Ayurveda is referred to as the sacred knowledge of life. The ultimate holistic self care guidance to hold us and inspire us to care for ourselves, as we move through all of life's seasons. The goal is to live in alignment with our unique elemental constitution. Once we discover our elemental blueprint this helps us to achieve & sustain our highest potential of flourishing wellness.
In Ayurveda, Vata is the elemental force present during each of the seasonal transitions and during vata season. Vata is a combination of; The Air and Space elements, which are the elemental forces of movement & change. Vata Season, which begins towards the end of September and throughout the cooler crisp Autumn months into January, can feel like one of the biggest or perhaps even the most challenging shifts in seasons for many of us. Both emotionally and physically since it is is a big transition for our body + mind to adapt to - from radiant warmth and light to breezy and darker days within weeks - the reality is we must take the steps to adapt with some gentle & loving urgency! Otherwise, we can end up feeling the challenging affects of not being in alignment with the season and therefore unable to gift ourselves what our bodies are needing to stay well.
Thankfully Ayurveda holds an abundance of healing antidotes to give us a clear blueprint of what our unique constitution will thrive from during each season, and to soothe any symptoms or conditions that do arise at this stage. As the season shifts, In particular, September into October, we may feel our nervous system + mental clarity and stability is affected.
This seasons imbalances can manifest as;
Feeling more fragile, Heightened worry and anxiety, Stronger sense of rushing and unease in body and mind, Racing thought, Negative thought patterns or outdated / ancestral thought patterns arising, Drier skin, Skin sensitivities, Increased hair fall. This season can increase current anxiety or awaken anxiety that usually is not present, Bursts of insomnia, Fatigue, Forgetfulness, increasing ADHD like symptoms, Inability to focus, Forgetfulness, Inability to remain present or to deeply relax.
Have you or anyone you know felt an increase of any of these symptoms in the past few weeks? If yes, continue reading.....
We are likely to feel sensitive and vulnerable due to this increase in Air and Space elements in the environment. The qualities of dominance in this season are; Dry, Cool, Light & Mobile.
The Antidote for is;
Nourishment, Stability, Density, Warmth.
The wonderful part is, these symptoms are our bodies' way to communicate to us that we need to nourish ourselves. This is the key to vital longevity and disease prevention; Understanding and adapting our lifestyle + diet to compliment our constitutional needs and to balance any constitutional vulnerabilities each season.
First, lets take a deeper look in to Vata Dosha, Why it can becomes imbalanced
& Then we will explore the seasons
Mind, Body, Soul Medicine
From an Ancient Ayurvedic lens, our true essence is elemental.
We too, just as nature is, seasonal, cyclical beings.
As we become more curious about this inevitable connection,
we begin to discover new ways to attune ourselves,
we experience the unfolding of our lives guiding us towards this path of yearning for this reconnection.We begin to feel and know a deep resonance and remembrance here.
This time of year can feel particularly vulnerable,
a time of heightened symptoms
or discomfort for you if;
You have a Vata mind body type
This means that Air and Space elements are dominant in your constitution,
therefore you will naturally feel it more once these elements are present in the atmosphere.
(If you do not know your constitution, if you do experience any of the above symptoms regularly its likely that vata is dominant in your constitution.
Alternatively, perhaps the following relate to you....
You have ongoing anxiety or ADHD type symptoms
These symptoms will likely be heightened at this time of year.
Don't worry, Ayurveda can really help soothe your symptoms.
Read below for your seasonal medicine guide.
You are over the age of 50
This is considered the phase of our lives where Vata can begin to destabilize
and present more serious health concerns issues if not addressed through daily lifestyle + diet. At this stage of life, we really want to begin to adapt our lifestyle to focus on vata balancing throughout the year.
Your in your third trimester or in the postpartum phase
During child birth, every woman will experience some degree of vata imbalance regardless of the season. Did you know? Unpleasant postpartum symptoms such as PPD is actually a vata symptom. Ayurvedic wisdom can support you deeply at this time! it was truly a blessing for me during postpartum.
The dramatic changes in a woman's body during pregnancy need to be nurtured back slowly to its prenatal form. If a new mother does not take care at this time, the roots of various ailments will establish themselves her body” -
Heng Ou Author of 'The First Forty Days'
You're a New mama, or you have toddlers!
A Vata balancing protocol is recommended for all mothers to support
and stabilize after giving birth. You may have given birth a while ago but your vata could still be imabalanced. Cultivating some simple healing routines, nourishing diet and finding moments of calmness in the chaos is really recommended! But please dont ignore the symptoms at this stage, it could lead to more depletion.
Prioritise Nourishment, Stability, Warmth.
Vata Season Mind, Body & Soul Medicine
Remember that In Ayurveda, like increases like,
therefore we want to antidote with opposite qualities and elements.
𖤓 Herbs for teas to favor; Valerian, Chamomile, Ginger, Lemon balm, Licorice root. If you have severe symptoms this month, avoid and reduce caffeine intake until symptoms decrease.
