Winter’s here… are you ready?
Author: Maharishi Ayurveda Date Posted:15 May 2017
Winter tips
Now winter is here let’s consider how to make the most of this season. Along with the opportunity for winter sports, comes the joy of cosy fires, comfy beds and warm, hearty meals to fortify one when the weather is cold.
Winter is the time of the year governed by Vata dosha. This means Vata qualities become stronger in all of us. Thus winter is a good time to be aware of how to keep the Vata qualities within you happy.
Vata dosha in me
Vata governs all movement in the mind and body. Vata is the most important dosha and keeping it in a state of balance is essential, especially when combating stress, overload and the aging process.
It is very like Vata to
- be hungry at any time of the day or night
- love excitement and constant change
- be sensitive to cold, dry, windy weather
- go to sleep at different times of the night
- skip meals and keep irregular habits in general
- digest food well one day and poorly the next
- tend towards exhaustion from overworking or over-exercising
- display bursts of emotion that are short lived and quickly forgotten
- spend money quickly and find it hard to save
- be highly social, and enjoy mixing with all types of people
Key signs of imbalance include
- Worries, overactive mind, sleep problems and difficulty breathing
- Dry coughs, sore throats, earaches and generalised fatigue
- Slow or rapid digestion with gas, intestinal cramps, tendency for poor assimilation and weak tissue
- Intestinal cramps, menstrual discomfort, lower back pain, irregularity of bowel - constipation and gas to diarrhoea, in a changeable manner
- Dry or rough skin, nervousness, shakiness, poor blood flow, and stress-related problems
How does imbalance come about?
If you are experiencing some discomfort, there is usually a precipitating cause, a pattern of behaviour that has thrown the dosha out of balance. The typical patterns that cause Vata imbalance are:
- Under stress and responding with fear, worry and anxiety
- Physical and mental exhaustion from a period of overdoing it
- You chain smoke or suffer from alcohol or drug addiction
- You have had a sudden change in your life or the season is changing
- Your diet includes a lot of cold, dry, raw foods
- You eat a lot of bitter, spicy or astringent foods (salads, beans, raw green leafy vegetables)
- You habitually skip meals or are dieting
- You have been sleeping poorly for more than a few days
- You have taken a trip recently
- The weather is cold, dry and windy (autumn and winter)
Key strategies for balancing Vata
As Vata is changeable and quick moving with a tendency for dryness, it is recommended to
- Adopt a regular daily routine of sleeping and regular eating times to balance the changeable quality of Vata
- Start the morning at a slow pace to calm the tendency for quickness. Starting with meditaton or a quiet time is recommended.
- Have an oil massage to counteract the tendency for dryness. Use Organic Vata Massage Oil
- Favour warm and tasty Vata balancing food and drinks. Favour a Vata balancing diet Drink Organic Vata Tea and use Organic Vata Seasonal Spice Mixture in your cooking.
- Reduce stress as Vata governs all movement in your nervous system.
Herbals to balance Vata
- Stress Relief Take 1-2 tablets prior breakfast and evening meals or prior morning and afternoon meditation.
- Take 1-2 tablets of Herbal Di-gest prior meals 3 times a day.
- Take 1 tablet of Digest Plus after meals 3 x a day.
Wishing you the bliss of balance this Winter
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Linda Sinden has been a practising Maharishi Ayurveda Consultant since 1990 and is a regular contributor to our weekly Insights. She has a practice in Auckland, New Zealand and also provides phone or Skype sessions for those who need assistance, but don’t have a consultant in their vicinity. Email: lindasinden@orbislife.co.nz Skype: Linda.Sinden |
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