5 Ways To Banish End-Of-Winter Blahs With Ayurveda

During winter, the earth’s energy is drawn back into herself. It is a time to rest, restore, and go inward. The weather is cold and wet, which aggravates the Kapha dosha, a combination of earth and water.

Though Kapha gives us strength, solidity, and endurance, an excess can result in feeling sluggish and confused, lacking desire, and having minimal enthusiasm. You may accumulate mucus, feel your digestion slow, and suffer from dull, achy pains. And since we're deep in Kapha season, it's likely you're feeling these symptoms increased during these wet winter months.

If you'd like to rise with the sun, even better! The more time you leave yourself to really wake up and prepare for the day ahead, the better you'll feel since you'll have ample time to complete important healing practices first thing in the morning.

After waking, do some cleansing breaths and/or alternate nostril breathing to clear out your sinuses and balance each hemisphere of your brain. Next, gargle with sesame oil — the warmest of the oils — followed by a cup of warm tea made from ginger, cardamom, coriander, and cinnamon.

Next, focus on stimulating your lymph system with dry brushing, salt scrubs, and massage. My favorite way to get my lymph flowing is with a Vyana salt scrub because it's filled with four invigorating spices — cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, and ginger — that warm the body, increase circulation and break up stagnation.

Since Vyana is the life-sustaining energy of our heart and adds vigor to our body’s circulation and lymphatic system, it's important to keep it flowing. Here's how to do it yourself:

Start with fine sea salt in a container of your choice, then add a teaspoon each of cinnamon, ginger, coriander, and cardamom. Next, add a carrier oil of your choice (I like olive, sesame, sunflower, or almond oil). The amount of oil you add is up to you: the drier the scrub, the more active it is on your lymph, and if it's oilier, it's more gentle. (You can also add 10 to 15 drops of an essential oil of your choice.)

Once your scrub is complete, step into a warm bath. Starting with your feet, gently massage the salt scrub in small circular motions until the area turns pink. Then move to the next area, moving toward your heart as you go.