Seasonal Shifts: Ayurvedic Best Practices for Fall

Roughly, the last week of October into the first week of November marks the transition from summer to winter. In Ayurvedic terms, we move from the hot, humid season of Pitta to the cold, dry season of Vata.

You may be thinking “Well, what about fall?!” Fall is interesting because it is considered transition time rather than an official season in Ayurveda. The first half of fall is considered summer, and the second half of fall is winter.

Each of the 3 major seasons correlates with an Ayurvedic Dosha. Spring aligns with Kapha Dosha, and both have cool and damp qualities. Summer aligns with Pitta Dosha, and both have hot and humid qualities. Winter aligns with Vata Dosha, and both have cold and dry qualities. But what happens during such a big seasonal overlap such as fall?

In Ayurveda, each juncture of the seasons is the most vulnerable time of the year for us. The transition from one season to another usually marks a significant weather change that makes our immune system susceptible. During these times, it is especially important to gradually begin to align your routines with the energetics of the upcoming season.

Fall can be an especially difficult transition to navigate. The weather can be unpredictable, with cooler nights, and days ranging from 90 degrees down to 60 degrees. We need to keep both Pitta and Vata Doshas pacified during this time. But how?

Ayurvedic Best Practices for Fall

Ayurveda’s Golden Rule is “like increases like, and opposites pacify”. Pitta is hot and humid (slightly oily), and therefore pacified with cool and slightly dry. Vata is cold and dry, therefore pacified by warm and moist. In Fall, we need to find a balance of these qualities to maintain health.

Having a healthy fall depends on if you kept Pitta cool throughout the summer. If not, when Vata’s wind begins in blow in in the fall, all the accumulated heat within will begin to spread (like a forest fire).

In layman’s terms, fall can be both an extremely drying and inflammatory time, especially for those who are coming out of summer with a lot of accumulated heat. We may experience dryness in the form of dry hair, skin and nails, gas, bloating and indigestion, irregular elimination or constipation, and cracking joints. We may be more susceptible to allergic conditions and lowered immunity, leading to seasonal allergies, sinus infections, cold, and flus.

The heart of Ayurvedic medicine lays in daily routine, called dinacharya, meaning “daily union”. There are ways we can align our daily routine with our nature, imbalances we are experiencing, and ultimately with Nature itself.

Daily routine consists of how you prepare for each day: when you wake up and go to bed, food and time of meals, hydration, and other ways you care for yourself. Each has its own importance, but among them I believe morning routine is perhaps the most significant.

1. Moisturizing Massage

If you haven’t swapped out chemical-laden lotions and creams for oil yet, Fall is the perfect time to do so! In Ayurveda, oils are used to moisturize and nourish the skin in a practice called abhyanga. And because fall and winter are so cool and windy, it is a perfect time to start applying oil to the skin!

Directions:

• Determine how your skin is presenting right now. If it’s like Vata right now— mostly dry and cool—use warming, heavier oils like sesame. And warming up the oil before application can increase the benefits! If it’s like Pitta right now—warm and slightly oily—use a cooling, lighter oil such as coconut. And, if it’s like Kapha right now—cool and slightly oily—use a warming, lighter oil such as almond.  If you’re not sure which to use, choose a tri-doshic oil such a sunflower.

• After your shower, gently pat the excess water off your skin. With some water droplets left on your skin, apply your oil in rhythmic strokes over your entire body. Do long strokes on the arms, legs, and torso, and circular strokes on the joints. You can optionally massage oil into your scalp for dry/ brittle hair. I recommend doing this weekly/bi-weekly before the shower. 

• Because facial skin is a little more sensitive, I usually recommend using jojoba oil. Jojoba oil is a tri-doshic oil that is only 1 molecule away from the oil sebum. Gently apply a small amount after showers or washing your face with warm water. The warm water will relax and open your pores and provide moisture, while the oil will lock the moisture into your skin, leaving it feeling soft and supple. 

2. Hydration

Still feeling dry? Be sure to stay hydrated! There are many opinions out there about how much water humans should consume daily, depending on age, weight, level of activity, and so on. Based on these factors, we should consume about one-half of our ideal body weight in ounces. That is 75 ounces (or about 3 24 oz water bottles) per day for a 150 lb. person. It is more doable than you may think!

3. Seasonal Eating

Don’t write off cooling foods just yet! We need a mixture of cooling, bitter and astringent, and warming and moistening foods right now. My suggestion is to eat what’s being harvested currently. Some examples:

• Greens such as kale and collards are bitter/astringent, drying, and cooling.
• Cooked beets are sweet and cooling.
• Apples are sweet/astringent, slightly drying, and cooling. Stewed apples are less drying and a little more warming.
• Raw tomatoes are cooling and moistening. The more they are cooked, the more heating and acidic they become.
• Peppers are generally heating and moistening. Bell peppers are the mildest and are cooler when eaten raw.
• Radishes are warming.
• Winter squashes like acorn or butternut are sweet, cool, and moistening. When cooked, they become more warming.

It’s not just what you eat, but also how you prepare it. Begin a gradual transition from raw salads to stir-fried or roasted veggies, stews, and soups.

If you eat dairy, cook vegetables and legumes/beans in ghee (clarified butter), and add to grains like quinoa or brown rice. Ghee is cooling, yet moistening.

See here for an Ayurvedic dish great for spring and fall transitions, featuring mung beans. Moong Dahl (mung bean soup) on top of brown rice is tri-doshic, a complete protein, and very nourishing.

Also, see the suggestions in my spring seasonal shift post. Nasal irrigation and lymphatic stimulation can help greatly in the fall too!