Preparing for
Your Sacred window.
Welcome, mama to your 9th month of pregnancy.
“After birth, there’s a sacred window of time. A time for complete rejuvenation of a woman’s physical, mental and spiritual health. A time for deep, extended bonding with her newborn. The first 42 days after birth set the stage for her next 42 years.”
-Ysha Oakes, Postpartum Ayurvedic Doula, Founder of The Sacred Window School
we are here to prepare you for your sacred window; to ensure you have everything you need to feel nourished, supported, and cared for. So that you can gracefully step into your role, as mother.
What’s in my box?
After pregnancy and birth, there is a 42 day window of opportunity to restructure the entire physiology of a mother’s body, setting yourself up for a lifetime of good health. Honor your postpartum Sacred Window with these essential support tools, prepared and packaged just for you, mama!
This month, you received:
Honor: Postpartum Abhyanga Oil
This exquisite abhyanga oil is made to honor new mamas. Infused with multiple types of roses and rose powders, along with the supporting and strength-giving herbs of ashwagandha and other supporting herbs this abhyanga oil will support you in your new motherhood. While ashwagandha gently serves simple nervous tension, while the others strengthen the tissues of the body, rose assists in opening the emotional heart and processing grief.
Postpartum Herbal Bath
Ayurveda recommends that new mothers take warm, herbal baths everyday for 6 weeks following childbirth. Herbs may provide many benefits for both mother and baby including soothing the nervous system, boosting immunity, and supporting the healing of tissues. This special herbal bath blend is made to honor your sacred window while supporting your daily healing.
Ingredients*: Lavender flowers, chamomile flowers, red rose petals, linden flowers, oatstraw, raspberry leaf, nettle, red clover, yarrow, cramp bark, plantain leaf, uva ursi, neem leaf, comfrey, blue corn flowers, blue lotus
*100% Organic Ingredients.
Belly Wrap Cloth
Traditionally, belly wrapping is done with a long piece of cotton cloth, wrapped many times around your entire torso and hips. This secure container supports your organs in returning to their pre-pregnancy size and position, helping you to heal faster and more completely. It also brings a feeling of emotional and physical stability and support.
Cotton Muslin cloth 18x1ft.
Fortify: Yoni Picchu + Basti Oil
Basti is a traditional method of Ayurveda for healing the perineal tissues and the body after childbirth. Fortify: Yoni Picchu + Basti Oil, when used with this practice, will internally lubricate the tissues of the body and facilitate healing, alleviate vata from the colon and pelvis, and maintain a state of calm in the nervous system.
Nurture: Womb Oil
This blend of organic sesame oil is infused with eleven different herbs that support the newly postpartum mother in nurturing her womb space after birth. The time period immediately following birth and lasting for at least six weeks after is an extremely vulnerable time for a new mother. The physical womb and emotional womb begins a journey of returning to a state of emptiness, and the body, mind, and emotional heart of the mother must integrate and embody her newly found motherhood. These herbal allies assist women on this vulnerable journey.
Ingredients: Organic sesame oil, organic brahmi oil, ashoka, shatavari, shankapushpi, red rose petals, pink rose powder, blue lotus, chamomile flowers, lavender flowers, sandalwood powder
100% Organic Ingredients.
Belly Paste
In Ayurveda, the tradition is to cover a postpartum mama’s abdomen with a fragrant herbal paste made of spices and essential oils. This Ayurvedic mix of organic spices is healing and warming to the skin. It will help brighten the skin, and may eliminate excess water/fat and aid the belly wrapping practice to recondition the postpartum tummy.
Ingredients: Ginger powder, cardamom powder, turmeric powder, cinnamon powder.
100% Organic Ingredients.
Panchakola Ghee
According to Ayurveda, during childbirth the birthing mother’s fire of digestion is completely extinguished. This ancient formula rekindles the digestive fire, supporting both mother and baby in their new bodies.
Ingredients: Organic ghee, ginger powder, black pepper, chitrak, pippali.
100% Organic Ingredients.
Sweetwater Lactation Tea
This simple tea taken daily is one of Ayurveda’s most potent lactation supports. Made as a weak, hydrating tea, these herbal seeds support breastmilk production from day one.
Ingredients: Organic fennel seeds, organic fenugreek seeds.
100% Organic Ingredients.
Dashamula Tea
Dashamula, meaning “ten roots,” is a deeply grounding formula that brings vata dosha into balance in the lower region of the body. During birth, as the baby exits the womb, the womb space that was previously filled, immediately becomes empty, filling with the elements of space and air (vata). To help remove this excess of vata from the body, dashamula is traditionally taken daily after childbirth.
Ingredients: Bilva fruit (Aegle marmelos), Agnimantha root (Premna integrifolia), Shyonaka root (Oroxylum indicum), Patala root (Stereospermum suaveolens), Kashmari root (Gmelina arborea), Bruhati herb (Solanum indicum), Kantakari herb (Solanum xanthocarpum), Shalaparni herb (Desmodium gangeticum), Prushniparni herb (Uraria picta), Gokshura fruit (Tribulus terrestris).
