Self Care to Maintain Health & Youthfulness

Yes- we’d all like to live long, but also well. To accomplish this we must begin as soon as we’re aware that our future health depends on our current habits.

Some habits to cultivate:

• · Maintain good digestion and elimination.
• · Eat less, but nutritionally rich foods
• · Maintain a healthy blood sugar level
• · Turn off stress – reduce adrenal activity
• · Exercise – not too much, not too little, at the right time
• · Maintain an active mind
• · Sexual pleasure – use it or lose it
• · Maintain body moisture & lubrication, internally and externally
• · Sleep & relax for daily renewal

I’ll do a series of upcoming blogs on how to incorporate each of these into your life.

For personalized plans – contact me for an in person or phone consultation.

www.wisewomanhood.com for more information and to contact me.

Ayurveda Self Care

What is Ayurveda & what are it's methods?

Ayurveda is an ancient healing system which comes from India. It is the "veda" or knowledge of

"ayus", life. It includes lifestyle, dietary, herbal, energetic, massage, and purification techniques.

In India, the training program for Ayurvedic physicians is similar in scope to that of medical

schools in this country - one can delve very deeply into it. At the same time, Ayurveda can be

understood and used on a very simple level with good results for daily health maintenance..

What are energy types and balance/imbalance in them?

All of creation can be described with the qualities of fire, water, earth, air & ether(or space). Out

of these basic qualities, three doshas or bioenergetic types arise - vata ( air & ether); pitta (fire &

water); and kapha (water & earth). All of us have all of these qualities within us to maintain our

bodily functions. Each is essential. At the same time, every person, creature, object & situation has a predominant bioenergetic quality.

Vata, Pitta, and Kapha express in balance, excess, or deficit. When we are formed during conception & pregnancy we are "set" at certain levels for each energy type, which will be our personal balance or constitution. Each dosha has a size 1,2, or 3 container. We are balanced when our dosha containers are full but not overflowing.

The amount of each dosha is affected by the qualities of everything we interact with- food, friends, activities, sights, sounds, temperature, humidity, thoughts. Every experience, inner & outer has a bioenergetic quality which adds to our energy field. We can balance too much of a given energy by using reducing measures, for example:

• When we know that our life is getting too fiery we can use Pitta reducing self-help steps.
• When our children are getting over stimulated we can provide Vata reducing measures in their life.
• When there is too much heavieness or mucous forming in our bodies we can use Kapha reducing measures to prevent longer term problems.

By preventing long-term imbalances we prevent deep diseases from forming. When self-help measures don't work it's time to see a well-trained Ayurvedic practitioner &/or other health care practitioner. Regular check-ins with your Ayurvedic practitioner when the seasons change & recommendations for seasonal adjustments & cleanses will keep you at the healthiest level.

The Doshas in Balance & Imbalance

Vata - Vata is dry, light, expansive, rough, cold, changeable, subtle, and quick. Too much of these qualities in someone's life can imbalance their Vata. Governing motion, Vata rules neurological communications, movement of food through the digestive system, urinary control, sexual ejaculation, menstruation & childbirth. Its "seat", or place in the body where it is more predominant, is the colon/pelvic area. Fall & early (dry) winter are Vata times of year. Elder years are Vata time of life. 3 am- sunrise and 2-3 pm - sunset are Vata times of day. Vata is often more evident during pregnancy and especially postpartum. (If pregnant, always check to make sure any therapy you do is truly safe for pregnancy- everything suggested in this article is considered safe for pregnancy.) Vata can also be over stimulated by a lifestyle of irregular eating & sleeping, and quickly arising situations.

Balanced expression: The body is functioning smoothly; one feels life flowing. We feel alert, sensitive, enthusiastic, spontaneous, and creative.

Imbalanced expression: The body suffers constipation, shakiness, cramps, gas, fatigue, or menstrual cramps before bleeding. Emotionally, we feel overwhelmed, fearful, forgetful, distracted, moody, or sleep irregularly.

