For me autumn means to step outside with an extra layer on me, we see colorful leaves everywhere and rain coats and wellies find their way out of the wardrobe. But this time of year also brings shorter days, changeable weather, winds, and cool, dry air. Because of this, the air element is dominant during this season which in Ayurveda brings a dominating level of vata.
The ayurvedic impact of the seasons
Ayurveda is an ancient system of medicine, developed 3,000 years ago in India, but many of its principles of grounding, calming, and gut-soothing are even more applicable today. Ayurveda thinks of the body and the world more holistically, the practice is attuned to the shifts of the seasons. In Ayurveda there are only three seasons. So we look at autumn as winter’s younger sister; The warm-up season (or cool down?) to an early winter when the qualities of the vata dosha—ether and air—are dominant.
Our body literally senses the weather pattern that the world around us takes as we orbit the sun each year, which is why it’s important to adopt a seasonal routine to align ourselves with the dynamic rhythms of the natural world. How you care for yourself during the autumn will determine your body’s ability to maintain your health through the winter. Ground yourself by supporting the sensitive vata dosha with the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda. Now is time to keep warm and nourish yourself in order to protect your vitality in preparation for the cooler months ahead. Vata imbalance can cause think flaky skin, creakier joints, feeling sleepy earlier, lower immunity, finding that things may get on your nerves that much more, and perhaps even heightened levels of anxiety or feelings of depression.
AYURVEDIC PRACTICES FOR VATA SEASON
Sleep in!
Yes you read it well – this if your official permission! Start by waking a little later than you did in the summer, by about half an hour. As the mornings are darker in the autumn, we naturally shift into waking between 6.30 and 7.30am whereas in summer naturally we want to be up between 5.30 and 6am. Remember, it’s about imitating nature externally, internally and as much as we can.
Start your day with ginger tea
Fresh ginger root is commonly used to balance out vata, which is a bonus because ginger tea in the mornings is a great way to stimulate and wake up the digestive system. If you don’t have fresh ginger root, opt for an organic ground ginger, let it steep in hot water and cool naturally to drinking temperature.
I love to mix up my morning digestion juice around this time. I usually drink kangen water with some kind of syrup, apple vinegar and ground ginger, and switch to warm kangen water with real ginger pieces added to my apple vinegar.
Eat a warming breakfast
It’s time to say goodbye to these delicious, cold morning smoothie bowls for now. (Although, you can still have these around lunch when the sun is highest in the sky and the stomach’s digestive fire is at its highest). Stick to seasonal foods that are cooked, warm, moist, sweet and soft. Try rolled oats with cinnamon and fresh seasonal fruits like figs! I also love to have a warm toast with peanut butter or vegan butter and veggies and a nice mug of hot cocoa, too! Don’t forget the ultimate Hungarian breakfast, tejberizs!
Eat grounding food during the day
These include root vegetables like parsnips, sweet potatoes, carrots, and even ginger and turmeric, which are technically roots in the Ayurvedic cuisine.I enjoy warm, thick cream soups and hearty stews these days. It is also recommended to use nuts and seeds to balance the vata of fall. Mushrooms are also great, utilize their grounding earthiness in pasta dishes along with garlic and a olive oil, or make a risotto or soup.
Fruits to favor: apple, avocado, banana, date, fig, grapefruit, grape, lime, lemon, mango, orange, papaya, tangerine
Vegetables to favor: beet, carrot, chili, garlic, okra, onion, pumpkin, squash, sweet potato, mushroom
Grains to favor: amaranth, rice, oat, quinoa, wheat
Legumes to favor: kidney bean, mung bean, lentil
Nuts and seeds to favor: all nuts and seeds are favorable
Spices to favor: allspice, anise, basil, bay leaf, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, clove, cumin, dill, garlic, ginger, mustard seed, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, parsley, rosemary, saffron, turmeric
Keep up with your routines
During autumn, try to schedule your morning, evening routine and your yoga practice at the same time every day and for the same length of time. Vata season can create a lot of feelings of imbalance, so honoring a routine will help you to combat this. Try detoxing twisting poses, side stretches, back bends, and also sun salutations to create heat in the body in the morning. The best times of day to exercise are in the early morning and evening hours (6–10 a.m. and 6–10 p.m.). Vata is very easily aggravated by fast, mobile activities, so consider slow, gentle, strengthening forms of exercise instead. Walking, hiking, swimming, biking, yoga, and tai chi are good choices, provided they are done at an appropriate level of intensity. Take warm, relaxing showers or steam baths, and massage yourself with sesame oil. If you practice pranayama, Nadi Shodhana is very balancing this time of the year.
What to avoid
Anything that further exasperates vata, including:
- Light, dry, rough foods that are vata-provoking (refrigerated salads, ice cream)
- Cold drinks
- Skipping meals, irregular eating or fasting
- Snacking too much between meals
- Exposure to cold drafts and wind (keep the body warm!)
- Over stimulation. (too much TV or too much coffee)
- Absence of routine
