Ayurveda for Postpartum Part 2: Mental Health
Emotional Well-Being & Long-Term Rejuvenation
Learn practical Ayurvedic tools to boost your mental wellbeing and spiritual growth, and how to build a strong support system for this next phase of life.
The first 40 days after birth are sacred, but postpartum healing doesn’t end there. The term "fourth trimester" refers to the first three months after birth, a critical time when both the parent and baby are adjusting to the new world outside the womb. It’s called the fourth trimester because, much like a newborn, the postpartum body is still in a phase of development and transition. During this time, though the body is healing from the physical demands of birth, the emotional, mental, and spiritual shifts can be just as profound.
While the "fourth trimester" focuses on recovery and adaptation, Ayurveda reminds us that postpartum healing is not a short-term process because this sacred transition is about embracing a new phase of life.
Ayurveda offers practical tools to help nurture your body, mind, and spirit as you navigate the crucial first 40 days, and remember that the process of healing and renewal continues as you evolve as a parent.
Emotional & Mental Health in the Postpartum Period
Postpartum is not just a physical transition; it's an emotional and mental one as well. Ayurveda teaches that the doshas - Vata, Pitta, and Kapha - affect our physical health and shape our emotional landscape. By understanding how each dosha manifests in the postpartum period, we can begin to identify and address the emotional challenges we may face. These doshas can give us a language for what we’re feeling and help us navigate the complex emotions of the fourth trimester.
Vata Imbalance: When Vata is elevated in postpartum, it can lead to feelings of anxiety, overwhelm, and emotional instability. Vata governs movement, so when it’s out of balance, it can cause mental restlessness, racing thoughts, and trouble sleeping. The emotional experience of a Vata imbalance can leave you feeling disconnected, or fearful.
Pitta Imbalance: Pitta governs transformation and energy, so when it's out of balance, you might feel irritable, pressured, or like you have to be perfect. In postpartum, this can show as struggling with meeting unattainable or high expectations of yourself, and emotional burnout. Pitta’s fiery qualities can create emotional tension and make it hard to relax or accept help.
Kapha Imbalance: Kapha, associated with stability and grounding, can, when imbalanced, manifest as emotional heaviness, lethargy, or a sense of being "stuck." This can make it difficult to engage with the world around you, leading to feelings of depression, sadness, or emotional detachment. In some cases, excess Kapha can make you feel like you're weighed down by your new responsibilities.
Understanding these dosha imbalances provides clarity for what you’re feeling, helping to reduce the shame or confusion that can accompany difficult emotions. It’s important to remember that you have all three doshas within you, and that more than can be out of balance at a time. Once you recognize these patterns, Ayurveda can offer specific tools to restore emotional balance.
Ayurvedic Self-Care Practices for Emotional Balance
Ayurveda doesn’t separate the mind from the body. What soothes the nervous system also calms the heart. In postpartum, tending to your emotional landscape is as essential as tending to your physical healing. These gentle self-care tools are rooted in Ayurvedic tradition and support emotional steadiness in a season of deep transformation.
Abhyanga (Oil Massage)
Daily self-massage with warm oil helps ground the nervous system, calm Vata, and offer a sense of containment. It’s a moment to slow down, reconnect with your body, and anchor yourself before the day begins or before sleep.
Use warm sesame or ashwagandha-infused oil
Massage slowly, with intention, working from head to toe.
Follow with a warm shower or bath, massaging off any excess oil.
Abhyanga isn’t just physical - it’s a form of emotional nourishment. It says: I am still worthy of care, even when I’m tired, even when I’m giving so much to someone else.
Herbal Baths & Teas
Ayurvedic herbs like ashwagandha, chamomile, rose, tulsi, and fennel offer nervous system support, hormone balance, and gentle digestive healing.
Sip warm teas throughout the day to hydrate and soothe your digestive system
Add calming herbs to baths to relax the body and quiet the mind
A simple rose + oat + chamomile soak is very supportive for pacifying excess pitta and vata.
Grounding Practices
Moving toward stillness is powerful medicine in postpartum. Practices like:
Gentle pranayama (even 2-3 minutes)
Journaling without pressure - just noticing what comes up for you
Laying down with your hand on your heart and belly with the eyes closed, bringing your attention inward
These small acts help you find your rhythm again and make space for emotions without judgment.
Connection & Community
Ayurveda reminds us that we are not meant to navigate postpartum alone. Healing is relational. The people around you matter—and having the right kind of support can deeply influence your emotional well-being.
The Role of a Postpartum Doula
Postpartum doulas can bring warmth, food, and rhythm into your home during the early weeks. Their support might include:
Preparing nourishing, easily digestible meals
Helping with infant care while you rest
Offering oil massage, herbal steams, bellywrapping or other Vata-calming rituals
Holding space for your emotions, stories, and transitions
Even a few visits can shift your experience from “just getting through” to feeling held.
Create a Support System That Reflects You
Support isn’t one-size-fits-all. The people who show up during postpartum should reflect your values - people who bring calm, who listen, and offer help without requiring direction.
Identify who feels nourishing to be around
Be clear (if you can) about what kind of help you welcome
Remember that support can be varied: meals, walks, texts, childcare, listening
A strong postpartum support system should let you be the one held for a change.
Receiving Help Without Guilt
From an Ayurvedic lens, rest and care aren’t indulgent - they are essential for rebuilding ojas, your vitality and luster. Accepting help is a form of wisdom, not weakness.
You’re not “taking advantage.” You’re preserving your health. You're allowing others to give, which is its own sacred act. If you feel guilt coming up, know that this is normal for many. Take it as an opportunity to do some deeper exploration on where the guilt might be stemming from.
Ritual, Identity & Long-Term Support
Postpartum isn’t something you need to “bounce back” from. It’s something you grow through. It’s a slow return to your body, your identity, your inner rhythm - and Ayurveda offers space for that unfolding.
Rituals that Anchor You
Small rituals give shape to days that can otherwise feel blurry or overwhelming. A morning cup of warm tea, lighting a candle during feeds, a 5-minute oil massage, even humming a lullaby can become sacred markers in your new rhythm.
These rituals aren’t about productivity - they’re about presence.
Navigating Identity Shifts
Parenthood can expand you and challenge your sense of self. You may grieve who you were, feel unsure of who you're becoming, or you might be grasping onto both. Ayurveda doesn’t rush this process - it honors the time it takes for integration.
Let yourself name what’s changing
Speak aloud what you miss and what surprises you
Give space to your “whole self,” not just your role as parent
Returning to Your Own Rhythm
Eventually, you’ll notice moments when your energy returns, your desires shift, or you feel a spark of creativity again. Trust those nudges. Let them guide you - not back to who you were, but forward to who you’re becoming.
Ayurveda invites you to live in tune with your body’s cycles - not someone else’s timeline. The transition into parenthood never has a deadline.
What We Hope You Remember
The postpartum window is tender and transformative. Even when your body appears healed, the deeper layers of integration - emotional, spiritual, and relational - are still unfolding.
Ayurveda reminds us that nourishment is not only physical. It's how you're held as well as how you attune to your needs. Remember to prioritize:
Creating your support system that reflects you
Reducing vata dosha in the first 40 days postpartum, whether through food, grounding techniques, and/or how you set up your space.
Remembering that postpartum healing is non-linear and and deeply transformative time.
About The Shah Sisters
Hi, Shalini and Melissa here! We are two Indian-American sisters who are radically reclaiming our roots within reproductive wellness.
Returning to these roots means honoring community, solidarity, and collective well-being.
We offer empowering, progressive practices steeped in the wisdom of our ancestors to support those in their reproductive phase of life.