Prepare for a healthy fall: 8 Ayurveda hacks you can practice right now
Ayurveda works most effectively when we use it as preventative medicine. This requires a shift in thinking for many of us. We are used to waiting until we get sick before we go to the doctor. Perhaps you typically experience good health during the summer, but find yourself at the doctor’s office every fall once you come down with a cold or flu.
The doctor may send you home with some medicine to relieve your symptoms, but there’s not much they can do to cure the cold once you’ve contracted it. The same is usually true for Ayurvedic medicine. While I swear by my soothing Ayurvedic teas, herbal honeys and plant tinctures when I’m sick, they don’t magically make my cold go away; they just take the edge off my symptoms.
I challenge you to think about a symptom you get predictably every year. Spring sinus allergies? Headaches every summer? The yearly fall cold? Imagine if instead of only being able to react after the fact by taking medicines or herbs for symptomatic relief, there was something you could do beforehand to prepare and even prevent the symptom from occurring.
The difference between a Western approach and an Ayurvedic approach is that Ayurveda has A LOT to say about how to prevent the cold in the first place. As an Ayurvedic health coach, I would much rather have a client reach out before they have a disease, because there’s so much good work that we can do with diet and lifestyle to strengthen digestion, build the immune system, and prevent imbalances from becoming diseases.
You may be surprised to learn that the best time to begin preparing your body for fall is actually during the summer! To understand why, it’s helpful to have a basic understanding of the three doshas and how they accumulate in the body during each season.
- Kapha is heavy, dense, wet and cool. This energy is most present as winter turns to spring, snow begins to melt into cold rivers, and the earth begins to thaw and prepare for new growth.
- Pitta is hot, sharp, spreading and liquid. It is highest in the summer season, when the sun makes the days long and spreads its heat through the earth and the air.
- Vata is cold, dry, light, and mobile. It is most present in the late fall/early winter season, as nature dries out, the leaves begin to fall, and the cold winds start to blow.
As the seasons change, the doshas move through three phases: accumulation, provocation, and pacification. Each dosha actually begins to accumulate in the season before it peaks. Let’s take vata, for example. Vata begins to accumulate in the summer. It then moves into the provocation stage in fall, when we can easily see it in nature and in our bodies as things turn dry and cold. Vata then naturally moves into pacification in the spring, when the moist, dense energy of kapha comes along to pacify vata’s dry, light nature. The three doshas go through this dance of accumulation, provocation and pacification all year long. If we are in a state of health we experience this same flow, and the doshas naturally balance each other out.
The thing about the accumulation phase is that we don’t see it happening. Depending on where you live, the heat of summer prevents the cold, dry qualities of vata in our own bodies from reaching the provocation stage. But as soon as the weather shifts to fall, we suddenly have dry skin, achy joints, constipation or a nasty cold. This is because vata was actually accumulating in our bodies all summer long – we just don’t see it until the season changes.
So what can you do to create healthier transitions from season to season? This approach to self-care takes a little proactive planning, but once you get used to making it a part of your seasonal routine, I think you’ll find the benefits are worth it! As we are currently nearing the end of summer, here are eight practical things you can do NOW to prepare your body and mind for a healthy fall and winter.
1. Slow down, settle in
Summer tends to throw us off from our normal routines. Even though travel is constricted this year due to COVID-19, many of us are still taking small vacations or even day trips that can interrupt daily routine. Any kind of travel, but especially air travel, is extremely aggravating to vata, so the more summer travel we partake in, the more we may see vata provoked in the fall.
Start to think about slowing down, letting the dust settle from any travel or activity you’ve done this summer, and creating a simple routine for yourself. Even the most basic morning or evening rituals can be extremely grounding and nourishing. The next few items are things you can incorporate into a daily routine.
2. Meditate daily
I like to think of myself as someone who meditates every day, but if I were to keep track, I would see that this is not the truth. Especially this summer! I was recently housesitting in another state, and while I enjoyed some relaxing mornings, I didn’t meditate once. I felt great while I was gone but since I’ve been home, I find that I’m waking up feeling anxious, sad, and a little lost.
I’ve found that having a morning routine, and especially a meditation practice, is the best thing to combat this feeling! Meditation is something I don’t always want to do, but I know it truly does make me feel better when I do it consistently. My advice is to start small and make it something you look forward to. Try setting a goal of meditating for just five minutes a day for one week. Make a cup of tea, set up a comfortable spot, light a candle. I love to do some quick journaling after I meditate. Usually I write down good moments from the day before, things that I’m grateful for, and how I want the day ahead to feel.
