AYURVEDIC SPRINGTIME
Chirping birds, blossoming flowers and delightful sunny warmth
herald the delights of Springtime, as the long cold wintery months subside. We lighten up with less clothing and beautiful soft sunshine to enjoy. However, our bodies may need a little help to transition from Winter mode to Spring mode.
During Winter we are naturally slower in our lifestyle, and heavier in our diet. These are qualities of Kapha, the water/earth dosha. During winter, the dark, cold, wet, damp qualities of the season combined with more time spent indoors and a tendency to exercise less, can increase the constitutional quality of kapha within us. This can manifest as heaviness, malaise, morning grogginess, weight gain, and even depression.
We all have Vata, Pitta and Kapha in our make-up to varying degrees, and during the transition from Winter to Spring, the Kapha dosha in our bodies also “thaws”, and mobilises in our system. If it cannot find an outlet, it will create one, usually in the Kapha part of the body, which is the upper body and head.
We can assist this natural transition by lightening our diet and increasing exercise. This will enable us to avoid some of the health problems associated with excess kapha which include feeling sluggish, dull or even depressed, mucous congestion and susceptibility colds and allergies like hay fever. These may manifest as the body looks for a way to expel the extra water/earth element stored in the body over Winter. Reduce Kapha by minimising heavy foods like yoghurt, meat, cold and frozen foods, and sweet, sour and salty tastes generally.
Detoxifying teas can be made with ginger, cloves, black pepper or cinnamon. These warming spices help the body to expel excess mucus. Cumin, fennel, coriander and cardamom seeds taken as a tea or with cooking will increase and balance the digestive fire. Half a teaspoon of turmeric in some boiling water each day can also help to prevent allergic reactions. Turmeric is an excellent blood cleanser with natural antibiotic and anti-inflammatory qualities. Cardamom added to milk will reduce its mucus forming quality.
If you experience serious allergy problems, beginning a suitable Ayurvedic regime of diet, herbs and lifestyle is of great benefit. Introducing Ayurvedic regimes to reduce the Kapha dosha over the previous months prepares your body and its defences before the onslaught of the pollen or allergens. You may find that your body no longer reactsin the same way.
The beginning of Spring is a great time for a gentle de-tox. A simple approach is to cease your intake of white flour, sugar, dairy and salt for a few days. These are all kapha increasing foods which can clog the system if eaten excessively and should be reduced in general during this time. Another simple approach is to just fast until you are really hungry. This is a natural way to increase your digestive fire or enzymes.
Skin brushing and body scrubs that remove dead skin, stimulates our senses, increase circulation and leave skin glowing and radiant are also great for energizing, detoxifying and decreasing accumulated Kapha from our systems. A simple Ayurvedic scrub can be made at home from chick pea flour, turmeric and fenugreek. Skin being our largest body organ plays an important role in balancing our Doshas.
Another technique for health and detoxification in tongue scraping. This daily ritual removes the “ama” or undigested food material which accumulates from the previous day. This simple action can help prevent disease over time, as it lessen the load of toxins that can block our body organs and channels and eventually cause disease.
Spring reminds us that life ever renews itself in endless cycles. We are part of these cycles and resonate with them. More than ever we need to revere and integrate with these miraculous natural wonders, to better understand and respect the offerings of our Mother earth.
Chirping birds, blossoming flowers and delightful sunny warmth
herald the delights of Springtime, as the long cold wintery months subside. We lighten up with less clothing and beautiful soft sunshine to enjoy. However, our bodies may need a little help to transition from Winter mode to Spring mode.
During Winter we are naturally slower in our lifestyle, and heavier in our diet. These are qualities of Kapha, the water/earth dosha. During winter, the dark, cold, wet, damp qualities of the season combined with more time spent indoors and a tendency to exercise less, can increase the constitutional quality of kapha within us. This can manifest as heaviness, malaise, morning grogginess, weight gain, and even depression.
We all have Vata, Pitta and Kapha in our make-up to varying degrees, and during the transition from Winter to Spring, the Kapha dosha in our bodies also “thaws”, and mobilises in our system. If it cannot find an outlet, it will create one, usually in the Kapha part of the body, which is the upper body and head.
We can assist this natural transition by lightening our diet and increasing exercise. This will enable us to avoid some of the health problems associated with excess kapha which include feeling sluggish, dull or even depressed, mucous congestion and susceptibility colds and allergies like hay fever. These may manifest as the body looks for a way to expel the extra water/earth element stored in the body over Winter. Reduce Kapha by minimising heavy foods like yoghurt, meat, cold and frozen foods, and sweet, sour and salty tastes generally.
Detoxifying teas can be made with ginger, cloves, black pepper or cinnamon. These warming spices help the body to expel excess mucus. Cumin, fennel, coriander and cardamom seeds taken as a tea or with cooking will increase and balance the digestive fire. Half a teaspoon of turmeric in some boiling water each day can also help to prevent allergic reactions. Turmeric is an excellent blood cleanser with natural antibiotic and anti-inflammatory qualities. Cardamom added to milk will reduce its mucus forming quality.
If you experience serious allergy problems, beginning a suitable Ayurvedic regime of diet, herbs and lifestyle is of great benefit. Introducing Ayurvedic regimes to reduce the Kapha dosha over the previous months prepares your body and its defences before the onslaught of the pollen or allergens. You may find that your body no longer reactsin the same way.
The beginning of Spring is a great time for a gentle de-tox. A simple approach is to cease your intake of white flour, sugar, dairy and salt for a few days. These are all kapha increasing foods which can clog the system if eaten excessively and should be reduced in general during this time. Another simple approach is to just fast until you are really hungry. This is a natural way to increase your digestive fire or enzymes.
Skin brushing and body scrubs that remove dead skin, stimulates our senses, increase circulation and leave skin glowing and radiant are also great for energizing, detoxifying and decreasing accumulated Kapha from our systems. A simple Ayurvedic scrub can be made at home from chick pea flour, turmeric and fenugreek. Skin being our largest body organ plays an important role in balancing our Doshas.
Another technique for health and detoxification in tongue scraping. This daily ritual removes the “ama” or undigested food material which accumulates from the previous day. This simple action can help prevent disease over time, as it lessen the load of toxins that can block our body organs and channels and eventually cause disease.
Spring reminds us that life ever renews itself in endless cycles. We are part of these cycles and resonate with them. More than ever we need to revere and integrate with these miraculous natural wonders, to better understand and respect the offerings of our Mother earth.
