Hi Friends,

This morning when I went out for my morning walk I could feel the change! It was a little windy, the dry leaves were falling and it was getting a bit cold!  I reminded myself…Fall is almost here!! It’s time to prepare for the coming season!

Fall is a time of transition. It is evident that the leaves are beginning to dry up! There is a subtle browning of the earth. Temperatures, which, just a few days ago were raging with the intense heat of summer, are beginning to drop. And there is the wind, slowly gathering strength.

Fall brings with it a predominance of AIR element. As per Ayurveda, Fall is a season where VATA forces are dominant! Fall is dry, cold, windy, erratic and rough. These are all qualities of Vata-Dosha, and because like increases like, autumn is considered a Vata season.

Now, Ayurveda is about constantly rebalancing ourselves, including incorporating seasonal updates into our diets and lifestyles to achieve optimal health and wellbeing. Seasonal routine is important for all doshas, but since this is the windy, drying season of vata, anyone with vata dominance in their prakruti must be extra careful!

Here are some suggestions for the Fall (Autumn) season….

• Eat a VATA pacifying diet that is warming, soothing, grounding, nourishing, unctuous and easily digestible! (Soups & Stews)
• Include sweet, sour and salty tastes.
• This is a great time of year to do a mono-diet cleanse (Khichari is my favorite)
• Drink warm herbal teas- ginger, cinnamon, cardamom tea.
• Dairy products and most nuts and seeds are also beneficial at this time of the year!
• One of the most effective ways to support vata is by establishing a daily routine.
• Develop a proper sleep schedule.
• Try to do the same things (wake up, exercise, eat meals, go to bed, etc.) at roughly the same times each day.
• Do yoga, meditation and pranayama daily.
• Keep warm and stay out of strong winds.
• Do daily oil massage with warm sesame oil. In fact, Fall is a good time to go for Ayurvedic oil massages and “Shirodhara” (flow of warm oil onto to third eye area). These treatments calm down vata and relax you, minimizing stress and tension.
• Remember, if we don’t take care of ourselves in this season, there is a good chance that Vata could get vitiated making us feel dry, rough, cold as well as deficient! We could develop constipation. And some of us could end up in insomnia as well! These are all signs of Vata imbalance in the initial stages! It could even give us feelings of fear, worry & anxiety! I am sure many of us have experienced some of these signs at some point of time!
• Our body knows how to heal itself! I urge you to slow down and listen to what your body is telling you! We must take good care of ourselves in order to keep ourselves in Balance and enjoy the beauty of each season!

Allow me to share my favorite Soup Recipe…..

Butternut squash soup – with an Ayurvedic twist!

This Soup is a Tridoshic soup, good for all doshas in the fall season.

Butternut squash is a unique one in itself! It is unique in that it is not only hearty, yet also drains excess fluids because of a mild diuretic nature, therefore while it is balancing for Vata, it won’t increase Kapha, unlike most squashes! The addition of carrots and tomatoes along with a perfect blend of spices and a spoonful of Ghee (the elixir of life) makes this soup Vata balancing and even more suitable for the Fall season.

This creamy vegetarian butternut squash soup recipe would be perfect for this Fall season. It is quick, easy, nutritious, flavourful, warming…” Enjoy it with your family!

Ingredients

• 1 medium butternut squash – peeled, seeded and cubed
• 4 medium carrots, chopped
• 2 Tomatoes
• 1 bunch of green onions, chopped
• 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic
• a few fresh basil leaves
• 8 cups of water
• Salt to taste
• ½ tsp. turmeric
• Ground black pepper to taste before serving
• Fresh cilantro for garnish
• 4 tsp. ghee / olive oil

Directions

• In a large pot add all the ingredients in water except black pepper, cilantro & ghee/oil.
• Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low- medium, cover pot, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.
• Let it cool down, then transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth. You may add cream or coconut milk if you want it creamier! (optional)
• Return to pot or serve in soup bowls & add ghee / olive oil on top. (Optional)
• Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.
• Yummy!!!!

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It is my humble wish to make Basics of Ayurveda available to each one of us in an easy to understand format. ‘coz if all of us are healthy at the deepest level of the soul, only then this planet will be a happier place to live!

NAMASTE,

Preeti Syal
M.Sc., R.H.N., Certified Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant

The content provided in my blogs are for knowledge sharing purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.