In my family, like many traditional homes, mornings begin with prayer.

Evenings end with lighting the diya.

There is rhythm. There is devotion.

But there is also a rule.

If a woman in the house is menstruating, the rituals pause.

No diya lighting.

No entering the puja room.

No formal prayer.

I grew up with that.

Even I followed it.

During my periods, I wouldn’t pray.

Not because I fully understood why —

but because that’s how it was done.

Something changed in me after pregnancy.

After childbirth, I began thinking differently.

Why can’t I pray during my period?

Who decided that menstruation is impurity?

I have never read anywhere that God considers menstruation impure.

In fact, in the Mahabharata, when Draupadi was humiliated during the Vastra Abhishekam, it is said she was menstruating. And yet, Lord Krishna did not hesitate. He protected her. He covered her. He held her dignity.

If divinity did not withdraw from her in that moment,

how did we conclude that menstruation distances us from the divine?

As an Ayurveda doctor, I began looking at this differently.

Ayurveda speaks about menstruation as a time of rest.

Riithumati lakshana, Rithumati charya —

the emphasis is simple:

Take rest.

Avoid heavy work.

Avoid excessive cold.

Avoid spicy, sour, salty food.

Maintain calmness.

It is about protecting the body.

Over time, perhaps these instructions transformed.

“Don’t lift heavy water buckets” became “Don’t water plants.”

“Avoid heavy kitchen work” became “Don’t enter the kitchen.”

“Maintain celibacy and rest” became “Sleep separately.”

What began as physiological care

slowly turned into taboo.

And somewhere along the way,

rest became restriction.

Menstruation happens in the body.

Prayer happens in the soul.

Prayer is not a physical act of perfection.

It is communication.

Connection.

Stillness.

If I am exhausted, bleeding heavily, cramping —

yes, I should rest.

If I don’t feel like praying, I shouldn’t force it.

Prayer should never be compulsion.

But if I feel calm, centered, and I want to talk to the divine —

why should menstruation stop that?

Soul does not menstruate.

The uterus does.

Irregular cycles are unhealthy.

A regular cycle is a sign of balance.

How did something healthy become labeled impure?

For me, the answer came down to one thing:

Be kind to yourself.

If you need rest, take rest.

If you need silence, choose silence.

If you feel like chanting, chant.

If you want to sit quietly and connect, do that.

Nothing should be forced.

Nothing should be shamed.

Menstruation is not a punishment.

It is not dirtiness.

It is not spiritual disqualification.

It is biology.

Sacred biology.

I am not trying to rebel against tradition.

I am not challenging temples.

I am not proving a point.

I am simply saying:

Connection with the divine is personal.

It is not controlled by bleeding.

It is not controlled by ritual rules alone.

It is controlled by intention.

And intention lives in awareness.

Even today, not everyone around me fully understands this shift in me.

That’s okay.

Awareness does not always spread immediately.

But I know this:

If I am tired, I will rest.

If I am in pain, I will care for myself.

If I want to pray, I will pray.

Because being kind to myself is also devotion.

And devotion without kindness is incomplete.

This is not about breaking rules.

It is about understanding why they existed —

and choosing consciously.

That is awareness.

And awareness, for me, is sacred.