Āyurveda for postpartum

Āyurveda is the indigenous medical science of India. It is a holistic system based on perhaps five thousand years of philosophy—an incredibly sophisticated and elegant tradition that seamlessly addresses dry skin and divine consciousness. Āyurveda presents a schema of life in our world. Sensation, ecosystems, physics—everything that exists—expresses a dynamic balance of natural elements and qualities, the same elements and qualities that enliven a human person. Therefore while Āyurveda is obviously a topic far too vast, nuanced, and flexible to be “mastered” by any expert, let alone by a newcomer seeking health, it is also accessible to you because you are alive. You have a body, a mind, and a spirit on this earth, in this time. Āyurveda is for you.

Perhaps you’ve never heard of it and you just want help as you look ahead at what is sure to be a time of unprecedented beauty, vulnerability, and power in your life—your postpartum time. Āyurveda refers to the weeks following birth as a “sacred window.” In this time, a person must recover from the physical and experiential imbalances that naturally (and unnaturally) result from pregnancy and birth. In American culture, many people fear these imbalances and equate postpartum with suffering. Indeed, many new mothers are undernourished and misunderstood, and for them postpartum can mean suffering. Yet Āyurveda explains that postpartum is a spiritually privileged time of disequilibrium. It is a time of exquisite sensitivity in which our babies and ourselves are not yet fully distinct beings. When we give birth, we lift the veil to allow a soul into embodied life. During postpartum, we exist in a unique realm of ability to attune to our new arrival. Āyurveda provides a practical and comprehensive methodology not just for restoring the body after pregnancy and birth, but also for enhancing a mother’s vitality and social-emotional maturity.

I’ve been trained in Āyurvedic postpartum care by the Center for Sacred Window Studies.