September Selfcare Tips

In late September, summer comes to an end and autumn begins. The mornings and evenings are becoming cooler, the leaves are starting to turn color, and soon the smell of apples and pumpkins will fill the air. Autumn is Vata season in Ayurveda, and has the qualities of dry, cold, windy, and rough. We need to balance these qualities with moist, warm, stable, and smooth. So, follow some of these selfcare tips for September.

September Selfcare Tips

Diet

Minimize or avoid raw foods, cold or frozen foods, as well as drying foods, such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, sprouts, leafy greens, white potatoes, beans, popcorn, crackers, and millet. Rather favor denser, more nourishing food, like oatmeal, cream of rice, eggs, and cooked apples for breakfast. For lunch and dinner, eat warm foods such as hearty stews and soups, bone broth, steamed vegetables, roasted root vegetables, whole grains (basmati rice, brown rice or quinoa), meats, kidney beans, mung beans, oils (almond oil, olive oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, sesame oil, and ghee), nuts and dairy. 

Herbs

Cook with warming spices, like cardamom, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, black pepper, garlic, ginger, cumin, dill, mustard seeds, oregano, rosemary, saffron, and turmeric. Other herbs to include this time of year include Ashwagandha to help calm the mind and nervous system, and Astragalus to stimulate the immune system. It’s an anti-inflammatory, antiviral, adaptogenic herb that’s also a lung tonic, so, it can help strengthen your lungs and immune system for the upcoming cold/flu season.

Lifestyle

• Have a daily routine. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day and eat meals around the same time every day. Not having a routine with sleeping and eating can disrupt your biorhythms and disturb your digestion, as well as aggravate Vata. 

  
  

• Vata loves movement but can be aggravated by very fast activities, so do slower, strengthening exercises such as walking, hiking, biking, swimming, yoga, or tai chi. Do them at a medium level of intensity, making sure you can breathe through your nose comfortably. Exercise in the early mornings between 6am and 10am, or in the evening hours between 6pm and 10pm.

• In your yoga practice, include slower, more grounding asanas. Warm up slowly and include joint rotations to lubricate the joints. Then try a gentle, flowing Sun Salutation to warm up. Include standing poses such as Mountain, Warrior I, Warrior II or Tree Pose to build stability and strength. Grounding poses are important to reduce nervousness and anxiety, such as Cobra, Child’s Pose, Happy Baby, Bridge, Pigeon. Of course, close your practice with Savasana (Corpse Pose), but cover yourself with a blanket so that you don’t get cold. 

  
  

• Practice self-massage (Abhyanga) with warm sesame oil to combat Autumn's dryness.

  
  

• Wear layers of clothes to stay warm, which you can shed as the day warms up.

  
  

• Drink water to stay hydrated and to avoid dryness, which is common this time of year.   

Take care and enjoy this wonderful time of year!