Ayurvedic Spring Tips
Every season comes you should be switching up your diet slightly. The gunas (qualities) going on outside are reflected on what’s going on inside of us.
Notice it’s more muddy, sticky, droopy feeling outside during early spring inside our bodies colds, coughs, congestion starts to occur more commonly the spring cold for example. Life is cyclical in that manner and our diets should be as well!
Instead of:
❌heavy soups, meats, cheeses, grains, root veggies, dairy (can cause a lot of mucus at this time), and processed foods.
Choose:
✅ lighter cooked veggies (especially if prone to constipation cook those greens!), almost all green vegetables are a go right now to pacify the kapha energy, lighter grains- quinoa (if you can digest it), barley, millet, mung beans, lentils, and lighter treats such as honey as a sweetener, berries (to be eaten alone not at meal time).
The final key is what can YOU digest. Everybody is different and for some reason I personally do fine with red lentils but green lentils my body doesn’t like.. Play with your own diet to see what works for YOU!
Other Spring Ayurvedic Recommendations
Abhyanga
Self-massage is wonderful to get the lymph system moving. Remember kapha is a dosha that is prone to stagnation. That is why abhyanga is the first suggestion made. It keeps things flowing.
The best times to practice abhyanga:
- Before your workout
- Before your shower
What oil to use?
- Sesame oil is the tri-doshic oil
When to not practice abhyanga?
- During menstrual cycle
- Pregnancy
- Acute constipation
- Illness
- Over swollen joints
Dry Brush
Pictured above another great practice to move the lymph and prevent stagnation in the body. I prefer to do dry brush before abhyanga as it helps open the pores and let the oil in. Plus if you're prone to dry skin you get the nourishing oil after you do the drying practice of dry brushing.
When to not dry brush
- Over infected skin
- Overly dry or thin skin that will get irritated
- An acute illness
Declutter
The spring season we often hear the term spring cleaning. There is a reason for that! In Ayurveda spring is associated with the kapha dosha which when out of balance looks like hoarding things and has trouble letting go. The urge to spring clean can be a great sign your kapha dosha is in-balance! Get out your boxes and start cleaning.
Spring Yoga & Pranayama
Kapha favoring yoga asana
- Backbends
- Lateral side bends
- Extensions
- Inversions
Pranayama Practice
- Kapalabhati
- Bhastrika-Bellows Breath
Ayurvedic Spring Herbs
- Chyavanprash- great for immune support and energy boost each morning.
- Triphala- Take in tablet or tea form at night to help have a regular bowel movement. **Use as guided by a practitioner.
- Lemon, Ginger, Honey & turmeric tea- A great anti-inflammatory tea to help you support your system during the spring season.
- CCF Tea- Cumin, coriander and fennel. All spices are wonderful for the kapha dosha so a great option to enjoy after your meals in the springtime.
If you're wanting even more Ayurvedic Spring Tips, Check out my free Ayurvedic Spring Guide!
- Morning Rituals
- Yoga Practice
- Spring body scrub recipes
- Tea Recipes
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