This episode will be a real treat for those wanting a deeper understanding of what women’s bodies go through during perimenopause and menopause.
But first, let’s introduce Jody…
Jody Vassallo
Jody is a cookbook author, publisher, Ayurvedic Practitioner, Counsellor, Yoga Teacher, and Tilba Chai maker.
Mother to Cliff, her beloved Cattledog, Frankie her aging pony and two scrappy-looking rams and two rogue chooks. Jody lives in dreamy Tilba on the Far South Coast of NSW.
Jody has spent a large chunk of her career as a cookbook author and food stylist. She has written 40 cookbooks and has worn fancy aprons whilst working with the top names in food but is too old now for name-dropping.
Her latest cookbook The Yogic Kitchen introduces people to the world of Ayurveda – the traditional medicine of India) through recipes and practical lifestyle recommendations.
Jody runs seasonal Ayurvedic Women’s Wellness retreats both online and face-to-face around Australia. She helps women of all ages rekindle their passion for food and themselves through nourishing recipes, yoga, honest conversation, vulnerability, and laughter. Jody is passionate about sharing the healing power of ghee, routine, rest, and living a life that changes with the seasons of the world.
Her website is a wealth of knowledge along with recipes, online courses, retreats, and ayurvedic consulting.
Ayurveda and how it relates to perimenopause and menopause is what we will be focusing on in her brilliant conversation with Jody, of which she has 15 years of experience.
What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda stands for the science of life and is the traditional medicine of India, spanning 5,000 years.
Ayurveda encompasses three stages of life, being:
👉🏻 Growth (0-18 years)
👉🏻 Householder (19-45)
👉🏻 Forest dweller (45-end of life)
Perimenopause and menopause fall within the forest dweller phase.
What Jody found as she aged was that there was a calling within herself to spend more time in the transformational householder stage and a real reluctance to let go and move into the forest dweller stage. The more she tried to continue life like a 40-something-year-old and not let go and move into the forest dweller stage, the more her body argued with her. Her body was always winning and she was losing. This presented as:
👉🏻 Heat coming up in the body aka hot flashes
👉🏻 Anxiety
👉🏻 Weight gain
Basically… all the symptoms that occur in perimenopause.
Through this she decided to get really curious and to look at it through the ayurvedic lens and see what were the things women were being as normal for this stage of life, but what wasn’t and how could it be changed to thrive in this next stage of her life.
It is also important to note there are three dosha types in ayurveda which are built up from elements. Ayurveda believes we are made up of five elements, being the five elements that occur in nature: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Space (Ether).
Jody goes into great detail about each ayurveda dosha type and how they can affect those in perimenopause or menopause, so have a listen to the episode for a more in-depth explanation, but in general…
What are the three dosha’s?
Vata Dosha
This is ruled by the elements of air and space (ether) and is the most important dosha because it can send the other two dosha’s off balance.
“Vata types tend to be thin and lanky. They are very mentally and physically active and enjoy creative endeavors, meeting new people, and traveling to new places. When they are balanced, vatas are flexible, have lively imaginations, and are original thinkers. When imbalanced they can get anxious, ungrounded, and can seem “flaky” about fulfilling commitments, sticking to a routine, and completing projects. They tend to run cold and dry and enjoy warm, humid weather. It’s common for vata types to experience cold hands and feet, constipation, dry skin, and cracking joints. The influence of the air element in their constitution causes their energy, mood, and appetite to fluctuate dramatically. For this reason vata types often fail to eat and sleep regularly, swinging from eating heavy foods to ground and sedate themselves, or ingesting stimulants like coffee and sugar to sustain intense physical or mental activity. Insomnia and low immunity are very common problem for the sensitive vata person.”
Pitta Dosha
This is ruled by the elements of fire and water. This makes them…
“… innately strong, intense, and irritable. They tend to have a medium build and endurance with powerful musculature. They often have freckled skin that easily reddens in the sun, during exercise, massage, and when blushing. They are strong willed and good at doing what they think is right. They approach work and play with the same intensity and competitiveness. They are natural leaders and quick learners whose ability to easily comprehend and master new skills and concepts can make them judgmental or impatient toward people they feel are slower or less focused than themselves. They have strong digestion and intense appetites, both for food and challenges. If they miss a meal they are likely to become grumpy and may take a “bite” out of somebody instead. It is common for them to suffer from health conditions such as inflammation, rashes, acne, and loose stool. For balance, pittas need to manage their “fiery” tendencies, channeling them in productive ways and learning to recognize their destructive power.”
Kapha Dosha
“Kapha types have strong frames and are naturally athletic as long they are exercising regularly to manage their tendency to gain weight. The influence of the earth and water elements makes them innately stable, compassionate, and loyal. They appreciate doing things in a methodical, step-by-step manner, and prefer a regular routine in their personal and professional lives. When imbalanced they can become unmotivated, stubborn, and complacent even when change is necessary. Their metabolism tends to be slow and their appetite for both food and stimulation is less intense than vata or pitta types. They benefit from exposing themselves to new environments, people, and occasionally fasting.”
You can also be bi-doshic
“Bi-doshic indicates that you share qualities strongly with two doshic types, and is actually how most of us are. People with dual constitutions (vata-pitta, pitta-kapha, and vata-kapha) are, in a sense, “split.” Under certain conditions, one dosha will predominate and under other circumstances the other dosha will. The best way to manage bi-doshic prakriti is by the season. For example, if you have a vata-pitta or vata-kapha prakriti, during autumn, which is a vata season, you’d follow a vata-decreasing regimen. During warm weather, you’d follow a pitta-decreasing regimen. During the cold and wet season, you’d follow kapha.”
And tri-doshic
“Tri-doshic means having equal amounts of each doshic influence. The tri-doshic person can be very strong, stable, and adaptable when in balance. When they are out of balance, however, they can experience poor health. The key is to preserving your personal balance is to hone your sensitivity for noticing potential imbalances that may arise from your environment or from dietary or emotional imbalances, and to adopt practices that will counter-balance these influences. For example, in autumn, a tri-doshic person would act if they were a person with a vata constitution and follow a vata-balancing lifestyle and diet. The same is true for the other seasons: Employ a pitta-balancing regimen when the weather is hot and a kapha-balancing regimen when the weather is cold and damp.”
Dosha Information Sourced from: https://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/health/intro-ayurveda/
How do you know your own dosha type?
Jody has a chart on her website that you can use to work out which dosha type you are.
What if you’re not in perimenopause or menopause yet?
Even if you aren’t in perimenopause now, it’s important to not only figure out your dosha type but to learn all the things that Jody has detailed in this episode, so that you can know what to look out for when the time comes that you do enter perimenopause and menopause.
Even men go through stages during the middle of their lives
Around the time when women are heading into perimenopause or menopause, men are also going through their own stage of life as they age, where they may be seeking freedom or new connections. It presents differently for men, we are all going through it.
That’s it for Part 1 with Jody Vassallo. Stay tuned for next week for Part 2.
In the meantime, if you want to want to check out all that Jody has to offer, you can do so here:
👉🏻 Website
👉🏻 Facebook
👉🏻 Instagram
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Much love,
Jo & Tracey x
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