Ayurveda in October...Here comes Vata!

Fall is officially here. The nights are cooler, the leaves are changing, and the WIND is picking up...blowing into Colorado some magical weather. I am reminded of the change in Doshas and how that can sometimes create imbalance for some of us.

What's a Dosha?

In Ayurveda, we're taught that everyone is born with variations of three doshas, or constitutions, that make up the nature of the body. Pitta, Vata, and Kapha. We'll share a more detailed Ayurveda 101 post later, but for now, I'll focus on Vata.

Vata's characteristics are light, dry, mobile, subtle...all qualities we find in Fall weather. The air becomes drier, and we begin to have less light during the day, meaning we are less mobile. The changes in fall can be subtle or really intense. We may find the foods we ate in summer are not as nourishing as they were 2 months ago. Salads, cold foods, and acidic fruits can be helpful in Summer to cool us down and make us lighter. But in the Fall, we need grounding. We need to feel connected to the earth and slow down a bit. It's a reminder we have to change with our environment or else we start to see illness creep in, exhaustion, and lethargy.

What I'm finding the last few days, as the wind is kicking up to almost unbearable gusts, there is an unsettling happening. Students are showing up agitated, anxious, and nervous. Even the animals in my home are acting strangely. It's a subtle change going on in the air...but Fall is here.

Find Your Grounding

So what do we do when we feel ungrounded, unsettled, anxious? We change things. Changing your diet to eating more root vegetables, soups, and hearty meals helps the body feel full and grounded. Swapping your cold drinks for something warm helps keep the body heated and the mind calm. Taking shorter showers and using abhyanga (oil massage) helps keep the skin moist and soothes the body.

We can't change the weather or the wind, but we can nourish the body as the seasons change. If you have any imbalance in Vata this fall you might find this season unsettling...but there is hope! Change a few things in your routine to help ground and nourish your body, and you'll find Vata back in balance.

Curious about Ayurveda?! Stay tuned for our workshop in the coming months!

In love,

Brooke,