Ayurveda PSA: Cover Your Ears!

September & Autumn Wellness

September is here! In the mountains where I live, we’re already seeing the beautiful changing colors of the leaves and experiencing weather fluctuations. 80 degrees F one day, hail storms and flooding a couple days later, and back to 80 again. This can be a lot for the body to deal with!

Here is some inspiration to help you maintain wellness during the changing seasons. Keep in mind these are some ideals and you aren’t being asked to implement everything all at once. You are welcome to choose any or none of these ideas to try! If something is not in your wheelhouse or means (like access to whole, organic, natural food or essential oils) don’t get caught up there. Start with what feels good or interests you and maybe get creative with some alternative ideas. Creativity is a super power of Vata. Or feel free to ask me!

Beanies aren’t only for covering messy hair. Keep your ears covered when it’s windy or cold. Remember to consider the wind in your ears when driving or riding bikes and scooters as well. If keeping your hair nice and neat is a concern, consider wearing ear muffs to keep your ears warm. The ears are one channel through which wind can enter the entire system. When too much wind enters your system it can cause sickness and imbalance (like colds and flus).

You can keep a clove in your cheek for warmth and it’s antiviral properties. I do this when I ride my bike in the cold! It makes a nice difference 🙂 (honestly, sometimes I put a few cloves in my mouth and suck on them during the ride. Maybe that’s a bit excessive but it’s works well for me and my high Vata!) The clove can help mitigate the cold entering through the nose and mouth as well, 2 other channels we want to protect from the wind and cold.

Wind = Vata in Ayurveda. Autumn and change = Vata. Vata out of balance can cause all types of disturbances. As the weather fluctuates, especially if you are staying outside and active, COVER YOUR EARS.

If you experience anxiety or trouble sleeping, it can be helpful to rub oil on your feet or ears. Warm oil is especially nice. Oil is the opposite energy of wind and this helps to ground and soothe. Oil on any part of your body is soothing for Vata, and when you put oil on your feet it helps ground the energy in your mind.

Want additional inspiration? Check out the original version of this posting here for more insight!

If you’re eating dahl or curry consider opting for dairy free and using coconut milk instead. Milk does not combine and digest well with tomatoes, potatoes or other vegetables. Nightshades like tomato, potato, and eggplant are difficult to digest with dairy. Reference these 2 charts and articles linked below for more information on Ayurvedic food combing:

Article by Vasant Lad.

Article by Banyan Botanicals.

Signs of high Vata:
Dry skin
Dryness in general
Brittle nails
Cracking and popping in the body
Constipation
Pellet like poop
Loud gas
Anxiety
Scattered mind
Feeling fearful (grounding Vata can help soothe fear)

Some yummy seasonal foods:
Veggies = cooked veggies. Limit raw vegetables in autumn.
Pumpkin
Sweet potato
Yam
Apple – spiced baked or stewed apples are highly recommended!
Oranges
Squash
Rosehips – high in vitamin C
Dates
Figs
Persimmons
Carrots
Pumpkin spice – yes this really is good for you it’s healthy to be cliché here 🙂
Sesame seed and oil
Pine nut
Cashew