13/11/2025
🛌 Can’t sleep?
At this time of year, sleep can feel more elusive than usual — and often that’s because our doshic balance tilts toward excess Vata (air + ether) energy. We feel lighter, more restless, more ungrounded.
In a recent lecture with my Ayurvedic hero Vasant Lad, I was reminded of a beautifully simple bedtime remedy for a more peaceful night:
✨ Before bed:
Gently bring to the boil one cup of milk with 2 cloves of garlic and a pinch of black pepper.
Remove the garlic cloves, let the milk cool slightly, then drink before bed.
Why does this work?
🥛 Milk is warm, nourishing, and heavy — just what excess Vata needs. It counters Vata’s light, dry, cold, mobile qualities with grounding, moisture and stability.
🧄 Garlic (Lahsuna) has warming, grounding properties and is known in Ayurveda to balance Vata when used appropriately.
⚫ Black pepper (Maricha) is a warming, penetrating spice that supports digestion (Agni) and helps the benefits of the milk and garlic reach deep tissue levels.
Together, the milk nurtures and anchors; the garlic grounds Vata’s airy nature; and the black pepper helps the mix pe*****te and nourish deeply — easing restlessness and promoting a calm, settled mind before sleep.
🌿 Ayurvedic tip: Use this warm milk (never cold), and take time afterward to unwind — dim lights, slow breaths, perhaps a few moments of stillness before bed.
I sleep okay myself, but I’d love to know how this works for you!
💬 Try it for a few nights and let me know in the comments how you sleep afterward.
Sweet dreams and grounded energy tonight,
Amanda 🌙✨
