Beautiful Woman, 

What if I were to tell you that there is a time-tested ancient blue print that carries a formula, personal to your metabolic make-up, which can support you to sustain vitality and longevity in body and mind? And that there are ways to nurture your connection to that primordial feminine force which is the source of your very existence as a woman? It is a force which runs through and around your womb and the womb of all female species on this planet, giving us all a uniquely feminine spirit of nurturance, love and compassion. It  is a force which is in male species too of course, but is more active in women as the mothering force in this world. It lends power to the female form, mind and heart and, when we deepen our connection to it, brings a sense of personal empowerment, joy and the energy to realise our greatest dreams and aspirations. 

Ayurveda offers such a promise. Ayurveda understands that there is a primordial female force, or Shakti energy, that is at the heart of this manifest world and that animates all that moves in the world. It is the creative power from which all forms are manifest. As such it is the Mother energy at work in the Universe. Ayurveda teaches us that by aligning our biorhythms with nature’s rhythms and the movements of Shakti energy, by paying attention to the solar and lunar cycles, the seasons, and their junctures, the phases of the moon, and all transitional times of year and life, we do much to build and conserve this Shakti energy for our ongoing well-being, not only physically but also spiritually.

Aligning with the forces of sun and moon at play in nature, and thereby building our Shakti energy (our innate feminine primeval force), we support our female health including our menstrual cycle, our fertility and the ease with which we pass through life’s changes such as peri-menopause and menopause. (For more on this please read my blog on Ayurveda, Women and the Moon) Our nutritional and herbal programmes are more effective when supported by the foundation of such aligned living. We also find we begin to deepen our connection to positive female qualities – love, compassion, wisdom, nurturance, kindness, sharing abundantly, understanding, forgiveness – as we build more inner harmony through such aligned living. These qualities begin to grow within us, meaning we can offer them more readily to ourselves and others, and this deepening of our connection to Shakti energy, we notice these nurturing feminine qualities also flooding towards us as expressions of that one Divine Feminine principle that carries, nurtures and sustains all living beings when they surrender to and embrace her ways. 

The result of shifting our inner rhythms in accord with those of Mother Nature, is a life of greater strength, resilience and vitality. With sustained energy, and clarity and positivity of mind, we find renewed and/or strengthened sense of purpose. And we find our naturally joyful, loving heart which effortlessly expresses the kindness, compassion, and wisdom: the heart that we all know is the source of our being though feels so out of reach when we are not living in accord with it’s natural ways.

At this critical time on our planet and in our societies, honouring and sustaining the Shakti energy within us and throughout nature seems to me to be the urgent call to all women. For too long the masculine principle has dominated and the effects on our planet and on the well-being of communities and individuals has been devastating. In our increasingly unnatural ways, we have more than ever before but are probably more unhappy and unhealthy than ever, and our planet has become sick with us. The feminine principle cannot do this.It is a creative force. By her nature she cannot. And remember this is not about men and women. It is about the masculine and feminine principles. And there are positive and negative sides to each. The Shakti force runs through men as I have written above, but in women it is more awakened. We are the mothers in this world:and our innate (positive) qualities are of the mother – energy. Our spirituality is more naturally aligned then perhaps with the Cosmic Mother, the creative power behind all in this manifest natural world. 

By aligning with this creative, nurturing force that permeates all of nature and adapting our ways to Her ways and rhythms, we can sustain greater female health. In awakening our physical and mental strength, and in owning our feminine spirit through this deeper connection to the cosmic feminine force we have called Shakti, as women we can bring new and much needed nurturance and healing to our families, our communities, and society at large  You may think what difference can I make? Well…. consider when a pebble is thrown into a pond. Just as the pebble creates a ripple effect, so we create a vibration by our movement in this world, for better or for worse. Gathering collectively as women to re-awaken to this feminine principle, we can create big positive healing ripples! In fact, women are gathering collectively all over the globe these days to reclaim the positive female spirit.

It takes some work. Hence women gather collectively and support each other. There are the negative and positive female forces at work within us, (and also the negative and positive male forces). Though Ayurveda would tell us that our true nature, which reveals itself through a life in harmony with nature, is comprised of all those positive forces of the feminine heart. There are practices to help us awaken to those healing forces, and we are working with these the Ayurveda Woman programme. 

When I was at University in London, there was some graffiti on a toilet door which I have never forgotten. It read something like:

“Enlighten one man, and you enlighten one human being. Enlighten a woman, and you enlighten the whole world.”

I do not know where this quote originates from but I always chose that loo (ha ha!). I liked the quote and used to ponder it like a koan to be solved. One thing I was certain of, is that it spoke to the fact that when a woman transforms, the ripple effects are far reaching. The nature of our role in family make it so, and now increasingly our roles in society allow us to effect great change. It has to start in our own hearts though, with a change in our consciousness. True and lasting change cannot come from the promotion or forcing of ideas for change. This is the old way of the negative aspect of male energy. Living in alignment with nature’s rhythms as Ayurveda suggests and nurturing an inner harmony this way, we awaken to the feminine spirit and force I have been speaking of. Supported by the Ayurveda Woman practices, we find a richness and beauty that has long been locked within us….and the magical thing is that others begin to recognise it in us also, just by the very act of us awakening to, owning and embodying it. And we become like a mirror, reflecting back to them the same richness and beauty that dwells in their heart.

Join me on a journey into reclaiming female strength, heart and spirit. We can move together through the seasons and lunar phases, relishing the exquisite sense of wholeness, grace and beauty we find within and around us when we move with greater balance in the world. This feeds our physical and mental-emotional health, and combined with an intentional deepening of our connection to the cosmic feminine force, it wakes us up to a life of joy and wonder. 

The next Ayurveda Woman workshop is the Full Moon Workshop: Nourishing Shakti Prana this Sunday, March 28th 10am – 1pm. Find out more here

Join my Ayurveda Woman FB group page for regular posts on building female health, strength and opening to the beauty of the feminine heart. Please click here to join.

My love to you

Jai Ma!

Sara Shama x