Vata (autumn) season is coming, and all that change in the air weakens our immunity. It’s the time to start focus on building ojas, (strength and vitality), staying warm, getting enough rest, and managing our energy.
In my Ayurveda studies we were recently given a description of the main factors that affect immunity, according to the vedas. These include:
Sahaja Bala/ Innate Strength: the constitutional immunity inherited at birth, which depends on the strength of the parents at conception as well as the consciousness and constitution of the child at birth. Sahaja Bala explains why some people just seem to never get sick, while others get sick a lot.
Kalaja Bala/ Strength Related to Time and Season: Our immunity is stronger at certain times of year and day. For example, it’s easier to resist a pathogen when exposed in the morning when your energy is still strong, compared to at night after a long day.
Yuktikrita Bala/ Acquired Strength: We affect our level of immunity, our strength against disease, through diet, herbs, and lifestyle.
We can’t trade in what we were given at birth. So if you’re one of the lucky ones that rarely get sick, I’m so glad for you!! But if you feel you might have gotten the shorter end of the stick, it means you get to become a healer, by learning the ways to strengthen your constitution, and optimize your body’s capacity to resist illness. The sanskrit for this is vyadhi kshamatvam, and you have the choice to take the reins.
Ayurveda sees three main areas that are the pillars of our health: diet, sleep, and regulation of energy. A healthy diet means eating wholesome, compatible foods that suit our constitution in the proper amounts, timing, and season. Enough sleep is essential to detoxification and restoring our energy levels. Regulation of energy allows you to manage life’s stresses with a balanced use of energy, through practices such as yoga, meditation, somatic release, pranayama, exercise, walking, getting enough sunlight, and spending time in quiet solitude and nature.
By healthy diet, ayurveda also means healthy digestion. It doesn’t serve you to eat all the healthy super food fruits and veggies on earth if your body doesn’t assimilate the nutrients well. And when we don’t digest well, we start accumulating ama, aka toxins. This spice mix boosts your immune system in several ways. The spices themselves are medicinal, for example turmeric is well known to reduce inflamation, and cinnamon supports healthy blood sugar. Additionally, spicing our food is one of the best ways to kindle our digestive fire and help our body digest what we take in.
Immune Boosting Spice Mix
• 3 parts ground cumin
• 6 parts turmeric
• 3 parts ground coriander
• 6 parts ground fennel
• 1 part powdered ginger
• 1 part ground black pepper
• ¼ part ground cinnamon
I use one teaspoon as one part, and mix all into a jar and stir. Sprinkle it on root veggies before roasting, marinate meat or mushrooms, mix into dressing, or use it to flavor a soup or kitchari.
This spice mix recipe comes courtesy one of my lectures at Maharishi International University, Maharishi Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine.
