Sacred Self care for the Seasons
Happy Fall Equinox, Beautiful Beings!
This is a time to celebrate balance and the harvest. With equal day and night, we are reminded of potential and transformation. We’ve put in the work and the careful tending. Now, it’s time to harvest what we have sown and infuse it into our lives with intention. Reflect on all you have accomplished during the summer months. This is your moment to assess actions and choices. What is worth bringing closer to home? What weaknesses or excess can be released? Pause, reflect, and hold a deep sense of gratitude for the abundance you have cultivated.
Qualities of Early Fall & Autumn
Wet, windy, dry, early rains, shorter days, and fluctuating temperatures—all characteristics of the autumn season. This time can evoke nostalgia, or even stir up anxiety. Autumn invites completion, follow-through, cleansing, and a slower pace. During the rainy season, as the earth releases gases, our bodies can become more sensitive after the intense summer heat. Vata-predominant individuals or those with a Vata imbalance may feel this shift even more acutely.
How to Stay Strong This Autumn...
Step into a Gratitude Bath
Start by preparing a herbal infusion of flowers or herbs of the season, such as sage, calendula, echinacea, rosemary, basil, lavender, or rose.
Fill your bath halfway with hot water, then add milk, honey, 2 cups of Epsom salts, a few drops of essential oils, and the herbal water.
Essential Oils for Each Dosha:
Vata: Palmarosa (grounding for the nervous system)
Pitta: Frankincense (fortifies mind and heart)
Kapha: Grapefruit (stimulates the lymphatic system)
Prepare Your Body for the Sacred Bath
Dry Brush your body, envisioning yourself clearing away dead skin, old thoughts, and stagnant energies that no longer serve you. Move the brush from feet to heart and hands to heart, directing lymphatic flow to proper drainage points.
Lavishly apply oil over your body with deep gratitude and reverence.
Recommended Oils for Each Dosha:
Vata: Sesame, Maha Narayan, Castor, Avocado
Pitta: Coconut, Hemp, Vitamin E
Kapha: Olive, Sunflower, Bhringaraj (available here)
Adjust the bath temperature as needed. Light a candle to invite balance, gratitude, and support from ancestors. Call in your highest self, step into the nourishing waters, and receive.
Reflective Journaling Prompts
What constitutional imbalances need attention before winter?
What do you need to complete to welcome fall’s abundance into your life?
Self-Care Essentials for This Season
Abhyanga (Oiling the Body)
Oil your body before bed or before a shower/bath (only soap your pits and bits). The heat helps oils penetrate deeply, restoring muscular balance, promoting peace, and strengthening the body. This practice is especially nurturing during the changing seasons, even for Pitta types when followed by a cold shower!
Nourish Your Gut
95% of serotonin is produced in the gut, and chronic stress can irritate the intestinal wall, affecting digestion. Use this time to rest and heal your digestive system.
3-Day Kitchari Cleanse
A gentle cleanse for gut repair and rejuvenation, using easily digestible split mung beans and white basmati rice. This traditional Ayurvedic dish provides fiber, supports gut bacteria, and balances Vata.
Plan:
Eat kitchari, steamed veggies, and ghee for three days. Substitute ghee with coconut oil if dairy-free or without a gallbladder.
Drink room-temperature or warm water throughout the day, and enjoy CCF tea (coriander, cumin, fennel) for digestive support.
Recipe:
1 cup uncooked split yellow mung beans
¼-½ cup uncooked white basmati rice
1 tbsp fresh ginger root, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp each: black mustard seeds, cumin, turmeric powder
½ tsp each: coriander, fennel, and fenugreek seeds
Pinch of hing (asafoetida)
7-10 cups water or vegetable broth
½ tsp rock salt
Handful of fresh cilantro leaves
Method:
Soak mung beans and rice for 24 hours, then rinse.
Dry roast spices (except bay leaves) in a pot.
Add mung beans, rice, water, and bay leaves; boil for 10 minutes.
Simmer on low, covered, for 30-40 minutes until soft.
Garnish with cilantro and ghee before serving.
Grain-Free? Use split mung beans only
Grain and Legume-Free? Try a 24-36 hour broth fast.
Basti (Enema Therapy)
A therapeutic enema can be grounding and clearing. My favorite recipe is kombu seaweed tea for all doshas.
Recipe:
Simmer kombu seaweed in 2 cups water for 15-20 minutes. Strain, cool, and add probiotics for added benefit. Use as part of a series of morning enemas.
Fall Feasting Tips
Drink broth with every meal for hydration and minerals. Focus on healthy fats, proteins, and seasonal veggies. Embrace ghee for digestive support. Spice your meals to support digestion and immune function.
Fuel with Fats
Include duck fat, ghee, olive oil, coconut oil, soaked nuts, and seeds. Avoid refined and trans fats.
The Glory of Ghee
Ghee supports bile flow, enhances digestion, and nourishes the gut with prebiotic butyric acid.
Protein and Veggies
Focus on protein-rich grains, nuts, seeds, and seasonal vegetables. Properly prepare grains and legumes (soak, sprout, ferment) to aid digestion.
Seasonal Spices and Flavors
Incorporate sour and salty tastes to support digestion and balance. Ferments like kraut are wonderful allies.
Blessings and Nourishment upon Your Fantastical Fall Days!
With love,
Kristina Maria
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