Fall into Fresh Habits

🤓 // Nicky // 🍂

Fall is here for the subscribers here in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s a celebratory season filled with holy days: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Navaratri to name but a few. Nature dials up a triumphant kaleidoscope of gorgeousness and the abundance of harvest leaves us feeling full and grateful. It’s back to school for some, and the rest of us diligently work away to establish new productive rhythms after the summer season.

In Ayurvedic philosophy, (a close cousin to the teachings of yoga), it is also the season where there is an over-abundance of Vata Dosha. The qualities of Vata are: dry and rough, dehydrated, light and airy, highly mobile, rough and crunchy, and often agitated. Sounds like Fall to me.

If you check in and notice that you too are feeling a little dry, rough, and agitated 😆, then consider trying some of these simple techniques

⏳Eat slowly. It’s easy to be distracted in the business/ busy-ness of Fall; mindful and conscious eating is key. Take a moment before you take your first bite to give thanks to the sun, waters and mama earth for the produce you are about to consume. Eat with your eyes first, inhale all the delicious aromas and enjoy your food.

🧘🏽‍♂️ Stay grounded by enjoying activities that keep you connected to the earth and prevent you from blowing away. Enjoy practices that keep you feeling stable like Savasana with lots of blankets and extra sandbags. Managing Vata season can be mitigated by maintaining a steady daily rhythm and holding tight to your daily rituals.

🌬Protect your body from drafts and chills. Wear hats and scarves outside. In Ayurveda, Vata disorders, (such as an increased levels of anxiety, forgetfulness, breathlessness, and dizziness) are believed to increase when our bodies are exposed to too much turbulence. So, yes, DO take lots of walks outside, but bundle up and insulate your body from too much wind.

🍜 Start to gently transition away from chilled foods, raw foods and dry foods. Farewell for now to ice cream, raw diets and popcorn.

🛀🏽 Oil becomes your best friend. As the world outside starts to dry up our bodies can start to feel that way too. Use your favourite oil on your skin after bathing, like warm sesame oil. Essential oils such as ginger, lavender, geranium, orange and yang ylang are claimed to pacify an excess of Vata. Add oil to your meals too (ghee, coconut oil, sesame oil, olive oil and hempseed oil are great).

🦦Place boundaries around your working time if possible and carve out space for sacred bonding and cuddle time with your pets and loved ones. Even a half day ‘energy sabbath’ or day without technology can be a beautiful opportunity for a micro personal retreat.