यत् पिण्डे तत् ब्रह्माण्डे
Yat pinde tat brahmande.
An ancient Sanskrit verse, or shloka, believed to be 8000 year old, from the ancient philosophical and yogic texts, the Puranas. It simply translates to “All that is outside you is within you,” or “Your body is a miniature universe.”
As the seasons change, similar changes can be observed in our bodies too. To keep up with that, seasonal changes in lifestyle are recommended to keep our body adapted to the climate.
Very pleasant temperatures; generally, 19-25 degrees Celsius; ends with the winter solstice.
Ayurveda Aspects Of Winter Regimen (Changes in your body) :-
1. The Sheeta Guna of vata increases gradually. Various types of vata diseases get aggravated during this season. Eg. Sandhivaat, Aamvaat. You may experience early morning bloating or constipation due to this.
2. The digestive fire increases due to cold weather outside and hence hunger increases.
3. The kapha dosha starts to accumulate in this season. That's the reason many of us get colds and cough during this season.
To combat the Doshas (Dietary Recommendations):-
1) Greater amount of ghee,tail, mansa rasa (Meats, Non - Veg Soups) can be consumed.
2) Madhu (Honey) intake.
3) Foods having Amla (sour) as the predominant taste are preferred.
4) Cereals and pulses, wheat/gram flour products, new rice, corn, and others, are advised.
5) Ginger, garlic, Haritaki (fruits of Terminalia chebula), Pippali (fruits of Piper longum), sugarcane products
Avoid:
1) Highly spicy (pepper, capsicum, etc), bitter (bitter gourd, broccoli, etc.) or astringent (cauliflower, potato, etc.) food.
2) Laghu (light) and Shita (cold) foods - coconut water, ice creams are advised to be avoided.
3) Exposure to cold winds as well as consuming cold drinks and foods are to be avoided too.
Daily Activities in winters:-
1) Abhyanga - oil massage to body, application over head; either coconut oil or any medicated oil like mahabhringraj tail, etc.
2) Sun bath in the morning just after sunrise. (Let nature sunlight warm your rooms)
3) Exercise daily with your ability
Cold and dry winds reduce the moisture in the skin. While we take of the body and face, lip care is often an overlooked area.. Lips tend to become dry and chapped. Consuming ghee and applying ghee externally on the lips helps to take care of the dry lips. Application of oil or ghee acts as a moisturisation for the skin, helping in peripheral blood supply and skin suppleness. For e.g. The Momsmade Naturals Orange Ghee Lip Balm is a modern take on ghee used by ancient women as a remedy for chapped lips. This tinted lip balm is rich in Vit C and is a 100% natural lip balm totally handmade.
Works amazingly well with our Orange Sugar Lip Scrub
With this quick and easy guide, I hope all of us are set to take care of our health in this Winter season.