Ayurveda explains that all people pass through three major stages in life, each naturally dominated by a different dosha or energetic influence. We can think of that dominant  dosha influence like a special toolbox that equips us with certain skills and strengths, and certain vulnerabilities.  

Childhood, the phase when we build the most bodily tissue, is dominated by Kapha dosha, the embodiment of Earth and Water qualities. Accordingly, this phase is marked by increases in body mass, lubrication and stability. Think of adorable baby fat, perpetual runny noses, and the stubbornness of a toddler.

In our adolescence and young adult years, Pitta dosha gains prominence with its Fire and Water qualities. Pitta’s transformative power is evident in the surge of life-changing hormones at puberty and the awakening of intellectual reasoning and a drive to understand. Pitta’s heat and oiliness can also show up as acne, self-imposed pressure to achieve, and digestive issues like heartburn and hyperacidity. 

Around age fifty, Vāta dosha takes the lead, with its Air and Ether qualities. Vāta’s dryness, mobility. lightness and subtlety can help us lighten up, become less attached to outcomes, and reorient towards the subtle spiritual realm. It can also bring dry skin, constipation, and lighter sleep, and for some it can lead to osteoporosis, neurological issues or degenerative disease.

For women, the transition into this third season of life is heralded by the gradual drop in juicy estrogen and a corresponding irregularity of menses, clear signs of Vāta’s influence. Perimenopause, the years just before the full cessation of menses, is a time of many physical changes, and also an opening for mental and spiritual reorganization.

This mid-life hormonal shift is not pathological – it is a healthy, normal phenomenon for estrogen levels to diminish, just as natural as when they shifted up in puberty. The increase in Vāta qualities is likewise expected. Knowing what to expect and that it’s not a sign of disease can actually make mild symptoms less troubling for some women.

A little Vāta elevation in our system is easily tolerated, but If Vāta gets dramatically elevated, or if Pitta or Kapha also get elevated at this same juncture, that’s when particularly distracting or downright deranging symptoms can arise. 

However, Ayurveda’s framework gives us a logical strategy to help reduce the intensity of symptoms – by applying opposite qualities. To find effective remedies requires understanding the story each symptom is telling, and how to help coax the system back to a place of relative dosha balance. 

The term “balance” here does not imply restoring our estrogen to its previous levels, but rather lowering the aggravation of doshas that are making this natural drop in estrogen so troubling.

Some perimenopausal symptoms can be relieved through specific lifestyle and/or food choices, or by taking herbal tonics or remedies designed to reduce the elevated dosha(s). Of course, each woman’s dosha profile is unique which adds complexity to finding effective solutions and prevents a “one size fits all” treatment plan. We need to find the set of solutions that make a difference for that woman’s unique system.

All women in perimenopause are, by definition, experiencing Vāta elevation, but not all are symptomatic. For some, elevated Vāta can lead to symptoms of its dry, light, mobile, and subtle qualities. This might include dry tissues (eyes, mouth, vaginal tissue), disturbed digestion with gas, bloating and constipation, creaky joints or painful muscles, worry or anxiety, insomnia, brittle bones, or impaired heart health. 

And if Pitta dosha exerts its influence as well, it can cause hot flashes, night sweats, irritability, or anger. If Kapha dosha rises, there can be weight gain, mood dips, a feeling of deep loss, or depression. 

When we take a holistic view of this transition as a natural phase in a woman’s life, we can focus on more than just the physical symptoms (that is, after finding some relief from them!). As a woman moves away from fertility and the potential role of child-rearing (whether she actually raised any children or not), there is a possibility of holding a new focus, of orienting less around others’ needs and more around her own curiosities, unmet goals or life questions. 

For many of us accustomed to inhabiting the lengthy Pitta-dominant life stage in a culture that glorifies achievement, youth, and productivity, it is a profound opportunity to welcome Vāta’s unfamiliar call. If we can soften the Pitta drive for accomplishment that has guided many of our younger decisions and identity, we may find a new horizon beckons. What creative endeavor, or spiritual foray, or new direction for exploration calls us?

Our physiology actually facilitates this re-focus. With less estrogen, which can act as a protective buffer, we simply cannot “push through” as we may have been accustomed to – otherwise we end up exhausted and sick. We encounter new limits that we were blowing past before. We discover we must preserve our resources and be intentional about where we “spend” our energy dollar. 

If we slow down and literally DO less, we can be more generous to our body and better hear our spirit. We can listen for the deeper voice inside that is inviting us into new choices, which may feel foreign or difficult to say out loud. This can be disorienting or even frightening, but it’s a huge opportunity to discover a new freedom and a truer sense of self.  

While we could hold this life stage transition as a loss (and yes, letting go of or grieving the past may be required), we could equally choose to turn towards this new frontier with curiosity and develop clear intentions. We can start to care less what others think. We can make space for a different aspect of our identity to emerge.

In perimenopause, our body is calling us back home to care for what’s ours, to put ourselves closer to the top of our priorities after spending much of our life answering to others’ needs or priorities, or responding only to a narrow band of our own soul’s desires for this life.  It is indeed a great sea-change. We can make it into an empowering initiation into an as-yet-unknown aspect of ourselves.