Preparing for Fall: Adapting Your Diet and Routine for Vata Season

Understanding Vata Season

As fall approaches, it's important to understand the concept of Vata season in Ayurveda. Vata is one of the three doshas, or energies, in Ayurvedic practice. It is characterized by qualities like cold, dry, and windy. This season can affect your body and mind, making it essential to adapt your diet and routine.

In Vata season, people may feel more anxious, restless, tired,  have dry skin, and experience digestive issues. By making small changes, you can balance these effects and maintain your well-being.

How to adapt your daily routine

Diet and your daily routine plays a significant role in balancing Vata. Try to maintain a regular schedule. This can help stabilize the fluctuating nature of Vata.

Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. Include activities like yoga and meditation in your routine. These practices can help calm your mind and reduce anxiety.

As the weather gets cooler, dress in layers to stay warm. Choose clothes made from natural fibers like cotton and wool. These materials can keep you warm while allowing your skin to breathe.

Cover your head and neck when you go outside. This can protect you from cold winds and help maintain your body warmth.

Warm up some good sesame or almond oil and apply on to your skin with long slow strokes. Leave it on for as long as comfortable and then enjoy hot bath or shower. Not only your skin will thank you, but it also relaxes your senses and mind. 

How to adapt your diet

As we know, Vata is describe as light, cold, mobile, sharp, subtle and astringent. We can counterbalance the effect of Vata weather with our diet and food. It means that our food should be moist, warm, cooked, soft, sweet and salty in taste. Make sure to incorporate a lot of root veggies and healthy grains as a source of sweet taste. 

• My top choices for quick healthy dinners are soups of any kind ( light veggie soup, minestrone, curry pumpkin soup, beef broth, beans soup, red lentil soup, dal tadkha ), stews and all kinds of one pot meals and casseroles and ayurvedic Kitchari - split mung dal with rice and spices
  
• Always make sure to use warming spices with your meals, such as cumin, turmeric, ginger, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, cinnamon, cardamom...
• Try to stay hydrate throughout the day with warm water or herbal teas.

Let embrace the seasonal change, slow down a little bit, maybe stop for a while and look around, the Mother Nature is playing the show for us. Wrap up in a blanket, make yourself a nice cup of tea and connect with yourself. 

Much love,

Michaela