19: The Synergy of Nourishment: Cultivating Resilience and Balance Through Ayurveda with Christine Eck
I am excited to welcome Christine Eck, a dedicated postpartum caregiver, specialist, and Ayurvedic practitioner, as my guest. Christine founded the Center for Sacred Window Studies, an organization at the forefront of reviving traditional, conscious care for the postpartum period. She believes that prioritizing support for caregivers and promoting holistic healing for birthing individuals is the key to meaningful change. Since founding the center, she has certified hundreds of conscious postpartum caregivers and fostered a thriving alumni and professional community.
In this episode, we explore nourishment for postpartum mothers and their caregivers. We look at ways to support new mothers with their postpartum digestive health, much like the care required for supporting digestion after taking antibiotics, and offer plenty of valuable insights beyond postpartum care as we dive into the aspects of postpartum digestive rehabilitation that support post-surgery recovery or illnesses affecting the digestive system. We also provide a wealth of practical knowledge as Christine and I share our favorite kitchen tools, simple recipes for digestive recovery, and tips for organizing a meal train to support a postpartum family.
Christine is a leading advocate for compassionate change in caregiving and supporting new families. Join us! There is much to learn and apply, even for listeners not connected to the postpartum community.
The Impact of Postpartum Changes on Digestion
The postpartum period is like a blowout for the body, especially for the vatadosha, which governs movement and space. The transition after childbirth causes a digestive disruption due to the shifts in physical and energetic space. The key is to ground vata to restore digestion and return the body to a balanced state.
Ayurveda and Postpartum Digestion
Ayurveda highlights that the digestive fire is low postpartum, making it challenging to process complex foods. Simple, easy-to-digest meals are best, as they gradually allow the body to regain its digestive capacity without adding stress. Ayurveda recommends light, nourishing foods that are easy to digest, like rice soups and porridge.
Avoiding Overly Complex Foods
Avoid heavy foods like meat and greens in the immediate postpartum period, as they can aggravate vata and cause digestive discomfort. Greens, in particular, can disturb the digestive process due to their bitter, cold, and astringent qualities. Instead, Ayurveda encourages gradually introducing these foods in balanced ways, like in soups, where they are cooked and complemented with grounding ingredients like ghee.
Simplifying Postpartum Cooking
The key to successful postpartum cooking is simplicity. The idea is to have easy, comforting foods available, particularly in periods when energy is low. These meals can easily be prepared by others, so the burden of cooking is reduced.
Essential Foods for the Postpartum Pantry
Items like red rice, baby greens like spinach and kale, and mung beans should be stocked for easy postpartum meals, as those ingredients are easy to prepare and gentle on the digestive system. Incorporating ginger, cumin, and cinnamon in meals can help digestion and reduce bloating. Sweet potatoes, beets, and root vegetables like carrots and daikon radishes help to nourish the body during recovery.
Utilizing Spices and Broths
Incorporating spices and broths into meals enhances their medicinal properties. Combining cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger can add flavor while aiding digestion. Bone broth, or vegetable broth for vegetarians, is especially beneficial in the postpartum period, helping to restore lost nutrients and build blood. They can be made in advance and stored, making them an ideal food for new mothers who may not have enough energy to cook.
Ghee and Healthy Fats for Postpartum Recovery
Ghee is an essential fat in Ayurvedic healing, particularly for digestion. It helps lubricate the digestive system and supports the nervous system during the challenging postpartum period. Incorporating ghee in milk tonics or soups can help regulate digestion and provide the body with needed fat. Other healthy fats, like butter or olive oil, can also be beneficial.
Nutritional Support for Blood Building
Stewed fruits like raisins, prunes, and dates are excellent for mothers struggling with anemia postpartum. When combined with spices like cinnamon and ginger, those fruits can help build blood and improve digestion. Bone broth also plays a crucial role in replenishing blood, especially for those who have experienced significant blood loss during childbirth. New mothers can make bone broth and stewed fruits in advance and store them to ensure they have the nourishment they need when they cannot cook.
Milk Tonics
Drinking warm milk with ghee and spices is a traditional Ayurvedic remedy that provides comfort and sustenance during the postpartum period. Milk tonics support milk production and recovery after childbirth. They are easy to prepare by combining high-quality milk with ghee, spices, and sweeteners like jaggery or maple syrup to help increase milk supply while nourishing the body.
Preparing for Postpartum Nutrition
Preparation is the key to making postpartum nutrition manageable. Having a stock of nutritious, easy-to-prepare foods allows new mothers to focus on recovery and bonding with their babies without the added stress of complicated meal prep. Make spice blends, store them, and prepare broths and other meals in advance. That can save mothers time and effort when the baby arrives.
Embodied Learning and Integration
While we can learn concepts through reading and courses, understanding comes from integrating knowledge through direct experience. Christine believes we can learn Ayurveda best through practices like Abhyanga (oil massage), which supports digestion and the nervous system. These ancient practices create a cycle where everything supports the following action, fostering balance and healing in the body.
Postpartum Care and the Sacred Window
The postpartum period often gets referred to as the sacred window. During this time, honoring the body's wisdom can accelerate healing, even reversing some aging effects. Christine recommends using oil on the skin to aid in this healing process, as it is a time when the body is primed to heal fastest.
Nourishment and Presence in Caregiving
Attend to your self-care as it will enhance your ability to care for others with patience, compassion, and resilience. Focusing on your food and how it impacts your senses is a vital practice for staying grounded and connected. Food can even become a spiritual practice for those who remain present during meals, appreciate the nourishment, and engage fully with their senses.
The Ayurvedic Focus on Self-Knowledge
Ayurveda helped Christine reconnect with her body and its needs. Through Ayurveda, she learned to tune into her body signals and respond accordingly, fostering a sense of empowerment. That self-awareness, especially during transitions like postpartum, allows individuals to feel in control of their health and healing.
Bio:
Christine Eck, Founder and Director of the Center for Sacred Window Studies
Healing After Birth | Postpartum Caregiving | Ayurveda | Thriving in Motherhood | The Universal Mother Principles
Christine’s passion is accessing the subtle and unique keys to healing and vitality. She is a busy mother to 4 boys and practices her skills daily.
Christine is an Ayurvedic Health Consultant, a Birth and Postpartum Doula, and the Founder of the Center for Sacred Window Studies, an education platform for Conscious Postpartum Care inspired by Ayurveda and other universal traditions around the world. She established the Universal Mother Principles as a way of accessing the foundational qualities of giving and receiving effective care.
The Center for Sacred Window Studies certifies postpartum caregivers from around the world in their online and in-person training programs. Christine runs the Sacred Window Podcast and blog, along with hosting monthly educational events to build awareness and educational opportunities for people who work with and support new families. Christine features in many podcasts, publications, and summits, including USA Today, Orgasmic Birth, and Birthing from Within.
Links and Resources:
Ayurvedic Living Community Membership
Cleanse Certification Training
Center for Sacred Window Studies
Sacred Window Studies on Instagram
Sacred Window Studies on Facebook
You can study with the Center for Sacred Window Studies in various ways. They have an online certification course, a hands-on training course, and a one-on-one business mentoring program for postpartum caregivers. They also offer many free events and resources throughout the year, and they have a free Sacred Window Sacred Journey Landing Course, which is a great place to dip your feet in.