What to do for too much Vata? We warm, ground, contain, smooth, moisten, slow, steady

• Have regular, moderate exercise, in moderate amounts, such as walking or hatha yoga
• Take warm, relaxing baths. Sip warm,vital water frequently throughout the day. Listen to a stream or a fountain.
• Aromatherapy/incense - sandalwood,camphor,wintergreen,, musk
• Use music to the calm, nurture, ground yourself. Use calming, fear-dispelling mantras - Ram, Hrim, Shrim, Sham, Hum . Avoid loud rock music or any loud noises.
• Use color therapy ( most colors good -pastel colors for sensitivity, avoiding lots of dark or heavy colors) or gems (emerald, jade, peridot set in gold; yellow sapphire, topaz & citrine & other yellow stones set in gold; ruby or garnet can help circulation & energy) & gem elixirs to work with the energy.
• Avoid too much thinking or talking or studying. Avoid excess stimulation by media & computers. Avoid fearful, worrisome or overwhelmed thinking .
• Be settled. Avoid moving homes, jobs, etc. too much. Do not travel too much, especially by airplane. Have a routine.
• Slow, gentle self massage with sesame or almond oil, especially to feet, top of head, back, & abdomen. Or get massage from someone else regularly
• Drink nourishing herbal infusions daily especially oat straw.
• Have time alone. Avoid overworking & too much socializing.
• Get regular sleep. Go to bed before 10 pm, earlier if possible. Get enough sleep.
• Get the tastes that balance Vata- predominately sweet, sour, & salty. Eat heavy, moist, & warm food with digestive spices added. Avoid cold foods or beverages and stimulants like caffeine, alcohol. ( a little beer or wine w/ meal OK occasionally) Avoid junk food & microwaved food

Pitta - Pitta is hot, oily, sharp, moist, fluid, and sour. Again, too much of these qualities for a given individual will show up as a Pitta imbalance. Pitta governs digestion, assimilation & metabolism, on a tissue & cellular level as well as system level. Mental processing of experience is also ruled by pitta. Its seat in the body is the solar plexus, relating to liver, spleen & small intestine. Summer is the Pitta season; middle age the Pitta time of life; 10am-2pm and 10 pm -2 am the Pitta times of day.

Balanced expression: The body is taking things in well and using them properly. We are energetic, intelligent, confident, with right use of our will.

Imbalanced expression: There is heartburn, cracking or itching skin, bad taste or odor from body, excessive thirst, diarrhea, inflammations, cramps with menstrual bleeding, or excessive heat in the body. We notice anger, irritability, unrestrained ambition, or criticism of ourselves or others.

.What to do if too much Pitta? We want to cool, soften, calm, sweeten

• Spend time out-of-doors in fresh, cool air, with cool lakes & streams, in gardens & flowers. Be careful not to overdo sunlight &/or heat or hot tubs. Bathe in moon light!!!
• Regular, cooling & calming exercise is best - guard against overdoing it & pushing yourself beyond 1/2 of capacity.
• Taking relaxing baths & invigorating showers, avoiding too hot of water. Drink vital, cool water. Listen to or wade in a stream or a fountain.
• Aromatherapy/incense-sandalwood, vetivert, henna, rose, lotus, jasmine, gardenia, honeysuckle, iris.
• Use music to calm & cool Pitta; cooling, calming mantras like Om, Sham, Som, Shum, Shim.
• Use color therapy (cooling white, blue or green; avoid very bright colors, esp. red; gray or brown is ok but avoid black) or gems (moonstone, clear quartz crystal, emerald, jade, peridot, blue sapphire, amethyst set in silver) & gem elixirs to work with the energy
• Avoid dwelling on anger, jealousy, competition, being critical of others - stay with sweetness of speech, forgiveness, & contentment.
• Pay attention to yourself - self inquiry is important in giving up tendencies to anger, overcritical or argumentative attitudes.
• Drink nourishing herbal infusions daily (esp. red raspberry, nettles, or red clover
• Get moderate amounts of sleep, going to bed early (before 10 pm) & getting up early (before sunrise).
• Massage ( with cooling coconut, sunflower, or ghee) - whole body or top of head, forehead, heart
• Get the tastes that reduce Pitta - mainly sweet, bitter & astringent, with fresh, raw foods & juices. Avoid alcohol, chilies, tea, coffee, & fried foods.

