Some people have practically no symptoms during their menstrual cycles, while others can barely function. The difference in these symptoms is often due to your hormones. Hormones play so many roles in our health and mental well-being. They change so much during our reproductive years that many doctors won’t test their levels. You might feel forced to mask the pain with over-the-counter medications.
There are better options that deal with the root of your discomfort. Empower yourself by learning to heal your menstrual hormones through doshas.
Four main hormones impact your menstrual cycle. Your pituitary gland produces luteinizing and follicle-stimulating hormones. They stimulate your ovaries to make progesterone and estrogen, which prepare your breasts and uterus for a potential pregnancy.
Without fertilization, your body begins cleansing through menstruation. While periods can vary for women, they shouldn’t be miserable. Imbalanced hormones can cause various symptoms, including:
These experiences make it hard to honor your cycle and can lead to other imbalances. Healing your menstrual hormones through doshas can help you be at your physical, mental and spiritual best.
Allopathy — modern medicine — remains focused on symptom treatment. If you’re not diagnosed with something, it’s hard to find options that focus on treating symptoms. Meanwhile, Ayurveda focuses on problems at their root cause, nourishing your body.
Ayurvedic medicine empowers you to care for your mental, emotional and physical health to heal your entire body. Through diet and exercise, self-care and spiritual practices, you can rely less on modern medicine and more on full-body wellness.
Doshas are at the center of Ayurvedic medicine. The universe has five elements that live within us — fire, water, earth, air and space. These elements combine into three primary doshas:
The doshas contribute to your body and mind, forming your habits and personality. Everyone has all three, but you have more of one than the others. For example, I’m a Vata — I’m anxious, talk fast, am creative and feel deeply.
Think of doshas as your full-body zodiac sign. You can identify your main dosha by looking at key traits.
Vatas are naturally small and slender with thin, straight hair. They’re often light sleepers who can wake frequently. If you’re a Vata, you might get cold easily, particularly in your extremities.
This dosha is often creative and sensitive. They’re ambitious and always looking for something new to see or do.
Kaphas are warm and friendly. They are easy going and get along with almost everyone, though still steady and logical. A Kapha body is naturally curvy with thick, wavy or curly hair. You might be a Kapha if you sleep deeply and have a hard time waking. Once you do, you have pretty consistent energy throughout the day.
Pittas are naturally muscular with a medium build. They typically have medium-textured hair that could be straight, wavy or curly. You might be a Pitta if you are competitive and determined to succeed. They’re prone to mood swings and can be aggressive. However, it balances out with intelligence and strong leadership abilities.
Exploring your dosha can help you better understand who you are and how to treat yourself best.
Since hormones play an important role in the menstrual cycle, it makes sense that your doshas will also play a part. In fact, each dosha plays a role. When healthy, they can balance your hormones and help you feel great.
The menstrual vata phase is at the start of your cycle when you bleed. It grounds your period and is the most prominent part of it. This phase uses estrogen and progesterone to guide the blood, tissue and toxins out of your body. The estrogen produced in this part of the month also regulates your cycle. Vata improves your energy flow, and ensures the pelvis remains balanced and your colon functions smoothly.
The kapha phase is responsible for preparing the uterus for possible fertilization. It can regulate the luteinizing and follicle-stimulating hormones by releasing the egg and thickening the uterine lining. This phase takes place from when you stop bleeding to when you ovulate.
Pitta is the final phase, taking place from ovulation until you begin your next period. It uses progesterone to prepare your body for conception or menstruation. You can often identify hormonal imbalances by the difficulties you have in each phase of your cycle.
Since your doshas control your hormones, an imbalanced one equals imbalanced hormones. To balance hormones in Ayurveda, you must first figure out which doshas are causing your menstrual symptoms.
Here are some of the signs your vata is off:
The majority of those symptoms will happen during your period.
An imbalanced kapha can make you feel unwell during the weeks after your period. Symptoms include:
You may experience these symptoms throughout your cycle.
It might be a pitta imbalance if you experience the following:
Symptoms of an imbalanced pitta can be similar to those in other doshas. It’s important to carefully listen to your body and trust your instincts when deciding which imbalances to tackle when.
You can heal your menstrual hormones by caring for their associated doshas. It’s like wanting more natural light in your home — you have to have larger windows to let the sun in. Your doshas are the windows into taming those pesky hormones.
