19 Nov Fall is Vata Season: Stay Grounded with These Easy Tips

Posted at 21:53h in BLOG by
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FEELING UNGROUNDED?

In the fall, the air becomes cooler and drier and sometimes windy. These characteristics are similar to the qualities of the ayurveda dosha called “vata”. Vata is referred to as the air or wind dosha, because it is cold, light, dry, rough and mobile, like air. Our bodies assimilate these external environmental influences and it can makes us to feel out of sorts. Mentally we can become more forgetful. Physically we can feel more dry and our skin may become chapped or flaky.

OPPOSITES BALANCE

To balance out the seasonal influences, ayurveda recommends bringing in opposite qualities. We need more warm, heavy, moist, smooth and stable qualities in our lives at this time of year.

  1. Soups and stews should be your “go to” food during the fall or any time you want to balance vata. There are many great vata meal ideas in The Essential Ayurvedic Cookbook and recipes on my blog (i.e., Purple Sweet Potato & Lotus Seed Soup, Sopa de Lima and more). Avoid raw foods and cold drinks or smoothies.
  2. Sipping warm water and caffeine-free tea throughout the day will provide much needed moisture to vata. Be especially mindful of those holiday lattes! The calories, sugar and caffeine will set you up for a crash come January, so let moderation be your guide. As an alternative, I created this Vegan Pumpkin Spiced Chai Latte Recipe which was featured on Curejoy®. It’s low-sugar and made with Tulsi tea which is naturally caffeine free and a tonic for the nerves.
  3. Daily meditation will help keep stress in check and your mind on point during the deluge of holiday events. Start with 5 minutes every morning. It will set the tone for the day and reaffirm your commitment to mental health. Meditation is food for the mind – you can be generous with the portions.
  4. Keeping to a daily routine, with a set time to rise (6:00am) and sleep (10:00 pm), will help stabilize and ground mobile vata. The body restores itself during sleep, so getting adequate rest is important. By establishing a predictable pattern of wake and sleep times, your body gets into a rhythm that will benefit your mood, memory, concentration, immune system and nervous system.
  5. The best way to balance vata is with an oil massage. Daily self-massage with an Ayurvedic herbal oil is one of the key anti-aging rituals in ayurveda. It stimulates circulation, removes toxins, promotes sound sleep, soothes the nerves and much more. For busy westerners, once a week is perhaps a more realistic massage goal. At a minimum, I try to massage the soles of my feet every night with oil (in the fall and winter); then on Saturday’s when I have more time, I’ll do a full body massage.  Choose the right oil for the season and your dosha. I’m a vata constitution and in the fall, I like to use Banyan Botanicals® Vata Massage Oil – it is relaxing, grounding and warming. If that sounds like what you need, give it a try! Otherwise, consult your Ayurvedic practitioner for a specific oil that is right for you (based on your dosha, the season and any imbalance you may be experiencing).

 

 

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2 Comments
  • Martina
    Posted at 04:13h, 10 January

    Dear Lois,
    thanks for the great post. I really love reading your blog. However, with my vata-kapha constitution, it´s Quite confusing which recommednations to follow (.e.g. for the massages or eating) because they are often contradictory. Please would you be so kind to give me som hints how to deal with it.
    Wishing you all the best,
    Martina

  • admin
    Posted at 12:44h, 13 January

    Hi Martina. I am just getting back from retreat and saw your comment. Vata-kapha is a fairly balanced constitution — the dry, light, mobile qualities of vata are stabilized by the moist, heavy and grounded qualities of kapha. Vata tends to run cold, but kapha is “cool”. So both kapha and vata can benefit from some warmth. Assuming there are no imbalances (i.e., you are not experiencing constipation, lethargy, insomnia, excess weight, anxiety, lipomas, bloating, menstrual issues, etc.), then you can simply follow vata recommendations for fall food (minimize milk and cheese) and follow ayurveda food combining guidelines. In general, ayurveda recommends eating according to the season. Because whatever foods are in season are generally balancing to the external environment at that time of year. For instance, in fall, the air is cold, dry, light and maybe windy – like vata. Typically root vegetables are being harvested at that time of year. Root vegetables (beets, carrots, parsnips, etc.) are all grounding, warming and balancing to vata. So eat seasonal, local foods and you should be fine. For all doshas, soups are beneficial in fall and winter.

    If your skin is dry and you want to do massage, then organic, unrefined sesame oil is suitable for vata and kapha.

    If you have something going on, or want to learn more specific advice, feel free to call or email me directly (the contact info is on the home page).

    Thank you!

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