𖤓Ayurvedic Herbs; Adapdogenic herbs like Ashwaganda are amazing for anxiety or insomnia. Triphala is helpful to reduce vata related stress + to balance all doshas and elements due to its combination of 3 Ayurvedic herbs. Ayurvedic herbs can be extremely supportive to reduce the intensity of symptoms this season, however it is best to get support from an Ayurvedic Practitioner before consuming on a long term basis, to ensure all the qualities are going to be supportive and balancing for your unique constitution.
𖤓 Enjoy fresh Autumnal walks the Ayurvedic way! Before heading out walking; if you're extremely sensitive this time of year - give yourself a warm oil loving massage first and leave the oils on your body to deeply nourish your tissues! Wrap up warm, with breathable naturally dyed fabrics like pure organic cotton, wool, linen, silks. Take a warm flask of herbal tea.
*Golden Tip:
Apply some oil in your navel & ears also to avoid excess air / wind entering
- which can increase anxiety.
𖤓 Take a long hot ritual bath; Add Magnesium salts and sprinkle in some of your dried flowers from the summer or gather some of the fresh seasonal abundance. Light some candles and Palo Santo too, for extra divine replenishment and cleansing.
𖤓Purchase good quality hair oil or make your own nourishing hair strengthening oil with calendula + rosemary and give yourself weekly head massages before washing your hair to support less hair fall this time of year. I love my Kansa comb for hair growth! I have recently purchased one, and some other Ayurvedic products at Mauli Rituals as beautiful additions to facial reflexology treatments.
'Kansa is a healing metal that acts like a magnet between skin surface and underlying connective tissue subtly activating Pranic energy through our marma points to rejuvenate hair follicles at a cellular level to reduce stress, inflammation & fatigue'
20% off at the moment! https://www.maulirituals.com
𖤓If you run cold or have poor circulation;Find creative ways to generate heat. Enjoy more gatherings around the fire, Use the breath of fire Pranayama to increase heat in the body and achieve clarity of mind when the mind is foggy or distracted, Enjoy a sequence of 12 Sun Salutations as you rise, Spend time in the Autumn Sunshine as often as possible
(The sun started shining through my window as I wrote this!)
Simple soothing practice: Rub your palms together for a 20 seconds or until you generate heat or alternatively warm them up by the fire, then place over your eyes. Allow the heat from your palms to absorb into your skin, allow the sensations from your hands bring you a sense of relaxation and to calm your facial muscles.
Stay here for a while, breathe deeply, enter in to the sacred stillness ~
𖤓Prepare some healthy snacks using nourishing and grounding ingredients; Sweet potato, Avocados, Medjool dates, Coconut flakes, Coconut butter, Ghee, Oats, Almond butter.
You could try the deliciously Ella Sweet potato brownies!
𖤓 Favor warm mineral dense foods over cold or raw foods; soups + stews, prepare bone broths, casseroles and cinnamon or pumpkin spiced porridges, with oats, quinoa, or rice.
*This bone broth is the ultimate TLC!
Delicious nourishing broth recipe available at:
𖤓 Establish routine to help ground the vastness and spaciness of this seasonal shift This month can become chaotic without structure! A few significant ones I cherish and benefit from the most from the Ayurvedic circadian clock are;
1. Exercise between 6am - 10am
2. Eat lunch as the main meal of the day at 1pm
3. Aim to be in bed at around 10pm (& turn devices to airplane mode overnight)
to fully rejuvenate and recover and to then be able to rise earlier.
𖤓Be Intentional! A perfect antidote to overwhelm or anxiety is being intentional. Focus and still the mind, if its moving too fast, through calming meditations with soft gentle sounds and guided practices, or to have some affirmations to turn to when you need them wether you use them in conversation with others to soothe the way you communicate with others at this time or you use them within your own mind;
"I focus on soothing myself when I feel Overwhelmed"
"I am Safe, I am Loved, I am softening"
" I trust that Balance, Calmness, Safety is available to me now"
"I am thankful for tools to support my nervous system when I need them"
Daily Practice Inspiration for Vata Season
𖤓 Yoga + Pranayama. Rising Practices: Between 6am & 10am
Sama Vritti Pranayama - Square Breathing 5 minutes
followed by x12 intentional and focused sun salutations.
𖤓 Yoga + Pranayama. Bedtime Practices: Yin Yoga Poses with Ujjaii breathing or Long extended exhalations. Yin Poses hold each for a couple of minutes; Apanasana (Knees to Chest Post) Rocking side to side. slowly. Open in to Happy Baby (Ananda balanasana) in to Viparita Karani (Legs Up the Wall Pose) Hold here for 5 minutes. Followed by a deep surrender Savasana as you lie in bed. When we focus on more meditation + yin yoga poses to cultivate stillness this will help to balance the fast moving Vata forces.
If you would like more personalised guidance curated for your unique constitution and to take your vitality to the next level, enjoy greater energy, clarity, creativity & enjoy alignment with the season please feel free to contact me to discuss current offerings.
I hope you in joy and find many moments of bliss and gratitude while
implementing some of these truly nourishing practices.
Sending Warm Wishes,
Tillie
Aur Aveda Wellness
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