Leaping, skipping, jumping and rebooting into Spring

The Buddhist believe that suffering is optional (and after a life time of study on the subject we may actually get this :)) We have a similar belief in Ayurveda around the changing of the seasons. We don’t have to start the spring with congestion or allergies! Nor need we start the winter sick in bed with a cold. I want to leap, skip and jump there instead. :) In Ayurveda, this comes down to ritualizing the end of one season and the beginning of another - called ritucharya.

One of the most beautiful aspects of Ayurveda (like that of yoga) is the belief that we don’t exist outside of nature, but rather we can look to nature to understand ourselves and how our bodies operate. Pretty simple and intuitive even, but in these modern times in which we live, we may have forgotten the natural and instinctual ways in which we move, sleep and nourish ourselves. We may ignore seasonality, and eat what we feel like eating any time since most food is available year-round rather than only when it is seasonally appropriate. We also spend more and more time inside (especially these days) using artificial light to light up our days (and sometimes our nights. It is easy to forget what it feels like to truly live in harmony with the rhythms of the seasons.

As many of you know, our constitution in Ayurveda is composed of Vata, Pitta and Kapha, with one dominating. Vata is ruled by the qualities of air and space, Pitta by fire and water, and Kapha by water and earth. Each season pacifies or ignites these energies within us, meaning that our systems can be thrown out of balance if we don’t adapt our food and daily rhythms to the changing seasons.

According to Ayurveda (and good old common sense when we observe our natural world) we need different things at different times of the year. Imagine ordering an ice cream cone while you’re bundled up in scarves and gloves on a snowy winter day. Or eating a steamy hot bowl of barley soup while lying on a beach in August. Not so appealing, huh? Eating, moving and living Ayurvedically means not only eating, moving and living what is best for your constitution, but also in accordance with the seasons. Then we don’t just feel good today, but we also ward off future sickness and disease by what we do today. Pretty cool.

This is why us Ayurvedic folks like to do a light seasonal cleanse and daily rhythm reboot in both Spring and Fall (called Ritucharya, ritu = season and charya = guidelines). We ritualize the end of both the cold periods and the warm periods. Seasonal reboots in Ayurveda are about letting go of the old (including built up heaviness, lethargy, and even excess weight which we call ama) to invite in the new — the new season, but also the new way that we want to feel. :)

Ayurvedic seasonal reboots are about directing our tastes and our daily routines towards simplicity - not only so we can feel great physically but also to give ourselves the space to ask what we truly desire for the next season of our lives. It’s physical, but more than that. I am personally looking to cook up some kitchari (a typical grounding and nourishing Ayurvedic cleanse food) while I lighten up my wine and caffeine drinking, and cut out some sugar so my energy is level all day. Then I can do all the cool things I want to do this Spring.

Sooo.. join me in a light Seasonal Cleanse, Ayurveda-style. It is 2 weeks long and starts Sunday April 18. And it’s only 65 euros. A steal of a deal for 3 live coaching sessions, recipe book and course manual and some cool supportive materials