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Were you having winter blues, sleep deprivation, or dreary days up until now? Shun the gloomy days and embrace a day filled with dazzling sunshine. Take advantage of the abundant Vitamin D and find a reason to be outside.
It’s the season to look and feel great. Enjoy the spring season with festivities, fun, and frolic as you spring into excellent health. However, many people equate the spring season with seasonal irritants, heaviness, and feelings of lethargy.
Thankfully, following a seasonal pattern can help us handle spring’s challenges while also maintaining optimal health, fully appreciating the season’s rewards.
Best Exercises for Spring
The first glimpses of spring bring most people outside for their first warm(er) weather runs, bike rides, and workouts of the season, after months of chilly, dark winter. This is a hopeful season. It’s a time to let go of old habits, clean up, and become organized.
Exercise can be highly beneficial in combating the heaviness and wetness of the spring season. Physical exertion stimulates circulation, heat, and a sense of lightness, which aid in balancing Kapha.
Spring is also an excellent time to physically challenge yourself by doing more extended, more strenuous workouts. However, please keep in mind any health issues or physical conditions and factors that may limit your participation.
Consider going for a bike ride, jogging, hiking, or swimming early in the morning between 6 and 10 a.m. If your schedule does not allow for a morning workout, evenings are also an excellent time to exercise (ideally between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.).
Before beginning a new workout routine, consult with your physician.
Best Yoga moves for Spring
There is a sense of newness in the air now that spring has arrived. Flowers begin to bloom, filling the air with a distinct smell and allure. It is, without a doubt, one of the ideal times of the year to make a change in your yoga routine to match the changing seasons. It’s as though your spirit and body are adjusting to the prospect of a new beginning.
According to Ayurveda, Spring is the Kapha season, with the earth and water elements dominating. To balance the heavy, damp, and cold qualities of the season, you can alter your yoga practice to adjust your diet.
The need for cleansing the lungs and warming the kidneys grows in the spring. Keep your chest open and your heart space open. Once you’ve been in a pose long enough to feel challenged, take one more deep, steady breath before releasing it.
As you move through the seasons and open yourself to new insights, both Ayurveda and Yoga teach you to be entirely present in the moment. Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar) or any other vinyasa movement can provide your body with the much-needed detoxification it requires. Spring may revitalize, warm, and awaken your senses like any other energetic activity. In reality, the way you breathe, move, and eat can all assist you in adequately embracing this seasonal transformation.
Yoga Poses for a Smooth Transition into Spring
Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)
Revolved Chair (Parivrtta Utkatasana)
Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
Chair Pose (Utkatasana)
Child’s Pose (Balasana)
Half Splits (Ardha Hanumanasana)
Cat Pose (Marjariasana)
Camel Pose (Ustrasana)
Daily Tips for Healthy Spring Routine and Lifestyle
Get into a lively and exciting morning routine, even if it’s for just a few minutes.
First thing in the morning, brush your teeth, scrape your tongue, and sip some warm water.
You can also massage warm Ayurveda Nourishing Body Oil onto your skin before rinsing it off in a hot shower.
After a bath, apply a relaxing Ayurvedic Body Moisturizer to hydrate your skin.
Start by firmly massaging your skin and working your way up to your torso for a healthy, supple complexion, enhanced lymphatic circulation, and fluid balance.
Making time for exercise or yoga first thing in the morning can also help with clarity and energy. Napping throughout the day is not advised.
A pleasant soothing sitting in a sauna can help your body to dry up, release extra moisture, and provide a sense of lightness.
It’s also a good idea to drink enough water to stay hydrated.
Spring is a great time to deviate from a daily routine deliberately. Even though some sense of routine throughout the day still benefits the nervous system, you should explore your wild side and embrace an attitude of adventure and playfulness.
Wear bright, warming hues such as red, yellow, and orange when the weather is damp in early spring. The colors gradually transition to cooler blues, greens, purples, and whites as the temperature rises.
Try to go to bed by 11 p.m. or perhaps midnight at the latest. Treat your skin to a good night massage with night facial oil before bed, as your skin absorbs hydration more easily at night.
The transition from winter to spring is a powerful one. As the weather gets warmer, our desire for heavy, substantial foods declines.
Indeed, many people notice a growing preference for lighter meals in general as the weather gets warmer. There is a possibility that your appetite will decrease, and you will crave fresh fruits, vegetables, and salads.
The body is telling you it’s time for a spring cleanse. Spring is an excellent time of year for a diet cleanse. Pomegranate juice fasts and mono diets are highly supportive.
However, even if you do not follow a structured diet cleanse, you can still support your body’s natural desire to purify and renew your diet by eating strong flavors and warming, light foods that are relatively easy to digest.
In addition to balancing mucus production and maintaining moisture levels, these habits also open the channels of elimination that are crucial for cleansing.
- A great way to start your day is with fresh fruit or tea.
- It is often best to serve light, cooked grains, steamed vegetables, and legumes for lunch and dinner.
- Beverages should be served at room temperature, warm, or hot. Perhaps you could even drink warm water with some honey throughout the day.
- Make sure you consume plenty of fresh (but not necessarily raw) vegetables and legumes as they tend to be astringent.
- It is also beneficial to consume plenty of bitter greens, cabbage, or brassica family vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.), and spicy foods such as green chilies.
- Lastly, a variety of herbs and spices will enhance the flavor of your meals, including ginger, garlic, sage, black pepper, chili pepper, and cayenne pepper in small amounts.
Ideal Spring Foods
Foods in the spring are packed with fresh flavors and textures, as well as antioxidants, minerals, flavonoids, and key nutrients your body needs.
Summer is here, the days are getting longer while the air is getting fresher, and everyone seems to be in a good mood. With the changing of the season, all things come to life and experience renewal. Here is a list of ideal spring foods.
