Ayurveda and Menstruation – Creating a Healthy Flow
Updated: 7 days ago
Menstrual knowledge is power. Your menstrual cycle is a window into your wellbeing. According to Ayurveda, each month your cycle shows you which doshas are imbalanced. Read on for Ayurvedic insights on women's health from menarche to menopause. It is important to use menses as a vital sign of overall health and wellbeing, physically and mentally.
Explore more on the Saumya Blog, selected top Ayurveda blogs and websites to watch.
“That time of the month” can feel like a never-ending treadmill of mood issues, heavy bleeding, painful migraines and… the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, these symptoms are so pervasive, we often don’t recognize them as signs of a deeper imbalance.
Ask yourself, do you truly know what a healthy cycle is? Or do you cramp, take Midol, use birth control to suppress disruptive symptoms, and still find yourself saying you’re “all good?”
In many parts of the world, menstruation was once revered as a time for women to recharge and reflect. Today, we’re expected to maintain 60-hour work weeks, drop the kids at soccer, make dinner, and organize our family calendar – all while bloated, cramped, and suffering.
Contemporary lifestyles simply don’t support a balanced cycle. As a result, many people endure painful periods for years, even their whole lifetime. But with Ayurveda, menstruation doesn’t have to be synonymous with suffering.
Ayurveda and Menstruation – Creating a Healthy Flow
Symptoms of Menstrual Imbalance
Weight gain or bloating
Joint or muscle pain
Anemia or weakness and exhaustion
Anxiety or feeling tense
Crying spells or depressed moods
Extended symptoms (feeling like your cycle lasts all month)
Chances are you’ve experienced one (or many) of the symptoms above. You might even consider them an unavoidable part of getting your period. Menstrual suffering is so common we treat it as a natural side-effect of having a female reproductive system.
Modern medicine rarely treats these issues as part of a deeper imbalance; it seeks to alleviate symptoms instead of addressing the underlying cause. Unfortunately, while birth control and IUDs may help relieve your suffering, they do little to help you regain balance.
Share the wisdom with the generation next to you: The Power of Ayurveda: Nurturing Adolescent Menstrual Health Holistically
How Do I Know If I Have a Dosha Imbalance?
Look at these comprehensive and convenient lists of signs and symptoms of dosha imbalances.
As we are all comprised of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, there can be an imbalance in any of the doshas, or a combination of dosha imbalances. Read all three lists and see if anything looks familiar.
The Ayurvedic Approach to Menstrual Health
Rather than treating individual symptoms, Ayurveda treats the whole person. In Ayurveda, menstrual health is a window into your overall well-being. The goal is not to control and suppress your symptoms, but to use them as guideposts pointing to the root of your dosha imbalance.
Your menstrual cycle influences how you feel in your body, mind, and emotions throughout your entire life. Ayurveda helps bring your reproductive system back into balance, which can bring balance back to your entire life – sounds nice, right?
Explore More: Ayurvedic Approach to Adolescent Menstrual Health
The Doshas and Your “Moon” Cycle
In the Ayurvedic tradition, as well as many others, the menstrual cycle and the doshas follow the moon through its roughly 29.5-day cycle. This is where the term “moon cycle” comes from.
Our human rhythms are tied to the greater movements of the universe. As we move through our menstrual cycle, the energy of the moon and the doshas ebb and flow within us.
Beginning of Cycle: After a period of physical and psychological cleansing, Kapha rises in the body and we are settled, grounded, and content.
Ovulation: In a healthy body, ovulation will begin as the energy of the full moon draws the egg from the ovaries. Pitta rises in the body, engorging the blood tissue in preparation for fertilization.
Menstruation: If a person does not become pregnant, the period should begin at the new moon. A sudden rise in Vata sparks the menstrual flow – the start of a new cleansing process.
Symptoms of Doshic Imbalance
When we understand how the doshas influence our menstrual cycle, it’s easy to see how problems arise when we become imbalanced. If a dosha becomes inflamed, stuck, or built up – it’s reflected in our monthly cycle.
