A primer on Ayurveda for the childbearing years part 2: menstrual and preconception teachings. (Features)(Cover Story).

Ayurvedic Menstrual Teachings

Menstruation--the monthly bleeding cycle of fertile women--is more than "the curse" or a "period." Ayurveda views menstruation as a cleansing time for a woman's body, which benefits her greatly. It is a time for selfhealing--if we arrange our lives to allow this to happen.

However, in Western culture, women are expected to act "the same," no matter what. Our expected duties during the time of bleeding are no different than at any other time.

Partly due to such lack of rest, care, and awareness during the menses, many women in our culture experience menstrual problems and other related women's reproductive diseases, such as fibroids, endometriosis, infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease, and so on.

By nurturing ourselves, maintaining energetic balance, and avoiding build-up of toxins in the body throughout the cycle, women can find less discomfort and, in the long term, less disease.

By bringing awareness and care into the menstrual cycle, women also gain experience that will serve them if they ever become pregnant. Excellent nutrition, maintaining energetic balance, getting adequate exercise and rest, taking nurturing herbs, and a relaxation practice all promote both healthy menstrual cycles and healthy pregnancies.

A woman who has been taught how to care for herself during her changing menstrual cycle is also practicing what she needs to know to take care of herself in pregnancy. She will also have a healthier and more balanced start because, by resting with her periods, she will have honored the natural cleansing of menses, which preserves reproductive health, physically and energetically.

The emotional changes of the cycle also prepare for dealing with pregnancy. Women who take time to listen to themselves with awareness and care for themselves adequately find that heightened emotional sensitivity is not necessarily a call to moodiness (although that too can be useful). It is more of an opportunity to clarify what in their lives serves them and what does not. More alone time is a common need that women easily overlook at other times of their lives and often becomes more pressing during prebleeding and prebirthing.

Women who have experienced the inward, downward pulling of energy during moon bleeding will be familiar with that feeling in its greatly intensified form during labor. Ayurveda calls this energy the apana vayu or apana prana. Healthy menstrual practices help preserve the balance of this key energy for healthy pregnancy and birth.

Those who have experienced menstrual cramps can recognize the early labor sensation of the cervix beginning to open as a familiar one, not a scary one. This brings the relaxed familiarity to early labor often considered possible only for those who have already given birth.

The Doshas and the Menstrual Cycle

During the menstrual cycle the energy of a woman may shift considerably. This is true more for some women than for others. By considering the possibility that we really aren't the same the whole month and acting and eating accordingly, imbalances may be avoided. Women's bodies have their own seasons--just as Mother Earth does!

The cycle itself goes through the three different doshas:

Ovulation time until bleeding begins is vata predominant. Apana vayu stimulates ovulation and degeneration of endometrium. It helps the egg begin its journey down the fallopian tube. During the premenstrual phase, apana vayu may push excess kapha, pitta, or vata into the uterus, creating different types of PMS--the woman's symptoms depend on the predominant dosha.

Vata imbalance creates feelings of being overwhelmed, worry, depression, and prebleeding menstrual cramps. Pitta imbalance leads to irritation, anger, acne, and sore breasts. Kapha imbalance creates lethargy, depression, and water retention.

Bleeding time is pitta predominant. Pitta imbalance leads to excessive bleeding and cramps during heavy bleeding. Vata imbalance leads to clots and slow, crampy beginning to the menses. Kapha imbalance leads to mucousy menses.

Between bleeding time and ovulation is the kapha predominant phase. The new endometrium is built, ojas (vital energy) is more predominant, love and compassion come more easily, women become more easily sexually aroused. Some kapha women find this time is too kapha for them, bringing lethargy, heaviness, or other kapha-type symptoms.

The doshic changes are listed in Table A.

Ama and the Menstrual Cycle

Besides the effects of disordered doshas affecting the menstrual period, it may also be affected by excess ama, or toxins, built up in the body. The most common cause of ama is improper digestion.

In Ayurveda there are cleansing processes available called pancha karma to rid the body of built up toxins from incomplete digestion or other causes. Pancha karma can be undertaken with the help of a trained practitioner Cleansing herbs and daily regimes can also be used to increase digestive power and reduce ama. By ridding the body of these excesses during the menstrual time, the body is not overloaded with its task and can work more easily.

The build up of ama can also be avoided by following these simple dietary practices:

* Sip plain hot water frequently throughout the day. This helps the body digest and eliminate ama and metabolic wastes so that your internal balance can be restored and maintained.

