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Balance Your Vata During This Monsoon

Is your Vata Aggravated during this Monsoon? Balance your vata with these recommendations

Balance Your Vata During This Monsoon
Balance your vata this monsoon

Are you experiencing any of the following symptoms-
  • Dry skin, lips, hair etc
  • Body pain, Joint pain, muscle strain
  • Constipation, Hard stools
  • Tremors, muscle spasms, tics
  • Higher sensitivity to loud noises
  • Anxious, Restless, heart palpitations
  • Spaced out, unable to concentrate
  • Excessive worrying
  • Panic, Fear, Nervous
….. Your vata may be aggravated.

Vata is associated with the air and space energies and is seen to be the major force which affects all the functions in the body. Vata is generally characterized by properties like cold, dry, light, hard and rough. 

Let us look at some factors that aggravate your vata-
  • Excessive travelling 
  • Talking constantly
  • Lack of sleep
  • Improper sleep schedules, like working a night shift and sleeping during the day.
  • Higher participation in water games such as swimming
  • Constant exposure to windy, wet and cold environments
  • Working in a stressful environment. This leads to an emotional imbalance which affects the complete system. 
It is very important to take care of your health during the monsoon season since your vata gets aggravated during the cold and wet rainy months. 

The increased humidity in the environment also increases the relative humidity in your body. This weakens your digestive energy, or Agni, which further hinders the digestion in the body. 

It is considered to be the primary dosha, which controls the movement of the other 2 doshas in the body. 

It is seated in the colon and controls all the bodily functions associated with motion or movements like blood circulation, respiration, blinking, heartbeat, directing nerve impulses and waste elimination. 

An out-of-balance vata plays havoc with our body, leading to poor digestion, constipation, flatulence, joint pain, dry skin, fear and anxiety. 

This form of energy, in a balanced form, is seen to be predominant in people who are lively, creative, original thinkers. 

The monsoon season is plagued with many health issues like gastroenteritis, colds, coughs, flu, viral infections and fevers, but we still look forward to it. 



Your body and health are at its weakest during the rainy season and needs to be rejuvenated by practising effective food habits and lifestyle changes. 

During the rainy season, you need to follow a lifestyle that can balance your vata during this monsoon.

A VATA-PACIFYING DIET:

FOODS THAT YOU CAN ENJOY

  • Vata can be pacified by soft, moist and warm foods with a naturally sweet, sour and salty taste.
  • Rice, barley, wheat, corn, soft dairy products, hot cereal, meat or lentil soups and boiled vegetables are preferable.
  • Eat vegetables like carrots, green beans, cucumber, okra, onions and garlic, radishes etc.
  • Indulge in warm beverages
  • Include green gram in your daily diet during the rainy season.
  • Cow milk and ghee is recommended
  • Include pepper, ginger, turmeric, cumin, rock salt, coriander and asafoetida in your diet.
  • Buttermilk increases the metabolic energy in the body.
  • All sweet fruits like bananas, dates mangoes etc. must be eaten.
  • Sipping tea with fresh ginger, cardamom and cinnamon improves digestion
  • Drink boiled and cooled water throughout the day to maintain your digestive strength.
  • Start your lunch with a sweet, followed by salty foods and end it with a bitter or astringent flavour, like fennel seeds.
  • Drink a glass of warm water with 1 tsp of turmeric to reduce sore throat, fever, coughs, colds or other infections.

FOODS TO AVOID:

  • Cold foods like ice-creams, cold juices, cold water, etc.
  • Refined foods like white flour and sugar
  • Foods that are pungent, bitter and astringent in nature, or are light, dry and cold.
  • Very salty and sour foods as they cause salt retention.
  • A lot of raw foods, especially during the mornings or evenings, like carrot sticks, salads, raw fruits, etc.
  • Vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, celery, leafy green vegetables, mushrooms, peas, peppers, potatoes, sprouts, and zucchini 
  • Fruits like apples, pears and pomegranates. 
  • Red meats are very heavy to digest and must be avoided.
  • Fermented foods, including curd, should be avoided.
  • Excessive use of spices like pepper, fenugreek, coriander etc. However, these spices in moderation are not harmful.
  • Junk food must be strictly AVOIDED during the rainy season.
  • Avoid honey during this season. However, you can add 1-2 drops of honey in warm water and lemon and drink it in the morning.

Lifestyle Changes to balance your vata:

  • Vata is aggravated due to cold and dry properties. Try to be warm during this season.
  • Do not move around with bare feet. 
Balance Your Vata During This Monsoon

  • Keep your feet dry as they are more prone to fungal infections during the monsoon season.
  • Avoid getting wet in the rains. Immediately change into dry clothing to prevent exposure to infections.
  • Stale or leftover food items must be avoided.
  • Avoid sour, heavy and acidic foods like pickles, chutneys etc.
  • Regular meals and proper sleep generally help vata.
  • Smoking and intake of alcohol should be minimized by these people.
  • Avoid sleeping during the day
  • Burn neem leaves in the house, since neem has many antibacterial and microbicidal properties.
  • Indulge in fragrances and wear perfumed clothes.

Natural Remedies:

Ayurveda has listed many natural remedies and herbs which can pacify your imbalanced pitta. These include-
  • An Ayurvedic treatment to balance vata by the massage (Abhyanga) therapy using sesame oil is very effective as it induces warmth in the body. It also decreases your body’s water retention capacity, which increases your digestive strength. Applying 1-2 drops of sesame oil in your navel is also very helpful.
  • Hot water baths and oil massages are especially recommended during the monsoon to improve your blood circulation and prevent any infections.
  • Herbal remedies that reduce excess vata are nutritive tonics, demulcent with a pleasantly sweet, salty and sour taste and have a heat-inducing quality. 
  • Consuming Triphala, which is made up of Amalaki, Haritaki and Bibhitaki, helps relieve the ailments afflicting the intestines and helps in the process of elimination of the toxins from the body.
  • Detoxification using the Basti (enema) therapy of Panchakarma helps the body get rid of all accumulated toxins and balances the vata dosha.
  • Even swedana or heat treatments can be enjoyed during the monsoon.
  • Daily yoga asanas like Tadasana, Surya Namaskar, Bhujangasana, Shavasana followed by meditation helps calm vata.
  • Additionally, alternate nostril breathing technique like the Nadi Shodhana can help you pacify your vata. 

Nadi Shodhana:

In Sanskrit, nadi refers to the energies in the body, while shodhana indicates a cleansing process. 

It is a grounding and soothing breathing and meditative procedure which helps your release a lot of your pent-up tension clears the mind and reduces stress.

It should be practised early in the morning, on an empty stomach.

Balance Your Vata During This Monsoon

Steps:

  • Sit in a comfortable position. Make sure that you are warm and dry.
  • Sit straight and close your eyes
  • Use your right thumb to close your right nostril
  • Inhale gently through your open left nostril
  • Hold your breath and close your left nostril with the ring finger of your right hand
  • Lift your thumb and exhale through the right nostril
  • Inhale again through your right nostril.
  • And exhale as described in steps above through your left nostril.
  • Inhale through one nostril and exhale through another.
  • Continue this pattern for 10 mins.
  • You will feel a difference even after a single session.

Bottom line:

After the parching summer months, we all look forward to the rains. 

However, rains are accompanied by many health issues, especially an imbalanced and aggravated vata. 

We need to alter our lifestyles and food habits according to the changing seasons.

Follow the above recommendations for a month. However, if your symptoms persist please consult your Ayurvedic practitioner.

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