Vata Season: Ayurvedic Wisdom for Autumn Wellness
September naturally feels like a point of reset and that back-to-school feeling never really goes away even after we leave our student days. Maybe it’s back to work or back to some other type of routine or structure after Summer. The cool breeze, darker mornings and quieter rhythm remind us that a shift is coming.
This junction between the seasons is known as Ritu Sandhi. ‘Ritu’ means season and ‘Sandhi’ means junction in Sanskrit. Knowledge of these seasonal changes can help us to prepare and make adjustments before the next season sets in. It’s the perfect time to gradually change our routines and diet to fortify ourselves against typical imbalances seen at this time of year.
Rather than jumping head first into cosy comforts like hot chocolate and blanket hibernation, Ayurveda encourages us to use this time to address any accumulation built up from the exiting season. Coming out of summer—the Pitta season—we may still carry excess heat from long days, late nights, cold drinks, and barbecues. This can leave us feeling a little worse for wear with our digestion and energy slightly off-kilter. By introducing easy-to-digest meals and consistent routines, we can restore balance. While this doesn’t need to mean a full detox, seasonal junctions are an ideal time but if it’s something you’d like to try.
Entering Vata season
The season we’re about to step into is known as Vata season. The cool, crisp and breezy qualities of this dosha and season influence our inner experience by giving us a sense of lightness and space. When balanced, this can look like feeling reflective, inspired and ready to try something new. But when out of balance, this can look like feeling unsettled, restless and anxious. Within the physical body, this can show up as irregular digestion, bloating, achey joints or other symptoms of excess dryness such as eczema flare-ups or rough skin.
Ayurveda works on the principle of balance: like increases like, and opposites restore harmony. To counter the cool, dry and mobile qualities of Vata in our environment and inner state, we can invite the qualities of warmth, moisture and steadiness – think of the comforting heaviness of one of those weighted blankets.
Here are some practical ways to balance Vata.
Cosy sweats and hot drinks
Keeping ourselves warm (not hot) supports our physiological functions from digestion (cold temperatures slow down peristalsis) to blood flow (vasodilation for improved blood flow) and general comfort. We can create warmth in many ways:
Warm, cooked meals
Using warming spices (ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, ajwain) have been shown to improve nutrient absorption.
Warm drinks have also been shown to improve digestion but go easy on caffeine which can amplify Vata’s jitteriness and drying effects.
Layer-up to retain heat.
Keeping active generates heat and improves circulation.
Create grounding stability
The airy and spacey qualities of Vata give the gift of creativity and spark spontaneity. But too much of this can push a person towards instability. Here are just some suggestions of how we can create a sense of stability:
Build a routine – We don’t have to be strict about it but even a loose routine around sleep, waking and meal times. Consistency supports our circadian health, energy levels, digestion and general wellbeing.
Choose seasonal root vegetables and good quality protein. These are nutrient dense, providing sustained strength.
Incorporate massage or self-massage to calm the nervous system, improve circulation, support detoxification and aid digestion. As Vata dosha is responsible for our sense of touch, massage helps to ground us too.
Don’t scrimp on the fat
Moisturise daily and don’t skip it! The skin is our outermost organ and neglecting it will leave it vulnerable to losing its barrier function. In high Vata season, we need to be more mindful of this.
Extend this care to the nasal passages and ears. Both are sensory organs that are susceptible to imbalances, infections and dryness in this season. Keeping them moisturised with Anu nasya oil (nose only) or even cold-pressed sesame oil will prevent them from drying out.
Cook with high-quality fats – not only are they important for internal lubrication but they enhance digestion and act as carriers for nutrient absorption.
A season of both endings and renewal
Autumn is a unique time because it holds two energies at once: closure and new beginnings. Ayurveda beautifully expresses how these two opposing movements unfold within us and guides us to embrace and settle into the season with balance, comfort and greater ease.
References:
Elveni et al. (2014) Effect of cold water on eosophageal motility in patients with achalasia and non-obstructive dysphagia: A high resolution manometry study. Journal of Neurogastroenterology & Motility, 20(1)
Sugino et al. (2022) Association between the cool temperature-dependent suppression of colonic peristalsis and transient receptor potential melastatin 8 activation in both a randomised clinical trial and an animal model. Journal of Neurogastroenterology & Motility, 28(4)