The Essential Ingredient: Doula

Na semana internacional da Doula (2014)...

O segundo de uma série de documentários sobre o papel da Doula durante a gravidez, parto e pós-parto.


The Essential Ingredient: Doula from DONA International on Vimeo.

Ayurveda and Spring Wellness

Building Health in Winter With Ayurveda

Lisa Lesser

For those looking to keep healthy, it is of the utmost importance to follow Ritucharya, the Ayurvedic seasonal protocol. According to Ayurveda, there are six seasons which are broken up into two groups. The first groupwhich can be seen in northern solstice consists of shishir/ late winter (Jan 14- March 14), vasant / spring ( March 14- May 14) and grishma/ summer ( May 14- July 14). The second group which resides in the southern solstice is varsha/ rainy season ( July 14- Sept 14),  sharad / autumn ( Sept 14- Nov 14) and hemant / early winter ( Nov 14- Jan 14). Importance is given to this breakdown because in the northern solstice months it is noticed that the sun takes away the strength of the people more and more each day and in the southern solstice there is the opposite occurring with the sun and moon giving strength and nourishing respectively. This means that by the time hemant / early winter comes around, we are in our strongest period to build health and immunity for the whole year.

Each of the six seasons has a unique natural ebb and flow with respect to the doshas. There is no such mention in Ayurveda of there being only three seasons known as “vata season”, “kapha season” or “pitta season”. That is just flat out misinformation most likely stemming from an attempt at simplification for the west. The way it works is that throughout the year each dosha will go into an accumulation stage, an excitation stage and a baseline,  calmed stage. For example, vata accumulates in  summer, excites in fall / Varsha and is brought back to a calmed state in autumn. Pitta dosha accumulates in fall / Varsha, excites in autumn and calms down in early winter. Kapha accumulates in late winter, excites in spring and calms down in summer.

If you noticed, I didn’t mention that anything accumulates or excites in early winter. This period which is November 14th through January 14th is the only one where this occurs. Along with the doshas all in a calmed state, a person in good health will experience strong digestive power in this time. This phenomenon is due to the cold air outside blocking the body heat from coming out. Prevented from exiting the body, the heat is then reserved for the digestive fire to become intensely active and strong.  When you don’t feed this fire appropriately,  the fire starts to consume the bodily tissues and vata can get aggravated. There is no natural accumulation or aggravation  of vata during this period though. That only occurs when one doesn’t follow what the body needs, for example by fasting ( raw, juice, not eating all included), cleanses, eating too light foods and spices or too much exposure to the cold.

The food and drink during this time of year should consist of sweet, sour, salty, unctuous qualities. A few examples of this which are mentioned in the texts are meat soup mixed with fats, meat of fattened animals, nuts, wheat flour, urad dal / black gram, sugar cane products, milk and milk products such as yogurt or paneer/cottage cheese, new rice and warm water. Also advised is to keep warm by wearing proper clothing, by the embrace of another or by sitting near a fire. This would also be the ideal time of year to be in the habit of doing oil massage on the entire body with sesame oil before your bath or shower. You can exercise in accordance with what is healthy  such as with no discomfort, no breathing through mouth and not with a full stomach.

(...)

Fonte:

http://vedikaglobalblog.com

Pão nosso de cada dia - Chapatis

A partir de Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-Healing - Usha and Vasant Lad.


Receita Aqui

Nascer bem - Suely Carvalho

Una opción placentera para los días de luna.

Por Diana Vegas

Este ritual fue entregado por una indígena del amazonas a una buena amiga quién hace años me hizo el inmenso favor de enseñármelo. Gracias a esta práctica constante he visto mi ciclo sincronizarse a la luna y he logrado identificar el día exacto de ovulación y entrada en luna. Es bastante sencillo y adaptable, la premisa básica es que debemos reconocer nuestra naturaleza cíclica.

Este ejercicio llama a buscar el tiempo, así sea solo un momento para dedicárnoslos, cuidarnos y querernos. El gran ciclo de la vida se expresa cada mes en cada una de nosotras; todo nace, crece, se desarrolla y muere. Nuestras habilidades y atenciones se expresan también de forma cíclica, a lo largo del mes nuestro nivel de introspección y extrospección varía. Es buena idea tomar conciencia de este hecho y de ver en esa pequeña muerte  física, emocional y energética el potencial de transformación que conlleva.

1er día: No hagas nada que no quieras hacer. Es un día para evaluar y reflexionar de la luna que acaba de culminar. Cómo fueron las experiencias, emociones, respuestas e incluso juicios. Qué conductas debo repetir y qué respuestas debo mejorar. No se trata de un regaño pero si de una autoevaluación honesta. Si llega con dolor explora técnicas y herramientas que te ayuden a comprenderlo y aminorarlo. Durante este día no debe ducharte, porque el cambio de temperatura detiene el proceso de salida. Así mismo dentro de las posibilidades no utilices antitranspirante. El proceso de soltar abarca el cuerpo completo y muchas toxinas se liberan por las axilas. Es un día para drenar en todo nivel, para hacer una pausa en la vida y los ritmos que llevamos.

2do día: Devolver a la Tierra.  La idea es que parte de esa sangre la devuelvas a tierra como una ofrenda. Puede tener una maceta con tierra e irla mezclando (esta tierra puedes utilizarla como fertilizante) el concepto detrás de las copas menstruales es que ésta se colecta, no se absorbe (como los tampones o toallas), en este esquema la menstruación es percibida como material orgánico y no como desecho. 

3er día: regálate un baño de flores o sales. Buen día para exfoliarse. Deshacerse de lo superfluo, limpiarse. Limpiar el cuarto, ordenar la mente, revisar proyectos, qué cosas quiero crear este mes. Un buen día para soñar, para escribir, para proyectar los deseos del corazón.

4to día entrégate a danzar. Al compás de una músico o inclusive al silencio, importa es sentir el movimiento en el cuerpo y dejarse llevar, celebrar la feminidad y la renovación comienza un nuevo ciclo, tenemos la oportunidad de desarrollarlo todo de nuevo. Un buen día para expresar de forma artística, pintar, moldear. Un día para regocijarse en la alegría de ser y existir. 

“Las energías del ciclo menstrual no deben restringirse ni controlarse, puesto que el hecho de bloquearlas o coartarlas puede hacer que se vuelvan destructivas; por el contrario, deben aceptarse como un flujo que tiene su propio modo de expresión y contra el que no debemos luchar” 

Miranda Gray, Luna Roja. 

Fonte:

http://www.placentera.com

Verão - sugestões ayurvédicas

During the Summer, the sun evaporates the moisture of the earth and therefore induces hot, dry and sharp qualities in the atmosphere, resulting in Pitta aggravation. In Summer sweet, cold, liquid and fatty food and drinks are beneficial. One should avoid or minimise excessive exercise and sex, alcohol, and diets which are salty, sour and pungent, or hot. In Summer time one should enjoy forests, gardens, flowers and cool water. During the night one should sleep on the open airy roof of the house, which is cooled by the rays of the moon.” (Charaka Samhita).

