Fall is a time of transition and predominantly a cool season when Vata dosha dominates inside and outside our bodies. Vata is predominant in the elements air and space, giving it cold, light, dry, rough, and moving qualities and there is a subtle browning of the earth. To balance Vata, focus on a diet and lifestyle that predominant in qualities opposite. Three key words are grounding, warming and routine.
Warming and nourishing diet and regular meal time
You’ll also want to favor the sweet, sour, and salty tastes.
A diet rich in oils and ghee, with spices such as ginger and cumin. Have a warm breakfast (porridge, stewed apple, quinoa pancakes), followed by soups, stews, chapattis, kichadi (one pot rice and dhal meal) and lots of warm herbal teas.Lunches and dinners that include steamed vegetables, hearty grains, soups, and stews are grounding and moisturizing.Maintain a regular mealtime with lunch as your main meal, and a smaller dinner, eaten as early as possible. Try to get up and go to sleep at regular times as well.
Care your skin
Ground yourself with a daily self-massage with a warm sesame oil self-massage. Start with the soles of the feet and work up the body to the head in sweeping strokes along muscles, and circular movements around joints.
Increase stillness in your day and thus the mind
Time to connect with yourself. Vata is aggravated by feelings of fear and insecurity so take the time to look after yourself.
Autumn yoga
Yoga has a very calming effect on vata. It provides warmth, stability, focus and grounding. At this time of year alternate nostril breathing is very balancing.Standing and balancing poses such as Warrior I, Warrior II, Mountain and Tree pose will increase your strength and stability; while poses such as cat, thunderbolt, cobra and child’s pose will help you connect with the earth beneath.
Get more sleep
Science backs up this Ayurvedic adage. In 2009, researchers at Carnegie Mellon found that people who get less than an average of seven hours of sleep nightly were three times more likely to catch a cold than those who regularly got eight or more hours of sleep
Support your immunity
Support your health with tonic herbs suited for the season such as Amla, Ashwagandha, Curcuma, and Tulsi ect.