How to create a "sacred window" for menarche, postpartum, menopause + beyond with Ashlee Sakaishi Wilkin

Click here to send me a quick message :)

What could it look like to experience deep nourishment and caretaking during major transitions in our lives?

For those of us with wombs, we travel through multiple significant transitions purely because we have menstural cycles. Everything from our first period (menarche), to becoming a parent, to pregnancy loss or release, to menopause, and beyond. 

And we go through massive changes throughout our lives unrelated to our wombs, too. Times when our identities are turned over completely and we have to find our way from who we once were to who we are now. 

Whether it’s wombcycle changes or grief from loss of a loved one, embracing a chronic illness, navigating a recovery process, finding ground after a break-up or divorce, or changing careers, we are all familiar with transition. We may not like it, but we know what it feels like. 

The truth is *most* of us in the modern world have no support for these transitions beyond some well-meaning “congratulations” or “I’m so sorry” from people who love us. We may even be lucky enough to have someone create a “meal train” to help feed us for the first weeks or months after the change, but more likely than not, we navigate this terrain primarily alone.

But we as humans are social creatures. We are not meant to navigate these massive transitions alone, and there is SO much that ancestral wisdom can teach us about how to care for these shaky times on a physical, emotional and spiritual level. 

And Ayurvedic practitioner Ashlee Sakaishi Wilkin is here to share all about how we can create what is called “a sacred window” to nurture and replenish ourselves on all levels in these times of change, and how our community is an essential part of that. 

Listen to the episode to learn:

• how Ayurveda perceives times of transition
• what “a sacred window” means and how to create one in your life
• why a sacred window is not limited to postpartum care
• ways to incorporate your personal ancestral lineage into your care
• why it’s not too late to create a sacred window even if your transition was years ago
• what Vata is, and why it's essential to understand in times of change
• specific foods and practices to nourish your body, mind + spirit for optimal whole being health through these transitions

Resources:

• Links to Ashlee's offerings on today's shownotes: How to create a sacred window
• Episode 3: Ayurveda and your hormonal health with Kimberly Kubicke
• Episode 25: Immediate postpartum care with Liz Philbrick
• Episode 28: Rhythms of your womb
• Episode 45: Embodying winter with Jade Alicandro

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom. 

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal health concerns.

Support the show