As I sit here and watch the new green buds on the tips of the tree limbs unfurl, I appreciate new life that comes each year. It reminds me to become lighter, shed layers, declutter my environment and start anew. The Spring season always beckons the mantra: Let new life in.
In the West we have the typical 4 seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter. Ayurveda takes a different approach and divides the year according to the most prevalent dosha during each period which make 3 seasons: Kapha season (late winter to spring), Pitta season (summer to early fall), and Vata Season (fall into early winter).
In the northern hemisphere, Kapha season is in full swing right now. It is the time when our environment holds the most coolness, heaviness, and wet qualities. These particular qualities makeup the elements of Earth and Water which constitute the Kapha nature.
Because of these Kapha qualities, we tend to feel sluggish in our bodies and mind in the late winter to spring time. We have extra weight gain, our minds can be duller, and our energy is slower. Our physiology senses a natural opportunity to waken up our body and our senses. Ayurveda can help us navigate it so that we regain our energy and motivation.
Here are a few helpful tips for the Kapha Season:
WAKE UP BEFORE KAPHA TIME
As winter recedes, you can gradually begin to rise earlier. For most people, waking by or before 6 a.m. during the spring months is ideal.
MOVE YOUR BODY
Exercise
Exercise can be incredibly supportive in countering the heavy, wet spring season. Physical activity improves circulation, increases heat, and results in a feeling of lightness—all of which help balance kapha.
Yoga Asana
Poses that stretch, compress, stimulate, and cleanse the solar plexus can be very supportive to opening the nadis, these are the body’s energy channels. Try doing 6 sun salutations in the morning before breakfast and notice how your energy lightens.
DRY BRUSHING (GARSHANA)
Dry brushing supports natural detoxification inside and out. Besides creating luminous skin texture, this practice helps to enhance circulation and healthy blood flow, and thus improving lymphatic circulation. In addition, dry brushing promotes weight management by supporting healthy metabolism. To put in practice, use either Garshana gloves or a traditional dry brush. Start at the tips of your limbs and brush up towards your heart. All strokes go towards your heart.
SPICE THINGS UP
It’s best to slightly increase the pungent, bitter, and astringent tastes in your meals during Kapha season. The sluggishness felt is due to a low agni, digestive fire. The Kapha spices will help increase that fire. All spices will generally be very supportive through the spring season, though here are some common at-home-herbs recommended to balance Kapha:
Mustard
Cardamom
Garlic
Ginger
Turmeric
Cumin
Black Pepper
KEEP IT LIGHT
Turn to foods that are lighter. As soon as they’re available, eat the first bounty of the season—sprouts, berries, dandelion and other spring greens—which naturally support this time of cleansing. And stick to three meals without snacking a day to avoid accumulating more Kapha.
WARD OFF ALLERGIES
Daily use of your tongue scraper, neti pot, and nasya oil will help with seasonal allergies and keep Kapha from building. Try a pinch of turmeric with your salt in the neti pot. And Nettles tea to keep the allergies at bay.
PLAY!
Play helps to clear your senses and become more present. It stimulates your imagination and shrugs off the stagnation of the winter. This can look like skipping, playing music, board games, enkindling past friendships, singing out loud. Whatever brings you laughter and joy!
CLEANSE + RESET
Ayurveda recommends cleansing 2-3x a year. This relieves the bodies physiology of toxic buildup and clears the mind. In the spring, it is suggested to do a diet cleanse. Try a 1 to 3 day mono-diet of kitchari, an Ayurvedic cleansing dish. Eating the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner allows the body to detox and reset it’s cravings to healthier choices. In addition, Triphala is a herbal classical formula that can be taken during these few months of Kapha season to reset digestion and elimination.
As you begin to feel the changing of the seasons and identify the qualities within, you will begin to intuitively navigate the challenges that arise. Understanding the qualities of each season can help you reduce any adverse health effects. The specifics of a springtime routine will undoubtedly vary from one person to the next, but we all stand to benefit by simply aligning our internal rhythms with those at play around us in the natural world.
Aum shanti.