Por Erick Schulz 

(...)

Grisma é o nome dado à estação do verão dentro do calendário védico. O Verão é regulado pelo elemento fogo, faz aumentar o calor do nosso corpo e automaticamente a sudorese (suor), produzindo ondas de calor por todo nosso corpo.

(...)

Quando qualquer um dos cinco elementos - Ar, Fogo, Terra, Água e Éter - está em excesso em nosso organismo existe o que chamamos de desarmonia. A desarmonia mais comum na época do Verão é o excesso do elemento Fogo, causando irritabilidade nas pessoas, problemas de pele e estômago.

A alimentação e os hábitos de vida são determinantes na busca de harmonia do organismo durante o verão. Deve-se evitar a ingestão de comidas quentes e picantes, gordurosas e carnes em geral; principalmente a bebida alcoólica que é muito ingerida no verão, como a cerveja, que dá a sensação de frescor quando está sendo ingerida, mas depois de ingerida aumenta em demasia o elemento fogo do nosso organismo. É um grande risco de desarmonia do dosha Pitta, produzindo alguns excessos como azia, calor, suor excessivo, acne e distúrbios dermatológicos, queda de cabelos, excesso de acidez estomacal, irritabilidade, intolerância e raiva.

Alimentos frescos e líquidos refrescantes são muito indicados durante esta época do ano. Os sabores refrescantes, segundo a medicina ayurveda, são o doce, o amargo e o sabor adstringente. É muito indicada a ingestão de suco de frutas e legumes e verduras cruas na forma de saladas com temperos refrescantes como o cominho, hortelã, erva doce, cebolinha, orégano, manjericão e coentros.

(...)

Os hábitos deverão ser bem controlados durante o verão evitando-se o excesso. A prática do yoga deve ser realizada com uma ênfase maior nas posturas calmantes e pranayamas que tragam frescor ao corpo. A meditação ao nascer e ao pôr do sol é muito bom durante essa época do ano, pois faz o organismo se ajustar com os horários da natureza e deixa sua mente tranqüila e serena, recebendo a energia do grande sol central. Mantras calmos e que tragam harmonia ao organismo sempre são bem vindos.

Buscando na natureza, iremos encontrar diversos elementos que podem ajudar a harmonizar nosso organismo no verão: as ervas são alguns desses elementos que podemos utilizar através de infusões, chás e banhos ou através de óleos na forma de massagem abhyanga ou banhos.

Existem centenas de plantas medicinais que podem nos auxiliar. A primeira característica que essa planta deve ter é potência fria, para que possa ajudar a diminuir o calor. As mais conhecidas são o hortelã, camomila, pétalas de hibisco ou rosa, capim-limão, eucalipto; podem ser utilizadas em chás para serem saboreados frios ou levemente quentes.

Podemos tomar chás diferentes todos os dias. É bom lembrar que após feito, o chá deve ser consumido em 24 horas. Algumas folhas podem ser usadas nas saladas e nos alimentos como o hortelã ou manjericão e também as frutas, como o abacaxi e o limão, dando um sabor único e especial.

A Massagem ayurveda abhyanga é muito indicada nesta época do ano, sempre utilizando óleos vegetais puros com potência refrescante, como o coco e o girassol com essência de rosas ou sândalo, ótimos para refrescar a pele. Após a massagem, um banho de água de rosas ajuda muito a manter o organismo em harmonia.

(...)

As cores frias, como branco, azul claro e verde claro, são indicadas nesta época do ano, evitando-se cores quentes como laranja, vermelho e preto. Através da Gemoterapia hindu é indicado carregar consigo pedras frias como as pedras azuis, cristal de quartzo, esmeralda e ametista, pois irão ajudar na moderação e pacificação do fogo no organismo.

(...)

A ingestão de água fresca várias vezes por dia sempre é indicada, e para as pessoas que sentem muito calor, uma boa dica é receber muito banho de lua. 

Segundo a visão dos antigos rishis que escreveram os grandes e milenares tratados do ayurveda, o ser humano deve seguir um estilo de vida saudável, coerente com suas necessidade individuais e nunca deve deixar de ouvir os sinais internos para alcançar seus objetivos. Nesses tratados, sempre é falado que o ser humano deve ter uma vida de sabedoria, equilíbrio e devoção. 

Fonte:

http://erickschulz.blogspot.pt/

Dinacharya: Changing Lives Through Daily Living

By. Dr. Claudia Welch

The Purusha or self-conscious personality is born from Rasa. Therefore an intelligent person should carefully preserve his bodily rasa by adopting a proper regimen of diet and conduct. (1)

Ayurveda, literally “the science of life”, seeks to support a rich, flavorful life on all levels. The Sanskrit word rasa translates as “juice,” “sap,” “taste,” or “flavor.” It is also the name of the primary nutritional substance of the body that is associated with plasma, lymph and chyle(2). Every cell of our body requires rasa. If rasa is healthy, we are likely to have vitality, feel satiated, content and find enjoyment in life.

One important way to support healthy rasa, is to have an optimal daily routine—called dinacharya. Dinacharya takes advantage of the shifting qualities in each time of day, season, and environment to determine the best activity to engage in and when to engage in it. For example, because “like increases like”-a law of Nature, according to Ayurveda—we observe that the relative heat of midday increases the power and capacity of agni, the digestive fire. This means that the middle of the day is the best time to eat our main meal. In that way we are taking advantage of the natural increase of heat.

There are also times when we need to adjust our actions to counteract the natural qualities of a given time. For example, dawn is a natural time of change—from darkness to daylight. While we can take advantage of that transformational energy to encourage a fruitful meditation, the grounding, quiet stability of a meditation practice also counteracts the potentially anxiety-producing aspect of change.

If we are interested in maintaining a healthy equilibrium, it is incumbent upon us to recognize the qualities inherent in times of day and our environments (3) and learn how to respond in a manner that maintains balance. Sometimes this means taking advantage of the qualities inherent in our environments, and sometimes it means learning how to counteract them. The best response to our environment will, in part depend on our individual constitutions. What will feel good to one person may cause irritation or anxiety in another.

While there are certain elements of dinacharya that may need to be tailored to our unique needs, there are guidelines outlined in the classic ancient Ayurvedic texts (4) that can benefit most of us, most of the time.

It is interesting to note that, while general life principles are given as guidelines to live our daily lives, the bulk of specific directions are geared towards a morning routine, from waking sometime between 3am and dawn, to meditating, grooming, exercising and bathing. All this takes place before breakfast. From breakfast on we are left to our discretion, to apply ethical living to our particular needs and patterns. Why is so much emphasis given to our early morning routine?

