Autumn Routine (Sarat Ritucharya) in Ayurveda
- Get up early when the world is quiet and calm brush your teeth with some nourishing tooth powder like licorice, haritaki and mint.
- Hold some hot sesame oil in your mouth for three minutes. It has a wonderful nourishing effect on the mouth, strengthens the teeth and stops bleeding and receding gums.
- A specific autumn practice is to rinse the mouth with haritaki water (1 teaspoon of haritaki soaked in warm water overnight). After rinsing you can swallow some haritaki as it is the main rejuvenator to balance vata and sending apanavata down. apanavata is one of the subtypes of vata which is responsible for moving everything down. As the wind can aggravate constipation, it is a very useful practice for this time of year.
- Massage with warm sesame oil or mahanarayan. This can offset the seasonal tendency for dryness, joint cracking, and stiff muscle pain. Wash off with a lukewarm shower. Place a drop of the oil in your nostrils and ears to offset the damaging effect of the elements. a special oil called Nasya Nasal oil is made from herbs that protect the nose and ears from infection and can be helpful in the fall.
- Start your yoga practice with some alternate nostril breathing (nadi sodhana). Tea hathayogapradipika says: ‘By the proper practice of pranayama all diseases are eradicated…. wow it must be skilfully inhaled, exhaled, and retained for perfection to be preserved.” (hathayogapradipika 16, 18). What better time to master the art of breathing than in the fall when there are such high levels of prana in the atmosphere? nadi sodhana does what it says; purifies the channels of toxins, and especially vata-toxins that accumulate due to the tension and constriction of the channels. We all know that breathing helps us to relax, but it also relaxes the subtle channels that can be easily narrowed and squeezed.
- practice asanas that regulates vata and send apana vayu down; this includes especially pavanamuktasana (the wind relieving poses), all the inverted poses where the head moves below the waist (while the air moves up and inverting can help apana vayu move down), all turns as this helps regulate samana vayu in the intestines, slow sun salutation with breaths in each posture and then a lot of savasana (corpse posture) for proper grounding.
- Apply earthy scents like vetiver or avata essential oil in the center of the eyebrow and throat.
- The autumn diet should consist of hot foods that are sweet, slightly spicy, sour and salty, as these are all flavors that add moisture and promote a feeling of nourishment and balance.
- Breakfast with a small bowl of porridge, rice or quinoa that can be flavored with maple syrup and cinnamon.
- Take a teaspoon of organic cyavanaprasha in the morning to keep your energy and immunity intact in this time of change. Cyavanapra´sa It is a great remedy to reduce vata and maintain inner strength.
- If you are easily destabilized by the changes of the autumn season and you may suffer vataimbalanced symptoms such as insomnia, erratic digestion, constipation and anxiety, then the most appropriate Ayurvedic remedy is ashwagandha (Withania somnifera). It is excellent for calming while strengthening, energizing and calming the nervous system at the same time. It can be taken in the morning and at night. It is also a great herb for improving stability and strength in yoga practice.
- For lunch and/or dinner, eat more nutritious foods such as steamed vegetables, soup or kichadi.
- Avoid too much raw salad, cold drinks, ice, beans, fermented foods, and yeast in the fall, as they cause gas and can throw off digestion.
- Fall is a common time to do a seasonal cleanup to prepare for the coming winter. These recommendations are similar to those sat karma recommendations in the hathayoga pradipika to cleanse phlegm, bile and wind from the system. A very simple home cleaning program would be to follow the recommendations above and take organic triphala at night to ensure a complete clean every morning. Triphala is the most famous Ayurvedic remedy and is a combination of three fruits that very gently detoxify the body and rejuvenate the digestive system. Follow this program strictly for two weeks.
- At the end of a busy day, make yourself a delicious cup of simmered milk with a sprinkle of nutmeg and cardamom and get ready for a restful night’s sleep.
