Ayurvedic winter tips to insulate your health & wellbeing

Ayurveda is a holistic science of health and longevity. Originating in India over 5,000 years ago, Ayurveda offers us a personalised, nuanced and empowering approach to taking care of our health each day. Ayurveda focuses on prevention over cure, suggesting that the things we engage with every day can either keep us in good health, or lead us in the direction of disease and imbalance.

As well as our dinacharya, or daily rituals and routines, Ayurveda also places emphasis on ritucharya, or seasonal routines. As beings of this earth, we are in constant relationship with our surroundings, and our environment, just like the food we eat, has an influence on our health. Adapting our daily rhythms with each season helps us pre-empt some of the seasonal imbalances that can occur so we can avoid them and stay healthy.

The end of May/start of June in the Southern Hemisphere signals our transition from autumn to winter. In winter, we see an increase in the qualities of Kapha and Vata dosha. These doshas, or bioenergetic forces, have certain qualities and characteristics that we can observe both in ourselves and our environment. Kapha is typically cold, heavy, moist, dense and immobile, while Vata is cold, rough, dry, mobile and light. When our environment is reflecting these qualities, we may then notice them in ourselves: sinus congestion and heaviness in mind and body, cold hands and feet, sluggish digestion and drier skin are common ailments that spike in winter.

This is where our ritucharya comes in. By making some winter-specific tweaks to our daily routines, we can fend off some of the imbalances that may otherwise occur in winter, and keep ourselves toasty warm, feeling energised and free to enjoy the beauty that comes with the cooler months. Below you’ll find some simple Ayurvedic practices and suggestions to weave into your day during winter.

FOOD AS MEDICINE

Focus on warm, cooked food

Cold, raw foods are heavy, rough and harder to digest, and often a surprising culprit behind a lot of people’s imbalances. Satisfy your belly and pacify Vata dosha with things like soups, broths, stews, roast veggies, stir fries and porridges and notice how much better it feels on your tummy. Eating warm foods doesn’t mean heavy food though – rich creamy sauces are likely to aggravate Kapha and create some excess mucus, so try to avoid too much heaviness. Let go of salads and smoothies and keep it warm and cooked – you won’t look back.

Avoid heavy cold foods such as ice cream, pastas and rich desserts. These foods are heavy, cold and hard to digest as well, and create Kapha imbalance – think excess mucus, sluggish digestion and a foggy mind.

Need some kitchen inspiration? Whip up some delicious kitchari or lemony chickpea soup.

Spice, spice baby

Not just a delicious addition to sprinkle into your cooking, spices are medicinal little powerhouses. Make sure you include warming spices in your meals to aid digestion, reduce the accumulation of ama (toxins), support the breakdown of proteins and reduce the likelihood of gas or sluggishness.

Cinnamon – excellent for circulation, add cinnamon to roast vegetables and porridge.

Cumin – savoury and earthy, cumin is an anti-inflammatory, detoxifies the GI tract and helps to expel mucus. Add it to soups, curries and stews.

Ginger – Ginger is especially good for Kapha and Vata, helping to stimulate digestive juices as well as expelling mucus, remedying a cough and helping with a sluggish liver. Add fresh ginger to savoury dishes. Also delicious in porridge for some invigorating warmth.

Turmeric – this golden kitchen treasure is wonderful for inflammation, supporting digestion, blood formation and bleeding disorders.  Sprinkle it into curries or stir into warm milk for a nightcap.

Black pepper – hot and pungent, black pepper helps to open the srotas or channels of the body especially the respiratory channel. Great for stimulating sluggish digestion.

Ajwain – also known as carom, ajwain are punchy little seeds excellent for digestion. They reduce gas and bloating, stimulate sluggish digestion and are excellent for conditions like IBS. Add a little sprinkle to your favourite savoury dishes.

DAILY ROUTINES

Keep your ears & head covered

Always protect your ears and head when you go outside. Ears are one of the main seats of Vata, and keeping them covered from the wind and cold reduces the likelihood of Vata becoming aggravated. 

Oil the body

Regular abhyanga, or Ayurvedic massage, is essential in the winter months for keeping us grounded, lubricated and warm. It pacifies Vata dosha (the nervous system), helping to reduce anxiety and flightiness. Winter often results in sluggishness, and regular application of warm oil to the body the Ayurvedic way helps to stimulate the lymphatic system, which directly impacts your immune system (which we also need to be strong during winter!). Use cold-pressed black sesame oil and always ensure it is warm. Apply to the body, starting at the feet and use long strokes on limbs, circular strokes around joints and your belly. Finish by giving yourself a luscious scalp massage then shower. To learn an in-depth sequence of DIY Ayurvedic massage, book in a consultation with Emily. Emily also offers Ayurvedic massage if you’d prefer to rest and receive, these warm oil treatments are a phenomenal way to balance the cold, sluggishness of winter.

Stay active

Tempting as it is to stay inside and hibernate, exercise is essential for improving blood circulation, enhancing appetite and raising your body temperature. If it’s too chilly outside, opt for a workout you can do at home. Even a dance around the house to your favourite music is a great way to shake off the winter blues and move your body! 

Having said that, make sure you are mindful of your energy levels when deciding on your movement for the day. If you feel slow and sluggish, go for something more invigorating to get your heart rate up and the endorphins flowing. If you’re feeling a bit flustered and flighty, that suggests excess Vata, so a calm and slow yoga flow will be better. Whatever you choose, always make sure you move according to your fitness level and avoid overdoing it.

Avoid oversleeping

It’s tempting to stay in bed when the sun doesn’t come up until 7 am, but this can actually end up affecting our energy levels throughout the day. The doshas govern different times of the day and waking before the sun (6am) means we are waking in Vata time, when our internal and external environments are naturally beginning to awaken. Going to bed before 10pm ensures we go to sleep when Kapha is more dominant (6pm-10pm), meaning we can ride the waves of a natural lull in energy before Pitta dosha takes over (10pm-2am) and wants to begin its overnight processing and detoxification work.

These simple little changes don’t take too much effort, yet the benefits they offer our health can mean the difference between a winter wonderland and a winter rife with congestion, sluggishness and the chills. Weave a few of these tips into your day and see how they make you feel.

Want to go deeper? An Ayurvedic consultation can take all of this to the next level and provide you with a tailored action plan uniquely designed for you. Book in with Emily to explore how Ayurveda can help you return to thriving health.