There is a principle accepted by Eastern Medicine, called the Law of Microcosm and Macrocosm that can help us understand this better. Dr. Robert Svoboda offers a succinct explanation:

According to the Law of Microcosm and Macrocosm, everything that exists in the vast external universe, the macrocosm also appears in the internal cosmos of the human body, the microcosm. Charaka says, ’Man is the epitome of the universe. There is in man as much diversity as in the world outside, and there is in the world as much diversity as in man.’ When the individual becomes aligned with the universe, the lesser cosmos functions as a harmonious unit of the greater. Dr. Robert Svoboda (5)

If everything that exists in the macrocosm exists in the microcosm, then the reverse must also be true: everything that exists in the microcosm exists in the macrocosm. This can have profound implications. But first let us look at some various examples of this principle at work.

In Ayurveda, a common application of this law is in the elemental macro and microcosms. In the human being, as well as in the universe, there are five creative elements—earth, water, fire, air and ether—and three forces: one that governs movement, one transformation and the third structure. In the Universe these forces are called anila, surya and soma, respectively. In the human being, they are the doshas: Vata, Pitta and Kapha, respectively.

The microcosm will always reflect the macrocosm. For example, in the fire of summer—governed by surya—we may have more of a tendency to suffer from internal Pitta conditions, such as ulcers, anger or skin rashes. The macrocosm of the seasonal environment is affecting the microcosm of the human environment.

The microcosm affecting the macrocosm is expressed in the now famous example of the butterfly flapping its wings in one part of the world and this affecting whether patterns on far away continents. Sometimes clearly expressed and at other times subtle or difficult to perceive, the Law of Macrocosm and Microcosm is nonetheless a fundamental principle in Ayurveda.

If we apply this principle to the passage of time, we see temporal microcosms and macrocosms. In these, each time cycle is a microcosm of the next. There is the 24-hour cycle of night giving way to daytime. This daily rhythm goes on and on and on, mimicking the grander cycles: The cycles of seasons, where the winter with its cold, lifeless months melt into the new growth of spring. There is the cycle of life, from conception to birth, childhood, middle age, old age, death and—if we accept the idea of reincarnation—to rebirth. Some spiritual traditions talk about cycles of ages, where an age of light and wisdom gives way to increasingly dark and ignorant ages, and finally returns again to an age of light.

While we may have little or no control over the grander cycles of ages, the seasons, or even our present lifetime, we do have an opportunity each day to take advantage of a new cycle, be reborn into the new life of the new day, and act wisely.

If we overlay the 24-hour cycle microcosm over the cycle of a lifetime, we see that predawn through early morning roughly corresponds to pregnancy, birth and early childhood. Morning corresponds to later childhood, midday to midlife, and late afternoon through twilight equates to old age or the twilight of life. Nightfall signifies death and, if we accept reincartnation (not a necessity to benefit from dinacharya), nighttime would correlate with the mysteries encountered by the unembodied soul between lifetimes.

If the macrocosm of our lifetime can be affected by the microcosm of one day, it follows that it is important how we spend that day. The sages who first delivered the precepts of Ayurveda were well aware of this and outlined a daily routine, called dinacharya, which serves as a guideline for us to follow. It provides a structure that we can adjust according to our various needs and constitutions.

Being able to affect the macrocosm of a lifetime via the microcosm of a 24-hour cycle, offers tremendous healing potential. For example, it offers us a way to address lifelong maladies.

Whenever we see a pattern that dates back as far as we can remember in our lives, we can guess it has its inception in conception, pregnancy, birth or very early childhood. These are the stages of life most crucial to forming lifelong patterns and rhythms because all our organs, meridians and proclivities are developed during this time. Physical, mental, spiritual and emotional patterns established then are difficult to change because they are so deeply ingrained. Imbalances during these critical early stages often create khavaigunyas—challenge areas—that can last a lifetime.

Many people have difficult lifelong physical or emotional patterns that may be the result of trauma suffered during these early stages of life. One may feel a vague, free-floating sense of anxiety for her entire life. Another may have always had a weak digestive system. Still another may find herself unable to have healthy intimate relationships.  Often there is a sense of hopelessness about changing these tenacious patterns.

If we apply our Law of Microcosm and Macrocosm to this dilemma, we see that we could use predawn through early morning as a window of opportunity every day to affect old, stubborn patterns and thereby change or heal negative patterns. Each morning we have a new opportunity to establish healthy pathways that will replace the negative ones created during our pregnancy or birth, or to reinforce the positive ones that may have been created. Each new day ushers in a cascade of new possibilities and a shower of second chances.

If we follow the daily routine that the Ayurvedic sages recommend, we will be harmonizing Vata and cleansing the channels of the mind—affecting vitally important forces in pattern development. Vata is active both at birth and the pre dawn through early morning hours. It is, by nature, easily affected by both positive and negative influences. It also, serves to affect the development of the mind, through prana, our life force.

The meditation and oil massages outlined in the daily routine both serve to pacifyVata. Additionally, notice that all the sense organs—the eyes, ears, nose, skin and mouth are cleansed or oiled. Because the sense organs are associated with the channels of the mind, (6)what we are doing is cleansing and renewing our mind and perception each morning.

When we meditate lovingly during predawn hours, we are able to accept spiritual nourishment in the same way we might have received sustenance during our in utero and birth experience. When we follow this and the rest of the morning routine, we pacify Vata, prana flows freely, our mental and physical apparatus becomes well organized and we are delivered into the new day as a healthy individual. And perhaps we are healing the relative macrocosm of our in utero and birth experience at the same time, thereby benefiting our entire life.

Now, if the microcosm of our lifetime can be lovingly affected, then perhaps even the macrocosm of the ages will be positively affected.

(...)

Dinacharya: A Daily Morning Routine 

The Charaka Samhita and the Ashtanga Hrdayam are two ancient classical Ayurvedic texts that are still referenced today. These classics outline a routine for daily conduct. They begin with a morning routine as follows, and discuss general approaches to life that are beneficial.

Wake up during brahmamuhurta

The healthy person should get up (from bed) during brahmamuhurta, to protect his life (8).

Brahmamuhurta or amritavela—the ambrosial hours—are names for the early hours of each day. My teacher included 3am through dawn in these ambrosial hours.

The first moments of a day, like the first seconds of an infant’s life, are minutes that can set the tone for an experience. If we allow the first attention of the day to be peaceful, grateful and infused with a sense of joy, it is more likely that our day will be pleasant.

