Basant Ritucharya- Staying healthy and beautiful in spring

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Ayurvedic Springtime Routine

Basant Ritu or spring is considered the ‘King of Seasons’. It generally sets in during March and April, when the cold of winter gradually makes way for the warmer summer months.

The Spring season signifies new life as fresh flowers and leaves bloom around us. Whilst winter is all about bundling up and indulging in comfort foods. Spring comes with an invitation to allow new growth and to shed the old winter coat.

Just as each person has a predominant dosha or inherent body humour, each season has a particular dosha, too, according to Ayurveda. Spring is closely linked to Kapha dosha, which carries the qualities of heaviness, moistness, and lethargy related to the elements of earth and water.

Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of medicine, has laid down a system of seasonal living, also called Ritucharya. Here ‘Ritu’ means season, and ‘Charya’ means lifestyle. Basant Ritucharya thus refers to the recommended wellness regimen to stay healthy during the spring season or Basant Ritu.

How does Basant Ritu Affect your Body?

The spring can be challenging for your body due to Kapha dosha aggravation. Have you experienced a sudden runny nose or feeling lazy to work out of nowhere? Well, I sure do experience, and I remember how my grandma offered me some homely concoction that never tasted good, saying that it would help boost my immune system during Basant Ritu. I never understood the concept before, but with years of expertise, I can deduce her understanding, which may help us during this season through Basant Ritucharya.

The Ayurvedic reasoning behind this is that Kapha dosha, which gets aggravated in the cold winter, starts to balance as the weather warms up with the onset of spring.

This causes the stored Kapha inside the body to melt and come out as mucous through the nose- known as the common cold.

Another big issue is the dousing of the digestive fire or Agni due to the cold moistness of Kapha. You may thus start feeling apathetic towards even foods you loved in winter, namely fried comfort foods.

According to Ayurvedic principles, spring is the best detoxifying to relieve Kapha accumulation. All you have to do is follow these time tested Ayurvedic Basant Ritucharya or springtime routine for self-care-

Tastes and Food for Spring

Kapha is pacified by eating balanced, astringent and bitter foods. Spring is the best time to ditch the oily foods and have lighter foods like soups and vegetable juices.

My springtime advice is to cut out the desserts, chatpata chats, sour and oily foods as these can worsen Kapha dosha.

Deep-fried and sour foods increase Pitta dosha (a combination of fire and water) in the body. This happens because the hot, fiery Pitta gets aggravated, causing Kapha to melt and aggravating your cold symptoms.

To prevent this from happening, follow my diet tips. You have to Include more-

  • Seasonal fruits such as oranges and lime,
  • Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower,
  • Vegetable juices for the body’s detoxification,
  • Whole grains like quinoa, oats, brown rice, ragi, amaranth, and buckwheat dry out Kapha inside the body.

You can go raw’ till lunch, which means you avoid a full meal till lunchtime.

Herbal Help for Spring

Adding more herbs and spices to your meals can make all the difference too.

A few warming herbs and spices that kindle the Agni or the natural digestive fire and dry out Kapha include turmeric, Sounth or dried ginger, cloves, black pepper, and cardamom.

I would also suggest you sip more warm water, removing excessive Kapha. Consume less tea, coffee and other caffeinated drinks. Instead, you can drink more Kadha or herbal decoction containing loads of ginger, cardamom, cloves, basil, and some jaggery. Or you can keep it simple and drink warm water infused with ginger to do the trick.

Ayurvedic Self Care for Skin and Hair During Spring

You need to be more mindful of your skin and hair during spring, as there are significant shifts in temperature during this season with the changes inside your body. You may notice getting more acne, skin allergies or dry, brittle hair during this season.

In spring, I suggest you slow down to stay healthy and beautiful with VILASA’s mindfully crafted pure Ayurvedic simplified products.  These are formulated using only ECOCERT certified natural ingredients.

Start by exchanging your harsh soaps and shampoos for purifying Ayurvedic face cleansers, natural scrubs, shower creams like Seher Shower Cream, balancing body lotions, and roll-on remedies at Vilasa.

Abhyanga: Ayurvedic Massage with Essential Oils 

Out of all, I prefer Abhyanga or Ayurvedic massages using medicated oils as the best way to remove Kapha. These focus on specific energy points in your body to balance the tri-doshas.

Each massage technique has precise therapeutic techniques tailored to your body’s Dosha imbalance.

A gentle massage is used for Vata dosha, a deeper touch for Pitta, and an even deeper touch that involves deep kneading to remove Kapha, called Mardana.

Before you go for an ayurvedic massage, I recommend consulting an Ayurvedic doctor to guide you better.

Ayurvedic ‘Tailams’ or Oils for Moving Kapha

Light oils like grapeseed, almond, apricot and essential oils can improve circulation to drive out accumulated Kapha.

VILASA has the purest cold-pressed Apricot oil made from hand-picked apricots in the Himalayas to nourish and rejuvenate your skin for enhanced suppleness, elasticity and youthfulness.

I love these oils in the Spring season. I prefer to warm these a little to remove the mala or toxins of the body. While massaging, the masseur will knead your limbs in a downward direction to squeeze the liquefied Kapha out of your system.

This heavy kneading also ensures that the liquified Kapha does not get a chance to cool inside the body again.

VILASA’s special cold-pressed coconut oil helps seal moisture into fragile, dead winter-distressed hair. You can also use it as a post-shower oil for healthy, supple, youthful skin.

Kapha-balancing Exercise During Spring

When life gets too chaotic after the harsh winter, take a moment to balance and rejuvenate with yoga or gentle stretching exercises.

If you are a beginner, then start with gentle yoga poses like backbends like Navasana, sun salutations, or Surya Namaskar are excellent to ward off the lethargy and heaviness of aggravated Kapha.

I recommend Surya Bhedana Pranayama or nostril breathing as it warms and stimulates the body to move Kapha.

If you ask me what exercise to avoid in spring, I’d say intense gymming. This will only deplete Ojas or vigour, making you feel tired rather than rejuvenated.

VILASA believes in making every day a celebration of the self, and our Kapha- balancing products and rituals allow you to live in sync with nature instead of against it.

Come, transform the mundane into the most elevated experience with us.

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