Ayurveda for Autumn: Vata Season
Ayurveda is a holistic science of health and longevity that originated in India over 5,000 years ago. Translated as ‘the science or wisdom of life,’ Ayurveda embodies Ancient mind-body practices that promote integration and wholeness - both within each individual and in the greater web of existence. Its philosophy is rooted in the laws of nature, and sees cultivating balance as an ongoing process, a practice in dialogue with our relationships to all things, including our environment around us.
If there is one prevailing lesson that Nature continues to teach, it is the law of impermanence.
Change is inevitable. We move through cycles of creation, preservation and destruction; we travel through seasons of life as it ebbs and flows. In the continually shifting tides, Ayurveda offers an ecosystem of self-care practices that can bolster our immunity, enhance physical and emotional resilience and support deep self-awareness in the process of change and growth.
The following is a brief guide of Ayurvedic wisdom to align with the energetics of Fall, Autumn - also known as Vata Season.
A glimpse of Vata & Fall
Vata is one of three Doshas or energetic forces that exist (Vata and Pitta being the other two). Vata is composed of Air and Ether elements.
Energetics & Qualities of Autumn Vata Season
Symbolically, Autumn is the season of harvest and culminates followed by honoring the completion of cycles, the endings, & letting go. It is a time of release as we witness the metaphor of death in the falling of the leaves and the longer days of darkness in the sky.
Ayurveda is a qualitative science with principle that opposites balance each other out.
The Gunas or Qualities of Vata season are:
Dry
Light
Moving or mobile
Cold
Rough
Subtle
Unstable
When it comes to balancing excess in mind and body, we add the opposite quality to the mix. For example, adding a warming tonic to a state of excess cold will be a helpful remedy.
Common Seasonal Vata Imbalances
Increased anxiety, restlessness, worry, uncertainty or fear
Mental agitation, indecisiveness or overwhelm, fragmented thoughts, difficulty concentrating
Susceptibility to dryness (such as dry skin, dry eyes, dry mouth)
Digestive issues such as constipation, excessive gas & bloating
Sleep challenges such as insomnia
Chronic pain, sharp pain, or moving pain
Joint pain & other imbalances related to joints
Stress on the nervous system (related to the Majja dhatu)
Rituals, Routines & Tips for Vata Fall Season
Cultivating rituals and routines that support one’s holistic wellbeing is a foundational practice in Ayurvedic health. Routines can be understood as an expression of Earth element, providing the structure and stability to promote greater mind-body resilience. There are a myriad of science-backed benefits to establishing routines in your day, which include improving digestion and alleviating stress. Ayurveda sees daily routines and rituals as a way to practice wise energy management and cultivate “Ojas,” our immune boosting life force.
While beneficial to all constitutions, cultivating routines will be most beneficial for Vata imbalances, mind-body types, and season.
Vata Balancing Principles for Daily Rhythm
Invite slowness into your rhythms
Prioritize rest practices
Invite rituals that are nourishing, warming & grounding
Remember the below are suggestions: Ayurveda offers an individualized approach to wellness, which means each practice will effect each person differently.
Notice how your mind and body respond to each practice. Check in with how a ritual makes you feel. Are you feeling more regulated? Calm? Resilient? Are there symptoms? Your awareness and intuition will tell you far more about whether a practice is creating harmony in your unique constitution.
Wake up with Nature.
It is said that the moments before sunrise are a sacred juncture in the day known for sattvic or loving qualities that can promote clarity of mind and renewal.
Add a personal ritual: The moments we wake up have potential to set the tone of the whole day. Consider a morning ritual that aligns with you. A few ideas:
You may place a hand on the heart and offer gratitude.
Set an intention.
Sweep your hands over the body from head to toe, clearing your aura or energy field for the day.
Take a few deep breaths to begin from a place of centeredness.
Scrape your tongue .
Tongue scraping removes built up “ama” or toxins in the body. It also improves digestion, bad breath and stimulates organs through reflexology. It enhances taste, so that the brain can process satiation and “santosha” or contentment.
Do this prior to ingesting any beverages so as to prevent re-absorption. Scrape 7-14 times from the back of the tongue to the front.
Tip: You might ‘habit stack’ this practice with brushing your teeth.
Drink a glass of warm water
During Vata season, it’s important to be conscious of staying properly hydrated as ‘dryness’ is a dominant Vata quality. Drinking a warm glass of water in the morning supports digestion, peristalsis and morning bowel movements.
Tip: Option to add a squeeze of lemon or lime, or a bit of grated ginger, all of which will kindle digestive fire.
Tip: Avoid coffee first thing in the morning as this can stress kidney energy, drain adrenals and aggravate Vata. If coffee is a sacred part of your day, you might consider adding a dollop of ghee or coconut milk and a pinch of cardamom, which will help neutralize any jitters.