Kapha - Kapha is heavy, cold, moist, stable, sweet, soft, sticky, dull, and smooth. Too much of these will result in a Kapha imbalance. Kapha governs the integrity & lubrication of the physical matrix of the body. Its seat is the chest. The wet, end of winter and the spring are Kapha time of year; childhood is Kapha time of life; and sunrise - 10 am and sunset - 10 pm are Kapha times of day.

Balanced expression: The body has great strength & endurance, fertility. We are steady, reliable, solid and dependable.

Imbalanced expression: The body gains weight easily, loses with difficulty; excessive mucous, trouble with sugar metabolism, is congested or retaining fluids. We notice dullness, lethargy, denial, laziness, and heavy depression.

What to do if too much Kapha? We want to lighten, warm, clear, move & invigorate.

• Spend time out-of-doors in fresh air, in warm breezes. Sunbathe. Avoid coldness & damp.
• Get daily strong, aerobic exercise.
• Take invigorating showers. Drinking moderate amount of warmed,vital water.
• Aromatherapy/incense -musk, camphor, cloves, cinnamon, cedar, frankincense, myrrh
• Use music to move the Kapha the energy; clearing & stimulating mantras like Aim, Hrim, Hum, Om
• Use color therapy ( warm & bright colors; avoid white, pink, or pale blue or green; some brown, gray, & black) or gems (ruby, garnet, cat's eye set in gold) & gem elixirs
• Following a discipline & enduring physical hardship are good for Kapha reducing. A detached mind is a useful quality to develop, avoiding greed, desire & sentimentality.
  
• Mental stimulation is important.
• Travel & pilgrimage is a useful form of Kapha reduct
• Less sleep helps reduce Kapha - staying up late may help. However, definitely avoid sleeping in the daytime.
• Any massage ( dry or with stimulating oils like wintergreen, camphor, cinnamon) - whole body or foot/head/hands
• Get the tastes that reduce Kapha - pungent, bitter & astringent, including warm light & dry foods with spices. Occasional fasting or skipping a meal is good. Avoid cold foods or drinks.

By applying the simple & natural principles of Ayurveda for reducing excesses, we can not only help avoid deep seated diseases; we can also enjoy the creativity of balanced Vata, the energetic intelligence of Pitta, and the reliable steadiness of Kapha in ourselves & our families.

