Ayurvedic Guide to Winter

By Dr. Ram Mani Bhandari

Vibrant Ayurveda Wellness Centre, Gold Coast

Now the hot summer and the dry autumn is over, we can take a deep breath, and welcome the winter season. The days are still getting shorter and nights longer.

As the temperature drops down, and the cold of winter settles in, we are moving from vata season to kapha season. Autumn and early winter are considered the vata season while kapha season encompasses  mid to late winter and early spring. We need to balance vata and kapha doshas during the winter time.

Regardless of who you are, the change in the weather plays an important role in your overall state of balance. If we do not adapt to seasonal change, we lose our inner balance.

Winter is a time to rest, revitalise, and withdraw some of our outwardly focused energy – the opposite of our face-paced summer activity. By redirecting your focus inward, you build your energy stores and align with the seasonal changes of nature.

When the weather is cool, our bodies tend towards storing our inner warmth, which is also good for igniting our digestive fires. For this reason, Ayurveda describes winter season as one of the times of the year when the body has good strength and immunity – provided we adjust our diet and lifestyle to accommodate it.

If we don’t have balance we become prone to kapha and vata imbalances that lead to colds, flu, chest infections, sinus congestion, and joint pain.

Healthy diet during winter

• A supportive winter diet pacifies kapha without increasing vata and vice versa.
• Focus on eating warm, cooked, slightly oily, well-spiced foods.
• Balance sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent tastes.
• Drink room temperature, warm, or hot beverages. Do not drink iced or chilled drinks.
• Hearty, warming vegetables like radishes, cooked spinach, onions, carrots, sweet potato and other root vegetables are generally well received at this time of year. Warming spices like garlic, ginger, black pepper, cayenne, and cinnamon are also good.
• Cooked grains like oatmeal, cornmeal, barley, tapioca and rice make a healthy breakfast, and lunches and dinners of steamed vegetables, whole wheat breads, and light vegetable soups are ideal. Kitchari is also an excellent food for any meal.
• Legumes are generally good for kapha, but they should be well-cooked, well-spiced, and garnished with a spoon of ghee so as not to aggravate vata.
• Winter is also a great time to enjoy eggs (especially poached or hard-boiled) and light meats from small animals such as chicken, turkey and rabbit.
• Because there is less sunlight in winter, food rich in vitamin D is recommended – Small part of dairy products like fresh natural yogurt, fresh cottage cheese, fresh orange juice (not in empty stomach), zucchini, tomato cooked with spices, salmon, tuna, cod liver oil, fish, cereals, oysters, soy products such as miso soup and tofu, eggs and mushrooms.
• In the evenings—may be with or after dinner—you can treat yourself to a few ounces of red wine.
• Dairy is best reduced in the winter months, but a cup of warm and spiced golden milk (warm milk with a pinch of turmeric, dried ginger, cardamom and nutmeg) before bed can help to encourage sound sleep.
• Winter is also good season to do an occasional one-day juice fast, or a mono diet fast using kitchari.

Ayurvedic lifestyle in winter

• Begin the day by rising early, brushing your teeth, scraping your tongue with a copper tongue scraper, and doing oil pulling.
• It’s important to get at least 30 minutes of exercise each day during the winter, whether it be yoga, vigorous walking, or a sport.
• To counter the cold of winter, take baths with hot water and drink only warm or hot water.
• Oil massage is highly recommended during the winter season. Regular application of oil on the body relieves dry skin, improves blood circulation, helps to relax muscles and relieves aches and pains.
• Sweating therapy: To shrug the excess cold, it is good to undergo sweating treatment once in a while. This can be in the form of staying in front of small fire in fire place, hot water bath or ayurvedic steam sauna.
• Sun bath: Whenever you get a chance, expose your skin to sunlight and restore vitamin D.
• Sex: Good health and strength during winter supports daily sexual activity, or as per your interest.
• Footwear: Always wear footwear in the winter, even at home. Cold through the feet drastically increases vata and can lead to hip and leg pain.
• The transition from autumn to winter is also a great time to do an Ayurvedic detox which cleanses and balances your body for the coming season.

Conclusion

The recommendations here will keep you in balance and keep the winter illnesses at bay. Ayurveda offers natural remedies for all winter issues.

Before commencing any therapies or herbal remedies, we recommend you consult one of our expert ayurvedic doctors in either of our Brisbane or Gold Coast clinics. They will diagnose your specific conditions and provide a personalised program for your health and wellness.

UPCOMING Ayurvedic event in Brisbane: Ayurveda workshop for Health professionals in Queensland

Australasian Association of Ayurveda Queensland is organizing a day seminar for the first time in Brisbane on 15^th of July (Saturday). The programme is organised by AAA, Queensland as a regular event to promote Ayurveda and grow the Ayurveda community in Queensland. This event is announced as an evening for all health professionals and some of the practitioners around Brisbane and Gold Coast are presenting paper and case history.

The event will be held at Delight of Paradise Ipswich Road Wolloongabba, starting at 4:30PM.

Contact Dr. Pradeep Neupane (AAA Queensland representative) for more information. CPD Points are given to AAA members for attendance.