autumn ayurveda
Autumn is a windy, cool, dry season. Often you may notice your skin gets a little drier, digestion may alter and you may feel the mind is erratic or the nervous system is overworked. This transitional time leading into winter is an opportunity to optimise the bodies health, reduce these common Autumn ailments and ensure the bodies balance before we head into a season where our immunity can be tested.
In Ayurveda, to ensure balance of the body we need to give the opposite qualities of what is dominant to harmonise our system. In this case because Autumn is dry, windy and cool, we want to amplify the qualities of warmth , oiliation, stability and grounding, reducing what we call Vata energy. Here is a few practical tips that can reduce Vata, help you navigate the Autumn season and work towards a greater balance of health in body and mind this season.
autumn ayurvedic tips
- Tongue scrape
Tongue scraping is one of the most important actions one can do in Ayurveda for health, regardless of the season. Tongue scraping helps remove toxins from the body that have been excreted by the tongue during sleep. The intelligence of the body brings these toxins to the surface of the tongue for us to remove each morning when we wake. If we don’t remove them we reabsorb them shortly after waking. There are certain parts of the tongue which reflect each organ, similar to reflexology in the feet. So when we scrape we are also stimulating our organs in the morning. Therefore we do not scrape and stimulate at night.
How to: take the tongue scraper to the back of the tongue and scrape forward to the front every morning first thing, spit, do this until scraper is clean. Brush teeth and then scrape one more time to remove anything loosened by brushing.
- Eat a vata pacifying diet
Avoid cold, dry, hard, light, raw foods as best as possible.
Gift the body warm, well oilinated, smooth and grounding foods.
Opt for: Soups, stews, warm porridge, hearty grains and warm drinks. Favour oranges, avocado, grapes, cherries, mangos, pineapple, papaya, strawberry. Cooked beet, carrot, sweet potato, asparagus are great.
Also peas, leafy greens, broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower if cooked in warming spices. Spices to favour when cooking are cardamon, ginger, cinnamon, salt, cloves & mustard seed.
- Oil in ear
Another great way to help reduce Vata, before heading out for the day or at night before bed. You can either place some warm organic sesame oil on your finger and gently rub at entrance to the ear or for a deeper effect, you can place a warm, sesame oil soaked cotton bud gently in your ear (do not push in) and lay down with your eyes closed, follow your breath and allow your nervous system to calm for 7 minutes before removing
and heading to bed.
- Herb of the season: Ajwain
Ajwain is one of the best herbs to help reduce Vata in the body.
How to: Make a drink in the morning with the following.
1 cup hot water
1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
1/2 tsp lemon juice 1/2 tsp honey 1/4 tsp ajwain seeds
Add lemon & honey when water cool enough to hold finger in water
- Drink warm water
Drinking warm water helps to flush toxins from the body. It also gives warmth and hydration to the body, ensuring that vata is reduced gently.
- Abhyanga self massage
Abhyanga massage is one of the best ways to pacify vata, connect with yourself and ground the body. Use warm (not hot) cold pressed, organic sesame oil to massage the body in an upward direction, starting at the feet. You can spend time working oil into your joints gently to help reduce cracking. When you get to the belly take gentle, clockwise circles. Slowly working your way up to the crown.
Let oil stay on for up to 30mins and then wash off in shower with luke warm water, pat dry and feel amazing :) Avoid if menstruating or sick, it can exacerbate illness if unwell because of lymph stimulation.
- Don’t skip meals Especially breakfast
This will mean there is more space and air in the body which are adding to ‘Vata’. You may initially feel lighter, but this can start to feel airy and ungrounded. The digestion will also suffer from not having the right food to stoke the Agni (digestive fire).