The Ayurvedic word for “seasonal routines” is Ritucharya. Due to changes in the season, our bodies go through the cycle of accumulation and aggravation. It is not really the calendar, but nature that tells us when and which dosha will be influenced. That is why we see the variations in seasons in our bodies. The key is to find Ayurvedic seasonal balance.
Protecting Vata Energies This Season
For example, fall and winter are marked by the cold, dry, and windy rough qualities, which are hallmarks of Vata Dosha. Our diet and lifestyle should be designed to balance this energy. The diet should be warm, moist and heavy to counter Vata’s cold, dry, light qualities.
How to Help
Soups, stews and pasta with gravy are the right foods for the fall and winter season. Avoid raw foods, pungent, astringent and bitter. Favor sweet, salty and sour tastes. Drinks such as herbal teas made with cumin and fennel or ginger and mint are also beneficial. Enjoy a cup of warm milk at bedtime and avoid iced tea and cold beverages.
Additional tips for Ayurvedic seasonal balance in fall and early winter include warm oil massage, yoga practices, and wearing colors such as red, orange, yellow to pacify Vata Dosha.
To learn more about the season’s effects on your body, contact us, or read more.
