By Guest contributor Noriko Morimoto
I had always heard that a woman’s menstrual cycle goes for about 28 to 30 days. But since I first started my period, I have never enjoyed that kind of regularity. There were times when I would have my period just once a year. When it did come, it was preceded by extreme PMS. Sometimes I would experience depression so heavy that I would have suicidal thoughts. These intense emotions would go away as soon as my period came, leaving me confused and scared for the next time. This was no way to live.
I knew that the irregularity of my cycles and the mood swings that came with them was a sign that my body was not functioning properly. Western medicine offered few solutions. Other alternative healing methods didn’t change much. But I found a path to Ayurveda, one that led me to Hale Pule’s Panchakarma Home Therapy and a greater feeling of health.
Panchakarma was not as hard as I expected
When I learned that Panchakarma Home Therapy was a process of purification and detoxification, I imagined that it would be 10 days of suffering and hunger. It was actually very simple. And I didn’t feel hungry because of the daily kitchari. The positive changes came immediately. I usually retain a lot of water, but after the sixth day, I noticed that I looked sharper in my face and my clothes fit looser. But the biggest difference was on the ninth day. I was meditating and I felt a sensation of unity that I had never experienced before in my life. It was as if the cells in my body had come into alignment. It was a powerful place that I wanted to keep coming back to.
I got my period soon after I completed panchakarma, and it was lighter and much easier than I had experienced before. It lasted for just four days, much shorter than in the past.
I was nervous to go back to work after the program ended. My job can be very hectic, but even with the constant pace of telephone calls and emails, I felt a sense of peace on that first day back. The things that used to make me tense didn’t bother me so much anymore. My coworkers noticed too. A few of them said I looked like a completely different person. That reflected to me how imbalanced I had been before, and how the unity I had experienced during my meditation was showing on the outside too.
Guided panchakarma
I live in Japan and Hale Pule is in Hawaii, but I felt very well taken care of throughout the process of Panchakarma Home Therapy. The consultation was thorough, and the program was very well organized so I had very little concern about the whole process from the beginning. I could get my questions answered in a very prompt manner, and found everything I needed on Amazon or a local store. It was surprising how easy it was to complete on my own panchakarma program with guidance from afar. And by planning my Panchakarma Home Therapy over our national holiday of Golden Week, I only had to take a few additional days off work to get the space I needed to heal. I was also informed that I could get help in Japanese as well if requested.
Doing Panchakarma Home Therapy was very good for my health and life overall. My periods have continued with more regularity, and the peace of mind, which was something I had not expected to come out of the program, stayed as well. I’ve kept up with many of the practices I learned, such as tongue scraping and neti and nasya. And now that I know how how easy it is to cook kitchadi, I love making it as a regular meal.
I am very pleased with the results overall. Completing Panchakarma Home Therapy gave me much more than a regular menstrual cycle with few PMS symptoms. It reminded me of how my body is supposed to work, and created a sense of calm that has benefited all other areas of my life.