November Wellness Map

Time to snuggle

November continues the Vata (dry/cold) season. By now, all the leaves, once vibrant and alive, have fallen from the trees leaving branches bare, and you’ve most likely experienced your first freeze of the season. There’s something so exciting about October’s colors and temperature change, but now in November with the heat cranking, the trees naked, the morning frost (and perhaps snow depending on where you live) and shorter days, the intensity of the season starts to set in.

You may be feeling a little sad without all the outdoor activity, so if you can’t get outside for a 20 minute walk each day, see if you can position yourself in front of a window with the sun’s rays streaming in for at least a portion of the day. This can lift our spirits as well as our internal temperature. If you are starting to feel a bit depressed with the increasing level of darkness, try to move a minimum of 20 minutes a day and get out of the house, perhaps to a local yoga studio for a yin class and some community nurturing. We can tend to get stuck inside when it’s cold out, but being with a small group can be very uplifting.

The main qualities of the season are dry, airy, and cold, so focus where you can on opposite qualities: moist, warm and grounding, in food and your surroundings. Heat blasting? Sit next to a humidifier or boil some water for tea and inhale the steam from a safe distance. Skin dry or feeling constipated? Steer clear of salads and dry foods like crackers. Make sure you focus on getting moisture in your body with warm, moist foods like roasted squash and soups. Our blood circulation has now moved from our limbs primarily to our core, so our digestion is strong and can more easily digest these heavier foods. However, where you can, especially in Vata season, cook with ghee. The benefits are numerous from aiding in digestion and detoxification, to providing much needed lubrication/ojas in the body. Spicing is important to support the body as well. This Vata/Autumn blend is wonderful for soups, curries, and roasted vegetables.

As in October, oleation is extremly important. Take a healing 5-10 minutes each morning for Abhyanga (warm oil self massage). If you tend Vata and feel cold use sesame oil. Other oils that can be used are almond or sunflower. In addition, daily nasya, or oiling in the nose, helps ward off allergies, nose dryness and flu. For me, a dedicated fall nasya practice has made an enormous difference in reducing spring congestion.

Late fall and winter are the seasons of going inside, literally and figuratively. Get cozy, snuggle in and nurture your body and spirit as best you can before the hectic holiday season. The greatest gift you can give yourself and others is self love and care.

Sidenote: I included a photo of fallen fall leaves because I recently heard a story on NPR about not bagging leaves, to improve the health of the soil as well as reduce bagged leaves in our landfills. Here’s the story. Hooray for no bagging! Just a quick lawnmower run and you’re done; you can also transfer them to a flower or vegetable bed to tuck them in for the season. How sweet is that? :)

Nourish

As we steer away from raw salads during Vata season, we turn to warmed, roasted vegetables and salads. This roasted cabbage salad came to me when I was craving salad after returning from India and wanting to use up the beautiful Swiss Chard that was thriving in the cooler temperatures in my garden. A citrus vinaigrette brightens up the whole thing and the sweetness of the pears keeps you coming back for more. The fennel is addictive and aids in digestion. I’ve found that smaller bulbs are wonderfully tender and flavorful and prefer them. Be sure to massage the vinaigrette into the chard leaves to aid in breaking them down, making them easier to digest.

I’ve also been returning to greeting my mornings with spiced stewed fruit. It’s one of the easiest recipes and takes all of 7 minutes to make, plus, as it’s apple and pear season, they are abundant in the last of the farmers markets.

Ingredients:

  • 1 T ghee

  • 1 apple or pear

  • 1/2 tsp Vata spice blend

  • sprinkle of powdered ginger and cinnamon

  • handful of muesli (optional)

  • dash of salt

  • water

Method:

  • Heat the ghee in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat.

  • While the ghee is heating, chop your fruit into bite size pieces.

  • When the ghee is warm, add the spices and stir for about 30 seconds to a minute and enjoy the scent as the mixture bubbles.

  • Add the fruit and muesli (optional) along with a dash of salt; stirring to coat all the food with the ghee/spice mixture.

  • Pour in enough water to cover the bottom of your pan; cover and simmer for a few minutes, until the fruit is soft.

For a cookalong with me making stewed apples with my Vata Pacifying Muesli, head to my Membership Channel. Memberships are as little as $8.88/month and there’s a 7 day free trial, so there’s nothing to lose. Members receive weekly recipes, occasional videos, free seasonal cleanse/reset packets and guidance and so much more. I’d love to see you there!

Another easy, warming breakfast is breakfast rice, but be sure to use the Vata spice blend, instead of Kapha.

I know I promised some more squash recipes, and here’s one that my family has been adoring, using the acorn squash from our garden. I’m also going to be doing this one with butternut for a breakfast for dinner type thing this week; my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

This month, you may notice your sweet tooth feeling more like sweet teeth. Dates are a wonderful remedy. When I remove the pit, I put a walnut or pecan in its place and it is doubly delicious and even a little filling!

As in October, we will focus on the sweet, sour and salty tastes in November. As always, every meal should have all six tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent, but the first three below should be the stars of your plate this month:

Sweet foods: berries, bananas, dates, figs, mangos, melons, beets, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, rice, wheat, tofu, red lentils, almonds, pumpkin seeds, cashews, coconut, aloe, avocado, lime, cilantro, mint, vanilla, cardamom, cinnamon, fennel. Composed of earth and water elements, these foods are grounding and strengthening.

Salty foods: composed of fire and water, salt helps aid the body in digestion, and increases saliva and absorption of nutrients. In the Autumn in particular it helps with hydration during dry Vata season. Celery, seaweed, tuna, Himalayan mineral salt, and soy sauce and good examples of salty foods.

Sour foods: citrus juice, raisins, tamarind, fermented foods, sour cream, yogurt, pickles, tomatoes. Composed of earth and fire, sour foods increase appetite, saliva, metabolism and digestive enzymes and promote healthy liver function by moving bile. In the Autumn, sour particularly helps with promoting juiciness.

As I always mention, in Ayurveda there are some foods NOT to combine. Here’s a quick list.

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💛, Stephanie

 

Important note: The information provided is general guidance in accordance with Ayurvedic seasonal living. Every human is different; yoga and Ayurveda treat the individual and work best when tailored to your unique constitution. Contact me to learn more.