Eliminate

Early morning is a natural time to urinate and have a bowel movement, as apana vayu, the downward flowing energy in the body, is active at this time. This is a time when we should not be in a rush, and should allow the natural rhythms of our bodies to carry out their functions. Triphala, a mixture of three dried, powdered fruits, is commonly used in Ayurvedic medicine to support regular bowel habits and healthy digestive tracts.(9)

Brush teeth

Neem, an extremely bitter herb, is said to be especially good for oral health. These days, there are neem toothpastes available. Bitter, astringent and pungent herbs are said to be best for fighting cavities, as they are Kapha-pacifying and often have antibacterial and antiviral activity.

Scrape the tongue

This is best done with a smooth tongue scraper made of gold, silver, copper, tin, brass or stainless steel. Tongue scrapers are U-shaped and it is most effective to hold the two ends and scrape from the back to the front of the tongue several times; each time discarding the collected material. Then swish your mouth with clean water and spit out the dirty water.

This routine cleans and freshens the mouth far more than simply removing plaque from the teeth. It also offers an opportunity to consider the appearance of the tongue coat daily. If the coat is thick, it is better to eat a simple, easy-to-digest diet until it clears up, as the coat is an indicator of the health of the digestive tract and the rest of the body. Ideally, the coat should be easily scraped off, leaving a pink, uniformly shaped tongue with no coat, but it should not appear raw either. If you are not sure what a healthy tongue looks like, most young children still have healthy looking tongues, as long as they don’t have colds, are on pharmaceutical drugs, or are ill. If your tongue is not clean after you scrape it, it is a good idea to check with an Ayurvedic practitioner to learn if there are simple changes you can make to improve your health.

Drink a glass of warm water

It is good to drink water after brushing your teeth and scraping your tongue, as you will not then swallow the bacteria collected over the course of the night. It can also aid in peristalsis and so may help stimulate a bowel movement.

Gargle with warm sesame oil

Gargle with warm, untoasted sesame oil to provide strength to jaws and voice, development of face, maximum taste and relish in food. Ayurvedic classics teach that this practice benefits the throat, lips, prevents dental cavities, roots the teeth firmly, reduces dental sensitivity and pain and help make the teeth strong enough to chew even the hardest food items.

Massage gums with warm sesame oil

Ayurveda teaches us that, if prana—life force—circulates smoothly, then blood will circulate smoothly, too, and will carry nutrition to, and waste from tissues, and that this supports the health of the tissues. My periodontist seems to agree with this as he has explained to me that the health of my teeth depend on the health of my gums. Massaging the gums with warm, untoasted sesame oil increases prana and blood flow to the gums. If you have gum disease, you might try massaging with neem oil, as neem is considered to be antibacterial.

Apply daily cooling salve or cool water to your eyes

A daily salve would need to be recommended by your natural health care provider, but anyone can enjoy splashing some cool water in their eyes in the morning. The eyes have a lot of work to do, especially in this computer-dominated age. Dr. Vasant Lad regularly recommends the use of a drop of food-grade rose water or castor oil in each eye and I have experienced benefit from this practice, but it is important not to put anything in your eyes without the guidance of a trained health care practitioner who knows you and your eyes. If you are not able to consult with someone or if you are not comfortable putting anything in your eyes, you can simply splash some cool water in your eyes, to cool and refresh them.

Meditate

O traveler get up; it is dawn-it is not right that you continue sleeping.
One who awakes, he finds, One who is asleep, he loses.
Get up and open your eyes from slumber and meditate on your Master.
~Kabir

From Ayurveda to Ammachi to Swami Sivananda, to my own lineage and to Christian and other religious traditions, early morning hours are emphasized as being the best ones for meditation, prayer and obtaining true knowledge.

During these hours, the environment is serene; the mind is quieter and more inclined within. There is a quietness and peace in the predawn hours that help center the mind and refresh the senses. Within these hours are found the seeds that will form the new day and, as darkness gives way to light, the spiritual aspirant can take advantage of this transformational quality to enhance her own inner journey towards enlightened consciousness.

Saints from many traditions have told us to lovingly meditate during these hours. One of my teachers used to say, “Never understand meditation as a burden. Always do it lovingly.” There are secrets to this that go deeper than the obvious meaning. The obvious meaning here is that love and longing pull us closer to the Divine, while doing sadhana (spiritual practices) as a chore may render it little more than an exercise in mental focus. However, we will see that it is possible that approaching sadhana with love can also aid our physical, mental, emotional well-being and serve to reformat negative patterns that may have been established in utero or during birth.

Meditating with a loving attitude will exert a healing influence on the Vata that is predominant during predawn and dawn, and the resulting relaxation will allow for the smooth flow of prana. Prana is the equivalent of Qi in Chinese Medicine and martial arts and it is well known in these paradigms that qi cannot flow if the practitioner or patient is not relaxed. This is also true in the practice of hatha yoga: if the practitioner is not relaxed, prana will not be able to flow. So, if we are tense and result-oriented or rushed while we do our spiritual practices in the morning, the qi or prana cannot flow and this results in disturbance in the body, mind or spirit where prana flows. On the other hand, if we are so relaxed that we sleep through these hours, we encourage tamas, or the force of inertia in our lives, to create obstacles to the free flow of prana.

Chew aromatic herbs

Cardamom or mint is readily available. These can be chewed well and swallowed. The Ayurvedic classics teach that this practice leads to increased clarity, relish for life and food as well as freshening the mouth.

Exercise

…lightness of the body, ability to do hard work, keen digestion, depletion of excess fat, stable and distinct physique accrue from exercise. Persons suffering from diseases of Vata and Pitta; children, the aged and those having indigestion should avoid it.(10)

Exercise to the point of excessive sweating and exhaustion is a product of the common “more is better” approach that often prevails in many modern cultures. It is easy to think that nothing much is happening when we watch a yogi’s slow progression from one posture to the next or the qi gong practitioner who may not sweat or even breath heavily, but if we simply observe adept practitioners of restorative yoga, tai qi or qi gong, we can find that they are in pretty good—sometimes very impressive—physical condition. Ayurveda teaches that it is ideal to exercise to half your capacity; that is, to stop at the appearance of sweat on the forehead, nose, armpits, joints of the limbs and the beginning of a dry mouth. This too is only recommended for a strong person and in cool seasons. Otherwise only mild exercise is optimal. Ayurvedic classics detail many problems that arise from too much exercise, including bleeding diseases, difficult breathing and emaciation. Excessive exercise, along with insomnia, too much sex, laughing, speaking and other endeavors that spend excessive prana, exhausting the person.(11)

In general, it is best for Kapha individuals to exercise strenuously. Weight lifting, brisk hiking, jogging, running and energetic forms of yoga all serve to energize and stimulate Kapha folks in a positive manner. Pitta people do well to exercise moderately. Swimming, brisk walking, moderate hiking and challenging but moderate forms of yoga are good choices. Those with a predominance of Vata benefit most from gentle exercise like brisk walking, gentle restorative yoga, qi gong or tai qi.

