WiseWomanhood School

Supporting Women - Body, Mind, & Soul

Menstrual Health

Deepening through Female Initiations

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You can view a woman’s life cycles as a series of initiations into a new state of being, a higher consciousness. When you look at them this way, they become more than a troublesome change. They become an opportunity for your soul to grow.

The phases that women go through are:  Menarche, Menstrual cycling, Female Orgasm, Pregnancy, Postpartum, Perimenopause, Menopause and Later Menopause.  Intertwined with these is Creativity.

These stages have been correlated by the author Uma Dinsmore-Tuli with the traditional Tantric Mahavidya or Wisdom Goddesses.  Most of these Goddesses are very fierce looking, ready to shock you out of your everyday patterns into a state of newness, making them excellent for Female Initiations.

This beautiful graph is from the amazing book Yoni Shakti,by Uma Dinsmore-Tuli,PhD. It clearly illustrates the relationship of the Mahavidyas to the Female Life Cycles:

We can use the teachings of the Mahavidya to bring more awareness to Female Cycles, making them more than physical experiences which are often uncomfortable.

If you’d like to learn from my research and journeys with the Female Cycles and the Mahavidyas, as well as from other women on the journey, join my upcoming live, zoom class in February. We’ll go beyond the mind and enter into the subtle worlds to contact each Goddess for personalized teachings.

I also highly recommend the amazing book Yoni Shakti by Uma Dinsmore-Tuli  , the major inspiration for my own work to learn more and share about her great paradigm.  She delves deeply into women and yoga and also offers wonderful womb yoga techniques for each cycle of womanhood.

Learn more about the Mahavidyas and Women’s Powers class

GETTING TO THE ROOTS OF YOUR MENSTRUAL CRAMPS

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Getting to the Roots of Your Menstrual Cramps with Terra Rafael

Have an easy to understand Ayurvedic explanations of why women have different types of menstrual cramps and some self care measures. An alternative to hormonal treatments that don’t cure, but cover symptoms.

45 minutes of Video

Self Care of Menstrual Problems – PDF

For further information, learn more in these courses:

Menstrual and Fertility Health with Ayurveda

Optimal Menstrual Health and Treating Menstrual Disorders

OPTIMAL MENSTRUAL HEALTH with Ayurveda

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Created for health professionals, this video class ( 5+ hours and 75 pages of notes) offers Ayurveda and midwifery perspectives on the menstrual process and how to support it. Optional Certificate of Completion available with written exam.  If you want a less intensive and technical class on Menstrual Health try:  Menstrual and Fertility Health with Ayurveda    or on Menstrual Cramps try:  Getting to the Roots of Your Menstrual Cramps . You can also schedule a private consultation with Terra Rafael .

  • the displaced uterus
  • keys to menstrual health
  • self-care between and during the menstrual period

If you are new to Ayurveda, at least take the class Beginning Ayurveda before this one.

The section on treatment of menstrual disorders with Ayurveda shares foods, habits, and herbs to avoid or use for specific disorders. Covers:

  • How menstrual disorders effect  genital organs
  • Amenorrhea and case study
  • PCOS and case study
  • Dysmenorrhea
  • Dysfunctional uterine bleeding with case study
  • Fibroids/Ovarian Cysts with case study
  • Endometriosis and Adenomyosis with cases
  • Premenstrual syndrome/Hormonal Mood Swings with cases

Class Includes:

Notes for Optimal Menstrual Health & Treating Menstrual Disorders with Ayurveda (PDF)

Video 1 – Menstrual Health – Female Anatomy Review Development of sexual organs; changes during menstrual cycles; the broad ligament; uterine layers; muscular layers of uterus; relationships of internal organs; lymph, nervous system ( 5 min:40sec)Video 2 – Menstrual Health – Female Cycles Review Usual cycle; normal cycle length variations; many interacting female cycles- hormonal endometrial; ovarian; cervical; uterine position; estrogen functions; progesterone functions; Interplay of hormones before and after ovulation; development of ovum; actual ovulation photos;  long-term egg quality formation; endometrial cycle with ovarian cycles;  cervical mucus cycle;  photos of women’s cervices throughout the monthly cycle; Uterine movements due to hormonal changes; How cycles coordinate over time. (11min:33 sec)

