Unless you’re on the southern side of this planet, you are probably now in the season of late winter moving into early spring, which in Ayurveda is considered deep kapha time. Because kapha is the energy of structure and lubrication, made of earth and water, it is the heaviest, densest, dampest, stickiest time of the year. It’s a time we may all start to feel sluggish in our digestion, congested in our heads, heavy after eating warm and dense winter food all season, and really ready for the warmth of spring and summer to lighten us up.
Ayurveda suggests some valuable seasonal practices we can do in this time to burn away the stagnation accumulated all winter, revitalize our mind and bodies, and shift into the blossoming, energetic, thriving activity of spring.
Lighten up your diet: go easy on the ghee and oil (but don’t avoid them). Minimize heavy foods like red meat, cream, and cheese. Switch from heavy grains like wheat and refined white rice, to light ones like quinoa and brown rice.
Consider a spring cleanse: An ayurvedic cleanse starts with several days of eliminating things like wheat, sugar, meat, and dairy, and then 3-7 days of eating light stews and soups like kitchari, lentils and steamed veggies, veggie broths and digestive teas. On the final day, taking ghee or castor oil to totally clean out your digestive tract is recommended for people with strong enough constitutions. Follow up with gradually and gently reintroducing easy to digest foods before resuming your regular diet. (Spring time cleanse program coming soon!)
Heat up with movement: Now is the time to shake off the sluggishness and cold of winter with invigorating movement and heating activities such as hot yoga, jogging, dance, and getting outside during the bright and warm part of the day for brisk walks.
Kapalabhati (Skull Shining Breath) is very effective at warming the body, boosting the metabolism, and lifting the spirit. Method: Start seated comfortably. It can help to have a hand on your belly when learning, noticing your hand moving in towards your spine as you exhale. Take a deep breath in and out. Then let your inhale come in naturally about 3/4 of the way in. Exhale strongly by engaging the abdominals and diaphragm muscles, feeling your belly push towards to spine to expel the air in your lungs. Start with 10 cycles, repeating 3-4 times. With practice, extend the number of breath cycles. Always rest or slow down if you start to feel discomfort, cramps, or dizziness. When you practice, visualize your skull filling with a bright light. Not for pregnant women or those with high blood pressure, heart disease, or abdominal pain.
Dress in warm layers and bright warm, colors like yellow, red, and orange. Don’t get fooled by seemingly warm temps and catch a chill outside. It’s still cold out there so bring a jacket and accessories!
Try Dry Brushing: use a loofah or body brush to vigorously brush your entire body, unless you are very dry or suffering from any kind of skin rash or condition.
Herbs and spices best for this season include: cumin, ginger, turmeric, coriander, basil, ashwaganda, tulsi, pippali, pepper, dandelion, and bibhitaki.
Remember, these are all general suggestions, and may need to be adjusted for some people depending on your situation and BodyMind Type.
As an Ayurvedic Wellness Coach, I help my clients understand their BodyMind Type and address root causes of pain, anxiety, and disease, with nutrition, lifestyle, embodiment, herbs & mindset, to bring greater balance, wholeness, and radiance.
Ayurveda is a system of natural, individualized health, originating in India, that has been practiced for thousands of years. With the support of an Ayurvedic Wellness Coach you can begin your unique journey to wholeness through achieving balance in the body, mind and spirit. By changing your lifestyle and living more harmoniously with nature, you will begin to create within your body the optimal environment for healing. To successfully reach goals and make positive changes it is important that you are an active participant on your path to well-being.
The initial Ayurvedic Wellness Intake session (Virtual or in Mancos, CO) is about 60-75 minutes. Ayurveda seeks to find the root causes of any symptoms, and preemptively address imbalances before they manifest as disease. Before our appointment, I ask you to fill out the intake form that asks you to share many aspects of your life. During our appointment, I’ll ask some clarifying questions to determine your prakriti (mind-body type), your current vikruti (imbalance) and share Ayurveda’s multi-modality approach to help bring balance to any imbalances and unveil your optimal state of whole being wellness.