On Saturday we will be hosted our Ayurvedic Autumn cleanse at the studio. We will explore the gunas (qualities of Autumn) and what that means for each dosha.
As we move into Autumn, the transition from one season to the next is visible around us.
Days are becoming shorter, trees are starting to shed their leaves in preparation for winter, and the crispness of Autumn is in the air. Autumn tends to be windy, changeable, dry, rough and cool. These characteristics are most prominently shared with Vata dosha.
Ayurveda considers a seasonal cleansing routine important for maintaining physical and emotional balance and wellbeing. As we transition from one season to the next, it’s time to clear out ama (toxins) which accumulates in the body tissues and organs. Although autumn is considered to be more prominently Vata season, we all benefit from observing the changes in season and aligning ourselves with rhythm of nature and the environment around us.
For all of us, it is a time to focus on stability, grounding, warming and nurturing. Developing a daily routine of waking and going to bed at the same time, regular activity, suitable for our dosha and a nourishing diet help balance the characteristics of air, space and movement, which are prominent in Autumn.
At the heart of Ayurvedic therapy is balancing the doshas and the Agni (digestive fire). We will explore this fully during the Cleanse Workshop on Saturday 5th October, through diet and lifestyle. Participants are now following a 10 day seasonal cleanse.
Here are a few dosha balancing breakfasts you could try:
Vata Balancing
Vata’s dry, light, mobile and cold qualities benefit from a nourishing, moist, warm breakfast, especially as the temperature starts to drop in Autumn and weather become very changeable. Vata’s delicate digestion does not benefit from raw breakfast juices, especially as the weather starts to become cooler.
1 glass milk. 1 date, 1 tsp almond butter.
As nourishing alternative is a Date and Almond smoothie.
Sweet, nourishing, grounding and very satisfying. Here I have used oat milk, but you could use any non dairy alternative or cows milk. This is also a great breakfast for Pitta types. Oat or rice milk would be the most suitable options.
Pitta types have a strong appetite, so adding a little more carbs would be beneficial.
Breakfast Smoothie
Sourdough with almond butter or jam.
Warm breakfast smoothy. Blend all ingredients, heat in a pan with a teaspoon of ghee. Particularly nourishing for Vata.
Pitta Balancing
It’s essential that Pitta types don’t skip breakfast. Carbohydrates should definitely feature in a Pitta breakfast. I think the most nourishing breakfast is coconut rice porridge. You could substitute rice for other grains: quinoa or oats. The cooling qualities of coconut: milk or desiccated coconut, are ideal to keep the pitta fires under control.
Adding sweet, grounding spices is also very balancing for Pitta: cardamon and cinnamon are greta choices. Honey has heating qualities, so if you like to add a little more sweetness, choose good quality, pure maple syrup.
Coconut rice (or other grains) porridge.
Kapha Balancing
It’s important for Kapha types to be aware of their appetite at breakfast time. Don’t just eat because it’s breakfast time. Only eat when you’re hungry. Kapha digestion tends to be on the slower side, so spices and foods to add a bit of ‘get-up-and-go’ for the digestion are very beneficial.
Tropical fruits have heating qualities: grilled pineapple with black pepper really ignites the digestive fire. Baked fruit with warming spices are also a great option.
Grilled Pineapple with black pepper.
Baked apples stuffed with spiced dried fruit.