Sources & Further Reading : Ayurvedic Home Remedies by Dr Vasant Lad

Ayurvedic Healing by Dr. David Frawley

Wise Womanhood Terra Rafael, Midwife & Ayurvedic Practitioner

Serving women since 1981, through all phases of their lives

720.628.5015 wisewomanhood@gmail.com www.wisewomanhood.webs.com

Keeping Cool in the Summer

Summer heat can definitely throw us off balance —it can overdo our fire (Pitta) and, through dehydration from sweating, our dryness (Vata). We may also be exposed to air conditioning, which is both cooling and drying. Frequent changing back and forth between the heat and the coolness can also aggravate our Vata. To stay cool and moist we can take the help of some simple self care routines.
To keep Pitta calm-
-avoid exercising when it is hot—use early morning or evening time.
-spend time near water and walk in the moonlight
-eat lighter foods—perfect time for salads and fruit. Blueberries are very cooling! Monitor how much sour or spicy foods, which can heat your body.
-avoid being too ambitious—REST a bit more, hang out with friends & socialize more
-carry a spritzer with rose water or with sandalwood essential oil added to water in it—both cooling and refreshing to spray yourself with when you’re feeling too hot
-run cool water over your wrists for a quick cool down you can do anytime you visit the bathroom—or go to the creek and dangle your feet in it. At the end of the day a tepid bath can help draw excess heat out of your body.
-be sure to go to bed around 10 pm rather than go with the temptation to stay up late
-drink cooling drinks rather than alcohol or stimulants—cool hisbiscus tea, organic concord grape juice, cool mint , or raspberry tea--- you can even mix them all together with a squirt of rose water for a super cooling drink. Ps—don’t drink the super cooling drink with a meal—it might douse your digestive fire!
-use the cooling breath—shitali. Make a swamp-cooler out of your mouth at those moments you are especially feeling the heat (best done away from times of digestion) Curl your tongue—either into a tube (if you have the genetic ability to do that) or curl it up behind your gently closed teeth. Then inhale through your mouth, exhale through your nose. This will cool the air entering your body. (It will also dry your mouth, so be sure you are getting plenty to drink when you do this!)
-wear a hat in the sun to avoid getting ‘Hot Headed”, stay in the shade as much as possible.
-relax—laugh—be silly—goof off--socialize with friends-- instead of fueling your ambition to the max.
To keep Vata calm-
-if you have a choice, in a dry climate, a swamp cooler may work as well as an air conditioner, while adding moisture to the air as it cools. Portable ones are available.
-BE SURE TO DRINK PLENTY OF WATER & TEA – dehydration can make you more tired & groggy.
- be sure you get your healthy oils (EFAs) and have salad dressings on your salads. Moderate really cold foods in your diet—even though tempting in the heat—go for room temperature or just a LITTLE cooled. Avoid spicy foods—they are usually very drying as well as heating—they are used to make you sweat—so don’t overdo, especially if you are Vata.
-try keep a routine as much as possible—even though you might take a vacation. Eat & sleep as regularly as possible.

These are a few helps to weather the fun summer time weather—so that next fall you won’t be so out of balance that you must do pancha karma to balance before you end up with a flu!

If you’d like to experience Terra’s unique blend of Ayurveda, Maya uterine/abdominal therapy & healing, women’s health wisdom, Reiki, and flower essences, call her at 720.628.5015 or email wisewomanhood@gmail.com.

Pregnancy Sutras

Pregnancy is an altered state, part of women’s physiological initiation.

Pregnancy, Birth, and Postpartum are a very long menstrual cycle.

Taking in & digesting what is wholesome promotes healthy balance in mother & baby.

Discern what is healthy exercise & unhealthy exercise for you at different times.

The mother shares her body space, the baby shares its heart space- both are forever connected. There is no physical intimacy greater than that of a mother & the child in her womb.

Building a support system can help replace the missing functions of tribe & extended family, which are so important to children & parents.

Protect new growth so that it may come to fruition.

What the mother tastes, sees, hears, smells, touches thinks, feels forms the child.

Imbalance, toxic build-up, physical malformation, damage, or trauma can lead to miscarriage.

The baby’s needs are expressed through the mother’s desires.

The mother must surrender to the expansion that the growing child requires.

The pregnant woman’s body works overtime even when she appears to be still. Allowance for this will promote her longevity & the baby’s health.

The pregnant woman eats for two.

Build & store vitality (ojas) for both mother & baby. In the eighth month it is shared between them.

The end of pregnancy, like the premenstrual phase of the menstrual spiral exhibits the woman’s current imbalances & weakness.

by Terra Rafael, midwife

My Books - New This Fall

Wondering what was keeping me busy all fall? I published AYURVEDA FOR THE CHILDBEARING YEAR in September. Now available from lulu.com - just search for my name or the title. It teaches about ayurveda basics, and how to use it to support menstrual, fertility, pregnancy, birth, labor and postpartum phases of women's lives.

Also I worked on my selections for FOOD AND WHAT FEEDS US by A Week's Worth of Women, being published right now, to be released at our Book Celebration, December 12, in Boulder, CO, available from the editor, Jyoti Wind-- jyotiwind@gmail.com or from me. It is full of nummy stories and recipes. Yumm!

Basic Self Care for Vata - excerpt from AYURVEDA FOR THE CHILDBEARING YEAR

The fall season is the time of Vata- the plant energy descends deep into the roots as the cool weather comes. Dry winds can come with the cold. The weather shifts quickly from cool to warm and back. It is emphasized in Vata climate of Colorado where I live-- Vata usually lasts here until the wet snows of February begin the spring.

Here is a primer on Vata and some ideas for self care when you have too much Vata in your body or mind.

