Kapha-Soothing Lunch Foods and Other Ayurvedic Winter Routine Tips

• For lunch, eat kapha-soothing food but not food that is vata-aggravating. Whole-wheat bread, steamed vegetables, and hot mushy soup with much ghee and some crunchy croutons would be just right. • If you like to eat meat, Ayurveda says that winter is the time to eat it, because agni (digestive fire) is strong. Chicken and turkey are good choices.

• Although a nap may be acceptable in summer and autumn (especially for pitta and vata individuals, respectively), sleeping in the daytime is not recommended during winter because it will increase kapha, slow down metabolism, and reduce the gastric fire. • Ayurveda recommends drinking a little dry red wine—a few ounces at most—in the winter to improve digestion and circulation. Draksha (Ayurvedic herbal wine) is a good choice. Take 4 teaspoons of draksha with an equal amount of water before or after dinner.

• The winter season, when the sky is covered by clouds and it is gray outdoors, is conducive to loneliness and depression. Following the kapha-pacifying routine will definitely help. If possible, don’t be away from your wife, husband, boyfriend, or girlfriend in the winter. When it is cold outside and inside there is no one to sleep with, you will definitely feel lonely.

When you have your companion in the winter, you feel great! • At the end of the day, rub a small amount of sesame oil on your scalp and on the soles of your feet. • According to Ayurvedic tradition, winter is the season in which you can have sex more often. • The best herbs for winter are pippali, licorice, ginger, punarnava, black pepper, and kutki.

You can also use the herbal tonic chyavanprash. • Some light fasting, for a day or two, is all right if your digestive fire is strong. You can drink some apple juice or pomegranate juice during your fast if you like. • At the junction between autumn and winter, individuals who tend to get kapha problems in winter (colds, coughs, flu, sinus congestion, and the like) should receive panchakarma at an Ayurvedic clinic, under the care of an Ayurvedic physician, to remove excess kapha dosha.