How to prepare for winter months with Ayurveda

According to Ayurveda, there are six ritus of seasons. These are not fixed dates but relate to the moon and can also be dictated by the timing of important crops and environmental events. They are:

Shishira, (Mid January – Mid March) is related to winters and cold. Vasantha (Mid March to Mid May), means “brilliant” or “spring” in Sanskrit. Greeshma, (Mid May – Mid July) is the Sanskrit word meaning summer. Varsha, (Mid July – Mid September) wet season is the time of year when most of a region’s average annual rainfall occurs. Sharat, (Mid September – Mid November) autumn is the season between summer and winter. Hemanta,(Mid November – Mid January)

Ayurveda divides the winter season as Hemanta- late fall /early winter and late winter- Shishira. In this post, we are focusing more on Hemanta. In my post- Garam Masala Winter Spice, we balance Kapha dosha and late winter. Our western calendar-based methods use a four-season model to identify the warmest and coldest seasons, which are separated by two intermediate seasons. And winter is categorized by an evident shift in daylight routine making the days shorter and nights much longer. Ayurveda suggests ritucharya, which roughly translates to the seasonal regimen. If we want to reduce the impact and cope better with the different seasonal changes and maintain tridoshas – a balance of all doshas in the body.

Winter is synonymous with cold and dry weather which has its effect on the human body. But do notice if there are other gunic-qualities different in your region. Staying healthy and active in the winter is quite a task for all of us. The freezing wind blows, along with the obvious fall in temperature would make the human body prone to sickness and being physically inactive during this time. This creates a kind of laziness and lethargy among all living beings.

Winter is known to be the Kapha season. Balanced Kapha provides strength and stamina to the human body and mind. During winter the imbalance of Kapha makes us prone to coughs and colds. Apart from Kapha, Vata dosha is also bound to have its effect in winter making us feel a little depressed and empty.

Even though the winter season is described as two pre-winter – ritus-Hemanta and winter shishira in Ayurveda, it is mentioned that the same regimens should be followed for both. Here we discuss the changes that are needed to come back into balance in our lifestyle and dietary habits during the winter.