Why Ayurveda Should Be Part of Your Endo Healing

Western medicine can be frustrating—especially when it comes to endometriosis. There are not always clear answers, and when there are, such as in the case of prescribed birth control to stop growth of endo tissue, there can often be unforeseen consequences.

If you’re like me, you have a feeling the answer is something bigger.

I first considered Ayurveda as something to explore when I sat down with Teresa Harris, owner of Womb Abloom Belly Wellness Studio, based in Ormond Beach, Florida.

What does Ayurveda have to do with endometriosis?

She told me that all illnesses, endo included, are the body’s way of signaling something is wrong—that something is out of balance.

But then she went on to explain that, according to Ayurveda, endo results, in part, from imbalance, between the yin and the yang energies.

Yang energy is the masculine energy, and can be the side that likes control, focus and logic. It can be centered on achieving.

Yin is the feminine energy. Yin is receiving, creative, intuitive.

Yin, but much yang energy

People of either gender have both energies, but in this modern society, it is easy for them to get out of balance. In America, most women are part of the workforce, and take on a full workweek at the office, then shoulder the burden of responsibilities on the domestic front. Women tend to be so focused on taking care of others (nurturing), that we do not take good care of ourselves. Or, if we are not taking care of others, we are taking care of our bank accounts—to the detriment of our bodies. In other words, many women have so much yang, or masculine, energy dominating their systems. It makes sense then, that we would see this imbalance play out with the our sex hormones and reproductive organs.

I easily see this imbalance in myself

I am Type A, focused on productivity and achieving (in my two careers). I drink too much caffeine and have a hard time sleeping. I don’t allow much time for rest and relaxation. I don’t allow time or space for creative pursuits, such as painting or dancing, because they don’t feel ‘productive’ enough.

So, yeah, I admit I might have an imbalance.

Furthermore, I deeply believe how I am living is causing an imbalance in my hormones, which is what is causing endometriosis to materialize.
Great. So, now what? Harris believes that...

Ayurveda can be part of the answer

Ayurveda—which is championed by author and alternative-medicine-advocate Deepak Chopra, to give a Western example—is an ancient healing technique.

To find out more, I continued the conversation with Medha Garud, part of the Ayurveda team at the Shankara Wellness Center in Boone, North Carolina. Before the pandemic, this healing center offered multi-day retreats helping participants rest and recharge, as well as learn about Ayurveda to understand how to take care of their body’s unique needs.

So, what is exactly is Ayurveda?

Garud starts by explaining just what Ayurveda is.

“’Veda’ means life—Ayurveda is the science of life. Life is everything,” she says. “These ancient Ayurvedic scientists experimented with their own bodies and nature. They believe that everything is energy.”

Everything we eat has energy. Every physical action we take with our bodies shifts the energy inside of us. Everything we do affects the energy in the body.

“The goal of Ayurveda is to help create a balance of the energy in the body,” Garud explains.

She then goes on to explain that one of the tenets of Ayurveda is that there are three bodily humors, aka doshas: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. We all have these three doshas in our bodies. We all also tend to have one that is dominant.

A big piece of Ayurveda is to find out first which dosha is dominant in you , then find out how to get your energy back in balance.

Putting it into action

Because this form of healing takes into account so many lifestyle factors, it isn’t necessarily a DIY approach. However, there are ways to start practicing Ayurveda to get the body back into its natural alignment.

We can start working with an Ayurvedic practitioner. This person will examine everything affecting your health: your career, your fitness, your diet, your sex life, your stress—all of it.

Right now, Garud is offering online consults, which is the next step I have chosen.

You can also do an online search for ‘Ayurveda’ and your city to find someone locally practicing this healing modality.