Last year I took a course on Ayurveda and it has helped a great deal with my own personal health and well being. Ayurveda translates as “knowledge of life”. It is an ancient life science from the Hindu tradition dating back 5,000. It is a way of living to keep the body and mind in balance and health. Ayurveda provides guidelines for daily and seasonal routines involving diet, exercises, cleansing, herbal healing and lifestyle . A person’s individual constitution, known as dosha, is also taken into account for a highly individualized approach to health.
One major aspect of Ayurveda is the change of seasons and the effect it has on our physical and emotional health. By being aware of these changes and using tools from Ayurveda to manage them, the change of season can be an enjoyable and transforming time. It is an opportunity to shift our patterns and ways of thinking and enter into a new rhythm of life guided by nature.
Ayurveda is governed by three doshas, Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Each person is a combination of these doshas and the goal of Ayurveda is to maintain the balance of one’s natural doshas. Each season has a predominant dosha and can cause a person of that dosha to become out of balance because of the excess of the elements governing that season.
We are entering fall which is Vata season, and the elements of ether and air are predominant. This can cause a person, especially those with high vata to become ungrounded and have digestive troubles, fatigue, anxiety and depression. There are many Ayurvedic grounding practices such as bathing, oiling the body, slow gentle yoga, doing a mono-diet cleanse (kitchari), using herbs and spices, eating more grounding and cooked foods such as root vegetables and much more.
I have often struggled with the change into fall and have begun to use many of these tools to ease the transition. Simply having the awareness that my body and mind will react differently to the change of season has made it easier. I can not eat, exercise and go, go, go in the fall the way I do in the summer. In our culture we often have to change very little about our lives when the seasons change. This can cause the changes we feel in our bodies and minds to sneak up on us and throw us for a loop. By embracing the changes and allowing our bodies to go through the natural shift we can find a healthier way of being. Below are several resources such as recipes, exercises and activities for aiding your body through this beautiful shift into fall.
Treating yourself to a massage can be a great way to soothe the body and replenish the mind through this transition.
Resource Guide
Banyan Botanicals is an excellent resource for Ayurvedic supplies and articles.
Fall Ayurvedic Recipes
Fall Ayurvedic Cleanse Guide
One major aspect of Ayurveda is the change of seasons and the effect it has on our physical and emotional health. By being aware of these changes and using tools from Ayurveda to manage them, the change of season can be an enjoyable and transforming time. It is an opportunity to shift our patterns and ways of thinking and enter into a new rhythm of life guided by nature.
Ayurveda is governed by three doshas, Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Each person is a combination of these doshas and the goal of Ayurveda is to maintain the balance of one’s natural doshas. Each season has a predominant dosha and can cause a person of that dosha to become out of balance because of the excess of the elements governing that season.
We are entering fall which is Vata season, and the elements of ether and air are predominant. This can cause a person, especially those with high vata to become ungrounded and have digestive troubles, fatigue, anxiety and depression. There are many Ayurvedic grounding practices such as bathing, oiling the body, slow gentle yoga, doing a mono-diet cleanse (kitchari), using herbs and spices, eating more grounding and cooked foods such as root vegetables and much more.
I have often struggled with the change into fall and have begun to use many of these tools to ease the transition. Simply having the awareness that my body and mind will react differently to the change of season has made it easier. I can not eat, exercise and go, go, go in the fall the way I do in the summer. In our culture we often have to change very little about our lives when the seasons change. This can cause the changes we feel in our bodies and minds to sneak up on us and throw us for a loop. By embracing the changes and allowing our bodies to go through the natural shift we can find a healthier way of being. Below are several resources such as recipes, exercises and activities for aiding your body through this beautiful shift into fall.
Treating yourself to a massage can be a great way to soothe the body and replenish the mind through this transition.
Resource Guide
Banyan Botanicals is an excellent resource for Ayurvedic supplies and articles.
Fall Ayurvedic Recipes
Fall Ayurvedic Cleanse Guide
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