If you’re new to meditation and don’t know how to do it “right,” don’t let that stop you! There are so many apps, free videos and guides that will help you get started. Or you can simply sit and focus on the sensations of your body. There really is no right way, the important thing is to find a moment of stillness in your day.
3. Self-massage
Body oil massage, or abhyanga, may be the greatest gift of Ayurveda! I give myself a full-body oil massage almost every morning. It is extremely calming, nourishing for the tissues, and hydrating for the skin. It is one of the best things you can do to keep the body warm and juicy as we move into the dry, cold vata season.
But don’t wait until you’re already cold and dry! Start now! If it’s still very hot where you live, you can use a more cooling oil such as coconut or sunflower. Sesame oil is traditionally used, but is a little more heating. It is wonderful to use as the weather gets cooler, or if you tend to run more cold in general.
I purchase my body oils from Banyan Botanicals, and they also offer some great resources on how to do your oil massage. You can find a lot of info online or ask an Ayurvedic practitioner about how to do abhyanga if you’re interested in learning more!
4. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
Summer heat can dry the body and cause you to experience symptoms such as dry skin, brittle hair, and constipation that show up in the fall. Even if you are drinking the recommended eight glasses of water a day, your body may not be absorbing it as well as it could. Adding fresh herbs, teas, or even fruit to your water not only makes it more delicious, it allows your body to absorb more hydration.
Try adding a squeeze of lemon or lime, some cucumber slices on a hot day, or a pinch of pink Himalayan salt to your water bottle. Herbal teas are also a wonderful way to increase hydration as well as offering other benefits. You can brew a big pitcher or jar of tea, and then store it in the fridge for several days. Add a splash to your water for a quick refresher!
5. Get to know demulcent herbs
Demulcents are another great thing to add your to water or teas. A demulcent is an herb that creates a soothing film over mucous membranes. These herbs are healing for the gut lining, soothe a cough, and can reduce both constipation or diarrhea. Because demulcents are typically both hydrating, nourishing, and slightly cooling, they are wonderful herbs to use in the summer/fall transition to balance both vata and pitta.
Some of my favorite demulcents are: licorice, shatavari, slippery elm, and marshmallow. You can buy these herbs in powdered form or dried whole herbs. Make sure to buy herbs from organic sources! LifeSpa makes a great demulcent tea blend you can find here.
6. Eat seasonally, spice frequently
The trick to maintaining balance is to prepare our bodies for fall without creating too much heat. After all it’s still the peak of summer, so you probably don’t feel like eating hot soups for lunch! If your digestion is strong, you can continue to eat more raw and cool foods in the summer, like salads and smoothies – but think about adding digestive spices to help the body break down and absorb the foods.
Some spices to play with are: cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, fennel, mint, and fresh ginger. A great example is making a spicy smoothie! You can satisfy your craving for a smoothie on a hot day, but adding a pinch of cinnamon, ginger or cardamom will make it more digestible. Use these spices all summer long to keep your digestion strong for the fall.
7. Make a love-list for your future self
With all of these actions we are basically giving our future selves a gift: the gift of good health and a balanced system. But this particular tip is about creating a tangible gift that your future self can return to again and again.
Write a list of twenty things that make you feel nurtured and grounded. These could be food items, music you love, favorite books, or simple acts of self-care. Some items on my list are warm turmeric milk, hot baths on cold nights, and painting my toenails! Store your list somewhere special or put it up where you can see it every day.
When fall comes around and you’re feeling scattered, anxious, or depleted, these are going to be the things you can turn to. Be generous with yourself in doling out these gifts – the best remedy for vata is to feel loved, cared for and nourished to your core. Let this list be your self-care guide when you feel lost.
8. Plan your fall cleanse now
A yearly fall cleanse is one of the best things you can do to boost immunity and give yourself an intentional transition into fall. Traditionally done around the time of the autumnal equinox, the best time to practice a cleanse is when you are starting to feel a shift from summer to fall, but the temperature hasn’t dropped too low. Remember, it’s all about prevention, so we want to get ahead of those fall colds!
An Ayurvedic cleanse looks different from the typical cleanse you might think of. There is no juicing or fasting, and you get to eat three nourishing meals a day. The traditional dish used for Ayurvedic cleansing is kitchari, a warm blend of cooked rice, lentils and vegetables. It is delicious, healing, and grounding. I have seen this type of cleanse work miracles for those suffering from many types of digestive issues!
I encourage you to start planning for your fall cleanse now. You want to make sure you set time aside to get some extra rest, limit social commitments, and make space for yourself to experience the powerful benefits of this cleanse.
Click here for my free starter guide to Ayurvedic cleansing to learn more about about when, why and how to practice your first Ayurvedic cleanse.