Want to keep warm and have your skin thrive this winter season? Let’s see what trusty old Ayurveda has got to say about warm foods you should consume during the harsh winters! When the word winter comes to mind, the first thing which pops up is a hot cup of your favourite brew or your mother’s famous warm delicacy. Did you now that the food we eat is closely associated with the weather? Ritucharya is an ancient Ayurvedic practice and is comprised of two words, “Ritu” which means season and “charya” which means Regimen or discipline. Ritucharya consists of lifestyle and ayurvedic diet routine to cope with the bodily and mental impacts caused by seasonal changes as recommended by Ayurveda. Ritucharya is a powerful, health giving ayurvedic tool that helps us live according to the changes in season and make internal adjustments so that our doshas are in a state of balance. People do not know or ignore the suitable types of food stuffs to be followed in particular season, this ...
According to Ayurveda, one of the keys to maintaining health is to
practice ritucharya—seasonal routines. Adjusting our daily self-care
rituals to seasonal changes helps us maintain balance and reminds us
that we are a part of the natural world.
Spring is ruled by the kapha dosha, whose qualities are heavy, cool,
soft, dense, stable, solid, and cloudy. To adjust for the season,
consider the following practices:
- Wake with the sunrise. One of the best practices to minimize the heavy quality of kapha in the mind and body is to wake with the sun (around 5:30 am this time of year). Dawn is ruled by vata and is light, clear, and subtle.
- Get moving. When kapha is dominant in the day, the muscles are strongest between 6:00 and 10:00 am. Get outside for a brisk walk or do some vigorous yoga to melt away excess kapha. Kapalabhati pranayama is a great way to stoke the fires of digestion.
- Eat lighter foods. In the winter months, we naturally gravitate toward sweet, sour, and salty foods to mitigate the dry, light qualities of the cold season. This can cause kapha accumulation in the physical body. To lighten up, try foods that are pungent, bitter and astringent, including kale, collards, dandelion, spinach, and mustard greens; strawberries, cherries, and blueberries; fresh green peas; and barley, quinoa, and millet.
- Got allergies? Break out the neti pot to irrigate the sinus cavities and clear out the nasal passages. Use ¼ tsp of salt with purified water, and use half a pot for each nostril. Always end your neti pot routine by massaging a little sesame oil or nasya oil into each nostril. (Do not use a neti pot if you have an active sinus infection; it is for prevention, not treatment.)
https://kripalu.org/resources/ayurveda-moving-spring
Comments
Post a Comment