Vata - Vata is dry, light, expansive, rough, cold,
changeable, subtle, and quick. Too much of these qualities
in someone's life can imbalance their Vata. Governing
motion, Vata rules neurological communications, movement
of food through the digestive system, urinary control, sexual
ejaculation, menstruation & childbirth. Its "seat", or place in
the body where it is more predominant, is the colon/pelvic
area. Fall & early winter are Vata times of year. Elder years
are Vata time of life. 3 am- sunrise and 2-3 pm - sunset are
Vata times of day. Vata is often more evident during pregnancy
and especially postpartum. (If pregnant, always check
to make sure any therapy you do is truly safe for pregnancyeverything
suggested in this chapter is considered safe for
pregnancy.) Vata can also be over stimulated by a lifestyle of
irregular eating & sleeping, and quickly arising situations.

Balanced expression: The body is functioning
smoothly; one feels life flowing. We feel alert, sensitive,
enthusiastic, spontaneous, and creative.


Excess expression: The body suffers constipation,
shakiness, cramps, gas, fatigue, or menstrual cramps before
bleeding. Emotionally, we feel overwhelmed, fearful,
forgetful, distracted, moody, or sleep irregularly.


What to do if imbalanced in Vata? We warm,
ground, contain, smooth, moisten, slow, and steady ourselves.
• Have regular, moderate exercise, in moderate
amounts, such as walking or hatha yoga
• Take warm, relaxing baths. Sip warm, vital
water frequently through out the day. Listen to a stream or a
fountain.
• Aromatherapy/incense - sandalwood, camphor,
wintergreen, musk
• Use music to the calm, nurture, ground yourself.
Avoid loud rock music or any loud noises.
• Calm your mind with gentle habits of reading,
meditating, praying. Avoid fearful, worrisome or
overwhelmed thinking. Avoid too much thinking or talking
or studying. Avoid excess stimulation by media & computers.
• Be settled. Avoid moving homes, jobs, etc.
too much. Do not travel too much, especially by airplane
• Have a routine- eat, sleep, BM at regular
times soothes the body and mind.
• Slow, gentle self massage with sesame or almond
oil, especially to feet, top of head, back, & abdomen
or get massage from someone else regularly.
• Have time alone. Avoid overworking & too
much socializing.
• Get regular sleep. Go to bed before 10 pm,
earlier if possible. Get enough sleep.
• Get the tastes that balance Vata- predominately
sweet, sour, & salty. Eat heavy, moist, & warm food
with digestive spices added. Avoid cold foods or beverages
and stimulants like caffeine, alcohol. ( a little beer or wine w/
meal OK occasionally) Avoid junk food & microwaved
food; avoid leftovers more than 12 hours old.
• Drink nourishing herbal infusions daily especially
oat straw.
• Eat mindfully – Sit down while eating. Before
eating sit quietly, breathe deeply, and give thanks. Chew
thoroughly.
• Use color therapy - most colors good -pastel
colors for sensitivity, avoiding lots of dark or heavy colorsor
gems -emerald, jade, peridot set in gold; yellow sapphire,
topaz & citrine & other yellow stones set in gold; ruby or
garnet can help circulation & energy- & gem elixirs to work
with the energy.

to buy a copy of Ayurveda for the Childbearing Year go to Lulu.com and search the title.
--Terra Rafael

Excerpt from new book-Ayurveda for the Childbearing Years- "Ayurvedic Recipes and Cookbooks"

Making Ghee

Ghee is a rejuvenative for Pitta and soothing for Vata excess. It can be used for cooking since, unlike butter, it will not burn. It is considered a very pure food and is offered in ritual fires to feed the Divine.

Preparation Time: about 30 min
It works best to make ghee on a day that has clear skies- not cloudy
Makes about 2 cups.
-Vata, -Pitta, -Kapha

Use 1 pound organic sweet unsalted butter. Feel free to make more at a time if you want—it keeps very well

In a heavy medium saucepan, heat butter over medium heat. Continue to cook at medium-low heat. The butter will bubble & make bubbling sounds. When it is almost done, milk solids will collect on the bottom of the pan. When it is done, in about 15 to 20 minutes, the liquid will look clear and become very quiet. Quickly take it off the heat before the milk solids on the bottom of the pan burn, which it can do suddenly (if this happens the liquid will begin to foam again rapidly and the solids turn brown instead of golden). Cool slightly. Ghee is the clear golden liquid. Pour ghee through a metal strainer &/or cheese cloth into a very clean glass. Store at room temperature.

