Ayurveda and PMS
I want to acknowledge the intentional use of gendered language in this article. While the topic in this article may be experienced across the gender binary, this content specifically focuses on Ayurveda's take on cis-women who experience PMS. This is not an intentional effacement of the men and nonbinary people who experience this. I am always learning and seeking ways to make these teachings as accessible as possible.
Ayurveda and PMS
As a woman, I personally go through a range of ups and downs on a monthly basis and my body doesn’t stay on some consistent path as I move through my life. This is actually a beautiful experience and should be viewed as such.
Unfortunately, when I started getting my period, I was taught to either ignore or push through whatever discomfort I was going through. At the time, I didn’t understand what was actually happening with my body and all I wanted was a quick fix to stop my stomach cramps or headaches so I could get through the day.
Ayurveda teaches that any discomfort is actually a sign of imbalance and this science provides us with the tools to help correct some of these imbalances and return to a state of ease. During my early studies in Ayurveda, the most shocking thing I learned was that I didn’t have to be in pain during my period. In fact, any pain or discomfort should be examined so that it isn’t something that’s experienced every month.
What exactly is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is a 5,000 year old science that is often referred to as the science of life and also the sister science to yoga. It can be understood as the study of all of the qualities you see around you and how they interact with you. For example, a meal you eat may be warm and moist, while another meal may be dry and cold. If you already have cold qualities within yourself, then eating foods with cold qualities will make you a little colder and probably cause an imbalance that may eventually manifest as sickness.
Ayurveda helps you find balance with the body you’re in and the qualities you were born with.
Ayurveda teaches that you are born with a specific and beautiful blueprint that’s unique to you. Therefore the food, drinks, and activities that bring you to balance may create an imbalance for me. You need to notice your own personal rhythms, tendencies, and what brings you bliss.
Everything on earth, including you and everyone around you, is made up of the elements fire, water, earth, air, and ether. These elements come together to create the three doshas. Pitta dosha is made of fire and water. Vata dosha is made of air and ether. Kapha dosha is made of earth and water. Your dominant doshas are set with you from the moment of conception and cannot be changed.
What exactly is PMS?
Every month, your hormone levels fluctuate. PMS, or premenstrual syndrome, is the name for symptoms that may occur between ovulation and menstruation (AKA, the period). According to Ayurveda, these symptoms are actually an abnormal response to normal fluctuations in the reproductive hormones.
The key word there is “abnormal” and unfortunately, our current culture had switched this view to something that’s now normal.
PMS can be understood as an imbalance in the doshas
These imbalances can be addressed and brought back to balance by understanding the doshas and by connecting with your body, mind, spirit, and heart. So many people are confused by their bodies and cannot always connect to the ebb and flow that comes with having the hormones and cycles they have.
Ayurveda teaches that when you are out of balance, you need to look at the whole body instead of just one or two symptoms. It asks you to look at the quality of your lifestyle, self care, your thoughts, yoga practice, relationships, and any spiritual practices you have.
Ayurveda encourages you to find balance through self exploration and self care. It’s all to common to run away from what’s happening instead of facing it. When you change the narrative from “something is wrong with me” to “something needs my attention and this is important”, it can be incredibly empowering.
What causes imbalances?
So what causes imbalances in women’s bodies once they begin getting their periods? How do the doshas show up? Overall, since vata is the moving force for doshas, made of ether and air, vata dosha is often the culprit in how the other dosha’s come out of balance.
Any acne or mood swings may be vata’s wind pushing the fires of pitta’s transformational energy, made of fire and water. Any weight gain, low energy, and liquid retention may be vata interacting with kapha’s more structural energy, made of earth and water. Any anxiety, bloating, and low energy may be signs of vata increasing during this part of the menstrual cycle.
Stay with me. We need to talk about the dhatus
The deeper you dive into Ayurveda, the more you will also connect with the dhatus. The dhatus are the tissues in the body: plasma, blood, muscle, fat, bone, bone marrow/nerve, and finally, reproductive. The actual menstrual flow is considered to be a byproduct of the first layer, rasa dhatu, the plasma.
Plasma is kind of like a carrier for nourishment. When this layer is healthy, it moves freely and all nutrients and waste move through and exit the body easily. The second layer, rakta dhatu, the blood, is part of the menstrual flow as well because it releases excess pitta. Both of these dhatus are the quickest to experience changes in quality and in their consistency, so when you can tap into how you’re feeling before, after, and during your period, you can start to address imbalances before they manifest into something bigger and more severe.
Ayurveda teaches to look at any discomfort as an opportunity to ask why you’re not fully balanced and then you have the opportunity to address it and find out what works for you. Ayurveda isn’t a “one size fits all” when it comes to balancing your body.
How imbalances manifest
If someone has Vata imbalances, they may experience qualities that feel sharp and may have some spasms. This may be felt in the low back and low belly. They may also feel scared, nervous, or have heightened anxiety. The flow may appear thin, dry, light, or dark in color.
Pitta imbalances may manifest as bloating, excess heat, headaches, breast tenderness, acne, and burning. There may be increased irritability or anger and the flow may appear heavier, yellowish red, or have a bad smell.
If someone has Kapha imbalances, they might experience depression, emotional eating, bloating, yeast infections, and overall tiredness. The flow may be longer and heavier.
How do you find balance?
Overall, you need to focus on the whole body, lifestyle, self care, and the idea of tuning more deeply inward and not running from imbalances that surface. You need to try to stop looking for quick fixes.
Ayurveda has taught me to take cravings or disruptions as an opportunity to question what’s going on, as opposed to being a way to shame myself. Whenever I feel like I’m moving out of balance, I stop and try to figure out what’s going on. Am I tired? Am I angry? Am I feeling like I don’t want to get off the couch? Once I address what I’m feeling, I’ll match the qualities of that to the dosha or doshas it’s associated with and then try to balance in some of the following ways:
VATA:
Eating warm, cooked, mushy foods
Drink lots of water and stay hydrated
Bring moisture to tissues with ghee, flaxseed oil, hemp seed oil in food
Avoid caffeine
Be aware of, and enjoy, every moment
PITTA:
Avoid spicy and oily foods (but not to the point to upset vata)
Cultivate more calmness and ease to lifestyle
Incorporate Nasya
Incorporate yoga practices that open the heart and pranayama that cools
KAPHA:
Stay warm either by moving or with warm clothing
Cook with spices like ginger, cinnamon, cardamom
Stay active and move (go for walks after meals)
Bhastrika and Kapalbhati pranayama daily
We are meant to be blissful
According to Ayurveda, you can move through your cycles and your different phases of life with grace, ease, and also a sense of empowerment. You aren’t supposed to feel bad at specific times of the month or during specific changes in life.
When you understand nature, your body, and your rhythms, you can embrace what’s happening and celebrate everything your beautiful body is capable of and all that it does for you.
So much of this practice is about paying attention and diving deeper into what makes you smile and what makes you excited to move through this life. I hope that some of these teachings find you well and bring you the bliss you deserve!