So for today’s menopause share, I wanted to get a little bit more scholarly about menopause from the Ayurvedic standpoint. I studied and offered Ayurvedic consultations for a number of years, and this is often the first place I go when I am dealing with any kind of imbalance in my body.
The Three Doshas
According to Ayurveda, there are three doshas.
There’s the Vata dosha, which corresponds to air and ether elements. There’s the Pitta dosha, which corresponds to the fire element, and then there is the Kapha dosha, which corresponds to the elements of earth and water.
Now, you might think that menopause is connected with the Pitta dosha that is fire, but it is a little bit bigger than that. It shows us how we actually move through these Kapha, Pitta and Vata times of life as well. So there’s what our dosha is, and then there’s also where we are in the season of life.
When we are in youth, we are Kapha dosha so that is water and earth. Children are more fluid, they’re more grounded, they’re more flexible, pliable, all of that. Adolescence through middle age is Pitta dosha, because that’s when we’re supposed to be on fire. That’s when we’re supposed to be accomplishing things and doing things and being active out in the world.
Transition From Pitta To Vata
Then post menopause and on is the Vata time of life. Where we are now moving into the air, in the ether. Or you can think of it as sort of the realm of ideas, creativity, offering wisdom.
Menopause is actually, in Ayurvedic language, a transition from the Pitta stage to the Vata stage. As that transition is happening, that’s what’s kicking up all the extra heat and all the extra fire and the symptoms as we all know them. One thing that I appreciate about Ayurvedic philosophy is that it doesn’t just say: OK, here are your symptoms. Let’s spot treat your symptoms.
Ayurveda says: Let’s see who and where you are as a whole being, and let’s treat you as a whole being. And one of the biggest foundations of this treatment is understanding where you are in the cycle and embracing that.
The Wisdom Of Seeing Your Transformation
Once we start making that transition from doing and being active and being fiery and seeking outer accomplishment to a time of life associated more with wisdom with introversion with going inward.
Now, it doesn’t mean you still can’t accomplish things. It doesn’t mean you still can’t have an active life. But the balance shifts slightly as we move from Pitta to Vata, and that’s what’s happening in menopause. So menopause is an opportunity to embrace new parts of ourselves, new times in our life. It’s possible that the symptoms that we experience can improve once we simply see that that’s what’s happening. Once we take note, once we say, yes, I am making this shift, and I’m going to make some conscious efforts to move out of some of these roles and responsibilities and move more into these roles and responsibilities.
If you found this helpful, please check out my book Embodying Soul: A Return to Wholeness for more insights into healing and personal evolution.
And find my podcast, Awaken Your Power, for conversations about disruption, breaking the status quo, and building a world from a place of consciousness and compassion.
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