100% Organic Ingredients.
Postpartum Flower Essence
Flower essences are made from the flowers of plants at the peak of their bloom. They contain the spiritual essence of the plant and address issues in the body on a mental, emotional, and spiritual level. This Inner Sun and Moon proprietary blend assists in a gentler post-birth recovery or brings relief to those experiencing a difficult post-birth recovery.
To Use: Take 3-5 drops on the tongue or in water each day or as needed until the bottle runs out.
Engorgement Ease
This homeopathic remedy combined with flower essences relieves engorgement of the breasts in the first few days following birth, helps a new mama adjust to the major changes occurring in her life, and encourages her unconditional love towards her newborn baby.
*Products are subject to change depending on personalization
Read Krsna Jivani’s
Light on the Sacred Window
This booklet covers all of the basics on the postpartum Sacred Window from the perspective of Ayurveda. She discusses the importance of rest and self care during postpartum; introduces the Universal Mother Principles that will be used throughout every pillar of care; provides insight on how to prepare for postpartum; shares blessing-way activities you can do ahead of time with friends; explains how each of the three Ayurvedic doshas show up during postpartum, and how they can become imbalanced; shares Ayurvedic and Herbal remedies for common imbalances during postpartum; as well as shares recipes, poems, and more!
Ayurveda Mama Downloads
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Sacred Window Basics List
This compiled list is your starting guide to the Sacred Window.
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Dear partner
A letter to your closest support person. How does having a baby change your relationship? What can your partner do to support you in this time? What do they need to understand from your perspective? Read through this PDF together and discuss the changes that will be coming soon!
The pillar of rest.
“Birth is an initiation for the mother every time a new child is born. It is said that she is reborn the moment her child is born. A new mother is basically as delicate and fragile as her newborn.
Her heart is open to a new depth and her spirit is set toward unconditional love and unconditionally serving another being.
She is very, very delicate and can easily be knocked out of balance. She is very, very open & receptive, and therefore easily effected.
Everything in her life needs to be restructured after giving birth. Her body needs to physically restructure after pregnancy & birth, her mind/emotions/spirit are completely changed by the journey of labor & birth along with the depth of love she feels for her newborn, her relationship with her partner and with herself are inevitably different now that there is a new baby, her routine and schedule are different now. Nearly every aspect of her life is in the process of restructuring.
For all these reasons, a rare opening occurs in her life where she can call in any reality she wants. These first 42 days after birth are considered a SACRED WINDOW in her life. Ayurveda says what happens during these 42 days affect her health, well-being, ability to mother & partner for the next 42 years. This is a crossroad in her life. She can either take the path of deep rejuvenation or the path of deep depletion. Everything she does, everything she eats, etc. during these 42 days forms the foundation of what her next 42 years will look like, what her role as a mother will look like, what her relationship with her partner will look like, what her health will be like. Ayurveda calls this a kayakalpa window.
Kayakalpa is a set of specific therapies mentioned in Vedic texts, that can actually reverse the physical degeneration caused by age. The treatments literally transform old cells to new again. Kayakalpa is a true science of “rejuvenation” – to make young again…. If a woman receives this type of support after birth, deep rejuvenation occurs, her body recovers beautifully from pregnancy and birth, and she is able to heal things physically/mentally/emotionally/spiritually from before she was even pregnant. She forms a deep bond with her baby, her relationship with her partner takes on a new depth, she feels strong, grounded, calm as she enters motherhood.
If she does not receive support after birth, we see that deep depletion tends to occur. This is where we see postpartum depression, anxiety, psychosis, rapid aging, mastitis, colic in the baby, trouble bonding with baby, seeds of relationship issues are planted with her partner, seeds of future health issues are planted within her body.”
—Insight from Sarva Mangala devi-dasi, Ayurdoula and Teacher, Inner Sun and Moon
The Principles of REST according to Ayurveda—
• New mothers need 42 days of rest (+2 additional weeks after a cesarean birth)
• The new mother stays home for 42 days & baby stays in the mother’s auric field, especially with skin-to-skin contact
• Mama & baby stay in their NEST – cozy, WARM, comfortable, no drafts, beautiful, quiet, low light, low stimulation
• Mama & baby stay inside the house for two weeks, at two weeks they may go out as far as the backyard
• No driving for the 42 days
• No grocery shopping or running errands
• Mama is encouraged to stay off her feet as much as possible – other people need to be cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, doing dishes, taking out trash, running errands, grocery shopping, etc.
• Mama should aim to nap twice a day while baby naps
• No violent movies or disturbing conversations
• Bring life and beauty in to the home like, flowers, rose water, etc.
• Moving homes or traveling causes too much vata aggravation during this time
The pillar of diet.
After childbirth, the fire of digestion is completely extinguished in a mother’s body. This digestive fire has to be carefully tended to over the six week period following birth, to slowly rebuild it up to it’s usual strength.