Fruits to Enjoy in Spring
Apricots | Peaches |
Blueberries | Pears |
Cherries | Limes |
Cranberries | Pomegranates |
Raisins and Other Dried Fruit | Prunes (soaked) |
Apple | Lemons & Limes |
Strawberries | Raspberries |
Vegetables to Eat in Spring
Artichoke | Endive | Chard |
Asparagus | Garlic | Chilies |
Bell Peppers | Green Beans | Collard Greens |
Beets & Beet Greens | Kale | Corn |
Broccoli | Leeks | Radishes |
Brussels Sprouts | Lettuce | Spinach |
Cabbage | Onion | Sprouts |
Carrots | Peas | Turnips |
Cauliflower | Potatoes, white | Dandelion Greens |
Grains to Eat in Spring
Amaranth | Quinoa |
Barley | Rice, Basmati |
Buckwheat | Rice Cakes |
Corn | Rye |
Millet | Seitan |
Oats (dry, not cooked) | Tapioca |
Ayurvedic Herbs for Spring
Turmeric
During the spring, allergies are at their peak due to the pollen in the air. In addition to its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, turmeric is also an excellent allergy remedy. Curcumin, a component of turmeric, acts as a decongestant and assists in reducing mucus, which can cause allergies.
Talisadi
Ayurvedic Tilassadi prevents springtime colds through traditional treatment. This product contains all four types of antimicrobials: antibiotics, antivirals, anti-inflammatories, and carminatives. People tend to be more susceptible to upper respiratory tract infections during the winter months because their immune systems are weakened.
Triphala
Spring is a natural time to cleanse and detoxify your body, and Triphala assists in this process. It promotes healthy digestion, but it also purifies and rejuvenates the body. Taking it daily has improved digestion greatly.
Tulsi
Tulsi is another powerful herb for cleansing the body of toxins. Tulsi has a variety of benefits. This treatment strengthens your immunity, treats colds and cases of flu, and removes toxins from your respiratory tract. Additionally, Tulsi promotes a healthy stress response, has antidepressant properties, and boosts energy levels.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is very effective at balancing Kapha’s qualities. It has the properties of warmth, pungency, and spice. Ayurveda views cinnamon as a remedy that can warm and balance the body. It controls blood sugar levels: A spicy scent liquifies mucus congestion and warms the lungs.
Seasonal allergies in spring
Spring is beautiful, but it is the worst season for allergies. Millions of people with hay fever sniffle and sneeze as plants in spring release pollen.
Despite there being no cure for allergies, you can take steps to reduce your springtime allergy symptoms, such as taking medicine or supplements and changing your lifestyle.
Causes of Springtime Allergies
Pollen is the most common spring allergy trigger. To nourish plants, trees, grasses, and weeds, release tiny grains. When they get into the nose of an allergic person, they push the body’s defenses into overdrive.
Pollen is misidentified by the immune system as a threat, and antibodies are produced to combat it. This leads to the release of histamines into the bloodstream. If you have allergies, histamines cause a runny nose, itchy eyes, and other symptoms that you are all too aware of.
Pollen can travel great distances, so it’s not just about the plants in your area.
Pollen isn’t the only thing that sets the season in motion. With the arrival of spring showers, mold growth increases both inside and outside your home. Spring cleaning can also stir up dust mites all around the house.
Symptoms of Springtime Allergies
Nasal congestion is one of the most prevalent and annoying symptoms associated with allergies.
Also included in the list are:
- A runny nose
- Watery eyes
- Sneezing
- Coughing
- Itchy eyes and nose
- Eye bags and dark circles
Natural Ayurvedic Remedies for Spring Allergies
1. Practice serenity in your day-to-day life
Meditation is an essential aspect of Ayurveda’s numerous therapies since it is based on a mind-body-spirit approach to health, balance, and healing. Consistent meditation practice calms the mind and body, reducing one’s sensitivity to plant pollen and dust when it comes to Agni.
2.Eat healthy
Avoid meals and drinks that make you feel lethargic during allergy season. Cold, heavy foods and drinks, dairy, wheat, refined bread and sugars, meat, processed foods, and artificial components are just a few foods that irritate digestion and dampen the Agni. Choose pungent foods such as dark leafy greens, garlic, lemons, beans, and berries.
3.Practice a wake-up ritual
Start your day by drinking a full glass of room temperature or warm water as soon as you wake up (you can add lemon). Then, aim for about 20 minutes of easy yoga and stretching: your muscles, tendons, ligaments, organs, respiration, cardiovascular, and lymphatic circulation will be stimulated. Making this a regular part of your routine will also benefit your health and immune system.
4.Use a neti pot
The Ayurvedic approach to springtime allergies is to flush out your nasal passages with your hands. For easier convenience, you can use a neti pot.
If you use sterilized water and don’t use it too often, neti pots are a terrific, natural approach to alleviate nasal congestion and allergies.
5.Add a little spice
Ayurveda recognizes that all living things, including humans, seasons, and plants, have different constitution types. Congestion, runny nose, watery eyes, and sneezing are all symptoms of the Kapha dosha, representing the earth and water elements in Ayurveda. Additional to the previously described treatments, ginger, cayenne, pepper, basil, cumin, cardamom, sage, and turmeric can also be helpful.
More Ayurveda Lifestyle Resources
Allergies come in various forms and can be triggered by a variety of situations that are difficult to identify. Allergies cannot be healed, but they can be managed with effective Ayurvedic allergy treatment. Ayurveda focuses on the fundamental cause of the ailment rather than merely giving a prescription to reduce the problem. Visit The Ayurved Co for more tips on living an Ayurveda-inspired life in the modern world. You’ll also find genuine Ayurvedic medications and supplements produced with nature’s goodness.