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"Every mother is the divine mother to her baby" - Ysha Oaks

Māyurveda - Principles of the Postpartum Period

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Āyurveda truly shines in it's gifts of mothering the mother during the postpartum period, now referred to by many proponents of Mama care as "the Fourth trimester". The postpartum time is vulnerable, open, powerful and full of love {and a little bit of fear}.

As one of my teachers said, "postpartum is a big 'Y' in the road.

Ancient texts state that the postpartum time has the potential to seed 74 different diseases, and that if mother is unsupported at this time, baby suffers. Alternatively, if mother is supported, baby thrives and mother ages gracefully in her later yars. 

For many women, the postpartum time starts a process of depletion and stress that can inhibit one's ability to parent, to live with clarity and ease, and to age free from disease. Women suffering from chronic pain, osteoporosis, adrenal fatigue, poor circulation, hormone issues and digestive disorders can often track the seed of these issues back to a postpartum time that lacked support and nourishment.

For a Mother supported by a wise woman tradition, postpartum becomes an opportunity for the body to completely REGENERATE. 

Primary to all wise woman traditions that honor this time {from Indian, to Native American, to Chinese, to Tibetan} is the postpartum "confinement" {what I prefer to call a retreat". And time-tested Ayurveda provides the most complete, in depth detailed system for this time. The call to honor this time is now being heard in the West! Check out this article from me on the Postpartum Retreat, as well as this one on how to postpartum like a boss. What we say in Ayurveda is... 
42 Days for 42 Years.

How Mama spends the first 42 days of postpartum directly effects the next 42 years of her life. 42 days of depletion, frustration, confusion and exhaustion or 42 days of rest, bonding, nourishment and rejuvenation. 

Everything we lay out together for your postpartum time is centered around this principle - this opportunity for total healing transformation and abundance of love and care that is the postpartum time. ​

Pregnancy and birth is hard work. Becoming a mother is an expansive and transformational experience. Your body needs time to recover and integrate. 

By the time you are postpartum, you have built a baby from your own body, you have birthed a baby, and you have crossed a bridge to a new identity, role and time of your life. These 10 keys are keys to rebuilding, rejuventating and re-wiring your whole system. The keys are further expanded on in your private consultations with Kaya and in the additional private client pages on Postpartum Care. 


10 Keys to a Rejuvenating Postpartum 

  1. ​Rest. Sleep. Stay in the bed. Stay near the bed. Sleep when baby sleeps. While you are sleeping subtle metabolic regeneration takes place, organs regenerate, your brain calms, your nervous system rests and rejuvenates. You've just climbed Mount Everest in the form of building and birthing a baby. You. Must. Rest. 
  2. Warmth. Stay warm. Drink warm drinks. Eat warm foods. Take warm showers and baths. Do warm oil massage. 
  3. Nourishment. Eat well. Eat 4 smallish meals a day. Eat foods that are easily digested, that are appealing to you, that are freshly prepared with natural and healthy ingredients. Eat foods that re-build your body and increase milk, ojas and blood supply {oats, dates, fenugreek, sesame seeds, sweet potatoes, ghee, molasses and so on}. 
  4. Bond. Cuddle with your baby. Do skin to skin. Massage your baby. Stare at your baby. Be amazed. Watch your partner or other loved ones with your baby and fall in love again. This time is very precious. It's intense, you may cry, you may worry. Allow it all, and when you need a break, eat and sleep more. 
  5. Accept Support. Let loved ones help. Do not feel any obligation to anyone other than yourself and your baby. Let your partner or a family member hold baby while you bathe, rest, self-massage. No laundry or cooking for you for 2 weeks either! Your postpartum support might also include massage therapy, acupuncture, a professional housecleaner or cook, food delivery, or family chiropractor. These are great gifts to ask for from people who want to buy you something. 
  6. Postpartum Routine. It will be different from a normal routine, but it's own special routine just the same. 
  7. Make Milk. As you nourish, rest, and bond... along with some botanical support, you will make healthy milk that flows freely!
  8. Mini Time Frames. Postpartum can be broken up into time frames - 1st few days; 2 weeks; 6 weeks; 3 months. 
  9. Botanical Support. You and I will work together to establish what is ideal for your constitution. We will look at herbal teas, herbal massage oil, 
  10. Trust your Mama Intuition. Stay away from fads. Ignore media junk food on "sleep training", "measuring your milk production",  "bouncing back after baby", and so on. Your natural intuition will be to be close to your baby, to pick her up when she cries, to let her be totally dependent, and to nurse on demand. 
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Read Kaya's postpartum story here. 

Kaya is the founder of SRY™ which is based in the full spectrum of the Vedic yoga tradition. She has been teaching therapeutic restorative yoga therapy since 2001. Kaya's work is healing, transformative, deeply rejuvenating and empowers her student and clients with wisdom and inner experience. Her trained in the full spectrum of the Vedic Tradition includes Yoga, Yoga Therapy, Prenatal Yoga, Ayurveda, Women's Health, Eastern Anatomy, Sanskrit, Vedic Astrology and Vedanta Philosophy. She collaborates with her husband Michael Manzella, a Vedic Astrologer, to serve yoga students and teachers who are inclined toward depth of inner experience and knowledge.  MORE ON KAYA
  • About
  • SRY
    • Online Followup for Teachers
    • Online Followup for Teachers
    • Audio SRY Practice with Kaya
    • SRY Fundamentals Course
    • Sharing SRY
    • Agni and Soma Home Study
    • YTT in SRY
  • Ayurveda
    • Join Agni and Soma Nutrition
    • Tridoshic Food List
    • Ayurveda Application
    • Ayurveda Followup
    • Yogify
  • Māyurveda
    • Māyurveda Intake
    • Early Pregnancy
    • Mayurveda Conception Client Pages
    • Māyurveda Prenatal Client Pages
    • Mayurveda Postpartum Pages >
      • Kids Ayurveda
  • Work with Me
    • Retreat Intake
    • Training / Mentoring Intake
    • One on One Intake
  • Audio
    • Shavasana
    • Bhagavad Gita Essentials
  • Contact
    • Resources