* Eat a full, warm, cooked meal at lunchtime, with all the six tastes described by Ayurveda.

* Take at least twenty minutes to eat, and sit for a few minutes at the end of the meal.

* Eat a light, early dinner and have only liquids after 8 P.M.

* Leave time for food to digest from the last meal before eating any more solid food--about one hour for fruits, two hours for vegetables and grains, and three hours for dairy and heavy proteins.

* Sip room temperature or warm water with meals. Avoid dumping a whole glass of cold liquid into your stomach while eating, which dilutes the digestive juices and inhibits digestive enzymes from acting properly.

Recommendations for Between Your Moon Bloods

* Eat according to your constitution, following the ama-reducing recommendations (see Part 1, Special Delivery, Spring 2001).

* Exercise according to your constitution--neither overdoing it (especially vata or pitta) or under-exercising (more likely kapha).

* Get enough rest on a regular basis (vata needs most, kapha least).

* Practice a daily form of turning inward--meditation, contemplation, chanting, singing, drumming, dancing, divination, or prayer.

* Always avoid holding back or forcing the urge to urinate or defecate as much as possible to protect apana vayu.

* Use nourishing herbs (red raspberry, nettles, or oatstraw) and food supplements (seaweed, bee pollen, and so on) that suit your constitution to support your nutrition. (The Yoga of Herbs by Frawley and Lad gives good information on this.)

Recommendations for During Your Moon Blood

* Take time out for rest. Some women "ask" their blood to come on the weekend--and sometimes that works. Maybe you can't rest completely but can put off optional things until later. Maybe you can rest at least one of the first three days of your bleeding. Some women wear special jewelry or clothes to signify they are bleeding to their family and friends, which allows those in their life to give them extra care and extra space. Some women seclude themselves while they bleed. Some cut back on work those days. Women can honor each other when they are bleeding by helping each other with food, herb teas, massages, or taking the kids. I can attest that the investment of time off during bleeding will pay off in more energy to accomplish things during the rest of your cycle.

* Keep your exercise very mild. Avoid strenuous exercise. This means no jogging, jumping, running, riding, or inverted hatha yoga poses. Excess exercise now can push toxins back into your body, leading to possible diseases later.

* Let yourself turn inward as much of your bleeding time as possible. The traditional Moon Hut where women secluded themselves during their moon blood was a place where women could be free from daily work and distraction and allow their intuitions and visions to emerge uninterrupted.

* Eat a diet to pacify your constitution, eating lightly and warmly (no cold drinks or foods). By eating light, easy-to-digest food now, you allow the energy to go to detoxifying and releasing excess doshas rather than digesting new food. . * Handle cravings comfortably. If you crave sweets, eat healthy ones or only a little organic milk chocolate.

* Shower with warm water (not hot or cold), rather than bathe. Baths may disturb meridians of the ovaries, deranging vata, states Dr. Lad. This will affect the new egg maturing for release at the next ovulation--especially important if you want to conceive.

* Avoid vigorous massage, especially of head. This disturbs the energies wanting to go downward at this time.

* Avoid sexual activity during bleeding time. According to Dr. Lad, intercourse during menses may create cervical erosion, dysplasia, and cancer, including testicular and prostate cancer. Low resistance of genital organs during menses increases susceptibility to viral infections. For example, herpes may be more easily obtained. Engaging in intercourse at this time creates antiperistaltic movements, disturbing the rhythm of the fallopian tubes. Intercourse during menses will disturb the direction of apana vayu (the specific type of vata energy regulating menstruation, ovulation, urination, and excretion) and may create vata abnormality in women's reproductive systems. Western medicine agrees that there may be a connection between intercourse during menses and endometriosis.

* Always avoid excessive holding back or forcing of the urge to urinate or defecate to protect apana vayu, the downward moving vata that rules menses, childbirth, urination, and defecation.

* Use external absorbent pads if possible. Tampons create antiperistaltic movements, disturbing the rhythm of fallopian tubes and the apana vayu. (Also note the possibility of toxic shock syndrome if tampons are left in too long.) I believe that feeling the flow coming out of the yoni (vagina) may be an experience keyed into our inherited physical well-being, because women have been experiencing it that way since the beginning of womanhood. Tampons also encourage the idea that we can just act "normal" during our periods without any sign that we are bleeding.

* Use the Steps of Healing (page 7) to deal with discomforts that arise--information, environment, energy, nourishment, herbs, drugs, and surgery.

