Ayurveda & Menstruation

As an Ayurvedic nutrition consultant I observe the disconnect my clients have with the critical developmental stage of their first menstruation. Many of them did not experience menses as a rite of passage, contrarily it was often forgotten, silenced, ignored even abhorred.

Our formative attitudes towards menstruation are shaped by our parents and society. For a healthier experience of our monthly passing of blood, sexual intercourse, fertility, pregnancy and menopause,  our current perspectives, our conversations and our rituals need to reflect this desire for a better female experience. And these conversations needs to happen across gender lines, as boys and girls are supportive brothers and sisters, lovers, and life partners to women who menstruate.

In Indian culture as with many ancient cultures, there is the intention, when not distorted by patriarchy, to honour a girl’s first menstruation. She is gifted, and welcomed amongst the endless circle of creators a vessel ensuring the continuation of a bloodline.

As a health science, Ayurveda addresses women’s wellness holistically acknowledging that a healthy menstrual cycle is the result of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellness. This includes a healthy acceptance and nurturing of the formative experiences of a girl child who is becoming a woman. Amongst other key influences is healthy and complete nutrition that is appropriate to the different stages of our monthly cycle.

Ayurveda focuses on prevention rather than cure. We aim for balance and longevity acknowledging the constant change we experience and our unique responses to these changes.

We use our observations of the elemental nature of both our internal and external environments to identify imbalance in our bodies . Nutrition is a pivotal tool used to create balance. We learn to eat the types of food that create the outcome we want our bodies to experience, in simple and intuitive ways, using the practical and scientific wisdom of this time honoured health science.

Menstruation is a superior product of the rasa dhatu (dhatus are bodily tissues that make up the body’s physiology). Nutrition happens in stages, like a waterfall. The chile, or digestive juice is absorbed by the first tissue and it’s by-products feed the next tissue. As such the experience of our menstruation can be directly affected and changed by what we digest. Ayurvedic nutrition gives great importance to a strong Agni (digestive fire) to begin the task of nutrition of the bodily tissues. A weak Agni results in incomplete digestion, mal-nourishment and a build-up of Ama (undigested food which becomes toxic waste).