Seasonal Routines for Winter

By Dr Ajit.

Many of us already feeling the impact of winter with colds, chest complaints, sneezing, headache, cold hands and feet and wonder how we are going to cope for the next 3–4 months of winter’s damp and heavy weather. Unfortunately, these problems occur because, as Ayurveda teaches, we don’t live in harmony with the season.

Dr Ajit, Australasia's most experienced Ayurvedic Doctor believes if we can follow the principles of this ancient science by incorporating a number of seasonal routines into our lives, we can maintain good health in any season rather than suffering from its effects.

Winter is a season in which the environment is cold and damp, musty, heavy, cloudy. Working on the principle that whatever exists in the environment will impact on our bodies, these cold and heavy qualities will start impacting on our bodies and we become prone to problems such as colds, sinus congestion, asthma attacks, coughs and headache.. These qualities are further aggravated when we eat such cold foods as yogurt, ice cream, cold milk, bread, muffins and cakes, cheese, oily chips and cold drinks.

Ayurveda gives us some very simple routines that can counter these qualities:

To Counter	Seasonal Routine
Cold, dampness and moistness of cheese, bread, yoghurt and banana	Eat warm, cooked nourishing foods such as vegetable soup, lentil soup, steamed vegetables. Cook with warming spices like ginger, garlic, cinnamon and black pepper.
Sore throat	Gargle with warm water and Himalayan salt
Cold hands and feet	Massage with warm oil (cold pressed black sesame oil)
Sinus congestion, headache, asthma	Do steam inhalation at least once a day, adding x10 drops of eucalyptus oil
Cough and runny nose	Take x3 times a day: 1tsp of honey mixed with ginger juice, turmeric, cinnamon and black pepper
Heaviness in chest, shortness of breath	Take x10 long, deep breaths at least twice a day
Feeling dull, heavy,	Place x2 drops of warmed sesame oil in each nostril and sniff gently
Lack of enthusiasm	Take a 30 minute brisk walk every day