Preconception Preparations

In preparing for a pregnancy, the wisewoman and her mate first determine that they are as healthy and as in tune as possible. As stated in Part 1, the constitution of the coming child is greatly affected by the state of both parents at the time of conception, as well as the environment of the mother's womb during pregnancy. By clearing up any disease or imbalance before pregnancy, the best conception and pregnancy possible can be achieved.

After determination of their prakriti (their constitution) and vikriti (their current condition) the appropriate means are taken to assist the balance of their bodies--suitable lifestyle, diet, herbs, and pancha karma (purification and rejuvenation practices). Generally, seven days oiling and sweating to loosen the toxins in the seven tissues of the body is followed by appropriate purification and rejuvenation practices under the supervision of a trained Ayurvedic practitioner.

Vata imbalance or constitution uses therapeutic and calming bastis (enemas). Pitta imbalance or constitution uses purgation with herbs or yogic methods. Kapha imbalance or constitution uses purgation or (rarely) therapeutic vomiting. Then rasayana (rejuvenating herbs) are given to nourish the cleansed tissues according to constitution. By these means the parents-to-be prepare themselves to receive the soul of their child-to-be.

In addition, parents-to-be can prepare by contemplating, surrounding, and filling themselves with the thoughts and feelings they wish their child to embody. In this way, a soul with that energy will be attracted to them.

Requirements for a Healthy Conception

Proper timing, rutu, gives us the ideal conception time to avoid imbalances being passed on to the child. For vata parents it's best to conceive in summer and spring, avoiding the fall. For pitta parents it's best to conceive in spring and winter, avoiding the summer. For kapha parents it's best to conceive in the fall, avoiding winter and spring. When parents are of mixed doshas then it's best to avoid the mother being out of balance and it is more important to do some preconception balancing.

Another principle about timing is to never make love on an eclipse, especially when trying to conceive. Meditate, pray, and do work on your subtle levels. An eclipse turns the energy away from the material world, making it unbeneficial for starting the manifestation of children or other earthly projects.

The field, Kshetra, is the required healthy uterus and mother. Avoid conception when vaginal infections, herpes, or other uterine abnormalities exist in the woman or when prostitis, urethritis, or venereal diseases exist in the man. Uterine abnormalities include infantile uterus, bifid uterus, retroverted uterus, fibroids, endometriosis, endometritis, or blocked fallopian tubes. Ayurveda recommends dealing with these problems before conception whenever possible. Rejuvenative herbs can be used to strengthen the mother if there are no problems present.

The water, Ambu, denotes the healthy female egg. The ripening egg is beginning its development during the previous menses, giving further importance to maintaining balance during the menses. A woman's eggs are all with her even when she is still in her mother prenatally--so they can be affected by any strong imbalances throughout her life.

The seed, Bija, is healthy male seed/sperm. Healthy sperm/semen is slightly sweet smelling, neither extremely thick or stringy or discolored. Imbalance in the semen implies less than optimal sperm. This is best resolved before conception. Spermatogenesis may be increased by the use of various herbs, if this aspect is a problem.

Both egg and sperm are affected by diet and lifestyle at time of ovulation, thus affecting the baby's constitution. During ovulation be especially careful to avoid imbalancing activities, foods, or eating habits.

The Sex Act--Making Love

Making love to conceive a child is a sacred act. Excessive intercourse will weaken the ojas or vital force of the parents, which can, in turn, weaken the ojas and immune system of the child-to-be. Excessive intercourse can also lead to a diminished sperm count. Through fertility awareness the couple can focus their intercourse timing to when a wished result will occur, rather than expending their vital forces through daily sex for long periods of time.

If drugs of any kind, including alcohol, are used during conception it may affect the child. The woman should not have just overeaten, fasted, or be thirsty or frightened. Nor should the couple be dejected, grieving, angry, or in love with someone else. These states may block conception or affect the baby.

The ideal time for intercourse is between nine P.M. and eleven P.M. Daytime intercourse tends to weaken kidneys for the sex partners. Midnight intercourse weakens livers of the sex partners. Dawn intercourse can lead to weakened colons.

Meditate and visualize the desired child during making love. For example, holy pictures in the room will send a spiritual message to the sperm and egg, whereas a military ambiance would lead to conception of a warrior child.

Various postures can lead to energy imbalance in the woman. Generally, the woman positioned on her back is most balanced in this respect. Breathing through specific nostrils during conception is thought to determine the gender of the child.

Through healthy menstrual selfcare, preconception preparations, and conscious conception, the best possible start is given to a coming child. Ayurvedic practices have been used for millennia for this very purpose.