Fit for Spring

Ayurveda, the millennia-old "science of long life," makes it easy to maintain good health and improve it if necessary. It simplifies the thousands of factors influencing our health into three principles. These principles operate throughout nature and also at the foundations of body and mind. In Sanskrit, these principles are called "Doshas."

If these 3 Doshas – Vata, Pitta, and Kapha – are in their individual balance, one feels well and enjoys the best of health.

Many factors influence the balance of the Doshas – for example, our daily routine, our diet, and the seasons. The tips presented here are intended to help you maintain your inner balance, especially in spring. It's not about strict adherence to recommendations, because the explicit goal of Ayurveda is to enhance well-being and improve health. You are also allowed to "experiment" a bit here.

In the "Charak Samhita," the classical Ayurvedic textbook, the influence of nature in spring is described as follows: "In spring, the Kapha accumulated in the body during winter is liquefied by the warmth of the sun. This can impair digestive power and metabolism, leading to a variety of complaints." The Kapha Dosha has the characteristics "cold," "liquid," "heavy," and "viscous." This is why, for example, many people have a runny nose (liquid, viscous) and a dull, heavy head for a few days in spring. Spring fatigue is also nothing other than an excess of Kapha. To counteract potential discomfort, Ayurveda recommends natural, holistic, Kapha-reducing measures towards the end of winter:

Diet

Now, a light diet and strengthening digestive power are important.

Breakfast

Especially breakfast should be light, as the digestive fire (Agni) is still weak in the morning. A breakfast that is too heavy cannot be fully digested by the body. Incompletely digested metabolic products arise, accumulate in the body over time, and can hinder its functions.

Pay attention to your digestive power! Suitable drinks to activate digestion and metabolism in the morning are, for example, Kapha tea or hot ginger water with a little lemon and honey. Important: only add honey when the tea has cooled to below 40°C. Honey should not be heated, because according to Ayurveda, it otherwise produces metabolic toxins (see note).

Preparation of ginger water: Boil 2-3 slices of fresh ginger (or 1/2 tsp ground ginger) in 1/2-1 liter of water and let it steep for about 10 minutes, then remove the ginger. Can be kept in a thermos and drunk throughout the day; it then particularly strengthens digestive power and helps the body to better utilize food and excrete toxins (see note).

Dinner

Dinner should not be eaten too late, should be light and preferably warm. In addition to vegetable or rice soups, a light mung bean soup made from yellow mung beans (simmer for about 3/4 of an hour until the mung beans fall apart - do not make it too thick, as it will otherwise be harder to digest) is also suitable. This soup, also called Dal, is also an important source of protein for vegetarians!

Maharishi Ayurveda Food Supplements

Food supplements play an important role in Ayurveda as they can make a meaningful contribution to nutrition. The secret of their outstanding properties lies in the combination of different ingredients that complement and enhance each other. You can support your digestive power and metabolism with the Ayurvedic food supplement Digest Spezial. Before bedtime, the food supplement Triphala Plus Bio has a positive influence on metabolism. Triphala is considered by many Ayurvedic practitioners to be the most popular remedy for promoting bowel motility.

A few more general tips for springtime

Only eat when you are truly hungry. Skip snacks and instead opt for freshly squeezed fruit juices or sweet, ripe fruit. Only eat again when the last meal has been completely digested (after approx. 3-5 hours). Season well – especially with ginger, pepper and the Kapha-Churna spice blend, because spices stimulate digestion.

Prefer Basmati rice, chapattis (thin flatbreads made from wheat flour, fried without fat), asparagus, light vegetable soups, fresh salads (in small quantities as a side dish to the main meal), mung beans prepared as a light soup (Dal), fresh garden herbs, saffron, ripe and light fruits such as apples, pears, strawberries, grapes, and soaked raisins.

Cold drinks and food, heavy, fried, deep-fried, fatty, pure raw food, raw grain muesli, cheese, quark, sweets, bananas are less recommended. For non-vegetarians: Limit your meat consumption and avoid pork and beef.

Daily Routine

Regular exercise is particularly important in spring. Choose a sport you enjoy, but never overexert yourself! An Ayurvedic rule for physical activity is not to exceed 50% of your maximum effort. As soon as you start breathing heavily or sweating profusely, you should "slow down" or stop. The motto here is rather more often and in moderation than rarely and excessively. (More information on Ayurveda and sport.)

For all outdoor activities, it would not be right to try to conjure up the long-awaited warm weather by wearing overly summery clothes. When warm, sunny days return, moderate sunbathing, especially in the morning, helps to reduce the Kapha Dosha and increase well-being.

Sleep during the day should be avoided. If you feel drowsy during the day in spring, Ayurveda recommends preferring a brisk half-hour walk in the fresh air to a midday nap.

The Kapha Dosha is dominant at certain times throughout nature, promoting rest but not alertness. These times are between 6 and 10 AM and between 6 and 10 PM. From this, Ayurveda derives the recommendation to go to sleep around 10 PM and wake up before or shortly after 6 AM. If you follow this recommendation, you'll start your new day with vigor!

Deep inner peace and relaxation are also important for health. Get plenty of fresh air and enjoy the blossoming of nature. The Transcendental Meditation (TM) relaxation technique – a millennia-old consciousness technique from India's Vedic high culture – offers a simple, effortless, yet extremely effective path to relaxation and regeneration.

From the Vedic tradition of Maharishi Gandharva-Veda, there are special musical pieces that have a wonderfully harmonizing effect on body and mind, especially in spring.

Maharishi Ayurveda Cures

The Ayurvedic cleansing treatment (Panchakarma), as performed in Maharishi Ayurveda health centers, is particularly helpful at the beginning of a new season to free the body from accumulated toxins (see note) and sustainably improve one's physical and mental state.

Tips for the Kapha period from March to June

Spring cleaning in house and garden - why not for the body too?