If you’re anywhere near me in Colorado, you’ve probably noticed how insanely DRY this winter has been! No snow, and my hygrometer consistently reads 22 percent humidity. Ideal humidity for humans runs between 40 and 60. Below that starts to dry out your tissues and sinuses, as the dry air pulls moisture from your mucous membranes. This impacts not only your skin, lungs, and nasal passages, but also your digestive tract, causing constipation, and even your mental health. That’s because dryness aggravates Vata, the dosha of air and space, and when Vata increases, we feel more spacey, anxious, and have trouble focusing and sleeping.
Here are some amazing ways to beat the dry this winter and lubricate your bodacious bod!
Eat your moisture
Take in more oil, by adding healthy fats to your foods (think ghee, drizzles of olive oil, avocado, and coconut oil).
Hydrate!
I think this one is obvious, but it may be less clear that it’s important to not only drink water, but to drink WARM water which is better absorbed, and to make lubricating herbal teas such as licorice and marshmallow root. You can also make an ayurvedic gatorade to hydrate even better by adding a squeeze of lemon, a dash of sea salt, and a little natural sweetener to your water.
Self-Oil Massage
If there was ever a time to do Abhyangha, this is it! This is the sweet self love practice of massaging your whole body with herbalized oil from bottom to top. This not only nourishes your skin, but also strengthens the mind-body connection, and is grounding and soothing to the nervous system. Wrap yourself in a robe for 10-20 minutes afterwards, and then take a bath or shower to help your pores absorb the oil and rinse away excess.
Protect Your Hands
Before heading outside into the cold and dry, rub some sesame oil or abhyanga oil onto your hands. This seals in your body’s moisture and protects your hands from the arid weather, and will keep them warmer as well! In place of oil I sometimes use my friends Ali’s incredible True Radiance Tallow which is extremely nourishing and protective.
Oil Your Nose
The sinuses especially suffer during these extreme bouts of dryness. You may notice waking up with crusty inner nostrils, and you may notice feeling congested with thick dry mucous. To help out your nose, sniff in a few drops of nasya oil each morning and evening.
Get a Humidifier
Seriously, get a sizeable one and keep it running, especially at night near your bed.
Nasal Steam
Fill a pot with half an inch of water and cover it. Heat until steaming. Move the pot to a table and remove the lid so the first strong wisps of steam escape. Add a few drops of echinacea, and then lean over it with a towel over your head and breathe deeply for a few minutes. This will help clear and lubricate congested sinuses.
Keep Plenty of Plants Around
~and water them well. They will brighten up your space and help keep the air moist for you too through the process of transpiration.
Cover Up
When it’s this cold and dry out, and especially if it’s windy, take care to cover up as much of your skin as possible with hats, scarves, gloves, and coats. The combo of cold and wind is especially rough on our skin and mucous membranes.
Steam Sauna
There’s nothing quite like getting hot and steamy in a sauna on a cold winter evening. Detoxification, warmth in your lungs, and open pores ready to take in any oil or moisturizer you slather on when you get out. Join the upcoming Women’s Sauna + Song Circle February 16th, link below to sign up! deeply for a few minutes.
I love to share ayurvedic lifestyle tips! Please reach out if you’d like one-on-one support for your unique mind-body type. Your body and mind will thank you!