Seasonal care

Each season /climate has its qualities:  dry, moist, cold, hot, mobile, clear, cloudy, variable etc…  Those attributes reflect the elements which are represented in the 3 doshas.  Vata is dry, cold and mobile; Pitta is hot , clear and slightly moist and Kapha is moist, cool and heavy.  Combined with age, those qualities can become in excess or deficient when the environmental conditions meet the same qualities or opposing qualities respectively.  As such, the seasons can cause imbalances as well as contributing to healing.

Kapha is associated with Spring; it accumulates in Fall – early Winter (cold & damp), it aggravates in Late Winter – early Spring (warm & damp) and is alleviated by Late Spring – Summer – early Fall (warm & dry).

Pitta is associated with Summer; it accumulates during Late Winter – early Spring (cool & moist), it aggravates in Late Spring- Summer (hot) and is alleviated by Fall – early Winter (cold & Dry).

Vata is associated with Autumn; it accumulates in Summer (hot & dry), it aggravates in Fall – early Winter (cold & dry) and is alleviated in Late Winter – early Spring (warm & moist).

These changes are like tides peaking and retreating, connecting us to the cycles of nature.  In Spring, we prepare the soil for annual plants, then we weed, water and fertilize in Summer, and finally we get the earth ready for winter in Fall.  Do we take as much care for Ourselves?

Ayurveda recognizes the need to balance our physiology seasonally according to our own dominant dosha.  Adjusting the food regime with the intake of medicinal herbs, using tonifying or cleansing therapies, balancing body and mind, and modulating the lifestyle could make the difference in our ability to withstand the elements.