If you do not cook the ghee long enough, it can mold. If you cook it too long, it will let you know by burning. A touch of browning can add a nice flavor- but if it’s used for ritual purposes it should not be browned.

After making this once, you are likely to do it again & again, as it is simple and not nearly so difficult as the instructions make it out to be. Homemade ghee is pure & inexpensive compared to store-bought ghee.

Revised from Amadea Morningstar’s The Ayurvedic Cookbook

Making Kitcheree

To make plain kitcheree:
Wash thoroughly
½ cup split mung beans (soak overnight to increase digestibility & reduce cooking time),
1 cup basmati rice: ,
melt 1 Tablespoon ghee in a cooking pot
add spices: 1 tsp fresh ginger, ½ tsp each tumeric, powdered cumin & coriander ;
add rice, beans & 6 cups water, then bring to boil ,
turn down to simmer for at least 45 minutes or until mung beans are very soft
After cooking, add rock salt to taste. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro, if desired.

You can make variations on kitcheree by adding different vegetables. See the cookbooks listed below for more ideas.



Making Agni Kindler

Agni kindler is to wake up the digestive enzymes of the stomach. Since it brings back the natural capacity is healthier for the system than relying on taking digestive enzymes. It is useful after sickness, when the appetite is low but eating is desired, or when there is a coated tongue.

For a day’s supply-
Peel about 1 inch of fresh ginger root and grate it into fine pieces
Sprinkle with about ¼ tsp of fresh lime juice
Add a pinch of unrefined salt

Take a big pinch of this mixture 15-20 minutes before each meal.

Making Takram

Takram is drink to help digestion & absorption, taken after meals.

Churn 2 tablespoons of fresh yogurt in ½ cup of pure water. You can shake it in a jar to accomplish this churning or use a blender. (The churning breaks up some of the heavy & slimy qualities of the yogurt. ) Then mix in ¼ tsp cumin powder.


Making Ojas drink : Almond Restorative Drink

This drink is important to build after a cleanse, before, during or after pregnancy to feed the ojas or underlying stamina and energy of the immune system.
Serves 1 , Sattvic ; V-P-K+

Soak together overnight:
10 raw almonds & 1 cup pure water
In the morning, drain off the water. Rub the skins off the almonds.
Bring to a boil:
1 cup milk (unhomogenized if possible) (milk is highly rejuvenative when digested)
Pour the milk in the blender w/ the drained & peeled almonds and :1 tablespoon organic rose petals (optional- rejuvenative), 1 tsp ghee (rejuvenative),1/32 tsp. saffron (increases digestion & rejuvenative),
1/8 tsp ground cardamom (increases digestion),pinch of black pepper (helps control the K),
½ tsp of sweetener (increases lactose digestion).
Blend until smooth.
Drink 3-4 times/ week as directed. Best done after panchakarma as part of rejuvenation.
Watch if any signs of excess mucous/kapha, if so, cut back.


Making Ojas drink: Non-dairy almond drinks

1. Use oat milk( if not gluten intolerant- then use almond milk) instead of cows milk. Oats are also rejuvenative, although not as strongly as cows milk.

2. Soak 20 raisins in 1 cup pure water overnight or several hours. Blend them together & use them instead of cow’s milk for a rejuvenative drink. Omit sweetener in this case since the raisins are sweet enough.

Ayurvedic Cookbooks

Touching Heaven-Tonic Postpartum Recipes by Ysha Oakes

Ayurvedic Cooking for Westerners, by Amadea Morningstar

EAT•TASTE•HEAL: An Ayurvedic Cookbook for Modern Living by Thomas Yarema, MD; Daniel Rhoda; and Chef Johnny Brannigan

Ayurvedic Cooking for Self Healing By Usha Lad & Dr Vasant Lad

The Ayurvedic Cookbook by Amadea Morningstar with Urmala Desai

A Life of Balance by Maya Tiwari

Plagued by "Female Problems?"

