Spring Seasonal Regime: Ayurveda

In spring, there is a predominance of kapha dosha in the atmosphere. The warmth of spring starts melting the accumulated snow from winter. Likewise, accumulated kapha starts liquefying and running out of the body. This is why people tend to get spring colds. At the same time, booming flowers shed their pollen, which can also aggravate kapha types or people with accumulated kapha, creating hay fever and allergies.

As usual, the following are general recommendations and people with a specific Ayurvedic regime should follow their practitioner's advice.

Daily Routine

Rub sesame or sunflower oil all over the body and take a warm shower. Yoga asanas to soothe kapha can follow, such as the sun salutation, bridge, boat, bow, locust, camel, cobra, lion, and cat poses, as well as spinal twists. Simple pranayama may follow the yoga session before meditation, which is good to practice on a regular basis, regardless of the season.

Good types of exercise for this season are hiking, walking and light weightlifting, as well as other more vigorous forms that help to burn kapha. Even though spring feels warmer as the days go by, it is not advised to start swimming until the weather gets hot, as in summer.

Seasonal Diet

To prevent kapha from increasing, during this season it is best to avoid heavy, oily foods and to minimize the intake of sour, salty, and sweet tastes. One should eat more foods with bitter, pungent, and astringent tastes. Dairy products should also be avoided, with the exception of small amounts of ghee. If you follow a non-vegetarian diet, stay away from beef and other red meat, lamb, pork, duck, tuna, and seafood. Chicken, turkey, fish, and eggs are better choices.

Grains and fruits that aggravate kapha and should be avoided as much as possible are: wheat, brown and white rice (except for basmati), urud dal, bleached flour, white bread, most forms of pasta, avocados, coconut, melons, cucumbers, bananas, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and squash. Good grains for this season are: amaranth, corn, millet, tapioca, barley, rye, oat bran, and buckwheat. Legumes such as garbanzo and pinto beans, red lentils, and split peas help decrease kapha dosha.

The best fruits are: apples, peaches, berries, cherries, red or dark grapes, apricots, and raisins. And the best vegetables for kapha are, amongst others, artichokes, carrots, asparagus, spinach, okra, leafy greens, radish, and beets.

Ginger cinnamon tea with honey is a good beverage to pacify kapha. Most sweeteners aggravate kapha, but honey and molasses in small amounts are okay. Please note that honey should never be cooked, as it becomes toxic and clogs the nadis (subtle channels). It should be added to the tea when it has cooled down a bit. Also, because there have been reports of botulism associated with honey, it is important to make sure that it is totally organic and raw. Kapha types or people with accumulated kapha should drink a cup of hot water with a teaspoon of raw honey to eliminate excessive kapha and ama (toxic food byproducts).

Large, heavy meals should be avoided. It is best to have three small, light meals and stay away from cold drinks and ice cream. Digestive Ayurvedic wines, such as asavas or draksha, can be taken to improve digestion.