Vata: Scant, irregular, or absent flow. When your period is present, imbalanced Vata manifests as anxiety and insomnia, sharp or stinging cramps, and blood discoloration. Learn more with Wild List of Vata Imbalances
Pitta: Burning cramps, fiery emotions like anger and irritability, and a clotty, hot, or heavy flow. Severe menstrual hemorrhaging may even require blood transfusions. Whew! See if you're experiencing Pitta imbalances with Hot List of Common Pitta Imbalances
Kapha: Heavy or long-lasting periods, bloating, and yeast infections. Feeling sluggish, depressed, and unmotivated – preferring food (and Netflix) binges to a regular routine. Sturdy List of Kapha Imbalances
Explore More: The 3 Ayurvedic Doshas and Their Impact on Your Life
Ayurveda and Menstruation: Creating a Healthy Flow
If you dread your period, you’re not alone. Many of us approach “that time of the month” with resigned acceptance. We’ve been taught menstrual suffering is normal – and, boy, have we lived it.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. In Ayurveda, menstrual cycles are a way to reconnect with the rhythms of the world around us. It’s a time to surrender, let go, and step into a healthy flow.
1. During Your Period
Take Time for Deep Rest
Our monthly period is a time of great power, but first – we need to slow down. It’s harder for our bodies to cleanse when we’re always on the go. We’re also physically weaker as we shed blood, toxins, and heat.
Menstrual seclusion rituals are part of many ancient traditions. Ojibwe women, for instance, would rest and regenerate in small wigwams called “moon lodges” while other women helped care for them and their families. While most of us can’t retreat from our lives completely when we get our period – we can all make space for deep rest.
Avoid exercising and other rigorous activities, as generating heat is counterproductive to the body’s cleansing and cooling processes. Trim non-essential activities from your schedule and find ways to relax. It might be uncomfortable at first, but letting others lend a hand is a wonderful way to honor the value you provide your community.
Calm the Mind and Reflect
Menstruation magnifies feminine intuition. Connect with your calm, centered Self by listening to Saumya Ayurveda’s short guided meditations throughout the day.
Learn Diaphragmatic Breathing and Change Your Life. When we learn diaphragmatic breathing, we remain relaxed, focused and less stressed and overwhelmed. We shift our nervous system from fight flight mode, to rest, restore, and relax mode.
Tune into your own enlightenment by studying wise words. Read articles on the nature of the Self and consciousness.
Breathing exercises like Nadi Shodhana before bed and upon waking ease the body into a sense of calm, whether you’re greeting the day or ending it.
Journal to counteract imbalance in the mind. Write about anger, anxieties, or repetitive thoughts you’d like to release. Make gratitude lists and set intentions for the month ahead.
Work with your experiences meditatively.
Dig into our popular free Ayurveda recipe box. Saumya Ayurveda was selected Best Ayurveda Blogs and Websites to Watch!
Eat Simple, Nourishing Foods
Fried, processed, and fatty foods can worsen existing period symptoms (even if you crave them!). Food is medicine in Ayurveda, and menstruation is a time to keep things simple.
A period-friendly diet doesn’t need to be complicated. Simply consume a variety of freshly-prepared, colorful plants – and keep the doshas in mind:
Pitta: Avoid spicy, salty, and oily foods. Add flavor with cooling herbs like cilantro, dill, and peppermint, or mild spices like ginger, turmeric, and coriander.
Vata: Eat warm, soft foods with warming spices, especially if your flow is dry or light. Cooked fruits, lentil stew, and roasted root vegetables all help ground Vata.
Kapha: Counteract heaviness and moisture with warm, dry, spiced food (like this Kapha-reducing kitchari). Ginger, cinnamon, and black pepper all help invigorate the digestive fire.
While these tips are generally beneficial, we all have different bodies and different needs. Book a consultation with Saumya Ayurveda to discover the best food program for you.
Stay Hydrated
Just like any cleanse, it’s important to stay as hydrated as possible during your period. This helps your body to release toxins and waste more efficiently. Increase your water intake and avoid stimulants like caffeine and alcohol.
Coconut water and fresh fruit juices also help hydrate and keep the body cool. Soothing Ayurvedic teas promote a state of calm and help the body release toxins – try chamomile with lemon and honey.
2. Ayurvedic Medicine for Period Pain
Intense period discomfort is a symptom of menstrual imbalance. While over-the-counter drugs like Midol and Ibuprofen might ease your misery, they do little to support your reproductive health. Thus, the symptoms return – again and again.
Rather than suppress present symptoms, Ayurvedic medicine for period pain addresses their root cause. When the body is empowered to fully cleanse and move through a balanced cycle, painful symptoms naturally diminish as the doshas balance.
But what about the discomfort you feel now? Here are a few natural remedies for menstrual cramps and other menstrual pain.
Herbal Tea: Research supports the use of certain herbal teas for menstrual cramps and other period symptoms.
Ginger may relieve cramps as efficiently as certain painkillers.
Chamomile tea helps improve sleep, which is linked to reduced period pain.
Cinnamon helps reduce inflammation to ease bloating.
Lemon tea with honey helps remove waste (ama).
