The "PAUSE" Guide

Understanding The Dosha's

Ayurveda views all things through the lens of nature and the 5 elements (ether or space, air or wind, fire, water, earth). Everything is made up of a combination of these 5 elements, humans included.

We are all born with a certain, what I like to call DNA Dosha, which is based on our elemental combination at birth. As we travel through life, this birth dosha can get out of balance and this is when we can experience imbalance or dis-ease. We are unique humans, with a different composition, therefore we each need something a little different when it comes to managing our perimenopause time.

Each dosha (below) has a balanced state which can go out of balance based on daily choices, lifestyle, environment, and foods. For the sake of this document, we will focus on the imbalances.

When we understand our own Dosha balance and imbalance, it gives us a fresh new perspective on how to manage our daily choices that can bring us back to a balanced state of our own unique constitution.

VATA DOSHA is composed of the elements air and ether, and in the eyes of Ayurveda, perimenopause is a time of vata imbalance or disturbance in our body/mind. This dosha imbalance can have symptoms of anxiety, sleep disturbances, irregular periods, joint pain, dry skin, and digestive issues.

PITTA DOSHA is composed of the elements fire and water, which is also a strong component during perimenopause. An imbalance with this dosha can have symptoms of hot flashes, night sweats, skin rashes, irritability, and inflammation. 

KAPHA DOSHA is composed of the elements earth and water. This dosha imbalance can have symptoms of water retention, lethargy, brain fog, weight gain, sadness or depression.

Here's the good news

You can manage your dosha imbalances with what we call the Balance of Opposites next. 

To find out what your current dosha is, you can take this quiz below quiz https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/pages/dosha-quiz

The Delicate Dance of Opposites

One of the ways that Ayurveda utilizes the laws of nature is with a simple premise: LIKE INCREASES LIKE. OPPOSITE QUALITIES BRING BALANCE. 

We work with this principle instinctively on a regular basis, but once brought into awareness of perimenopausal symptoms, we can make different choices to reduce our symptoms and create a state of balance. This understanding can also help when we are in post menopause, as we often continue with our imbalances in this stage.

Here is a simple example: When it's hot outside, we go in the shade or drink a cool glass of water. Our intuition tells us to do the "opposite" to create a state of balance. Another good example is when we feel cold, we put on warmer clothing. 

Our daily choices, the foods we eat, lifestyle, and our environment have a profound effect on our state of balance. Ayurveda uses this awareness to help us make different choices that can move us out of the imbalance. 

It may sound simple, you may not believe it will work, but I can attest it will!

How can this help with perimenopause and beyond?  

The next time you have a symptom, let's say hot flashes, ask yourself what you were just doing or eating. If, for example, you were eating hot spicy food, or a cup of coffee, this could kick off a hot flash. Or if you were in a hot room or a hot bed, it can do the same. Ayurveda teaches us not to cover up symptoms, but to understand why we got them in the first place and apply an opposite quality.

Once we understand this simple yet profound Ayurvedic teaching, we can make different choices moving forward with our daily routine.

You might take a moment to write down your big symptoms and then see if you can identify what could have kicked it off. 

Dinacharya - Our Daily Choices

What we choose to do each day matters. And it's really important during perimenopause and transitional times of life. Our body doesn't have the same resources it did when we were younger, so each and every choice we make contributes to our overall wellbeing, balance and harmony.

Dinacharya means "tend to the day" so in Ayurveda we look to our daily routines, especially our morning and evening routines, to help anchor our otherwise busy day.

Morning routine consists of setting yourself up for success for the rest of the day. Waking each day at the same time, journaling or meditating, doing yoga or taking a walk, drinking warm water with lemon, and enjoying sitting down to eat a healthy breakfast, are a few basic ideas that work for all dosha's. Depending on your symptoms, you may create a different morning routine.

Evening routines consist of setting yourself up for a good night.s sleep. This can be what I like to call the "turn down service".  About an hour before bed, turn down the lights in your bedroom, set the temperature to a cool 65-68 degrees, set up a diffuser with calming essential oils, and maybe take a warm bath. When you do this ahead of time, it signals to your body that when you do enter the bedroom for sleep, you're ready.

Ayurveda teaches that perimenopause is an erratic (vata) time of life. When we can create structure to our day, a steady routine, we can start to bring calm to the storm. We have choices. We can create a life of steadiness and ease. 

There is much more to Dinacharya, but I hope this gives you an idea of how you can set up your day for success during this very chaotic time of life and feel empowered!