Encourage daily bowel movements.
In Ayurveda, our bowel movements indicate the health of our digestion. When the digestive fire is too high (think excess Pitta), stool may tend towards loose, diarrhea, or burning. When digestive fire is variable one can tend towards constipation, dry or hard stool (think excess Vata). We want to encourage daily bowel movements to avoid reabsorption of toxins and support optimal digestion. Ideally we aim for at least one bowel movement a day, approximately the size and consistency of a banana.
Tips to Support Morning Bowels
Drink a glass of warm water with lemon, lime or ginger.
Use a squatty potty
Incorporate gentle abdominal massage in a clockwise direction
Try the yoga pose Malasana which helps encourage the downward and out flow of prana known as “apana vayu”
Herbal ally: Triphala
Oil pulling for oral health.
Swish with a teaspoon of coconut or warm sesame oil to nourish teeth and gums and support overall oral microbiome. Aim for 2-20 minutes daily. This practice removes toxins from the mouth and helps strengthen gums, teeth and jaw. It also alleviates potential tooth decay, clears bad breath and eases tension in the jaw. Oil pulling can help those with the common Vata imbalance of clenching the jaw, or TMJ.
Tip: Take a scoop before you get in the shower - it makes the 10 or so minutes go by much faster. Spit out the oil in the trash to avoid clogged drains.
Resource: How to Do Oil Pulling via Banyan Botanicals
Lubricate the nasal passageways with Nasya Oil.
The practice of Nasya is the application of a few drops of warm ghee or oil into each nostril. As dryness is a common culprit of excess Vata, the applying oil to the nasal passageways can support alleviation of Vata symptoms. By lubricating the nose, we support the sinus, throat and head. It also encourages mental calm and clarity. It is understood that the nose is the doorway to the brain and our Prana or life force energy enters through our breath.
This practice is particularly beneficial for common Vata imbalances, Fall season, or pre and during travel. It alleviates dryness, supports stress resilience, stimulates memory, clarifies vision, improves voice and restores balance in the body.
For vata: use sesame oil, ghee or calamus oil
For pitta: use brahmi ghee, sunflower or coconut oil.
Nasya Oil Recommendations:
Banyan Botanicals (15% off with GABY15)
Paavani Ayurveda (10% off with GABY10)
Resources:
Nasya Treatment via the Ayurvedic Institute
What is Nasya & How to Use It via Banyan Botanicals
Invite relaxation with Abhyanga or Oil Self-Massage
Abhyanga is the ancient practice of applying oil to the skin and administering a self-massage. A powerful act of self-love, the word “sneha” is Sanskrit for oil and literally means “love.” Studies show that the power of touch may boost our immune systems. In addition, we can work with marma points or acupressure points in the body to release blocked pranic energy and tension. Spend some extra time massaging the feet as this practice can be particularly grounding.
Vata Balancing Tip: Padabhanga or Foot Massage
Taking time to tend to your feet and offer massage is a powerful way to promote grounding and the balance of both Pitta and Vata Vikruti. Tending to the feet can offer energetic grounding. Through the science of reflexology, the feet offer an energetic map of the systems of the body, so by massaging the feet we are in turn inviting Pranic flow to the whole body. This can also be a nice practice before bed to help settle the nervous system for rest.
Resource: The Art of Abhyanga Self Massage shares how to do it & best oils for dosha
Eye stretches for nervous system support.
Watch the sunset, stare at the sky or let your gaze rest on a horizon. Panoramic or peripheral vision is associated with decreased arousal or activation of the nervous system. Give your focal vision a rest and it will help restore your relaxation.
Eye Stretching
Use your drishti or gaze to alleviate eye tension. You can explore shifting your eyes
left to right
up and down
Diagonally
in slow circles clockwise and counterclockwise
focusing near on objects near and far
These stretches can alleviate contraction in the muscles around the eyes and soften intensity. When the nervous system is in a fight or flight state, or we are locked in hyper focus, the eyes tense. Practicing peripheral vision, softening the gaze, taking in visuals of expand and horizons can all be powerful ways to help the nervous system regular and alleviate excess fire element.
Eye Palming
To promote relaxation and soothe the optic nerves of the eyes, you may try eye palming. Rub your palms together to generate friction and heat. Then cup your hands lightly over your eyes. Our hands have chakras or energy centers that are extensions of Anahata (the Heart Chakra), so when we gently cup our hands over the eyes we invite prana to flow through from our hearts, through our palms, to nourish the eyes with loving awareness. This practice also offers the symbolic gesture of turning inward, closing our sense of sight as a way to rejuvenate the sense.
Practice Pranayama Breathwork & deep breathing.
