WATER AND EARTH: the recipe for winter

Here we are still in the middle of the winter. The dark and cold nature of this season makes it ideal for going even deeper with sadhana. However, without losing balance. During the winter, the energy of the earth withdraws into itself and every movement slows down. It is a time of rest, accumulation and preparation. Rest from the joy of the autumn harvests and preparation for the exuberant vitality of the future spring. It is time to become grounded, firm and internalized. The climate is cold, humid, cloudy, heavy, the predominant elements are earth and water, the same as the Kapha dosha, which by nature is “slow, greasy, soft, static, damp, slimy and sweet”. Recognizing and understanding these qualities is very important for maintaining health. When an imbalance arises, the opposite qualities will help get us back on track.

Winter is a season that puts a strain on those with Kapha as their constitutional dominant. According to Ayurveda, like increases like. If you are Kapha dominant then cold will increase your cold energy. If you are the “hot” type (pitta), there is little to fear and perhaps winter can also please you and calm the excess “boils”, but if the constitution is “cold”, beware of phlegm, bronchitis and rhinitis that could be around the corner.

Kapha, in fact, tends to accumulate (when it is out of balance) particularly in the chest, causing ailments such as colds, sinusitis, allergies, circulatory problems, depression, lethargy. An excess of Kapha can exacerbate problems with the lungs, kidneys, pancreas, mucous membranes in general, the bladder, blood, synovial fluid. It can lead to excessive accumulation of mucus and therefore Ama (toxins). Kapha-dominated people tend to be calm and sensual. With a solid physical structure, large bones, Kapha is the archetype of Mother Earth (the sacred Cow).

They are grounded, connected to the material world, and are valued for their warm, calming hugs. Due to the presence of water, Kapha moves with a slow and sensual movement. In balance it is expressed as love, calm, lose strength, vigor, stability. The “chilly”, in Ayurveda, however, are also the Vata, although here they are a cold and dry type (and not humid like the Kapha). This will influence the clinical manifestation: in Vata there will be, for example, more “dry”, “spasmodic” forms of bronchial affections, in Kapha, more productive forms, that is catarrhal. So be careful in winter also for the Vatika, also because the snow season sometimes leans towards the dry and windy cold, while, as we said, the Pitta types in winter can get away with it, but if they arrive at the appointment with the cold “weighed down”, then there is trouble for them too. The toxins they have accumulated, which have a cold nature, can emerge and increase by “sympathy” to create phlegm and fever.

Ayurvedic Diet

We now know that maintaining good health means, first of all, living in harmony with natural cycles, adapting to seasonal rhythms. In winter, we have seen that we need to know how to flow wisely with the elements of Earth and Water. To counteract the heaviness of the season’s energy, it is necessary, first of all, to set a diet that gives energy, but does not weigh down. We will completely eliminate foods that generate mucus, such as cheeses, cold drinks and ice creams in particular, but also white flours and derivatives, polished rice, red meat, canned food, cured meats and sausages.

On the contrary and in abundance, we will use foods that dissolve mucus, such as citrus fruits, dried figs, raisins, vegetables, ideally lightly seared or steamed, and cooked fruit (and then sprinkled with cinnamon and honey) or well ripe and not from fridge. When cooking food, do not indulge in cooking but always cook over low heat and the bare minimum. We will not make a widespread mistake: thinking of wanting to warm up with food.

The yogi does not warm up with food. It warms up avoiding to generate obstruction (mucus or energy stagnation), by doing yogasana or pranayama. Digestion must be treated with extreme care and using all the expedients (spices, seasonal ingredients and heat) to support the digestive fire. In general, a healthy and detoxified body suffers much less from the cold in winter because it will have better blood circulation that will allow the body extremities not to cool quickly, and in general to withstand environmental changes much more easily.

Ayurveda recommends a daily routine for winter that includes a few precautions (which will soon become healthy and simple habits) that can make a big difference to health (= Vitality).

First of all, respect for the circadian rhythms, getting up around 7 (at sunrise and a little later than in other seasons) and going to bed between 9 and 10 pm. Upon awakening, drink a large cup of hot water, perform a gentle cleaning of the tongue and dry brushing (Garshana) on the whole body, with a special glove or brush, to activate the heat in the skin and promote its regeneration. Ideal instead, in the evening, perform Jala Neti (cleansing the nose with water and salt) and massage the body with sesame oil with long and slow movements, before going to bed. The daily use of warming spices such as cinnamon and ginger

Warming Lifestyle

Those with a Kapha dominant constitution, in winter in particular, must do daily physical activity. In personal practice, include Surya Namaskar, Matsyasana, Navasana, Simhasana, Ustrasana and numerous inversions to open the chest, relieve congestion, purify the throat and drain the sinuses. The opening of the heart stimulates blood flow to the thymus, which is essential for the growth of T lymphocytes, true sentinels of the immune system.

As a pranayama you prefer Bastrika (the breath of fire) to keep Kapha Dosha in check. Follow this pranayama for five minutes of breathing in the right nostril to promote circulation and produce heat. During the winter season, Ayurveda recommends practicing dry scrubs all over the body, with a cotton or hemp-linen blend cloth on which a few drops of grapefruit or cypress essential oils have been poured, to increase energy. dissolve edema and increase lymphatic circulation. The self-massage with sesame oil is excellent, followed by a hot shower, while to prevent sinusitis and congestion of the respiratory tract, remember to always wear a hat during the cold season. To contrast the gray and white around us, it would be good to wear warm colors, such as gold and red and orange, reviving the fire element in our auric field. Finally, the afternoon nap is not recommended in winter because it increases kapha, slows down the metabolism and reduces the digestive fire.

Winter Sadhana should include more spaces of silence, longer meditations, and a moderate social life. Energy drops strongly during the winter due to the lack and distance of solar radiation. It is misconception to think of keeping active at all costs with refined sugars, caffeine and alcohol that strongly stress the adrenals, key glands for good immunity, sources of vitality and energy, linked to the first chakra. Better to rely on an infusion of nettle, a gentle energizer.

It is necessary to go to bed early, to activate a good physiological and restorative sleep that keeps the immune defenses high, avoiding seasonal disorders and overweight.

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