Spring High-Spring Low

Sweet Kapha time! (March - June)

Get ready for some growing pains!!! We welcome this season of intensity, highs and lows, emotional mood swings and even chaos, to prepare us to focus on the positive aspects of our lives, rather than the negative. This will require dicipline and trust and finding "neutral."

Nothing is more revitalizing than the first hints of spring: more sun, snow melting, the smell of the earth, the first crocuses, and the swelling of the buds on the trees.  We feel the earth breathe new life and renew our own desires for new beginnings.

Nature has her way of making adjustments for the seasonal changes; however we don't seem to do much.  As the rains come, the earth gets muddy and holds on to more water. We too hold on to more water.  Pitta (heat) is rising and accumulated kapha melts leading to sinus congestion that is aggravated by emerging pollen and mold (western definition = allergies).

Spring is weight loss time in Ayurveda.  It is the perfect time for shedding the old and stagnant, be it our closets, houses or our own bodies.  It is time to let go of what no longer serves us.

Thank goodness Nature provides the perfect antidotes for alleviating the excess water and congestion. Now is the time to eat more foods that are light, dry and warm and are of bitter, pungent and astringent tastes. 

To name a few: try flavorful steamed veggies like asparagus, Brussels sprouts, carrots, celery, and leafy greens, brothy soups; grains including barley, millet, corn, brown rice, quinoa;  dried fruits like figs, prunes, and apricots, apples and pears; beans; heating spices such as black pepper, cayenne, and clove; lots of herbal tea and add some local raw honey to your diet.

Eat less foods that are sweet, sour and salty in taste and are heavy, oily and cold such as fried foods, ice cream and heavy dairy products, nuts, red meats and shellfish.

Beneficial lifestyle additions: use of neti pot and/or nasya oil to help keep sinuses clear, self massage to enhance the skin in the removal of toxins and more vigorous exercise suited for you to alleviate stagnation in the body, mind and emotions.

To achieve the maximum effect of refreshing the body and to ensure a healthy and symptom free spring and summer consider partaking in a Spring Cleanse Workshop or how about an Ayurvedic massage?