“Prana” is one’s life force or vital life energy. It is said to ride on the breath. Pranayama practice, often translated to as ‘breathwork,’ ‘breath expansion’ or ‘breath restraint’ is the practice of intentionally controlling the breath to move life force through the body. The breath is said to be the bridge between mind and body and so the breath trains the mind to remain in the present moment.
Physically, approximately 80% of the body’s toxins are released through our breath. Our breath can tell us a lot about the body. Shortness of breath or fast paced breathing often indicates that the sympathetic nervous system (fight, flight, freeze, fawn response) is turned on. The body remains in a cyclical state of stress. When the breath is slow, full and deep, the body enters more relaxed space - the rest and digest response of the nervous system.
Since Ayurveda is also a subtle body science of self-healing, Pranayama holds a profound impact on creating health. Take 3-5 minutes to breathe deeply. This helps deescalate yourself in times of stress and also allows all systems of the body to operate more optimally.
3 Pranayama Breathwork practices to calm Vata
Nadi Shodhana: Also known as Alternate Nostril Breathing, yet in Sanskrit translates to “Channel purification” this breath purifies the subtle energy channels in the body. It calms the nervous system and brings balance to both hemispheres of the brain.
Brahmari: Also known as “Bumble Bee Breath” this breath tones the hypothalamus, the part of the brain responsible for maintaining homeostasis in the body and regulates the pituitary gland responsible for hormonal balance.
Ujjaye: Often translated as “victorious breath,” ujjayi stimulates the vagus nerve, suppresses sympathetic nervous system response (reduces fight or flight tendencies) and gently warms the body.
Practice Yoga Asana that is Steady, Grounding & Restorative
“From asana arises the steadiness of body and mind, freedom from disease and lightness of the limbs.” - Hatha Yoga Pradipika 1.17
Asana is a sacred science interweaving all aspects of consciousness. It serves as a way of moving prana throughout the body, especially to areas that are blocked. It ultimately prepares one for finding a steady, comfortable seat to meditate.
Vata principles: Slow, steady, strengthening yet gentle, grounding, and consistent.
Postures:
Yoga Practices for Vata Season
YouTube Channel by Dr. Arielle Schwartz - Vagus Nerve Support in Asana
Eat foods that are warm, oily, well-cooked, well-spiced with the tastes of salty, sour and sweet.
Vata Balancing Diet: Eat foods that are salty, sour or sweet in taste. Warming both energetically and in temperature. Add heating spices.
Salty foods are grounding and help Vata hold onto fluids.
Sour tastes help stimulate secretions.
Sweet tastes are said to be the most nourishing and tonifying, and in its natural form very grounding.
Incorporate foods that are oily, well-cooked and well-spiced.
Create nourishing sleep rituals.
Sleep is one of the three pillars of life. It is so vital to the body’s self-healing process. If the body does not receive enough sleep, the body cannot repair the damage caused by stress and strain and inevitably breaks down. Poor sleep can result in a myriad of health challenges including: increased insulin resistance, which impacts metabolic health and hormonal imbalance which impacts mood. Good quality sleep supports cognitive function, proper digestion and processing of memories, emotions, thoughts and is integral for healing trauma.
Bookend your day with rituals that help you wind down and relax (for example: a warm bath with essential oils, a yoga nidra meditation)
Allow your last meal to be minimum 2 hours before you sleep so that digestive process doesn’t impact your rest
Avoid activities that are physically or mentally stimulating as these may keep the mind active and distracted from sleep.
Limit screen usage before bed (aim for minimum 20 minutes before bed)
Go to bed before 10pm (prior to re-entering the Pitta time of day).
Ayurvedic Sleep Aid for Vata Imbalance
Try a weighted blanket: The weight can help ground Vata, relax the nervous system and calm the body. Blankets that are 15 to 25 pounds or heavy enough to press down on your skin can stimulate pressure receptors that trigger vagus nerve activity, which has a plethora of important actions including fear, stress and anxiety management.
Tonic: Drink a warm glass of milk with a pinch of nutmeg.
Herbal Allies: Magnesium Supplement
Resource: Practices to Rest Well: Sleep Hygiene and Ayurvedic Tips for Deep Sleep by Gaby Colletta
The above are just a few ways to help balance excess Vata. Ayurveda involves a wide array of sensory modalities that invite healing into our lives. You can also create your own rituals simply by recognizing your relationship to your senses and what you do. Ayurveda is a practice of being in right relationship, avoiding excess indulgences and maintaining a balance with our desires. Try these rituals out and see how they make you feel or how they shift your relationships!
Written by Gaby Colletta
MA in Integral Counseling Psychology, Somatic Therapist & Coach, Yoga Instructor E-RYT 500, YACEP, Ayurvedic Health Counselor AHC.
Disclaimer: The content on this website is intended for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with your physician or another qualified health provider regarding any medical concerns.