Fall is the time to begin incorporating grounding, warming, and nourishing routines by shifting food choices, activity levels, and consistent daily routines that include self-care and regular sleep schedules. Other helpful practices include warm oil massages (abhyanga), gentle exercises like yin and restorative yoga combined with breathwork such as alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana). Together, these daily habits work to balance the body’s energy as the seasons change from summer to fall.
- Eat grounding, warm foods: Favor cooked meals like soups, stews, and kitchari. Include naturally sweet, sour, and salty-tasting foods, and eat seasonal produce like root vegetables, apples, and squash.
- Favor sweet tastes: Naturally sweet foods help pacify Vata, but avoid excessive sugar and processed items.
- Limit cold and raw foods: Minimize raw salads and cold beverages, as they can increase coldness and disrupt digestion.
- Stay hydrated with warm liquids: Sip on warm water, herbal teas like ginger, cinnamon, or CCF (cumin, coriander, fennel), and warm nut milks.
- Use oils to nourish the skin: Practice Abhyanga for the body and Nasya for the nostrils.
- Slow down: Reduce stress by taking your time to do gentle, less stimulating activities in large groups. Find time to savor your own space with yourself.
- Incorporate Spices: Aid your digestion with some favorite Fall spices – Allspice, anise, asafoetida (hing), basil, bay leaf, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, cumin, garlic, ginger, mustard seed, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, parsley, rosemary, saffron, turmeric.
