Preventing Autumn Colds & Flus At The End Of Summer

After vacation, we usually feel ready to go back to our own food, our own space and our daily routine. Why is this? Because we feel the shift from summer to fall.

As the nights get colder and the sun is cooking up the last harvest of the year, we feel the transition from pitta season (fire & water) to vata season (air & space which lasts until mid winter. Our bodies transition too: they dry out, our mind can get a bit messier and we crave more grounding foods, or even want to bake the first apple pie!

This guide will help you to stay grounded and healthy in this crucial moment of transition and will help prevent colds and flus. Keep in mind that at this point everything you do needs to be both grounding and cooling.

Nutrition

• enjoy all the ripe fruits that are available right now as they counteract dryness and restore digestion (they soften the stools): peaches, prunes, grapes and around september pears and apples
• vegetables are all cooling us from the summer heat and some add a grounding touch: cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots and tomatoes
• salads with light grains are great at the moment as they provide a little heartiness while still being easy to digest (the digestive system cools & slows down in summer to prevent us from getting overheated)
• fresh organic yoghurt, fish, nuts and seeds are great proteins right now
• eat things that make you feel grounded & cool, like a curry with coconut milk

Daily Routine

• if you haven’t done so already, start adding an oil massage to your showers. use coconut or almond oil
• exercise in the cool mornings before breakfast
• wind down earlier and take more time to get ready for bed. this is a great time to introduce an earlier bedtime in order to get enough rest
• enjoy a little siesta (for pitta and vata types) or restorative yoga (for kapha types) if you feel energy is low

Exercise

• everything that’s both cooling & grounding is balancing right now: walking, yoga, water sports, tai chi, hiking
• make sure to add restorative poses to your flow practice
• if you’re feeling overheated after your exercise routine or yoga practice, you did too much. take it easier next time with only 80% effort