic of the doshas. This slow flow and stagnating quality, can make it difficult for things to move through the body in a healthy way, and kaphas are most likely to retain fluid, bloat, swell and suffer distention of the bowel and abdomen. Periods can last longer for kaphas – and blood is often thicker, stickier and heavier.

After menstruation, kapha is dominant. This part of the cycle, called rutukala, lasts from the end of the bleeding phase to the point at which we prepare to ovulate. Kapha to the nourishing stage until the uterine lining is nourished and whole body is ready to receive the fertilised ovum.

If the ovum is not fertilised, the cycle begins anew – with day one of menstruation, when the body once again clears and opens, and we move, once more, into the vata phase of our cycle.

Kapha brings heaviness, thickness, oiliness, dullness and slowness into rasa dhatu, which goes directly to the female system.

Ayurvedic menstrual cycle :

• Day 1 – 5 (from the first day of bleeding) - the vata phase
• Day 4 – 14 (from the end of bleeding until ovulation) - the kapha phase
• Day 14 – 18 (from ovulation until your period starts) – the pitta phase.

Ayurveda uniquely exams the menstrual cycle as a window into the human body. By being familiar and in tune with your menstrual cycle, you can understand very clearly, on a month-to-month basis, which dosha imbalances your body is struggling with.

As such, they are most quick to change in quality and consistency. By paying attention to your flow, its qualities, and your experiences before and after its release, you can get a strong sense of how the doshas are at play even before they fully come to fruition on a gross level in other layers of the body. This gives an opportunity for intervention so that the physiology of the body may come back to a stronger balance, and therefore, stronger health.

As long as the doshas function optimally and aren’t depleted or overshadowed by another dosha, the menstrual cycle functions optimally.

Seasonal cleansing is a highly effective way to balance and rejuvenate all bodily tissues so that they function optimally.

A daily routine keeps the body in rhythm and moving on schedule. 

If you are unsure of your ‘dosha’ – your unique body - Schedule your consultation – to make best use of the dosha

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As menstruation is governed by Doshas, their imbalance causes abnormality. Therefore it is necessary to have balance state of Doshas.

IF THE DOSHAS OF YOUR BODY ARE ALL IN BALANCE, YOUR PERIOD SHOULD NEVER FEEL UNPLEASANT, PAINFUL OR NEGATIVELY IMPACT YOUR LIFE..

According to Ayurveda, each individual has a particular tconstitution (Prakriti), which is formed during the union of sperm and ovum itself. The Prakriti of an individual depends upon the working of these Doshas and Ayurveda classifies people into different Prakriti categories based on the Dosha, which is predominant in a person :Vata - Pitta - Kapha

The female body is truly unique and beautiful. Use it towards great health as a roadmap, paying attention to all of the signs and subtlest shifts.

In Ayurveda, the life span of a woman is divided into three phases, each dominated by a different dosha. The period from birth to the first menstrual period is dominated by kapha. The middle part of life, or the fertile years, is ruled by pitta. The final phase of life is determined by vata, or the air energy.

Understanding your dosha will help you to understand how your body works and, therefore, how you can help it. 

But, how does this relate back to the menstrual cycle? In Ayurveda, the menstrual cycle has its very own Vata, Kapha and Pitta stage. How can this help? 

What you have done from the end of the last period to the beginning of the next period—what we eat, stress levels, movement, travel—will impact what your next menstruation is going to be like.

From the above, it is clear that an imbalance in the Doshas will lead to an imbalance in the menstruation process, which would in turn affect the health of a woman, including her capacity to conceive.

Ayurveda has prescribed a mode of life for menstruating women –a series of Do’s and Don’ts– called as ‘Rajaswala Paricharya’, which aims to protect the health of the menstruating woman and prevent any health defects in the child, in case any conception happens.

Try our Abhyanga Body Treatment for reducing period pain and menstrual cramps.

Ayurveda offers many valuable concepts on maintaining good reproductive health in Women.

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Toxin Makes it All Worse

Ama is toxicity, often related to fermentation and gas in the digestive tract. When ama is present, cramping may be increased. Ama can also disrupt hormones and increase prostaglandins. Apana vayu, as mentioned, governs the release of feces, urine, flatus, fetus and menstrual blood. When working properly, apana vayu ensures the smooth wavelike contractions of smooth muscle tissue. The synchronous contraction of uterus and bowels causes smooth elimination of menses and bowels. When ama is present, this synchrony may be lost. When not working properly, muscles become colicky, contracting irregularly. This causes tension and cramping.

LEARN HOW YOUR MENSTRUAL CYCLE AFFECTS DIGESTION?