If our digestive fire is weak, our body cannot properly assimilate the food we are eating. So, instead of our food turning into nutrients that nourish our tissues, the undigested food turns into ama, or toxins, in the body.
This is why it is common for new mother’s to experience constipation, bloating and gas, as well as anxiety, depression, and overwhelm due to undigested emotional experiences.
Since baby’s body is directly affected by mama’s body (and even more-so for breastfeeding mamas, but still true for all babes), the mother’s weak digestion combined with improper food can lead to baby having gas, bloating, upset tummy, and over time can lead to colic.
A build up of ama in the body can also lead to long term health problems that last much longer than the postpartum window.
This is why it is so important for you to be nourished through your food during your sacred window. Your body will be sensitive, open, and vulnerable during this time; which means it is easy to throw off balance, but it is also easy to nourish your body deeply with the right foods, herbs, spices, and practices.
By following these nutritional guidelines, you will establish a foundation of good health for yourself, and your babe, for decades to come.
The pillar of Herbs.
The herbs we use in the postpartum time are going to—
● aid digestion ● support Agni (digestive fire) ● rebuild ● strengthen ● calm ● soothe the nervous system ● nourish all the tissues of the body ● balance hormones ● provide emotional support ● support lactation ● remove excess Vata ● rejuvenate (rasayana) ● cleanse the body’s channels of ama ● support cleansing of womb & womb healing.
Panchakola Ghee: 1 spoonful is given immediately after birth by itself to jumpstart digestive fire; 2-3 tablespoons or more are recommended daily for at least the first 4-5 days after birth. Add to long cooked first days’ rice pudding or variations on that, then enjoy in foods, nourishing drinks and desserts.
Dashamula (Dashmool) Decoction: Begin day 1, for 42 days; drink 1/4 cup in the morning and 1/4 cup before bed at night
Sweetwater Lactation Tea: Begin day 1, drink 4-8 cups daily for 42 days or more. Continue to drink this or variations on this theme daily while breastfeeding.
The pillar of massage and belly binding.
Ayurvedic postpartum body care for mama includes daily warm oil massage (called abhyanga), belly binding, and herbal baths.
Daily Body Care Sequence
1. Abhyanga
2. Wrap the belly
3. Lay down in bed with a hot water bottle (Fomentek brand: fomentek.com) over the belly & potentially on the back as well.
4. Soak in an herbal bath later in the day after the abhyanga oil has had time to soak into the skin.
Self-Abhyanga Tips
• Put an old towel on the floor underneath you for comfort during your abhyanga & to make easy clean up afterward
• Notice where oil is absorbing into the skin faster & keep adding extra oil there
• Feather light pressure against the direction of hair growth anywhere on the body dissolves emotions that have become stuck in the body
• If you have more time, you can do 5-10 strokes or circles instead of 3 to bring the oil deeper into the body
• You can also do more detail at the hands and feet or spend more time where you feel like you need it
• Small circles over the sacrum is really nice and grounding • Small circles over the kidneys is nourishing and helps repair depletion
• Very light weight strokes up and down the spine with the palm of the hand soothes the nervous system
• Remember to use the palm of your hand more than your fingers, have short clean fingernails, have the room warm & free of drafts
• Leave the oil on at least 20 minutes but several hours or overnight is even better
• Wear old clothes or hat/scarf that you don’t mind getting oily to keep the oil on longer
• Soaking in a bath afterward deepens the effects of the abhyanga
• Wash hair with shampoo twice if you need to get all the oil out of your hair & potentially take a shower after your bath if you have too much extra oil still on the skin—however, it is best for new mothers to keep their hair oily and keep some of the oil on their body whenever they can
• Always be careful, it can get slippery in the bath tub with all that oil!
• Wipe the extra oil out of the bath tub with an old hand towel afterward for easiest & quick clean up.
How To Wrap The Belly The Ayurvedic Way
Start with one end of the cloth at the side of one hip and wrap diagonally up toward the opposite ribs. Bring the cloth straight across the back to the other side of the ribcage and then cross in front back toward the opposite hip from where you started. Continue in this crossing pattern, occasionally twisting a single twist at the sides of the body to give extra support and to help the cloth angle diagonally more easily. Wrap from the hips up to the bra line. The wrap should be simultaneously firm and gentle — you should feel firmly supported but be able to breathe and move around easily. Think of it as wrapping a sprained wrist with an ace bandage.
Please Note! It is important to think of pulling the belly up as you wrap it with the belly bind cloth. If we wrap with a downward pressure, it can be too much downward pressure on the already weakened pelvic floor after birth.
Benefits are received after only 20 minutes of wearing a belly wrap, and you can wear it as often as 24/7 during the 6 weeks postpartum if it suits you to do so. Aim to wear it 10-12 hours daily to start & see how it suits you. If you want to belly bind daily for 6 weeks you will want to have 3-5 cloths on hand. It is safe to wrap your belly if you have had a cesarean incision so long as it is comfortable AND you have approval from your doctor.