Changes Happening In Nature as well in human body During Spring Season and Tips to stay healthy
In spring, when the “Mother Earth wakes up and warms up the day,
- The ice and snow start to melt,
- Water starts flowing, brings new life to the earth causes sprouting,
- The sap in the trees begins to flow during the warmth of the day to help bring new life to the branches,
- Energy moves up and everything is blooming and flowering, full of colors and greenery.
- And in our bodies, accumulated Kapha dosha in the body over the winter, starts to liquefy in the warmth of spring (often in form of excess mucus), circulate and localize in weak areas of the body and the symptoms of hay fever manifest in various forms depending on the dosha involvement, body, and digestive strength.
Increase in pollens – and for so many of you – hay fever (seasonal allergic rhinitis), with symptoms such as the runny nose, sneezing, itchy eyes and throat, nasal blockages, difficulty breathing, a heavy head, weakness, and fatigue, and fever, is triggered during this time.
Kapha dosha has qualities such as heavy, sticky, cold, moist, stable, static, dense, and oily. Based on the principle of increasing like and opposite balancing, we can use foods, treatments, and regimes that have the opposite qualities to maintain the balance of doshas.
A detox and cleanse can be as gentle as adjusting our diet and lifestyle for the season.
Tips To Stay Healthy During Spring Season
Prepare For Renewal And Rebirth That Takes Place In The Spring:
- We need to manage seasonal allergies from the early springtime to better manage hay fever over the summer when the allergies worsen.
- During spring therefore it is best to avoid day sleep, dairy, sour, oily, sweet, heavy, and cold foods especially when the weather is changing.
- Avoid cold drink and foods that imbalance Kapha would be those that share the same qualities such as ice-cream, cheese, yogurt, heavy meats, oats, lots of sweet fruits, excess processed wheat, and anything that triggers mucus as well as incompatible food combinations (fruits and dairy mainly).
- Drink warm water throughout the day, better still opt for detoxifying herbal teas, such as burdock root, dandelion, milk thistle, nettle, coriander, cumin, and fennel tea, which is cleansing for the digestive and urinary systems.
- Avoid heavy, oily (fried), sour, salty, and sweet foods, foods that clog the system such as dairy, wheat, yeasted or processed foods, and meats.
- Mindfully eat 2 -3 moderate-sized simple meals a day with no snacks between meals – just herbal teas or fruit. Key rule: Eat only when you have hunger!
- Favor light, dry, easy to digest foods especially for the evening meal when the digestive fire is naturally lower. Eat foods with pungent, bitter, and astringent tastes, think – light, dry, green, spicy foods.
- Bitter tastes such as turmeric (powerful blood and liver cleanser), neem, bitter gourd, ginger (your best spring friend), fenugreek, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, etc strengthen digestion and support detoxification of the liver.
- Lemons act as a great daily digestive cleanser. Drink hot lemon water in the morning.
- Seasonal fruits and vegetables (kale, broccoli, spinach, fennel, pea shoots, green beans, daikon, asparagus, cabbage, lentils (mung beans, etc.) and old rice, grains such as barley, amaranth, quinoa, corn lightly cooked with ghee and spices are best in spring.
- Take regular light exercise, stretching often, meditate, and remember to breathe consciously and deeply!
- Gargle with warm herbal decoctions and practice ‘oil pulling’ (gandusha) traditionally used in Ayurveda to pull and expel the impurities from the saliva as well as maintain oral hygiene
- Herbal powder massages (udvartana) and dry body brushing invigorate the body and encourage lymphatic drainage.
- It’s a great time for the sauna. Soak in the bath with Epsom salts and ground ginger to help remove toxins by sweating
- Treatments such as neti pot cleansing and Nasya (nasal errhines) are suitable cleansing treatments for ENT blockages.
- Get plenty of exposure to the sun especially in the morning time.
Time for the Multi-Talented Triphala – The multi-vitamin of the ayurvedic herb world:
- It’s the kind of herb that just gently puts the spring back in your step.
- By far Triphala is one of the most popular herbal compounds going in the Ayurvedic arena.
- Triphala literally translates as ‘three fruits’ and is the herbal compound made of three essential cleansing but rejuvenating properties so a perfect broad-spectrum combination that enhances the homeostasis of the body.
Triphala:
- Gently detoxify the body, including the blood, muscle, and fat tissues,
- Gives overall support to the immune system,
- Assists in the repair of tissues especially in the process of transformation from one tissue to the next.
- High in antioxidants,
- A powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and antiviral.
- It has this unique ability to do repair work that happens behind the scenes and for this reason, is a great tonic to take before bed.
- It boosts your colon health with this amazing digestive tonic – the benefits are truly endless. It has the ability to draw stagnant ama (toxins) from the digestive tract to be eliminated and enhance the absorption functionality of the colon. The colon is the home to the ‘Vata dosha’ therefore Trifala can have a positive impact on many vata-related issues. Triphala encourages bowel regularity for those who suffer from irregular elimination or constipation.
- It’s just like the glue that brings everything together in a harmonious way.
There are many different ways to cleanse the body and since we are all unique we must find a cleansing method that suits our body type.
Fasting:
- If you have never done fasting before, as a safe start you can do a 1 day fast a week.
- This can be adjusted depending on your current state of health, body strength, climate, age, and constitution.
- Fasting is not about total abstinence from food, but a healthy rest for our digestive system can help clear ama (toxins) and strengthen the digestive fire – something that is imperative in a world of over-consumption.
- Fasting done correctly can also increase energy levels, immunity, bring lightness to the body, sharpen the intellect and bring a sense of vitality.
- If you are unsure of Spring cleansing and fasting methods suited to your body type and digestive strength, contact an Ayurvedic practitioner who can safely guide you.
Allow the blossoming of your true nature, and thrive:
When we live in the ebb and flow of nature, we encourage our mind and body to stay in balance and live optimally. During the springtime, all the qualities of Kapha become amplified.
There is a beautiful way for the system to cleanse itself of winter accumulation, and prepare for renewal and rebirth that takes place in the spring and allow the blossoming of your true nature, and thrive.
But for this to happen, we need to support the bodies’ natural processes and also make sure we do not become overwhelmed by the surge in Kapha dosha that happens right before we move into pitta season.
Happy cleansing!
About the Author
Radhika Rajalakshmi
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