february in your body
i always joke that february, august, thursday, and 7pm have the same energy. after making it through the long, overcast january, february comes and goes like an inconvenient blink of an eye. at this point in the year, the season has turned from dry to damp and the darkness is slowly moving towards the light. february is also love month and national heart health month. let’s dive into some ways that you can put your best foot forward in this season of transition.
qualities of the season
late-winter into early-spring is a season of damp, cool, cloudy quality. it environment is ripe for the renewal of life energy for the year. this late-winter, early-spring is reflected in the beginning stages of life, the mid part of the morning, and the regenerative nature of the body’s mucus-y allergy season. as the winter begins to thaw through increased daylight and slightly warmer temperatures, our internal climate reacts by melting away the insulating layer of fat keyed up during the winter season. like increases like and opposites balance, so this time of year can aggravate kapha dosha and any systems that are affiliated.
we balance the influence of this damp, cool season by incorporating more dry, warm, mobile, clear, and sharp qualities into our diet and routine. so what does this look like?
daily/practices
like others in the animal kingdom, we too shed our winter layers to prepare for the warm season ahead. for us, that looks a lot like the subcutaneous insulating layers of fat being “melted away”. this is a far jump from the modern and highly problematic tendency towards a “summer body”, but instead reflects the natural order operating on it’s own accord to set us up for success season by season.
our blood/lymph can get congested or stagnate entirely when this process starts to shake out. we feel a sense of heaviness and lethargy as a result of our circulatory system slowing down and thickening. we see this pathogenesis aggravate or exacerbate the mucous build up that is trademark for this time of year. we can assist this process by incorporating (or continuing) to dry brush as an assist to the lymphatic systems generally under motivated nature.
the concept of scraping (lekhana) is one that can be duplicated through various contexts in the season to introduce a rough and mobile quality into a time that is lacking in that. for instance, tongue scraping, while extremely valuable all year round, is especially useful to both clarify and assess the nature of the digestive system.
finally, worth an add is getting outside and moving around. we are nature, so on the sporadic nice days that we do have, we return to her warm and loving embrace. we can prepare our gardens of the spring season, enjoying the art of sprouting new life. our nervous systems also greatly benefit from being outside in nature and reattuning our vibes to reflect our environment.
diet staples
february is still root veggie and soup season. you absolutely cannot go wrong with the liquefying value of a brothy soup to keep the system lubricated. root veggie soups can also keep you grounded and nourished throughout the whole of cold season. as the weather turns from dry to damp, more clarifying root veggies (such as beets, parsnips, and radishes) can benefit the cloudy gunk of the winter melt.
adding in pungent and heating spices are also of value for this season. in contrast to the overly-dry risk of having hot pungents in the early-winter, incorporating some spice into the january/february moist cool months is a good way to start heating the system up from the inside, to motivate the internal melt and keep anything from getting stickier. it’s a great time to add in dry and drying fruits and veggies (called astringents) that can assist in the blood cleasing process. these include but are not limited to cranberries, dried cherries, apples, pears, and berries. cabbage-family foods (brussel sprouts, cabbage, broccoli), aspargus, and kale also have rough qualities that can support a balanced system in this time of year.
finally, beans - particularly easy to digest beans - nourish the system via their fiber and protein content. beans produce air and mobility which leads them to be less than idea menu items for the dry and mobile fall season, but highly valuable supplements to the late-winter routine when the body is on it’s shed.
what’s it all mean
your major takeaways are to return to warming practices much like you warm up a car, and you intake things that are light and easy to process so that the body can feel supported and nourished for the hot season ahead! if you’re interested in learning more or navigating your specific experience, always keep in mind that you can contact (me) your friendly neighborhood longevity educator!
Homemade Noodles
portions depend on noodle type :)
what you’ll need
1 part 00 flour
2 part large egg
how you’ll prepare it
1:2 flour:egg ratio for batch size.
combine flour and egg.
kneed for 20 minutes or until dough is smooth and bounces back.
let sit for an hour to rise.
press and cut- takes up to 8 minutes to cook depending on thickness.
ways you can consume it
with pasta, with soup, as a ravioli, etc.
December in Your Body
The Winter season arrives on the 21st of the month- dark, cold, and hard. There’s a reason why cultural celebrations of light and gathering happen at this time of year. As always, like increases like and opposites balance. In this season, balance is manifest through warming spices, proximity to loved ones, and rituals that shed light where there is dark. The December month’s routine and diet is one that brings the radiant heat inside, to the center of our bodies.
Lifestyle & Routine
When our bodies are warm, our blood vessels dilate in order to help maintain homeostasis by letting off some of that heat. In the Winter, that same dilation causes us let off too much heat too fast. This leaves us cold. We prevent this coldness by bundling up, keeping our head and ears covered, and protecting our extremities.
