Ayurveda for Women Over 40
I first heard about Ayurveda in 2003 when I began my yoga teacher training program in Manhattan. I am trained in a style of yoga called ISHTA yoga, which stands for Integrated Science of Hatha Yoga, Tantra, and Ayurveda. This blending of hatha yoga, combined with the knowledge of tantra and ayurveda allows the teacher to perfectly tailor the practice to each individual person. We are all unique and have a particular way of being in the world. This philosophy of individuality really aligned with how I saw the world, and this yoga teacher training is where my interest and love of Ayurveda was born.
I have worked with dozens of clients in various life stages and Ayurveda can be a really helpful tool to help customize my work with each client. It’s also a nice way to learn more about yourself and what kinds of foods and spices can be beneficial for you to add or take away from your diet. I love using the teachings of Ayurveda in my work with women over 40, because mid-life seems to be a time where so many women are really interested in putting some attention back on their own self-care after years of putting their families, or their careers first.
What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is a science of wellness that originated in India more than 3000 years ago. Ayurveda is derived from the Sanskrit words ayur which means life, and veda which means science or knowledge. Ayurveda encourages particular lifestyle interventions and natural therapies to establish or regain balance between the body, mind, spirit, and the environment–as the core belief is that imbalance causes dis-ease and sickness in the body.
Three Doshas
Within the system of Ayurveda, each person is considered to have a state of balance which is considered their “constitution” or prakriti. A person’s constitution is made up of a combination of three doshas or elements. These life forces or elements are called Vata dosha, Pitta dosha, and Kapha dosha. Vata dosha is related to air and space, Pitta is related to fire, and Kapha is related to earth and water. Most of us have all three elements in our constitution to varying degrees, and we can have an imbalance of one or more which can cause us to be unwell.
Vata Dosha is characterized by a thin body frame, with dry skin, hair and nails. Vata dosha is creative, enigmatic and spritely, when in balance, and can be nervous, anxious, and scatterbrained when out of balance.
Pitta Dosha is characterized by a muscular body frame, intensely colored, often blue, piercing eyes, strong bone structure, and is often athletic, highly motivated, goal oriented, and competitive. When out of balance, pitta dosha can be aggressive, harsh, and single-minded to excess.
Kapha is characterized by a softer, rounder body type, with lush, voluminous hair, soft oily skin, hair and nails. Kapha in balance is loving, warm, kind, generous, and nurturing. When out of balance, Kapha can have a low mood, experience depression, gain and hold onto excess weight, and be lethargic and slow to take action.
Can you see yourself in any one of these doshas? Perhaps you see elements of yourself in more than one. A true ayurvedic practitioner will ask pages of questions about you and your particular habits and unique traits to determine what doshic balance you actually are. But this is a simple way to see a peek into what your dosha might be.
Again, one of these doshas is most often your primary dosha, with the other two coming in second and third place. Very rarely will someone be truly “tridoshic” –which suggests a balance of all three doshas present in their constitution. Sometimes we can have a primary doshic makeup and have an imbalance of the others in the present moment which really affects our optimal balance. There are also possible changes and imbalances to our doshic balance with hormonal fluctuations of midlife.
In classical ayurvedic texts a person’s life stages are outlined as young age, middle age, and old age. These are roughly translated as Kapha=young, pitta=middle, and vata=old. You can also see how we could group symptoms of the Menopause into the these classifications, for example: Low Mood, Depression, weight gain are Kapha, hot flashes, night sweats, meno-rage and irritability are Pitta, and memory problems, brain fog, dry skin, hair and nails are Vata. There are also actual seasons that are more Kapha (Winter to Spring), Pitta (Summer), Vata (Fall to Winter).
Does ayurveda work?
Ayurveda is a very effective method of treatment for many ailments and can be compared to any natural preventative medicine or natural remedies. There is a large range of therapies used in Ayurveda and there are many supplements that claim to help illness. These supplements are not tested or approved by the FDA, and therefore I would not recommend using them without the guidance of your care provider as well as an ayurvedic integrative medicine practitioner.
One of the simplest ways to introduce Ayurvedic balance into your life is through experimenting with ayurvedic recipes and cooking with ayurvedic herbs and spices. Some of the daily wellness routines like tongue cleaning, oil pulling, dry brushing, and body oiling are wonderful helpful self-care techniques that will benefit all doshas.
If you would like more information about Ayurveda, I love the Chopra Center’s blog, linked here. https://chopra.com/articles/ayurveda
If you liked this post and want to know more about how to live a healthy, well balanced life over 40–join my mailing list where I share tips, tricks, and ideas for optimal health and wellness at any age.