Abhyanga or Warm oil self massage

Abhyanga should be resorted to daily, it wards off old age, exertion and aggravation for Vata; bestows good vision, nourishment to the body, long life, good sleep, good and strong skin… It should be avoided by persons suffering from aggravation of Kapha, who have just undergone purification therapies (like emesis, purgatives etc) and who are suffering from indigestion.(12)

As a lubricated axis becomes strong and jerk-resistant, the body becomes firm, smooth and free from Vata and tolerant of exertion and exercise.(13)

One unique feature of Ayurvedic medicine is its generous use of oils for therapeutic purposes. Abhyanga is the anointing of the body with warm, often herbal oils. (...)

Administer nasya (nasal) oil

Nasya is an oil or an herbal oil that is either applied to the inside of the nostrils, or sniffed in through them. It is taught that it benefits the head, face, hair, vision, smell, hearing, stiff neck, headache, facial paralysis, lockjaw, rhinitis, migraine, head tremors, veins, joints, ligaments and tendons of skull; that the face becomes cheerful and well developed, the voice melodious, stable and grave.  The Ayurvedic classics advise us to keep out of the wind and to stay warm, take good food and control the sense organs when we practice nasya. Very particular methods of making nasya are detailed, including descriptions of many drugs boiled 100 times in pure rain water, with the remaining decoction added to equal quantity of goat milk, etc. While most of us do not have access to all the listed herbs or time to prepare such a concoction, most of us will do well with warm, untoasted sesame oil or herbal oil. It is wise, again, to check with your health care practitioner to determine what would be best for you. I like Super Nasya Oil at the Ayurvedic Institute.

Oil ears with warm oil

While some people enjoy filling each ear with about 10 drops of warm oil and leaving it in each side for about 10 minutes, others are more comfortable simply moistening the pinky finger with warm, untoasted sesame oil and lubricating the inside of the ear with this. Vata collects in empty spaces in the body and has a particular affinity with the ears and the sense of hearing, so this practice can help to pacify Vata, especially in the ears. It can be effective at helping ear diseases that are due to increased Vata, like tinnitus, loss of hearing, as well as in local tissues like a stiff neck, trigeminal neuralgia and TMJ.

Apply some warm oil to top of head

Classics advise to moisten the head with warm (not hot) oil daily to prevent headaches, hair loss, graying or thinning hair and to keep the sense organs cheerful and to promote sound sleep.

Foot massage

Massaging warm oil into the feet, especially the soles of the feet, is said to benefit not only our overworked feet, but also the vision. In the common massage practice called reflexology, each part of the feet represents a different organ or system of the body and so is a micro system that can affect the whole of our body. While most of us can’t get a daily, deep massage to our entire bodies, we can get some benefit by giving our feet a good massage each day.

Udvartana

Udvartana is the practice of massaging the body with soft, fragrant powders. It is said to mitigate Kapha, liquefy fat and produce stability, compactness and strength in the body and to support excellent health of the skin.

Bath & Grooming

Ayurvedic classics teach that bathing is purifying, aphrodisiac, that it promotes life and appetite; it eliminates fatigue, sweat and dirt, is resuscitative and promotes immunity and strength and valor. It removes itching, dirt, exhaustion, sweat, stupor, thirst, burning sensation, and even sin. Perhaps this is Ayurveda’s equivalent statement to “cleanliness is next to godliness.” While it is so highly rated, there are some specific considerations that the classics outline:

• Pouring warm water over the body bestows strength, but the same over the head, leads to loss of strength of the hair and eyes.
• Contra-indications for bathing: facial paralysis, diseases of the eyes, mouth and ears, diarrhea, flatulence, putrid nasal discharge, indigestion and immediately after eating.
• Along with bathing, one should cut hair, nails, and mustache, keep the feet and orifices (ears, nose, eyes, feet, urethra and anus) clean of waste to promote intelligence, purity and longevity.
• After bathing, apply natural pleasing fragrances, like natural essential oils of aromatic flowers or other plant parts. These produce good smell, longevity, charm, nourishment, strength and pleasing manners.
• After applying a fragrance, dress in clean clothes which are not extravagant but are pleasant to look at. This practice enhances charm, fame, life span, removes inauspiciousness and produces pleasure
• Wear precious stones, potent hymns and herbs in an amulet.
• Wear ornaments that contain gems, to support ojas—a refined substance of our bodies that is responsible for immunity as well as spiritual progress. Gems can also support various planetary strengths and mitigate others, if prescribed by a competent Jyotishi, or astrologer.

Wear footwear

Just as massaging the feet can benefit vision, Ayurveda encourages the use of footwear to benefit eyesight and tactile sense organs as well as to protect the feet. It is also said to support good energy and healthy libido.

Once weekly apply an irritating drop to the eyes

The eye is full of tejas and has risk of troubles especially from shlesman (Kapha) hence rasanjana should be used once a week, to drain it (Kapha) out…(14)

Rasanjana is prepared from the decoction of daruharidra (berberis aristata). It is an irritant and so used to produce more lacrimation.(15)

It may sound odd to irritate the eye, but there is a reason for it. The eyes contain a great deal of tejas, which is a heating and transformative force in the body. Kapha can come to protect the channels of the eyes from being damaged by the heat oftejas. This Kapha can then become stagnant. If the eye is caused to significantly tear once a week, this can clear out the channels of the eyes. This should only be done under the guidance of your health care practitioner. These drops should only be applied at night, as the eyes are weaker during the day, and their tejas is increased and aggravated by the sun.

Dinacharya: General Life Guidelines

While the above guidelines outline a daily morning routine, our Ayurvedic classics do not provide such an intensive regimen for the rest of our day. Instead, the Ayurvedic sages understood that, after our morning routine, most of us will go out into the world and need to attend to our jobs and families. However, there are some general life guidelines they include in their discussion of daily routine, that are useful to keep in mind as we go about our business. Some recommendations are simple, like using an umbrella, which is just common sense. Others, like some of the moral ideals, are more difficult to master even in a lifetime.

Use an umbrella

Use one, if necessary, to protect against rain or intense sun. While the sun is healthy, too much can aggravate the health of skin and increase heat in general in our bodies.

Avoid harsh environments

Avoid direct breeze, sun, dust, snow, dew, strong winds, or extreme weather.

Have a good posture

Specifically during certain activities. For example: don’t sneeze, belch, cough, sleep dine or copulate in improper postures, lest you throw your back out or create some other problem.

Avoid spending time in improper places

The classics instruct us to avoid the shade of a holy tree or other shrine in which deities reside and to avoid dirty and unholy things. Along these lines, they advise us not to spend the night in trees, social or religious places and, what to speak of nights, to not even spend our days in places of slaughter, forests, haunted houses and burial grounds.

