Vata Season 🍂

I’m by no means claiming to be an Ayurvedic practitioner, but I really resonate with much of the philosophy and love to integrate these ancient practices into my routine.

Years ago I saw a Ayurvedic doctor and really benefitted from integrating some of the practices into my lifestyle and diet. I learnt about the 3 Dosha’s (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) and at the time I was very Vata dominant and was experiencing many of the symptoms listed below.

As we have moved into Vata season I have noticed that my symptoms are flaring up again and it’s inspired me to go back and reintroduce what I found so helpful back in 2017. I thought I’d write them out and share them here incase anyone else is finding the change of seasons problematic. I mainly struggled with constipation, gas, dry and itchy skin, anxiety, and feeling cold ALL the time, but I know symptoms can vary from person to person.

Symptoms of excess Vata

👉🏻 dry/itchy skin

👉🏻 insomnia

👉🏻 constipation, gas, bloating

👉🏻 arthritis

👉🏻 high blood pressure

👉🏻 anxiety and depression.

Vata Season -

Begins mid-late autumn and continues throughout winter

Vata qualities -

Cold, dry, light, clear, and moving.

Vata elements -

Ether and air.

Vata pacifying diet

Avoid -

🍏 dry, uncooked, and cold foods (especially salads, raw fruits/vegetables, and crackers/crisps/rice cakes)

🍏 Iced drinks, cold liquids

🍏 Excessive fasting and/or irregular meals

🍏 Bitter, astringent, and pungent foods (raw kale, coffee, most teas, cacao, artichokes, cranberries, garlic, onions, spicy food)

Focus on -

🍎 warming, fresh, well cooked foods (soups, stews, casseroles, roasted vegetables)

🍎 Incorporate herbs and spices into your cooking, they are nutritionally dense and can aid digestion. (Just make sure they’re in date!)

🍎 Stay well hydrated with warm drinks - sip on hot water throughout the day (particularly if you suffer with constipation and bloating), herbal teas, and warm milky drinks with spices

🍎 Eat more of the sweet, sour, and salty tastes (avocados, bananas, mangoes, pumpkins, peaches, lemons, carrots, beetroot, asparagus, quinoa, mung beans, almonds, sesame seeds, ghee)

🍎 Ensure adequate intake of healthy fats (coconut oil, olive oil, butter, ghee, avocado oil)….avoid inflammatory fats (vegetable oils and seed oils ie. sunflower oil)

🍎 You may have a stronger appetite in Vata season, this is normal and helps to pacify Vata (having a grounding effect). Eat regular and adequate meals to satisfy your appetite, not to the point of discomfort.

Vata pacifying routine

🥰 Wrap up warm, ensuring your neck and ears are covered during windy weather. I personally find wind in my ears causes ear ache and anxiety! Vata is very sensitive to moving air, and exposure to cold winds can be quite dysregulating.

🥰 Play with colour - wear soft and warm fabrics in earth tones and pastel colours to calm Vata

🥰 Give yourself a self abhyanga massage each day using warm oil (sesame or almond). This can be in the morning or evening. If you don’t have time to give yourself a full body massage each day, a gentle foot rub with oils can be very calming for Vata excess. Option to rub a droplet of oil inside your nostrils which tend to get dry or aggravated from nose blowing during this season

Vata and sleep

😴 SLEEP is so important and can be the first thing to get out of sync with Vata dominance. Try and get up at the same time each day (even weekends) and go to bed at a similar time each day.

😴 Turn off all screens a minimum of 1 hour before bed and see if you can use blue light blocking glasses before that. Make sure lighting is low, using lamps or candles 🕯

😴 Establish a calming bed time routine 1 hour before you intend to go to bed. This might include a shower/bath, meditation, reading, self-massage, yoga nidra (there are lots of free resources), journaling, drawing etc…whatever is calming for you (and not on a screen)

😴 Make sure you allow for at least 8 hours of sleep per night. Even if you don’t fall asleep straight away and get a full 8 hours, make the space for this.

😴 Try to be in bed (lights off) before 10pm. Between 10pm and 12am the majority of your brain detox is taking place. This involves the clearing of any amyloid beta plaque that has built up over the course of the day (an excess of this plaque is associated with Alzheimer’s disease)

In summary, Vata thrives on regularity and routine. An established structure to your day is essential here to support you during this season. Exercise, rest, and relaxation is equally important. Include regular meals, satiating foods, staying warm, and establish a solid SLEEP routine, keeping to the same wake up time each day…if you do this, the going to bed time will sort itself out. Yoga is great - look for grounding and nourishing practices such as Hatha, Slow Flow, restorative, and yin yoga.

It might take a while to establish a routine that is right for you and it can become overwhelming for an already overwhelmed Vata mind to implement all of the above! So I’d recommend you take it slow and try one thing at a time paying conscious attention to how it impacts you….it takes consistency and time to really establish a new routine, but I really believe it is worth the effort 🙌🏻