Ayurveda for Childbearing Years
Ayurveda is an ancient system of health and wellbeing, including but not limited to massage therapies, herbs, diet, exercise, lifestyle, and also meditation, breathing exercises, and yoga. In reality, it includes surgery, and other approaches to emergency situations, too. But unlike allopathic medicine, it looks at the whole person over time. Ayurveda doctors, called Vaidyas, use many methods of diagnosis, but the primary tool involves taking the pulse. During this fine tuned procedure, Vaidyas can analyse and pinpoint events in your life that affected your system in different ways, giving rise to problems now showing up in your body. This junction of mind with body, and of the microcosm being a reflection of the macrocosm is the domain of Ayurveda.
The basic premise of Ayurveda is that disease starts with the mind (including emotions, psychology, mental state, etc.) and then, if not resolved and harmonized, proceeds to manifest in the body. Thus, the root of all imbalances is internal. One might argue, “But what if I have mercury poisoning? Surely that is externally caused!” Fair point, and this could lead to a long philosophical discussion, which is not the point of this blog now. Suffice it to say that Ayurveda can deal with mercury poisoning too. But the important thing is to look within ourselves, and evaluate how to bring ourselves back to balance, to equilibrium, to our centre, after being bombarded with the daily demands of life: earning a living, taking care of family, juggling the many roles we play every day (not to mention the increased pollution / radiation / chemicals in the air, water, and food that our body is exposed to every day).
How does this Ayurveda outlook impact on the role of women, particularly as they look towards having a family?
The effect is sequential and not different from the view of modern medicine as well: the state of the woman’s body-mind complex determines her fertility, which in turn (along with her partner’s physical and mental health) influences the effectiveness of her conception and pregnancy, which impacts her ability to give birth easily and without complications, which has a knock on effect on her postpartum period, the baby’s health and the family dynamics.
The difference is in what Ayurveda offers to help women (and men!) plan and support the process of having a family.
Firstly, there is Preconception Cleansing. Given that 50% of the DNA input comes from each sex, Ayurveda has a full protocol to follow to prepare the parents-to-be before trying to conceive a baby, to help insure that you have the healthiest baby possible.
This includes seeing a Vaidya for a pulse diagnosis to receive a personalized programme to follow, which includes:strengthening and balancing Ayurvedic herbs
a series of oil massages and other treatments called Panchakarma
diet and exercise plan
lifestyle recommendations
All of these are specific to that particular individual at that particular time. Fertility can be augmented through Ayurveda programs. Stress free living is the ideal place to conceive from, so getting into good habits help bring one back to balance every day.
Secondly, there is Conscious Conception. Modern medicine offers various ways to determine the stage in the menstrual cycle of the woman in order to maximize the chances of becoming pregnant. Ayurveda has additional methods. Also, Ayurveda acknowledges that the dynamics between the man and the woman at the time of conception help shape the personality of the baby. For this reason, the preconception cleansing also includes looking at some questions about mutual intention, future plans and ideas, habits and patterns, wishes and dreams for the couple, in order to clear the way for a supportive relationship in which to raise the newborn child-to-be.
Once Pregnancy has occurred, maintaining the pregnancy and meeting the needs of the embryo and mother-to-be is essential! Ayurveda offers various herbs, treatments, party suggestions (yes! to celebrate the 5 senses developing in the womb), trimester and even monthly recommendations during the 9 months. Again, regular visits with a Vaidya are recommended during this time to keep abreast of developments in the growing foetus and mother along with regular oil massages to nourish the growing body and changing mind of the mother. These check-ins with the Vaidya and therapist during the pregnancy ensure good health (physically, mentally and emotionally) and a comfortable transition. Ayurveda also offers insights for how the man can support the pregnant mother at this time, to decrease genetic defects from developing.
Birth comes with its own challenges, and Ayurveda supports both the mother and father by having built strong supple muscles, stamina and a close relationship to navigate this important portal of life both for themselves and their little one. Regular treatments of Abhyanga (traditional warm oil massage), physical exercise, breathing exercises, yoga and a regular practice of meditation throughout pregnancy really help smooth the birth process.
PostPartum is called the 4th Trimester, the first 6 weeks or even 3 months after birth. This is the trickiest stage of the whole process. This is what doctors call “The Black Hole of Medicine”, because modern medicine doesn’t have solutions for the high rate of baby blues or postpartum depression, and the change of roles for both mother and father in their couple relationship, and the new dynamics in a family from the addition of a new baby. This is where Ayurveda has a brilliant approach, which dramatically enhances the adjustment to the post-natal sacred window of time. Essentially the mother enjoys complete rest, a daily oil massage for herself and gives one to her baby, and a delicious nutritious diet that totally nourishes her and helps her body recover and reset optimally to her new post-pregnancy state. The Vaidya plays a large role in helping set the diet and daily protocols in this stage. The father also has specific roles to play to help create routine and bonding with the newborn and support lactation.
All in all, Ayurveda gives us a paradigm shift for these most important child bearing years in a woman’s and man’s life, and if followed, a more stress-free, violence free society can be built when families around the world adopt these keys to health during these crucial years.
Author
Su Bowerman
Su Bowerman has been a practicing Ayurveda Doula since 1986, who originally trained with Maharishi Mahesh Yoga's Transcendental Meditation and Ayurveda Mother and Baby program in USA, along with Ysha Martha Oakes, who founded Sacred Window School of Doulas. She has been a member of Doula UK since 2000, and is a mother of two children who were conceived and raised using the principles of Ayurveda. She is a founding mother of Ayurveda Mother and Infant, (AMI), a programme under the International Association of Human Values, UK. She has a BS in Biology and an MS in Neuroscience, as well as a BA and MA in Indian Philosophy.