In the modern day we may not believe in ethereal beings, much less be concerned about where they may be spending time, but we can use our intuition to avoid places that feel dark, dirty, contaminated or otherwise polluted or depressing, unless we have good reasons to do otherwise. Such places might include graveyards, slaughterhouses, bars, dark and dirty alleys or other places that tend to attract energies that resonate with these qualities. Whether or not disembodied spirits are a concern to you, it is wise to avoid many of the same places, as they are either places where thieves, thugs or diseases tend to prevail, or are places that may promote a morbid mood…which doesn’t help anything.

Supressing natural urges

Natural urges like coughing, sneezing, vomiting, ejaculating, passing gas, eliminating, laughing or crying, should not be either repressed or initiated prematurely by force, lest the smooth movement of prana be aggravated.  Suppressing these urges can lead to stagnant prana or prana that is forced to move in an unnatural direction. This is never a good idea, as when prana moves in a wrong direction, disharmony and eventually disease is bound to result. For example, repressing the urge to go to the bathroom may lead to constipation, diverticulosis, indigestion or other uncomfortable symptoms.

While not to be suppressed, Ayurveda does recommend covering your mouth when you sneeze, laugh, or yawn. You may not have realized it, but your mother was practicing Ayurveda when she told you the same thing. Spraying our germs around our environment is a good way to perpetuate illness. We can also add that it’s a good idea to wash hands regularly, especially when we are sick or people around us are ill. Washing hands, while rubbing them together for 20 seconds, under warm water, is one of the best methods to avoid delivering or recycling germs. No need to get carried away, however, and use Triclosan-laden antibacterial hand-sanitizers every five minutes. It is usually natural to be exposed to our environments, and for our immune systems to rise to the challenges.

Miscellaneous

Don’t sit on your heels (literally) for long; don’t make ugly movements of the body, or blow your nose forcefully or unnecessarily. This is an odd assortment of admonishments, but useful. Sitting on the heels too long can encourage sciatica. Making “ugly movements” of the body means to make jerking movements, which can encourage pulled muscles. For example, one of my sisters, on her first time out on cross country skis, flailed her arms and limbs in a comical way that made us all laugh, until the next morning, when her low back was so painful that she could barely walk. 

I don’t know what would make someone blow his nose forcefully or unnecessarily, but it would not be a good idea. Forceful blowing can burst local blood vessels, stimulate nosebleeds and can disturb the smooth flow of prana in the head.

Another recommendation involves the use of smoke inhalation of certain herb mixes and its proper and improper uses. Smoking is not advisable these days as most people have contraindications for it and the herbal recipes, methods and pipes that were used a thousand years ago are complicated, used for specific ailments, and were prepared in manners and with herbs that are not available to most of us today.

Pace yourself

It is odd that we often consider fatigue a sign of weakness of character, when we honor other natural urges. If we are hungry, we eat. If we are thirsty, we drink. But, if we’re tired, we immediately think, “what’s wrong with me?” It may be that there is nothing wrong. We simply need to rest. The Ayurvedic classics advise that we stop the activities of the body, of speech and of the mind before getting exhausted. This can help us preserve prana – our life force – and stay healthy.

Protect your eyes

Don’t gaze at the sun for long, carry heavy weight on your head or stare at objects, which are minute, shining, dirty or unpleasant. In modern times, we can include staring too long at a computer screen, smartphone screen, iPod or similar small-screen devices, television or prolonged reading. The eyes have an associated srotas, or channel system, that is considered to be an important component of of the channel system of the mind. How we affect our eyes affects our minds.

Protect all your sense organs

The five sense organs are the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin. The classics advise that they should neither be too strained nor too lazy. As with the eyes, the other sense organs are also affiliated with the channels of the mind, so affect it accordingly.

Eat

While it is beyond the scope here to get too deeply into dietary concerns, there are a few guidelines that apply to most people.

• Maintain proper strength of digestion, by eating one-third to one half of the saturation point.
• One should regularly consume rice, pulses, rock salt, amla (a main ingredient in chyavanprash, an herbal jam that is used regularly in Ayurveda to support health, strength and stamina), barley, pure water, milk, ghee and honey.
• Avoid taking food, sex, sleep or studies at dawn or at dusk.
• Eat only after digesting the previous meal.
• Eat the main meal of the day in the middle of the day, when digestive capacity is greatest.
• Eat that which is suitable to you, in limited quantity.
• Generally follow the guidelines below for how to eat:
  Enjoy -
  • Mostly whole, freshly cooked foods including cooked grains
  • Warm, nourishing foods
  • Warm drinks
  • Chewing your food thoroughly, in a calm environment
  • Taking a deep breath after swallowing your last bite, before going on to your next activity
  • Eating meals at regular times every day
  Avoid:
  • Fruit or fruit juice within a half hour of any other food
  • Highly processed foods (like frozen, canned, packaged or fast food)
  • Cold food
  • Raw food (fruits, veggies, salads), especially in the morning and evening. They are okay to have in the middle of the day, especially in warm weather.
  • Cold or carbonated drinks
  • Deep fried food
  • Refined sugar
  • Caffeine, especially coffee
  • Alcohol (the classics tell us not to engage in anything associated with making, distributing or consuming wine)
  • Red meat
  • Eating while anxious or upset

For more specific foods that are appropriate for each individual, you can consult with an Ayurvedic dietary consultant.

Take up means of livelihood congruent with ethical living

All human activities are meant for the happiness of all the living beings; such happiness is based on dharma (righteousness, right moral conduct); hence every person should adopt (follow) righteousness always.(16)

Ayurveda suggests choosing an occupation that helps you achieve your life goals and that is also in accordance with high ethical standards.

The ancient sage Charaka taught that the best way to support healthy rasa and protect immunity is to make efforts to maintain a serene mind and to acquire knowledge. He taught that practicing non-violence is the surest way to encourage longevity, developing courage and prowess are the best ways to promote strength, learning is the ideal way to support nourishment, controlling the sense organs is the best method to promote happiness, knowledge of reality is the best method to promote pleasure and celibacy is the best of all paths. (17) Charaka was not just a philosopher. He wrote one of the fundamental texts of Ayurveda over a thousand years ago and this text is still referred to today. It is a very practical text. This makes Charaka’s advice all the more powerful, as he was a man who well knew the effects of habits, foods and practices on the health of the body.

In modern society happiness is associated with gratification of our sense organs, and that too in short order. If we are not able to satisfy our desires we feel dissatisfied. Charaka is teaching the opposite. If we control our sense organs and the desires associated with them, then we will find a life of contentment. This is closely related to a life of celibacy.