The Winter solstice is the shortest day of the year with the sun is setting between 4 and 5 pm and rising no earlier than 7 am. In the midday, the sun’s rays cast shadows across the streets making the noon-time feel like twilight. Regardless of the season, our bodies need natural light, our eyes process the light as part of it’s circadian regulation. We leverage this rhythm to keep our sleep/wake cycles “regular” and our digestion operating efficiently. With fewer daylight hours, we are inclined to miss out on the sun and the signals that come from that direct connection. Take 5 minutes a day to go outside, stare at nature, or simply feel the breeze kiss your skin or the subtle warmth of the sun still radiate into you. The light gets scarce, so capitalizing on the resource is a huge step in the right direction.
Additionally, our skulls are this neat instrument, robust with holes and openings covered in skin. Having proper hydration or lubrication in all orifices keeps the mucous layers healthy so that they can perform their duties as if business as usual. We stay moistened through abhyanga (oil massage), nasya (nasal oil), and oil pulling (swishing coconut oil around in your mouth). Our cells membranes thrive on the viscosity and permeability of the oils that we consume and use, so be sure to source from trusted suppliers.
This final month of the year is ripe with season-oriented activities and gatherings. It is important to find your version of balance to avoid running yourself ragged. No day is created equal and, while the Summer season is vibrant and energetic, the Winter time is a time to reflect and turn inward.
Diet Staples
Once Winter turns, our body’s heat finds a cozy seat in the core, leaving the extremities cold and pale. This core-centered heating for the season indicates an uptick in agni (digestive fire), and therefore encourages us to eat robust and hearty meals for nourishment. Our prime focus for this season is building our thermo-regulatory layer of fats and rebuilding the heartiness of our blood tissue (rakta dhatu).
There are six main tastes in Ayurvedic healing (sweet, sour, salty, pungent, astringent, bitter). Like increases like, and opposites balance. In a season of “dry, mobile, cold”, air element, light crisp leaves, and sharp winds, sweet taste and heavy quality keeps us grounded and nourished. Sweet, from the Ayurvedic perspective, is not intended to mean to sugary snacks with long shelf lives. Instead, sweet is in the things that build our muscles and fat tissues to keep us well. butter, oils, cheeses, root vegetables, and meats are a must to keep the body strong as it resets from the year.
While like increases like, too much of a good thing can actually aggravate. In a cold season, consider gently warming herbs such as cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and allspice will heat you up with out burning you out. Bear in mind that pungent (or spicy) can heat up and diminish so rapidly that the body ends up feeling colder after.
Soups for the season include all of the roots, veggies, broths, herbs, and meats that you can mix harmoniously to create a unique and fun experience each time.
What’s Next
Continue to give yourself the space to slow down, give yourself permission to say “no” to too much on your social calendar. Allow yourself a chance at truly saying “yes” to yourself. Slowing down and taking rest is not about “doing nothing” but more about letting the body do what it needs to do to support you. If you’re interested in learning more or navigating your specific experience, always keep in mind that you can contact (me) your friendly neighborhood lifestyle expert!
November in Your Body
We enter the season of the hearth and healing as November rolls in. We turn inwards as the days get shorter and the weather gets colder. While nature diminishes, we return to the home and the household to build our strength and energy for the year ahead. Our bodies intuitively begin to pull blood and heat from the extremities to the center to kindle the digestion and metabolism to begin storing our energy for the season.
Lifestyle & Routine
As without, so within on every level. our blood vessels constrict to keep heat in, building heat around our midsection. Our digestion, or internal furnace, heats up while it processes the sweet and heavy foods of this time of year. Like bears hibernating towards the cooler season, we do well to take a load off when we move into November. It gives our systems a chance to fully recovery after the exuberance of the Summer.
Once the clocks fall back, daylight hours become an invaluable resource. Our bodies need natural light, our eyes process the light as part of it’s circadian regulation. We need Circadian Rhythm to keep our sleep/wake cycles “regular” and our digestion operating efficiently. With fewer daylight hours, we are inclined to miss out on the sun and the signals that come from that direct connection. Take 5 minutes a day to go outside, stare at nature, or simply feel the wind on your skin. The light gets scarce, so capitalizing on the resource is a huge step towards success.
Additionally, our skulls are this neat instrument, robust with holes and openings covered in skin. In the cold chill of the impending season, having proper hydration in all orifices keeps the mucous layers healthy so that they can perform their duties as if business as usual. We stay moistened through abhyanga (oil massage), nasya (nasal oil), and oil pulling (swishing coconut oil around in your mouth). Our cell’s membranes thrive on the viscosity and permeability of the oils that we consume and use, so be sure to source from trusted suppliers.
The big takeaways from this time of transition is to dress properly for the weather (keep your head-holes covered), plan for an earlier and longer bedtime (let the day-change support your rhythm), and continue to prioritize your intuitive patterns over your expectations for yourself (the body knows).
