Ice Bath Weight Loss Ayurvedic Skincare - Vata in Autumn.
As we move into the cooler months Vata is on the rise - The main characteristic of Vata (the combination of the elements of air & space) is dryness, even kapha types when in balance will find that during the cooler months they experience signs of dryness in their skin.
The seat of Vata is the large intestine, so don't be surprised if you develop a stomach bug that enables a rather radical clean out of this organ - this is just your bodies way of giving you a detox - If you've been thinking about a series of colonic irrigation's or fasting for cleansing of your digestive track - now is a great time (don't wait until late autumn).
Oiling the body daily with warm Vata sesame, cardamon, ginger & vanilla infused oil will help prevent a build up of Vata or decrease Vata in your body.
Vata peaks between the hours of 2am - 6am & 2pm - 6pm, if you find you wake up during the am cycle & can't settle back to sleep because you cant stop thinking; you may have an imbalance in this dosha. Rasasara holy foot oil was also created with all you holy insomniacs up composing hit singles about firefly's in mind!�
More about Vata:
Vata is associated with all motion in both the body - mind & world - to imagine what Vata energy feels like - one need only imagine the wind & reflect on what it can do - dry our clothes, clear away congestion (like a sneeze), cool us with breezes on hot days & destroy whole cities with cyclonic force. Similarly, Vata dries dampness in the body, dispels congestion, cools us down & can create painful wind like moving pains in the body, especially the colon.
Vata types are described as being quick witted & always on the go both physically/mentally or both; an inability to slow down, get grounded, or stop is evidence of an imbalance in this *dosha & will of often show up first in the digestion or skin.
Vata is found in abundance in the skin, brain, ears, bones joints & thighs. The Vata dosha's primary residence in the body is the colon & any kind of surgery in this region can create an imbalance in this dosha.
Those with a predominance of Vata in their constitution - are likely to have dark, curly, wiry or fine hair, delicate, fine skin with small even pores, that tans easily, nails that tend towards being brittle & fine, thin lips that crack easily & small brown or grey eyes.
They will be short or tall in stature with irregular features & tend towards being thin (most Vata types find it hard to gain weight & then once they do tend to lose it just as easily).
Imbalances in this dosha show up more readily in autumn & winter when Vata is at its peak - as dry, cracked hands, feet or nails, all dry skin conditions, flatulence, constipation, bloating, nervous twitching & aching joints, anxiety, fear, worry & confusion related to these mental states or memory loss.
Vata is most active in the late afternoon & early evening from 2pm to 6pm & early morning from 2am to 6am
Balance Vata by:
- Avoiding the cold & staying warm
- Avoiding cold, raw, uncooked or old foods, especially apples & members of the cabbage family
- Saying good bye to ice-cream unless it contains warming spices or it's a heat wave!
- Avoiding most beans & pulses (anything larger than a lentil is hard for Vata to digest).
- Making sure your food is moist & well lubricated - of all the dosha's you can afford to eat good quality butters & oils liberally!
- Choosing warming slow cooked food containing warming spices(see links for cookbooks)
- Remembering that sweet, sour & salty tastes support you
- Keeping a regular daily routine (of all the things you could do - this one is key!) because you find this difficult
- Resting & meditating
- Having regular massages
- Taking warm baths, regular self massage with warm Rasasara Vata Body Oil, compresses & applying the Rasasara daily beauty ritual - as recommended
- Creating a calm, warm & stable environment in which to live & work
- Surrounding yourself with warm & loving people