Vata may benefit from sipping on ginger tea.
Pitta may enjoy peppermint tea or coriander tea.
Kapha may benefit from cinnamon tea.
Yogasana: Restorative yoga-sana like supported bridge and legs up the wall help relieve tension in the uterus. This Healthline article highlights a few great poses.
Oil Massage: Regular Abhyanga massage in the weeks leading up to your period helps balance the doshas to alleviate chronic symptoms. For best results, use oil personalized to your doshic makeup. (Saumya Ayurveda can help!)
Essential Oils: Lavender, cinnamon, sage, and chamomile essential oils all have properties that soothe inflammation or reduce cramping when rubbed on the abdomen.
Apply Heat: When all else fails, placing a heating pad on the painful area can help relax constricted muscles.
A note: Ayurvedic medicine for period pain should be personalized to the individual. Working with an Ayurvedic expert is the best way to regain balance and finally relieve your suffering.
3. Ayurveda and Menstruation: The Perimenopausal Transition
The end of the menstrual cycle is a natural part of the aging process. Perimenopause is the beginning of a new cycle: the transition into menopause. It often begins between ages 40-45 but can start for some women as early as their thirties.
In Ayurveda, the perimenopausal transition is a shift from a Pitta to a Vata-dominated stage of life. While you may still get your period, the winds of Vata are rising – and change is underfoot.
Estrogen levels surge throughout the final reproductive years. These hormonal changes can disrupt the bioenergetic field as the body finds its new equilibrium – sparking lighter (or heavier) periods, lower libido, fatigue, and body aches. You may feel more anxious, stressed, reactive, or simply “off.”
It’s hard to over-emphasize just how important it is to balance your cycle through the transition into menopause. Perimenopause can begin as early as your mid-thirties, which means you spend a lot of your life in the final stages of your reproductive cycle. Don’t you want to feel your best for it?
Instead of easing into the later stages of life, most of us live Pitta-driven lives well into menopause. We slam through the decades with intensity, finally hitting a wall when our suffering becomes inescapable.
When we understand the Ayurvedic life phases, we can make adjustments to support the energetic changes underway.
We can reclaim our calm through breathwork and meditation, and learn to use food as medicine and include more Vata- and Pitta-balancing foods. For such a profound transition, there’s no better time to seek the personalized guidance of an Ayurvedic expert.
Explore our personalized services and book your FREE discovery call today.
4. Ayurveda and Menstruation: Perimenopausal Transition and Menopause
"Perimenopause means "around menopause" and refers to the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause, marking the end of the reproductive years." according to the Mayo Clinic. Menopause is twelve months with no cycle.
How long does perimenopause last? According the to Cleveland Clinic, "The average length of perimenopause is about four years. Some people may only be in this stage for a few months, while others will be in this transition phase for more than four years."
Again, from the Mayo Clinic, "Women start perimenopause at different ages. You may notice signs of progression toward menopause, such as menstrual irregularity, sometime in your 40s. But some women notice changes as early as their mid-30s."
"No matter which experts advise we read, clearly female reproductive hormones begin shifting and continue to transition for decades. This is why it is important to create a healthy flow through all the transitions." --Veena, Saumya Ayurveda
Menopause marks the end of menstruation and fertility. In Ayurveda, menopause is a fully Vata-dominated period marked by insight and “lightening up.” But only if we create space for letting go, make peace with the past, and embrace the beginning of another cycle
Estrogen and progesterone production decreases in the later stages of perimenopause and dramatically reduce in menopause. This can trigger Vata and Pitta imbalances that manifest as increased dryness and heat. Anxiety and sleep issues both reflect our body’s inner ocean dying up. This disconnect in energies can wreak havoc – especially if we continue living agitated Pitta lives.
Ayurveda can help restore balance to the doshas and relieve symptoms like poor sleep, hot flashes, weight gain, and joint pain. Herbal remedies, diet correction (especially calcium- and protein-rich foods), restorative exercise, and practices that boost spiritual and emotional well-being (like meditation and pranayama) all support the body as it settles into its new normal.
“When we recognize the beauty, power, and relief in embracing the Vata stage of life – we can’t help but lighten up! We might simplify our lives by trimming down our busy schedules or downsizing. We lighten the load we’ve been carrying for decades, creating more space to simply be.”
- Veena, Saumya Ayurveda
How to Keep Your Cool" is an invitation to transform your menstrual cycle... and while you're at it, transform your life. From menses to menopause, you deserve to keep your cool. This guide will show you how. Get your copy here.
