There's some shifty stuff going on around here...

Can you feel the shift happening? It’s subtle but it is there...the temperature is fluctuating, the leaves are slowly beginning to turn and drop, and the gentle winds are starting to make their presence known here in the Northeast.

This is nature giving us a heads up that things will soon be changing. Next up? Autumn, or as we know it in the Ayurvedic world, Vata season. The Vata dosha is governed by the elements of air+ether and she is characterized by the qualities of dry, light, cold, mobile, rough, subtle, and clear. My favorite time of year to break out my root veggie soup recipes, warm hats and scarves, and BOOTS! Who else loves their boots?!

Now with that said, the heat from summer can linger around for quite some time. Summer, or Pitta time in Ayurvedic terms is full of activity and movement and of course…...FIRE. By the end of the season the heat has essentially “burned” everything up causing things to dry out. With the dry, cool winds of Vata whipping up we are left with a tricky situation. In Ayurveda there is a saying, “like increases like, opposites pacify (or balance)”. The combination of dryness from the excess heat of summer and the incoming cool, dry, and light qualities from fall can cause a whole host of issues ranging from irritability, IBS flare ups, and skin rashes to anxiety, insomnia, and dry sinuses and skin…….which in turn can lead to those pesky seasonal colds and allergies as a result of excess mucus production in order to combat the dryness!! YIKES!

If we do not heed nature's warning we will surely move into imbalance in body and mind. Below I have listed a few things that can help us find this transitional time full of ease and wonder:

• If you are still feeling some lingering heat, continue to keep some of those bitter & astringent tastes around…..greens such as kale, collards, and beet greens can help to cleanse some of that accumulated Pitta out of the liver and blood.
• An apple a day! Sprinkle a few slices with some cinnamon or even better….stew them up with some ghee, cinnamon, ginger, and a pinch of cardamom. This will pull double duty, pacifying both Vata and Pitta at the same time.
• Favor the sweet tastes!!...... and I don’t mean cakes and candy. Think more in terms of basmati rice, sweet potatoes, cooked carrots, cashews, dates, and spices such as cinnamon, coriander, and saffron.
• Begin switching out those crunchy cold salads for things like soups and stews and move from the cooling beverages of summer to warm teas with ginger, licorice root, or holy basil (tulsi).
• Add oil! Everywhere!! Literally everywhere! Cook your food with a generous amount of ghee, almond oil, or olive oil. Use warm sesame oil for a full body self massage in the am before showering and/or massage your feet and hands prior to dozing off in the evening. Oil in the nasal passage, a practice called “nasya”, is SUPER beneficial as Vata moves in and is one of my go-tos in order to prevent the drying of my sinuses.
• Develop (and stick to) a daily routine in the morning and at night. Called “dinacharya”, this one practice can help to keep you grounded as the scattered winds of Vata blow in and can be as simple as waking and going to bed at roughly the same time each day.
• Last but certainly not least…...Slow down and watch!!! This is one of my favorite times to go out in nature and take it all in. The colors, the sounds, the smells…….dress appropriately, go get lost in the woods and fill your soul with the wonder of Mother Nature.