One of my teachers used to say that celibacy is not simply avoiding lustful thoughts & deeds, but requires chastity of each sense organ. Chastity of the ears requires not listening to gossip or harsh words. Chastity of the eyes requires us to refrain from looking at others with lust, enmity or rancor. Chastity of the tongue requires us to refrain from quarreling, spreading gossip, using harsh, abusive or dishonest words, and to avoid speech that causes dissension, division or discord, speaking with harmful intention.  One should speak appropriate to the occasion, with words that are good—ones, which are truthful and pleasant. We can also discipline our sense of taste by consuming a sattvic (pure & balanced) diet in moderate proportions, so as not to disturb the digestion and state of mind.18 We can discipline the senses of smell and touch by curbing our desires for indulgences beyond what is necessary, and by utilizing purposeful and healing scents and touches.

Ayurveda teaches that pursuing a life of peace and study is more likely to ensure happiness than a life of chasing ambition and desire, which is more apt to ensure an exhausted nervous system and an imbalanced mind.

Adopt a middle path

The classics teach us to adopt a middle path, avoiding extremes in all dealings. This has quite a Daoist flavor as well. We might feel that this does not leave room for passion or enthusiasm in life. However, careful observation may show that those who are practicing life on the middle path may have a more sustainable enthusiasm with a high degree of contentment, whereas one who indulges passionately in his desires never seems to satisfy them—their passionate highs being followed by disturbing lows. Curbing our desires results in less violence, theft, jealousy and inappropriate or hurtful sexual activity.

Have compassion with all living beings

If we were to summarize the rules of conduct that the classics recommend, we could turn to the Golden Rule:  Treat your neighbor as you yourself would like to be treated,(19) but we are also given some specific recommendations as follows:

• We need not be naive but neither should we suspect everyone.
• We should give gifts, within reason and help those who have no means of livelihood, who are suffering from diseases or are afflicted with grief, to the utmost extent. Beggars should not be disappointed or abused.
• We should become well versed in the art of adoring others.
• We should serve friends with affection and good deeds.
• We should keep good company; that is, those who try to lead ethical lives.
• We are not to find fault, or perpetuate misunderstandings or faithlessness with our elders, scriptures or other sources of wisdom. On the contrary, they should be worshipped.
• Even the animals, insects and ants should be treated as one’s own self.
• One should be helpful to his enemies, even if they are not helpful.
• One should maintain a centered mind in the face of good fortune or bad.
• One should be envious of the cause of the good welfare of others, but not of the effect. That is to say, it is worthwhile to emulate skill and ethical living, but not be envious of its result—like wealth or happiness—in others.

While we have gone into the daily routine in some detail, here is a summary of the morning routine.

A Morning Routine

• Wake up during predawn hours
• Eliminate
• Brush teeth
• Scrape the tongue
• Drink a glass of warm water
• Gargle with warm sesame oil
• Massage gums with warm sesame oil
• Apply cooling salve or cool water to eyes
• Meditate
• Chew aromatic herbs
• Exercise appropriately for your constitution
• Abhyanga (Self massage with warm oil)
• Administer nasya  (nasal) oil
• Lubricate ears with warm oil
• Apply some warm oil to top of head
• Foot massage
• Apply body powders
• Bath & grooming
• Apply natural fragrances
• Dress in clean, pleasant clothes
• Wear footwear

Footnotes:

• 1. Sushruta Samhita:Sutrasthanam:XIV:11
• 2. Rasa is derived from the root “Ras” to go, as it continuously flows through and permeates every vital tissue and cell of organism. It is successively transformed into each tissue of the body. Rasa flows out of the heart and continuously soothes, maintains, nourishes and irrigates the body by transudation. It supports the  growth and life, owing to the dynamic effects of causes which lie beyond the ken of human understanding. The nature and course of this rasa, which runs through the whole system, can be inferred from the growth, attenuation, or other modified conditions of the body. Sushruta Samhita:Sutrasthanam:XIV:3
• 3. … the different parts of the day and night are marked by variations of heat, cold, etc. The deranged bodily humors such as Vata, Pitta and Kapha  naturally and spontaneously accumulate, aggravate, or subside during the different parts of the day …. Sushruta Samhita: Sutrasthanam; VI:15
• 4. Ashtanga Hrydayam and Charaka Samhita.
• 5. Svoboda, Robert E., Ayurveda: Life, Health and Longevity. Penguin Books. 1992.
• 6. For further information on the channels of the mind, see Dr. Claudia Welch’s Secrets of the Mind: The 10 Channels Revealed, also on www.bigshakti.com
• 7. Charaka Samhita: Sutrasthanam:II and Ashthanga Hrdayam: Sutrasthanam: II
• 8. Ashtanga Hrdayam:Sutrasthanam:II:1a
• 9. Triphala is commonly found in India and widely available online or at herbal vendors, like www.banyanbotanicals.com and other places. It is good to use organic Triphala, to avoid it entirely if pregnant, during menstruation, and in certain other conditions. It is important to check with your health care practitioner before including this or any herbal compound in your daily routine.
• 10. “just as a lion, after vanquishing an elephant.”Ashthanga Hrdayam: Sutrasthanam: II
• 11. Asthanga Hrdayam; Sutrasthanam;II:14
• 12. Ashthanga Hrdayam: Sutrasthanam: II
• 13. Charaka Samhita: Sutrasthanam:II
• 14. Ashtanga Hrdayam:Sutrasthanam:II
• 15. ibid
• 16. Ashtanga Hrdayam:Sutrasthanam:II:20
• 17. Charaka Samhita: Sutrasthanam:XXX:13-15
• 18. Sattvic diet is one that consists of whole grains, pulses, vegetables, fruits and a moderate amount of dairy. It avoids fermented, old, burned food, meat, fish and eggs, as well as intoxicants and very spicy food.
• 19. Ashtanga Hrdayam:Sutrasthanam:II 46
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Fonte:
  http://drclaudiawelch.com

A doença como caminho - perturbações do período menstrual

O livro A Doença Como Caminho é da autoria de Thorwald  Dethlefsen e Rüdiger Dahlke. Encaram os vários tipos de doenças e incidentes a conteúdos psicológicos, justificando-o  através do conceito de "sombra". 

Fica um interessante excerto da sua abordagem às perturbações ocorridas durante o período menstrual:

O fluxo menstrual é expressão de feminilidade, fertilidade e receptividade. A mulher está sujeita ao seu ritmo. Ela tem de se moldar a ele e aceitar as limitações que lhe são impostas. Através do termo "moldar" afloramos um dos aspectos fundamentais da feminilidade: a abnegação. Ao falarmos de feminilidade, referimo--nos ao princípio geral do pólo feminino no mundo a que os Chineses, por exemplo, dão o nome de Yin, os alquimistas simbolizam por meio da Lua e a psicologia profunda exprime através do símbolo da água. Encarada por esta óptica, cada mulher é a manifestação do princípio feminino arquetípico. O princípio feminino pode definir-se pela sua receptividade. No I Ching podemos ler o seguinte: «O masculino rege o aspecto criativo, o feminino rege o aspecto receptivo.» E noutro lugar refere-se que «É na receptividade que reside a maior capacidade de entrega ao mundo».