The Women’s Movement freed women to participate more fully in the world. But it hasn’t freed women from a secret shackle—“female problems”. Menstrual difficulties and other problems associated with women’s special anatomy and physiology may plague women even more today than in the days of our grandmothers. Our active lifestyles, work stress, eating on the run, and lack of deep relaxation add up to increased probability of PMS, menstrual cramps, irregular cycles, abnormal pap smears, fertility problems, pregnancy complications, and perimenopausal discomforts.

Luckily, we don’t need to turn back the clock or rely only on questionable medications to care for our feminine core. We can soothe it and allow for healthy functioning using lifestyle, diet, massage & herbs. A history & physical evaluation with a holistic practitioner helps map out a plan of action & care to bring the uterus and the whole woman into balance again.

Ayurveda, the “Science of Life” is an ancient healing system from India. For “female problems” it offers basic information on proper self care during the times when women’s bodies are vulnerable. Suitable diet, digestion & herbs for the woman can support the nervous system for better resilience under stress, as well as directly feed the reproductive system. Pulse reading tunes in to the subtle, early conditions of imbalance and allows for treatment in subtle ways before they solidify into denser forms, such as cysts, fibroids, or endometriosis. With more advanced problems healing may require more time and stronger therapies. Through various techniques & teachings, Ayurvedic work heals deeply.

Maya Abdominal Massage offers great relief for many women, sometimes bringing menstrual relief after only one therapy session. Self massage techniques are taught to do regularly, between sessions. This adds impetus for better uterine positioning, greater circulation, lymphatic cleansing, and optimization of herbal therapies and the body’s own hormonal messages. Maya Massage also helps release traumas and emotions stored in the pelvic-abdominal region that may restrict healthy flow & function.

Through such holistic techniques “female problems” need not be part of the legacy of women’s greater role in the world.
--by Terra Rafael

My Adventures with Prayer - Part I

If meditation is opening to the highest power, then prayer is the speaking through that opening-- with praise, requests and thanksgiving. We connect and invoke the power of creation to bring forth goodness into the world. The highest prayer is for Divine Will to unfold through us. Our ishta deva or chosen deity could be named or unnamed, Mother Nature or Jehovah, Krishna or the Great Spirit. For me these are all names for the same Power & Love, just as we are all separate impulses of the same Oneness. Maybe I am a bit like the character in “The Life of Pi” who worships as a Muslim, Hindu & Christian with equal fervor and belief, even though his various teachers all saw it as impossible and improper to do so.

I remember praying as a child before I went to sleep each night: “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to take.” It was a little scary to me to contemplate that I might die before I wake every night just before sleeping. I have amended that prayer over the years—“Now I lay me down to sleep, I ask you Mother, grant me peace. Fold me to your loving breast and nourish me with healing rest.”

As I grew I learned the prayers of my Lutheran heritage—my favorite was the Lord’s prayer. “Our Father Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil for Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory Forever & Ever. Amen.”

Then as my matrix of faith shifted from God the Father to God the Mother I learned to invoke the Goddess in ritual, but there wasn’t much emphasis on prayer. Ritual was where intention was set into motion, not by asking or giving thanks.

As a Sufi belly dancer, I learned to pray the Muslim prayers. First we would do ritual ablutions to wash away the world, then the prayer, facing Mecca. We would say our prayers in Arabic, between a whisper and normal voice, as we did our movements of letting go, and supplication. We also chanted, danced, whirled and studied texts. The power of praying at set times each day was great—to stop whatever you are doing, to turn towards Allah, Allah hu Akbar! God is great! I received the vision of the wave of Muslim prayers moving around the world as time passed around the globe, a constant remembering of the Only One God.

When I began the path of Siddha Yoga, meditation, chanting and selfless service became important spiritual practices to feed my soul. But prayer was not a practice we were taught per se.