Food is medicine. Eating the right stuff can reduce and relieve hormone-related symptoms. Choose foods that cater to your dosha’s weaknesses.
Vata is often cold, so try cooking with warming spices like cinnamon or coriander. You could make cider or prepare Moroccan chicken. Eat warm, comforting foods like soup or roasted root vegetables. Research shows 120g of dark chocolate per day could help with the vata phase of the menstrual cycle.
On the opposite side of the spectrum is pitta. It builds heat, so eating things with a cooling effect is best. Try incorporating turmeric or spirulina in your food or supplement routine. Eat fresh, refreshing foods like raw fruits, vegetables, sushi or a whole-food-based smoothie.
The best diet for your kapha is a combination of the vata- and pitta-balancing diets. Choose fresh, light and warming options. Try to stick to whole foods in small portions. Legumes, quality meats, fruits and vegetables can help. Limit processed foods and sweets, though indulging on occasion is alright.
Hydration is also an essential part of keeping healthy doshas, but getting the recommended two liters of water each day can be hard. Keep water with you to sip on throughout the day, and it can nourish vata, cool pitta and regulate kapha.
One of the key ways to survive the week of your period is not to agitate your vata. Rest is vital for it, but doing so is easier said than done.
Ignore the urge to stay up late, instead focusing on creating an environment that prioritizes a restful night. Put away the screens and take a warm bath, read, or enjoy your favorite herbal tea to relax your body and mind. Try to keep your spine aligned during sleep to avoid extra aches and pains.
Don’t panic if you don’t get a good night’s sleep. See if you can sneak in a 15 to 30-minute nap to boost your energy levels. Additionally, you could try a yoni steam before bed to balance your hormones and regulate your cycle. This relaxing activity might be just what you need to unwind so you get incredible sleep — just avoid doing it while you’re bleeding.
While sleep is essential, it’s vital to get mental rest through self-care opportunities. If you have a quiet moment, consider meditating. There are plenty of free to low-cost meditation programs available to guide you through the process. It can help you cope with the anxiety of vata and the stress of symptoms from all three doshas.
Exercise has always been an essential part of Ayurvedic medicine. It helps you stay light and active. Moving your body can benefit all three doshas — it helps regulate your digestive system, which can help with vata constipation, kapha bloating and pitta nausea. It can also help you feel hungry enough to take in the necessary nourishment.
If you don’t use your muscles, you will lose strength. Exercising can combat the bone weakness that comes with vata and the backaches of kapha. There are many ways to enjoy both low and high-impact exercise. Try whatever feels right for your body, whether it’s running, swimming, dancing, weightlifting or yoga.
You can balance your doshas through a self-massage to prevent tenderness with kapha and pitta. Use a few fingers to apply gentle pressure in a circular motion from your collarbone, over your breast and to your armpit. Not only will it feel great and help prevent soreness, it’s also a way to self-screen for cancer.
Combat pitta headaches by giving yourself or having someone else give you a reflexology massage. Pressure point options include UB2 in the creases alongside the bridge of your nose, also known as bamboo drilling. Other options are GB20 —the gates of consciousness — at the base of my skull or ying tang — the third eye — between your brow bones.
If you’re able, consider investing in a dosha-balancing Ayurvedic massage. The therapist will choose oils to cater to your dominant dosha and those bothering you the most. Vata typically likes warming oils, kapha likes lighter options and pitta prefers cooling ones.
There are many options for full-body massages that balance your doshas:
Regularly getting an Ayurvedic massage can help your doshas remain in balance for a smoother menstrual cycle.
You have the right to have a comfortable, cleansing menstrual cycle. Through the years, so many of us were expected to feel shame or hide away from a natural, beautiful process. However, it wasn’t always that way. During the reign of the goddess, menstrual blood was worshipped in a temple and women were praised.
The universe entrusts women to bring new life into the world. Your menstrual cycle is the key to that process and balancing your doshas can be an essential part of embracing it. Use them to take your power back into your own hands.
Where modern medicine fails, Ayurvedic medicine shines. Getting to know and balancing your doshas can heal your hormones and relieve bothersome symptoms.
Got a question or a comment on the white moon and red moon cycles? Post it in the comments section below!
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