Ayurveda Article - Fall Pick-Me-Ups For Everyone

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FALL PICK-ME-UPS FOR VATA DOSHA

 

Come October, change is in the air. Leaves turn color and fall. The

air feels cool-and dry. Inside your body, Vata dosha, the dosha of

the season, tends to increase, often commanding Pitta and Kapha

doshas to play second, and third, fiddle. This is how it is likely to

be till February, when the season both outside and within you will

change once again.

 

When Vata dosha takes over for these few months, its restless,

sweeping quality can throw your physiology-and psychology-completely

out of balance. Constipation, dry skin, irregular appetite, lack of

sleep, stress, fatigue-an out-of-sync Vata can cause all of these

problems and more.

 

But in nature's scheme of things, the Vata environment outside is

supposed to synchronize perfectly smoothly with changes within our

bodies and minds. If, that is, we stay in tune with some simple

rhythms of nature.

 

It's really quite logical. Fall, being the onset of dry and cold days

and nights, needs to be offset by a diet, routine and temperatures

that are warming, unctuous and nourishing. That's how all three

doshas work: if you have a Pitta imbalance, you try to cool down. If

your Kapha shows signs of aggravation, detoxify. And if it's Vata

that has increased, well, there's a healing tip to soften every

aspect of this volatile dosha.

 

Vaidya Ramakant Mishra, renowned ayurvedic physician and Director of

Research and Product Development at Maharishi Ayurveda, offers you a

whole bouquet of such healing tips. To begin with, he says that the

keyword in Vata-management is "regularity." Being a mobile dosha,

Vata is always in need of stability, especially in these months when

it becomes aggressive.

 

Therefore, says Vaidya Mishra, it is time to pay attention in fall

and winter to the basics of your daily routine.

 

7 Ways to Please Vata This Fall

 

* First and foremost, regulate your mealtimes. Have lunch at noon,

and dinner early in the evening. Don't skip or neglect breakfast.

This simple re-scheduling will regulate your metabolic activity,

setting hunger cycles in order, generating healthy agni, and making

sure that no toxins accumulate in your system.

 

* Next, start turning in early-ideally by 10 p.m. Make it a routine,

regardless of the hours you have been keeping hitherto. Of course,

you'll need to make adjustments in work and entertainment patterns-

this might mean not watching your favorite late night show or winding

up office work earlier in the evening. But, emphasizes Vaidya Mishra,

all these sacrifices or changes that you make will reward you

handsomely in terms of balanced Vata and glowing health.

 

* Now that your sleeping and waking hours, as also your daily

routine, are in co-ordination; it is important to pay attention to

the kind of diet you are taking. Vata dosha imbalance needs to be

corrected with plenty of moisture and lipids-and this can be done by

taking in unctuous food cooked using healthy oils. Especially if you

already have a Vata imbalance, then this is the season for you to

avoid drying foods like popcorn and steamed veggies without a trace

of fat.

* Another aspect of diet care: make sure you get lots of warm,

freshly cooked food. Eating leftovers, raw foods, or processed and

canned foods will disturb Vata. Remind yourself that the cold and dry

properties of Vata are already plentiful in your system right now. So

you really need to give yourself some warmth. And then you cannot

deny that the pleasure of a cup of hot tea on a chilly October

evening is unrivalled. With Vata Tea, the ingredients of which are

custom-blended to please Vata dosha, you get warmth plus health. What

could be better? Therefore, time to say No to that cold sandwich and

that dry cereal. Fall foods should include hot soups, freshly cooked

and lightly spiced mung dahl, warm stewed apple taken in the morning,

cream of wheat cereal, and warm milk.

Cooking fresh and warm might sound like a tall order for those of us

who are barely able to afford any kind of time to lunching or dining.

But with a little help from Maharishi Ayurveda's flavorful churnas-

especially Vata churna-cooking fresh can be a breeze. Just sauté

some

veggies in a little ghee and the churna, and minutes later you're

ready to eat. More ideas: get wholesome nutrition with whole wheat

bread or chapatti. Snack on dates or fresh fruit. Flavor your glass

of milk with Almond Energy Drink. The possibilities are endless, and

their health benefits should be ample motivation for you to think

about them every morning. And yes, before you go to bed, a warm cup

of milk with a bit of ginger and a touch of honey will do you a world

of good.

* Still don't feel you can chalk out a balanced diet plan based on

Vata-balancing principles? Consult a vaidya, who will help you decide

what foods work for you. The advantage in this is that a vaidya will

also be able to assess if you need to balance another dosha during

this time.

 

* Anything you do to nurture your skin during this season is going to

pay you rich dividends. Because Vata is drying, skin neglected in

this season tends to wrinkle and age faster. Give your body a daily

massage with Maharishi Ayurveda's Herbal Massage Oils or the Youthful

Skin Massage Oil, and support facial skin with lipids-the Youthful

Skin Cream with its rich body of healing herbs, and the Youthful Skin

Oil are just the formulas you need to nourish and pamper your skin.

 

* Vata disturbance in fall can cause stress to go out of control. The

head reels, the heart feels restless, and the mind cannot focus. It's

a situation you'll find already greatly relieved by following the

above diet and sleep tips. But in addition, if you make time to do

light yoga exercises and meditation, you'll double the benefits.

Also, this is a good time to introduce regularity in your work

rhythms, too. This means taking regular breaks, not overstretching

yourself over a problem, supplying yourself with plenty of water and

healing warm drinks through the day, and practising deep, relaxed

breathing in between jobs.

 

Initially, these can seem like big goals to chase-but in adopting

these new rhythms, you'll discover a new, beautiful paradox: you'll

find that shedding some of your old routines in favor of new ones

might initially disrupt your set schedule. But soon, they will

establish an inner harmony that will prove invaluable in healing your

Vata dosha. Then, whatever the season, you'll be a picture of calm,

health, and joy.

 

And that, says Vaidya Mishra, is a truly inspiring goal to chase!

 

 

Note : This ayurvedic information is educational and is not intended

to replace standard medical care or advice.

Copyright MAPI, 2002.

 

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