Video 3 – Menstrual Health – According to Ayurveda  Doshas, tissues, channels:  Doshas and the reproductive; Tissues; Shukravaha srotas / Artavavaha srotas; Determining Healthy Artava/Female Shukra; Causes of Vitiation; Factors for A healthy womb and ovaries ; The yoni; yoni mudra practice; herbal sitz bath practice; marma points (42 min:50 sec

Video 4 – Dysfunctional Positioning of the Uterus   Symptoms, causes, variations, a vata problem – can push into congestion (K) or inflammation (P) as well (34 min)

Video 5 – Terra’s Keys to Menstrual Health   Includes Honoring Menstrual Cycles with Song (13 Min

Video 6 – Self Care Recommendations  Self Care Recommendations For Between Moon Times ; Self Care Recommendations During Moon Times; (13:11 min )

Video 7 – Treating Menstrual Problems with Ayurveda   (2 hrs: 52 min)

Video 8 – Treating Menstrual Problems – Endometriosis and Adenomyosis  (16 min )

Video 9 – Treating Menstrual Problems – PreMenstrual Syndrome  (25 min )

Optional exam for a Certificate of Completion

How to Receive a Certificate of Completion

Optimal Menstrual Health with Ayurveda Class

  1. Read the notes and View the Video Classes
  2. Take the Written Exam and email it to Terra Rafael at wisewomanhood@gmail.com , including your name and email address
  3. Terra will review your exam, make comments, and, if you have demonstrated your understanding in the exam, email you a Certificate of Completion which you can apply to Continuing Education Credits, such as NAMA PACE.

You may also want mentoring with Terra to discuss questions or your individual client cases.

YOUR FEMALE CYCLES EXPLAINED

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with Terra Rafael

Women have so many female cycles within their “period” – many not really known to them. We have menstrual, ovarian, hormonal, uterine movement, fertile fluid, and temperature cycles and their components.  All of them interact to create the menstrual-fertility cycle. To have healthy periods and fertility you need all of these cycles to be working well. When some are off, they are symptoms that give us information about where we need to bring balance.

By understanding these cycles YOUR cycles may make more sense and you can take an active role in making your cycles healthier. 11+ minutes that could change your life!

Be sure to see Female Anatomy Revealed for understanding more about your body.

AYURVEDA FOR EVERY WOMAN

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Series with Terra Rafael

This 6 hour class series will support greater women’s health for you. It  covers Ayurveda and midwifery Teachings on:

  • Menstrual & Fertility Health; (2 hours)
  • Supporting Pregnancy, Birth & Postpartum (2 hours); and
  • Graceful Menopause (2 hours).

Slides from Women’s Health with Ayurveda included for your further study:

  • Session 1 -Female Anatomy Slides
  • Session 1 -Female Cycle Slides
  • Session 1 – Female Fertility Concerns Slides
  • Session 2 – Pregnancy Slides
  • Session 2 – Labor and Birth Slides
  • Session 3 – Menopause w Ayurveda Slides

(Also available as separate classes :  Menstrual & Fertility Health  Pregnancy, Birth & Postpartum with Ayurveda  Graceful Menopause ) First offered at the Colorado Ayurvedic Medicine Association, some knowledge of Ayurveda recommended.

If you are new to Ayurveda first take Beginning Ayurveda to get the most out of this course.

MENSTRUAL & FERTILITY HEALTH w Ayurveda

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with Terra Rafael

Menstrual & Fertility Health with Ayurveda.  This 2 hour class discusses understanding healthy menstrual & fertility,  and treating menstrual and fertility problems in women.

Some knowledge of Ayurveda is assumed in this 2 hour lecture, originally given at the Colorado Ayurvedic Medicine Association. If you need to learn Ayurveda, see the Learn the Language of Nature -Ayurveda Series for an overview.

You may want to watch the whole series Women’s Health with Ayurveda