Essa capacidade de entrega será, porventura, a característica essencial da mulher; ela constitui a base das restantes faculdades, como sejam a abertura, a receptividade, a absorção, o acolhimento. A capacidade de entrega exige ao mesmo tempo a renúncia à actuação activa. Se examinarmos os símbolos da feminilidade, a Lua e a água, veremos que uma e outra renunciam a irradiar e a emitir de forma activa as suas qualidades inerentes ao contrário do que fazem os seus pólos opostos, o Sol e o fogo. São, por isso, capazes de absorver, acumular e reflectir a luz e o calor. A água renuncia à pretensão de possuir forma própria -adopta qualquer forma. Molda-se e entrega-se totalmente.

A polaridade Sol/Lua, fogo/água, masculino/feminino, não tem implícita qualquer valoração. Toda e qualquer valoração seria improcedente uma vez que, por si só, cada pólo está incompleto para ficar completo precisa do outro pólo. Ora, esta qualidade íntegra apenas se consegue quando ambos os pólos representam plenamente a sua peculiaridade específica. Estas leis arquetípicas são frequentemente descuradas aquando de certas argumentações emancipadoras. Seria descabido que a água se queixasse de não poder arder ou brilhar e se sentisse por isso inferiorizada. É precisamente por não poder arder que ela pode receber, capacidade a que o fogo, por sua vez, tem de renunciar. Um não é melhor nem pior do que o outro, apenas diferente. É desta diferença entre os pólos que surge a tensão a que chamamos «vida». Não é possível eliminar a oposição nivelando os pólos. A mulher que aceite e viva plenamente a sua feminilidade jamais se sentirá «inferior».

Subjacente à maior parte das perturbações do ciclo menstrual e de muitos outros sintomas do foro sexual está a «não reconciliação» com a feminilidade própria. A entrega, e a adaptabilidade, são sempre tarefas difíceis para o Ser Humano, exigindo renúncia à vontade própria (ao eu quero) e ao predomínio do Ego. É necessário sacrificar algo do próprio Ego, uma parcela de si mesmo, e é isso que a menstruação exige da mulher. Com o seu sangue a mulher sacrifica uma parte da sua força vital. O período é uma pequena gravidez e um pequeno parto. Sempre que a mulher não se conforme com esse «período», ocorrerão doenças e perturbações do ciclo menstrual. Essas doenças e perturbações indicam, portanto, que uma parte da mulher (geralmente inconsciente) se rebela contra o período, contra o sexo ou contra o homem. É precisamente a esta rebelião - a este «eu não quero» - que se dirige toda a campanha publicitária dos pensos higiénicos. Prometem às mulheres que se utilizarem os produtos anunciados ficarão livres e poderão fazer tudo aquilo que desejam, até mesmo durante o período. A publicidade explora habilmente o conflito básico da mulher: ser mulher, sim, mas não aceitar aquilo que a condição feminina acarreta.

A mulher que sofre de dores menstruais vive a sua condição feminina dolorosamente. Os problemas menstruais revelam a existência de problemas sexuais, visto que a resistência à entrega que transpira da perturbação menstrual coíbe também a entrega na vida sexual. A mulher capaz de se descontrair no momento do orgasmo é também capaz de se descontrair na altura da menstruação. O orgasmo, tal como o sono, é uma pequena morte. Também a menstruação tem algo a ver com um pequeno processo de morte na medida em que alguns tecidos morrem e são expulsos do corpo. Morrer, no entanto, não é mais do que um convite a superar as limitações do Eu e as ânsias de domínio que lhe são próprias, e a deixar que as coisas sigam o seu curso. A morte apenas constitui ameaça para o Ego, nunca para o Ser Humano. A morte apenas constitui ameaça para o Ego, nunca para o Ser Humano em si. Aquele que se agarra ao Ego vive a morte como uma luta. Aquele que se agarra ao Ego vive a morte como uma luta. O orgasmo é, em certa medida, uma pequena morte porque exige um desprendimento do Eu. O orgasmo consiste na união do Eu e do Tu, o que pressupõe a abertura das fronteiras do Eu. Quem pretender aferrar-se ao Eu não poderá viver o orgasmo (conforme se verá mais adiante, o mesmo acontece quando se deseja dormir à força). A afinidade entre morte, orgasmo e menstruação deveria agora estar clara: reside na capacidade de entrega e na disponibilidade para sacrificar uma parte do Ego.

(...) É sabido que em condições de grande angústia e insegurança, aquando de catástrofes, do encarceramento em campos de trabalho ou de concentração, é frequente ocorrerem distúrbios na menstruação (amenorreia secundária). Isto, claro, porque tais situações, longe de fomentarem o tema da «entrega», induzem a mulher a adoptar atitudes masculinas de actividade e de auto-afirmação.

Há ainda um outro aspecto da menstruação que não deve ser descurado: o fluxo menstrual é expressão da faculdade de ter filhos. A menstruação produz reacções distintas consoante a mulher deseje, ou não, ter filhos. Se ela os deseja, a menstruação indica-lhe que «desta vez também não aconteceu» e nesse caso ela estará sujeita a incómodos e a acessos de mau humor antes e durante o período. Ela registará a menstruação como algo de «doloroso». Apesar do desejo de virem a ter filhos, estas mulheres recorrem a métodos anticoncepcionais, ainda que pouco fiáveis - é o compromisso entre a ânsia inconsciente da maternidade e o desejo de procurar um álibi. Se, ao invés, a mulher tiver medo de engravidar, aguardará com ansiedade a chegada do período que é o método que melhor lhe pode facultar um protelamento. Nesses casos o fluxo costuma ser abundante e prolongado, circunstância que pode também ser utilizada para evitar o contacto sexual. No fundo, o período, como qualquer outro sintoma, pode ser utilizado como um instrumento, seja para se esquivar ao acto sexual, seja para chamar a atenção sobre si.

A menstruação é determinada fisicamente pela inter-relação das hormonas femininas (estrogénios) e das hormonas masculinas (testerona). Essa inter-relação corresponde a uma «sexualidade à escala hormonal». Se essa «sexualidade hormonal» for afectada, o período também resultará afectado. Esse tipo de anomalia dificilmente pode ser curada mediante a administração de hormonas medicamentosas uma vez que as hormonas são, em última instância, representativas das partes masculina e feminina da alma. A cura apenas se poderá achar na reconciliação com a própria condição sexual visto ser esse o requisito essencial para se poder realizar em si próprio o pólo do sexo oposto.

Fonte:

Dethlefsen e Dahlke