According to Ayurveda, we must follow the cycles of nature in order to be healthy. Following the natural cycles means eating seasonally appropriate foods and engaging in seasonally appropriate activities. By observing what is happening in the natural world, we can learn what practices will best nurture us each season.
In the winter, we can see that physical activity slows down. Animals have spent the autumn harvesting, storing food, and building warm places to live for the upcoming cold season. The body of each type of creature will prepare for winter differently, some by accumulating essential fat layers in order to have nutritional sustenance for the months of scarcity. Others will grow warmer winter coats of fur or migrate to warmer climates. Once winter arrives, we need only to look outside to see that the activity of the animals is no longer nearly as busy as it was during the autumn season.
As with the animals, it is appropriate for us to slow down in the winter. Winter is not the time for cleanses, detoxification programs, or intense physical workouts. The warmer months are most appropriate for physical activity, while the colder months are most appropriate for mental activity. This is not to say that we shouldn't still exercise daily during the winter, but an hour-long daily walk or gentle yoga practice is sufficient. Winter is the time for us to focus on spiritual development. The quieter natural environment offers fewer distractions to us as this time of year, and the increased time spent indoors provides the perfect opportunity to create a regular meditative practice.
Winter is the time for learning, reflection, and mental development. When we honor ourselves by engaging in seasonally appropriate practices, we allow our bodies to cycle with nature and achieve our best health. Being contemplative during the winter months enables us to prepare for spring. After the months of mental/spiritual focus, spring rolls around and we are more than ready to get outside and move our bodies.
By eating seasonally, we boost our immunity and stay physically and mentally fit over the winter months. Our bodies need more fat and protein in the winter, when many of us are trying to fight the winter weight gain by eating salads and low-fat diets. Winter diets should include healthy sources of fat such as ghee, olive oil, and nuts. Since winter is dominated by Vata dosha, the qualities of Vata will be increased in our bodies and we need to balance those qualities by eating the proper foods. Vata is cold, dry, spacey, anxious, and ungrounded. To balance these qualities, we need to bring moisture to the body with adequate fat intake. We should eat warming foods that are easy to digest. Soups should replace salads at this time of year, and ghee should be added to foods to aid digestion and lend moisture to the body. Grounding foods such as winter squashes and creamy dishes will calm the anxious mind.
This seasonal cycling of diet and activity naturally leads us to crave the bitter greens that begin to grow in spring. The spring harvest consists of foods that naturally flush the liver and lymphatic system, which boosts our metabolism effortlessly while simultaneously flushing toxins. Cycling with nature has endless health benefits for mind and body.
Remember not to push too hard this holiday season. Traditionally, this has been a season of quiet contemplation and celebration in the anticipation of sunnier days ahead. We can return to the joy of the season by remembering the beautiful simplicity of meditative silence.
In the winter, we can see that physical activity slows down. Animals have spent the autumn harvesting, storing food, and building warm places to live for the upcoming cold season. The body of each type of creature will prepare for winter differently, some by accumulating essential fat layers in order to have nutritional sustenance for the months of scarcity. Others will grow warmer winter coats of fur or migrate to warmer climates. Once winter arrives, we need only to look outside to see that the activity of the animals is no longer nearly as busy as it was during the autumn season.
As with the animals, it is appropriate for us to slow down in the winter. Winter is not the time for cleanses, detoxification programs, or intense physical workouts. The warmer months are most appropriate for physical activity, while the colder months are most appropriate for mental activity. This is not to say that we shouldn't still exercise daily during the winter, but an hour-long daily walk or gentle yoga practice is sufficient. Winter is the time for us to focus on spiritual development. The quieter natural environment offers fewer distractions to us as this time of year, and the increased time spent indoors provides the perfect opportunity to create a regular meditative practice.
Winter is the time for learning, reflection, and mental development. When we honor ourselves by engaging in seasonally appropriate practices, we allow our bodies to cycle with nature and achieve our best health. Being contemplative during the winter months enables us to prepare for spring. After the months of mental/spiritual focus, spring rolls around and we are more than ready to get outside and move our bodies.
By eating seasonally, we boost our immunity and stay physically and mentally fit over the winter months. Our bodies need more fat and protein in the winter, when many of us are trying to fight the winter weight gain by eating salads and low-fat diets. Winter diets should include healthy sources of fat such as ghee, olive oil, and nuts. Since winter is dominated by Vata dosha, the qualities of Vata will be increased in our bodies and we need to balance those qualities by eating the proper foods. Vata is cold, dry, spacey, anxious, and ungrounded. To balance these qualities, we need to bring moisture to the body with adequate fat intake. We should eat warming foods that are easy to digest. Soups should replace salads at this time of year, and ghee should be added to foods to aid digestion and lend moisture to the body. Grounding foods such as winter squashes and creamy dishes will calm the anxious mind.
This seasonal cycling of diet and activity naturally leads us to crave the bitter greens that begin to grow in spring. The spring harvest consists of foods that naturally flush the liver and lymphatic system, which boosts our metabolism effortlessly while simultaneously flushing toxins. Cycling with nature has endless health benefits for mind and body.
Remember not to push too hard this holiday season. Traditionally, this has been a season of quiet contemplation and celebration in the anticipation of sunnier days ahead. We can return to the joy of the season by remembering the beautiful simplicity of meditative silence.