06/12/2016
Ayurvedic Tips for spring season:
According to Ayurveda Spring is the most important season to detoxify the body. Toxins can interrupt its biochemical balance, creating a fertile ground for allergies, flu, and other infections, or disturb the normal functioning of the liver and kidneys.
Top 5 Cool Tips from Sewanti
1. Diet
For Spring Ayurveda recommends including bitter tasting foods comprising of vegetables like Karela, endives and dandelion and herbs such fenugreek and neem, pungent herbs like ginger, onion and garlic, cayenne and astringent tasting greens and variety of beans and pulses. Bitter taste destroys sweet cravings. Pungent taste improves digestion, circulation and metabolism. Astringent taste opens the channels of elimination, clearing excess mucus and moisture from the body.
One could reduce Kapha aggravating sweet, sour and salty foods which could cause water retention at this time of the year. In common with the winter diet, avoid raw and cold foods, and replace with warm, lightly cooked meals. Avoid wheat and replace with Kapha reducing lighter grains such as quinoa, millet, and barley.
2. Lifestyle
Wake up with the birds. Ayurveda suggests waking up in the morning before 6.00am to experience energetic qualities of lightness through- out the day. Spring fasting is observed by many Native American cultures as it helps to cleanse the blood after a long winter of eating fatty, heavy foods.
Ayurveda suggests some simple mono diet fasts like Khichari fasts or moong soup fasting. One could always choose a method suited to their doshas and on the advice of their Ayurvedic practitioner.
Ayurveda suggests some simple mono diet fasts like Khichari fasts or moong soup fasting. One could always choose a method suited to their doshas and on the advice of their Ayurvedic practitioner.
3. Exercise and Yoga practice
The best way to counter the sluggish feeling of heaviness and congestion is to adopt more dynamic and stimulating yoga practice for spring. Sun salutations are ideal as they build up heat, working all the major muscles and to stimulate a sluggish digestion and aid detoxification. Kappalabhati pranayama is recommended for generating internal heat and burning toxins.
One could also adopt a vigorous aerobic activity such as swimming running or hiking to get the lymph moving in the body and prevent congestive issues. To increase the detoxifying effect try sauna, steam room, hot baths, and cardio-induced sweating.
4. Herbs:
Herbal support may be used to strengthen appetite and digestion and rejuvenate liver to optimize the body’s metabolic processes. One herbal formula that Vaidyas recommend is Triphala Plus. The addition of Bhumi Amalaki and Yastimadhu assists in tonify function of liverand gall bladder. Triphala Plus cleanses and tones digestive tract, promotes regular elimination, and helps assimilation of nutrients.
5. Abhayanga
Daily massage with Padmashri Invigorating Kapha oil energizes and stimulates the body promotes mild sweating, improves circulation and detoxifies the body. Kapha oil is prepared with kapha reducing herbs like Bishop’s w**d, Arjuna, Cardamom and Camphor.
