Yum.
One of my favorite novelists, Tom Robbins, mentions in one of his books that there are two mantras we can choose from: Yuck or Yum.
Through which lens do you peer?
I’ve been musing on this topic the last few weeks. Not which mantra to choose, but what complementary and alternative healing really looks like.
I am learning so much from my experiences of healing after birthing a baby, and my clients experiences when they come for appointments, and hearing about what some friends have been struggling with in the ‘regular’ health care system.
The change is upon us – I’d say a large amount of people desire a natural solution for their health woes. What they may not be ready for is the discovery that it is intentional work, that there is dedication and maintenance involved.
For example, in my practice of Ayurveda and Maya Abdominal Therapy and I specialize in working with women with painful or irregular cycles. The reproductive system is a deep system of the body which modern medicine often throws a quick fix on in the form of birth control. I do not disagree that sometimes this is the best solution in some situations, though it often leaves women feeling defeated and still frustrated because they feel that they have not solved the root cause of their problem.
What I love most about the two modalities I work within, is that I’m almost always just giving women tools to use in order to create a healing environment in their bodies. This is in the form of herbalism, but also in practices like Self Care uterine massage, castor oil packs, vaginal steams, and other rituals for moving blood, energy and emotions that may be stagnating and preventing homeostasis.
Homeostasis and hemodynamics; these are the ATMAT (Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy) buzzwords. Homeostasis is just another word for balance. Balance implies a give and take, an in and out, a space where we are no longer just coping, but we are actually healing. And Hemodynamics is about blood flow, and we could also assume energy flow. Let’s get the good stuff in where it needs to be, and the wastes out, properly and easily.
Every one of my ATMAT clients is taught Self Care massage. This is the most important piece to maintaining the work done in the one on one session. I, personally, came to study ATMAT because I experienced profound healing from painful periods. And I do my Self care massage to this day, daily, and I know that it was, and is, a huge part of my menstrual and reproductive health, comfort, and connection with this part of my being.
The actual path to healing is going to look different for everyone, but there are three things I have found are congruent in all plans. Along with maintenance, come pleasure, and support.
Maintenance | What I have found to be true, even to my chagrin, is that it takes daily input to actually heal, rather than just continue to competently cope with the problems.
It matters if I drink coffee or not. Every day. It matters if I get to bed early enough. Every day. It matters if I actually do 10 minutes of alternate nostril breathing. Every day. It matters if I do abhyanga. Every day. The days I do not, I feel off my center, the days I do, I can feel myself coming back toward a new normal.
Pleasure | When you have the experience of feeling good in your body, a lot can shift. Coming in for a massage starts to encourage you to really look at what else you’re putting in your body. How you’re living your day to day, where you are putting your energy.
Support | I might go on to say that there is another ‘perk’ to natural healing modalities. There is really no going back to the way it was before. I see this in all of my work. It can be frustrating at first, but ultimately it leads us to living healthier, more authentic lives overall, and hopefully, usually, alleviation from our symptoms, too.
Finding support in a practitioner you trust can be the way to get loving reminders into your life, to remind you to keep doing what you really want to be doing for yourself anyway.
Want to learn useful, practical, natural tools for reproductive healing? Ancient Womb Healing for Modern Women starts April 22. Learn more and read the syllabus here. Any questions email me!
Love,
Adena
Adena Rose Bright practices Ayurveda and Maya Abdominal Therapy. She’s passionate about sharing Ayurveda to help women live better and feel better. She offers courses in food as medicine and women’s womb healing available online. See more on her website www.adenaroseayurveda.com, instagram and FB page.