Ayurveda Made Easy Fall/Winter Lifestyle Tips
Ayurveda is often referred to as yoga's sister science. It says that we like the birds, trees, rocks and everything in the universe are made up of different combinations of the elements, earth, water, fire and air. Ayurveda says there are 3 types of people and they're called doshas.
There's kapha, pronounced cough-ah dosha who is made up of a large dose of the earth element and some water. Late winter and early spring is kapha season. A kapha type is the friend you can call on that will always listen no matter what time of the night. They are a bit on the lazy side and could use a friend like you to encourage them to go for a walk around the lake on a regular basis as well as follow the rules at work and on the road for greater efficiency. Because the water element resides within their being they are likely to be congested more than most but the positive flip side to their embodiment of both earth and water elements is they have a grounded personality that can sing like no one else. Kapha's can benefit from moving a little quicker that is why a faster paced flow yoga class is good for them. Kapha dosha is associated with the energy of construction. Think of a baby green shoot of grass emerging from the earth.
Late spring and summer's type is pitta dosha. Pittas are made up of plenty of fire and a little water. A pitta person is always hot and carrying a bottle of water to quench their thirst. If they can, they will take a few showers a day because their skin is on the sweaty and oily side. Pittas enjoy ice cream on the coldest of winter days as well as get the job done fast. You want a pitta on your team as they can strategize like no other. However pittas need to practice finding the personal pause button in their perfectly planned out day. Doing so they can cultivate patience, emotional understanding of another's needs and not be the flame that burns out quickly. Meditation and a slow flow, not hot yoga practice is perfect for them. Pitta dosha is associated with the energy of growth and transformation. Think of a lush green leafed tree with branches that are expanding wide and high.
Finally there's vata dosha. It governs late fall and winter and is made up air. A vata person stands out in a crowd as their attention to personal style exhibits their overflowing creativity. You want a vata person on your design team. Be it interior styling to assisting you create your website. Vatas have ideas and plenty of them yet they have a tendency to start a new project before finishing the one they are currently working on. Scattered by nature they can use a little kapha grounding sit around and wait attitude as well as a bit of pitta's discipline. Although vata's love running around the track and biking long distances, they should stick to walking, practicing slow flow yoga and meditation. Since vatas shiver and shake in the market's freezer section during the hottest of summer days they could benefit from a little hot yoga during the coldest of winter days. Vata dosha is associated with the energy of movement. Think of a dry brown leaf floating in the air.
If you're wondering if you can be a combination of the 3 doshas, you can. Remember Ayurveda's principle that we are each unique combinations of nature's elements. Also Ayurveda suggests that like increases like. Meaning if you are a kapha type or have a bit of kapha within, you embody plenty of earth and some water. Spring is your season and this is when you need to be extra careful in taking good care of yourself because the earth and water elements that are prevalent during spring will being doing their best to pull you down with them with feelings of laziness and congestion.
My suggestion in following my Fall/Winter Ayurveda Lifestyle Tips is if you are a vata or have some vata qualities you should work towards strictly following these tips for optimal health. If you're primarily a pitta or kapha type you will also benefit from following these lifestyle tips since we all live in a vata unbalancing society where everything is coming at us so quickly however your efforts can be more relaxed than a vata dosha.
Fall/Winter Ayurveda Lifestyle Tips:
Fats and oils- There was a time not too long ago in our Western nutritional history where consuming fats were considered a no no. This is so not true and fortunately shifting in the eyes and words of today's dietary gurus. Fats such as ghee (clarified butter), sesame oil, coconut oil, *flax seed oil and olive oil are wonderful to consume to lubricate your inner body and encourage toxins to move out of your body. When it is cold and dry outside constipation is a common digestive ailment. Drinking water always helps but oil is thicker than water and will move things out nicely as well as stabilize your mood.
*Don't heat flax seed oil. Simply drizzle it on your vegetables, rice, pasta and quinoa.
Skin- Fall/Winter skin is dry, flakes, cracks and sometimes bleeds. Consuming good fats and oils helps in easing Fall/Winter skin ailments yet oiling up on the outside is absolutely necessary to do. Applying oils after bathing such as sesame, almond, grape seed and jojoba to your skin will nourish and balance it in addition to penetrate deep into your tissues. This will help keep your emotional, physical and mental energy balanced. Stay away from lotions as they are primarily made of water and alcohol, which are very drying.
Smell- The minute we smell something we come into the moment because our nose links up to our breath and we know that noticing our breath immediately connects our mind to our body. For this reason what we smell is important. So why not have a sweet smelling candle or incense burning as twilight sets in or how about a bottle of essential oil in your bag to apply to your wrists, back of your neck and third eye whenever you need a pick me up? Fall/Winter favorite scents are lavender, patchouli, wintergreen, spruce, cinnamon and orange. Adding a few drops of your favorite essential oil scent to your body oil makes it so much more blissful to apply.
Schedule- As we move towards ending the year and starting anew, an anxious frenzy of too much to do in preparation to celebrate the holidays ahead and wrap up the loose ends of the year can come over us making us not productive yet still being very busy. Having a schedule and adhering to it will remedy your ability to see your friends, get your work done, eat right, exercise and sleep at night.
When it comes to eating, your digestive body wants to eat three times a day. If you graze and have a little bit here and there throughout the day, you may end up eating more than you need plus have a digestive system that is overworked making you bloated, gassy and constipated. Schedule to eat three times a day and keep your snacks light. Try fruit and a handful of nuts or a little hummus on a few crackers.
Your body and mind need to sleep. Schedule it and be like Mother Nature this Fall/Winter season and rest. It is the dark half of the year so the lighting is on your side however at times the brisk whistling wind can keep you awake and moving. When the vata season kicks you off balance the air element within you needs to ground, become quiet and fall asleep. To heal a fast mind and insomnia try practicing seated forward bends and restorative yoga postures before bed. Legs up the wall is great.
Exercise- Since vatas are made up of air they love to fly. Aerial yoga, dancing, running and biking long distances is their style. Their love of movement is admirable yet vatas and those of you made up of a little vata need to slow it down especially during Fall/Winter when the cold, dry and windy air in the atmosphere is making you more scattered than ever. Walking, weight lifting, slow flow and restorative yoga, ballet, barre classes, Pilate's and meditation are all perfect for finding your Fall/Winter workout balance. Kaphas keep it going to a faster beat than you want for results and on the coldest of winter days everyone can try a hot yoga class. Pittas, don't get carried away and go everyday!