Ayurvedic studies included vedic mantras, the invoking of divine power through sacred Sanskrit syllables. It is prayer in a very pure form. Once I was treating a woman with a painful tailbone, hurt over a month before in a fall from her horse. Even her experienced chiropractor husband couldn’t replace it. I was inspired to chant the Sanskrit healing mantra “Tryambakam Yajamahe, Sugandhim Pusti Vardanam, Urva Rukamiva Bandhanan, Myrtyor Mukshiya Mamritat”. This mantra protects as well as heals. It calls upon Lord Shiva, who was the first to utter it to transmute poison he had swallowed to save the world. In ayurveda school we had chanted this mantra thousands of times and it’s also part of the Siddha Yoga tradition in the ancient vedic Rudrum chant, so I was empowered to use it. As I gave her reiki, holding my hand gently over her tailbone, I chanted. Suddenly I felt the tailbone move of its own volition. She reported that it felt better and that the pain was gone from then on.

In giving Reiki we invoke healing energy to course through us, asking that it bring the highest possible good to both the receiver and the practitioner. It is a prayer in action.
-By Terra Rafael

Watch for Part II to hear more about my Adventures with Prayer.

If you’d like to have a healing session with Terra using her unique combination of Ayurveda, Maya healing, massage, reiki, flower essences & women’s knowledge call her at 720.628.5015 or email at wisewomanhood@gmail.com.

Menstrual Memories - Part 3- The Menopausal Transition

My moons had been quite regular, about 28 days apart and lasted about 5 days, medium the first three days and light the others. (To me medium means I change my pad 3-4 times a day and light is 1-2 times). Frequently I marked ahead in my calendar when my moon bloods were expected to appear. It felt comforting to include it more as part of my life plan, to honor my fertility and myself. I kept track of my moon cycles on moon calendars and have them back for about 10 years.

My moon times began to come closer together & less regularly as my late 40’s progressed. Sometimes instead of PMS I seemed to get post menstrual syndrome of feeling down. I never knew when it would hit. There were times when my estrogen was supercharged, my body busy trying hard to get pregnant. This got the blood going because the lining was extra thick -- and also the fertile mucus at ovulation time. Once, I remember sitting on the toilet and when I went to wipe seeing a long thick thread of fertile mucus that stretched from my bottom to the water. Now I know that by knowing when I ovulate I could have know my moonblood would appear about 14 days later. Women are internally consistent on their time between ovulation and bleeding, for the most part. That too becomes a bit more wobbly during the menopausal transition.

Then around becoming 50 years old my moonbloods spaced out and became lighter. Sometimes I didn't have fertile mucus and would have anovulatory bleed. At that point I suddenly realized that I wouldn’t always have my period. I had finally embraced my moonbloods as a big part of my womanhood, counter to society’s norm. Now I had to let go it again. I began to wonder each time if this were my last time to bleed and savored the bloodiness of it. I even used it to paint several designs. Sometimes there were phantom periods where I felt like I was getting my bloods. Nothing came out but my sensations and emotions were very menstrual. Then it became six months between bleeds and my final moonblood was in April, 2005. I was 52, the average age for menopause. Of course I didn’t know for another year if I was totally done.

The hormones seem to be settling down now. I've learned from Susan Weed, herbalist, that after the period stops the hromones take several years to toally settle into the final levels of cronehood. My body is changing. The skin on my hands seems thinner and less elastic. More skin tags are appearing as my estrogen drops suddenly now and then. So far my libido and yoni haven’t suffered. I’m 55 now.

The hot flashes are few and far between at this point – maybe days between now. They were never too troublesome for me—just a bit of disrobing when the heat came and then redressing when they passed. The hardest part of hot flashes for me is that getting too hot can trigger them. Whenever I cuddled with my sweet husband I would get too hot and have a hot flash and have to push away from him. Thats gotten better at this point. Herbs did help me through —shatavari root, an ayurvedic female tonic and taking Oregon grape root tincture about 5 days a month before menses or, when I stopped cycling, 5 days a month near the full moon.


All in all there was much emotion, experience and meaning that came through my moonbloods. I treasure my memories and learnings about womanhood that came through them, even though sometimes they seemed like a curse and society still insists it is.