Diet Staples
There are six main tastes in ayurvedic healing (sweet, sour, salty, pungent, astringent, bitter). Like increases like, and opposites balance. in a season of mobile climate, air element, light crisp leaves, and sharp winds, sweet taste and heavy quality keeps us grounded and nourished. Sweet, from the Ayurvedic perspective, is not intended to mean to sugary snacks with long shelf lives. Instead, sweet is in the things that build our muscles and fat tissues to keep us well. Butter, oils, cheeses, root vegetables, and meats are a must to keep the body strong as it resets from the year.
While like increases like, too much of a good thing can actually aggravate. In a cold season, consider gently warming herbs such as cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and allspice will heat you up with out burning you out. Bear in mind that pungent (or spicy) can heat up and diminish so rapidly that the body ends up feeling colder after.
November is soup season! Soups are great because they are typically easy to bulk batch, often include the bonus broths to keep us liquid in a parched time, and can be a fun creative outlet when going outside is not on the agenda.
Soups for the season include all of the roots, veggies, broths, herbs, and meats that you can mix harmoniously to create a unique and fun experience each time.
What’s Next
Continue to give yourself the space to slow down, give yourself permission to say “no” to opportunities. Allow yourself a chance at truly saying “yes” to yourself. Slowing down and taking rest, I’ve learned, is not about “doing nothing” but more about letting the body do what it needs to do to support you. If you’re interested in learning more or navigating your specific constitution, always keep in mind that you can contact (me) your friendly neighborhood wellness professional!
October in your Body
October can be truly a “turn of the leaf” from the lighter season into the darker season. The inter-day temperatures can be variable as the nights get colder, but the days remain warm. October is the perfect time of year to reassess your routine and, much like we pull out our winter clothing, we can start to prepare for our winter patterns.
Lifestyle & Routine
October is our transition phase in to Vata Season. Vata embodies the qualities of dry, rough, mobile, light, cold. Like increases like, opposites balance, so incorporating practices that are moist, smooth, stable, heavy, and warm will keep your feet quite literally on the ground through this season.
With October being such a drying time, it is important to keep your biggest organ (your skin) moisturized and warm so that it can keep you well insulated as the temperatures drop. Take time to maintain solid oil massage routine (abhyanga) and hydration practices (aka this morning bev). Our outside skin and our inside skin require very similar moisture for elasticity and proper function, so incorporating robust and healing dietary fats support this as well- ghee, avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil.
We continue to be slowed down by nature’s transition to darkness. Instead of resisting the darker day’s slower requirement, find beauty in making your bed, preparing your home and hearth to be the sacred landing space for you and your family to rest their heads as the climate outside becomes less and less welcoming.
Eat your meals at regular intervals, keep a stable morning and nightly routine, and require very consistent sleep/wake cycles. One of the biggest autumn perks is how easily we can catch the sunrise. early morning sunlight/blue light access is a jackpot tool for regulating your circadian rhythm— prioritize early sun exposure and lessen night-time blue light where you can.
The big takeaways from this time of transition is to dress properly for the weather (layer up for the cooler mornings/evenings), keep our bodies a bit warmer at bedtime (to counter the insomnia of late summer), and continue to prioritize a solid bedtime (and bed time routine) to keep the nighttime repair cycles on track and efficient.
Diet Staples
As within so without. As the season shift slides into place, our bodies start to crave the sweet and nourishing foods of autumn. building/fatty foods will lay a solid foundation for our energy sources, build our ojas in a depleting time of year, and insulate our bodies from the cold. Fats are the body’s most concentrated (and therefore preferred) sources of energy. Some examples of these foods include applesauce, squash, nuts, fish, starches, avocado, and oils.
Think about our favorite Autumn staples- warming herbs, pumpkin spice, cookies, pies, nourishing and hydrating soups, milks and hot cocoa. having time to create with your hands is a great way to stay grounded in a mobile and lighter season. Preparing your food is an opportunity to have agency in your health. Cooking has a twofold value by maintaining a hands-on practice while also setting yourself and your household up for success with home-cooked, down home foods.
After the Summer has passed, our hotter organs (see: liver) may be depleted, this cooler season is a good time to help calm and rehab the liver’s function. Foods like almond milk, blueberries, pomegranate, cilantro, beets, carrots, kale, hibiscus, ashwgandha, and dendelion will clarify and strengthen the blood system.
What’s Next
We’re looking ahead at the season of lights, holidays, and a lot of opportunity for social events to keep our calendars full. Give yourself the space to slow down, give yourself permission to say “no” to opportunities, and allow yourself a chance at truly saying “yes” to yourself. Using this Fall Season to redirect some of the chaotic energy of the sun-season is a fantastic way to “begin again” without first hitting burn out. If you need support with setting the stage to start carving out time and habits, holler at your friendly neighborhood lifestyle and longevity educator.