Cold water therapies
The sheer feeling of the cold. When you go swimming in natural waters, that’s the first thing that hits you.
Written by Nat Louis
As August draws to a close, the cooler seasons approach.
The cooler temperatures and wet weather can often be characterised by a feeling of cosiness and slowing down. The change in weather slows social gatherings, beach trips and other events, and we often find ourselves feeling lethargic, in a new state of ‘hibernation’.
In Ayurveda, the autumn and winter season is identified as the ‘Kapha’ dosha type with ‘Vata’ undertones. Based on earth and water, kapha can be described as steady, stable, slow, soft and cold. Whereas vata is identified as air and space; being lighter, flighty, and potentially holding feelings of anxiety and stress.
The change can be very unsettling for our systems with imbalances in our ‘prakriti’ or our natural states. These imbalances can be portrayed through symptoms like the flu, stomach aches, anxiety, and other illnesses.
Ayurveda teaches us that in different seasons, there are specific actions we can take to help balance our prakriti and feel our best.
Resting- As the natural daylight hours reduce, take the opportunity to rest earlier. Going to bed earlier than you may usually do and rising with the sun can help to restore balance to your dosha.
Exercise- Winter can bring feelings of lethargy and to overcome this you need to stimulate your body and push your energy levels higher as well as using yoga and movements to help produce heat in the body through the colder seasons.
Warm food and drinks- Avoid cold drinks and good during winter, it may have an affect on your immune system. Cooked food and hot drinks can help to balance you.
The end of summer can feel long and dark, and allowing your body to rest is key to flourishing during the cold seasons. Be kind to yourself and take time out to destress and decompress to get yourself through the winter blues.