“Oh my gosh this is an amazing book! The WORLD NEEDS THIS!!!” --Dr. Melissa Persons, Minnesota
What does meditation have to do with my cycle? When Vata, Pitta, and Kapha doshas are imbalanced, we feel it. Vata, as excess movement may show up as anxiety. That wind may push Pitta around and heat may rise to the mind and manifest as sudden, unexpected explosions of irritability, or as heat in the mind as migraines. Kapha may show up as heaviness and dullness in both body and mind.
By cultivating and nurturing an applied meditative approach in daily life, the doshas are balanced.
There is a saying, "The mind is more in the body, than the body is in the mind." The Saumya 3 Step Meditation Process shifts us from fight-flight-freeze mode, to rest-restore-relax mode. Give it a try for forty days and observe the changes. The more grounded and relaxed we are, the smoother life flows.
"The breath is the connection between the mind and body, so by training the breath, we become calm, focused, and grounded, we slow down the aging process by decreasing stress. These practices are so simple and easy to have as part of our daily life. We actually feel and look younger."
- Veena, Saumya Ayurveda
1. Learn Diaphragmatic Breathing and Change Your Life. When we re-learn to breath diaphragmatically, we move from the flight-fight-freeze mode, to rest, restore, relaxation mode from where we want and need to live.
2. Daily Guided Practices: 11 minutes in the morning and in the evening, as anchors of your daily Ayurveda routine.
3. Ayurveda Daily Routines: Ayurvedic Morning Routine | 6 Rituals for a Calm and Centered Day
"Choose a couple of practices from the routines that provide you with the greatest support. Perform them while applying our two minute meditation technique and your mundane tasks, just transformed into a mellifluous meditation. This is meditation applied to daily life." - Veena, Saumya Ayurveda
“Veena was able to help me regain my energy in just a few months and I’m feeling like my “young” self again! I love the food plan she designed for me, and all the supporting practices (am/pm routines, breathing techniques, herbs, and spice mixes) are so enjoyable to incorporate into my day. I highly recommend Saumya Ayurveda if you want to feel better and have more vitality.”
-Molly Rossini, Minnesota
Explore More: Ayurveda Breathwork Pranayama
“After six months with no period and increasing concern, I am happy to report that my periods are completely regular. With just two months of Veena’s treatment, they are almost symptomless except for mild cramping. I am feeling very good and well balanced overall. My skin has improved as well. I am looking forward to doing the cleanse with you this spring. “ – A.K. Minnesota
“I sought support from Veena related to irregular menstruation, skin issues, and overall stagnation. After a comprehensive assessment, Veena provided an intuitive yet simple plan that included recommendations for gentle changes to diet, daily routine, and a few herbal supplements.
The changes were profound. I had not had my period for six months and after four weeks of following Veena's suggestions, my period returned and has been regular since. Veena's approach works with available resources to make sure that change happens on a deeper level than medication can reach. I am so grateful for her help and would recommend her services!”
-Anna, St. Paul, Minnesota
“Veena has been a dream to work with! I came to her with a number of concerns around my digestion, skin, and menstrual cycle, and she has helped me find so much improvement in all areas and more!” – Meg McNeil, Boulder, Colorado
“With Veena’s guidance, with herbs and diet changes, I am a completely different person. I still have some things to work on, but with Veena’s help, I know I will be able to take control of my health and not leave it to Western medicine that was giving me little to no help and covering up my symptoms with another medication.
I highly encourage getting the longer package, especially if you are working with challenges with your monthly cycle. Working with Veen has been the best decision I have made for my health. You won’t be disappointed!” -- Maria Fumagalli, San Diego, California
Ayurveda and Menstruation – Creating a Healthy Flow, it's closer than you think.
Discover the Saumya Ayurveda Way
We all want to be heard, understood, and cared for as whole beings, not a set of isolated symptoms. True health is more than the absence of disease, which is why Western medicine so often leaves us feeling hopeless and unseen.
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Veena is a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and meditation teacher, and monk.
She is President Emeritus and teaching faculty of the Meditation Center.
Veena fell in love with the traditional medicine used in her family’s home, learning herbal remedies at her grandmother's knee.
These childhood experiences were the seeds of a lifelong passion. For over 30 years, Veena has dedicated her life to the world’s oldest healing system: Ayurveda.
She draws on this ancient wisdom to help others find their compass to a healthy life – and support those left wanting by Western medicine.
An experienced Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner, Veena’s deep, intuitive knowledge of Ayurveda empowers her clients to reclaim their fullest, most vibrant lives –mentally, physically, and spiritually. Veena individualizes treatment plans to each person, rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach, so it fits your life and becomes woven in your lifestyle, naturally.