Welcome your new year with nourishment…
I’ll admit, partially I just love the alliteration of these words. Yet, it’s not just that they sound nice, it’s truly the right time to heed them. Throughout the Fall I hadn’t noticed many people who had chronic colds, or fevers, or flu, but in just the past week it seems those sicknesses have emerged in lost voices, sinus headaches, and the many-times-overheard mantra of ‘it’s just going around.’
I’ll be the first one to admit, it’s hard to heed our own advice. Pragya paradha, or ignoring our intellect, is one of our greatest challenges to health and happiness. In my latest post, I wrote about some tips for staying healthy during the holidays. I was able to practice most of what I wrote about, and I hope it brings me out clear on the other side. After driving 700 miles through 7 states to visit 4 families over the past week, I know what I need now is nourishment: warm, home-cooked foods filled with good oils and nutrients.
According to Ayurvedic understanding, this deep winter is the time of transition between Vata and Kapha dominance. The elements involved are space, air, water and some earth. Notice what is missing – FIRE. It’s cold, and it’s a deep cold, sinking into our bones. We may notice imbalance in the space and air elements in dryness of our skin and nasal passages (despite a constantly running nose), anxiety, insomnia, and constipation. A Kapha imbalance tends to show up with heavier qualities, mucus, lung congestion, lack of hunger, and sticky, yucky colds. We need warming teas, lightly spiced grains, and healthy soups (keep reading for recipes!)
