Ayurveda Self-Care Tips For Cold Season + Recipes To Strengthen The Immune System
Cover Photo By Unsplash
By Yvette Racines McLaughlin
Cold season is in full force!
It’s official! Cold season is here! Hopefully you are well and staying healthy. After my entire household got sick with colds, I am reminded that we are all vulnerable to getting sick when we are not balanced...physically, mentally and emotionally.
How Does This Imbalance Come About?
First, take a look at lifestyle. Is your week booked with back to back appointments, commitments, events, obligations? If so, how would you find time for self-care?
Next, what does your diet look like these days? Do you see a pattern of eating on the go, perhaps lots of eating out because you are too busy to make your own nourishing meals? You might be eating in your car, while you are talking on the phone or at your desk while you are working. Sound like you?
Ok, so you do have some time blocked out for exercise. You hit the gym, go for a run, take a spin class, work out really hard to help alleviate some of the daily stress. However, you are exhausted, your body depleted and you go home and pass out. You then find yourself waking up in the middle of the night with maybe a little anxiety or a super busy mind. The next day, you do it all over again...the same way.
Remember from my January article that “Like increases Like and Opposites create balance.” Well, the above lifestyle will result in: busy/rushed/exhausted increases busy/rushed/exhausted. This is not sustainable and this lifestyle can leave us victim to colds and various illnesses.
What Can We Do To Stay Healthy?
I know, life is busy and sometimes we cannot change that. BUT there are some things we can change!
1. Take A Break To Sit And Eat Your Lunch.
Take a few slow, deep breaths in between bites. Allow this to be a quiet time where you can sit comfortably with good posture. Hopefully this is a healthy, warm, cooked meal you made! If you do get sick, keep your meals simple, mainly liquids. Try this ultra-nourishing broth!
Photo by Henrique Felix
Recipe: Potassium Broth-In a Soup Pot
Ingredients:
1 chopped large yellow onion
1 large Russet potato with the skin on
1 large sweet potato with skin on
2 large green zucchini chopped
3 stalks of celery chopped
2 carrots chopped
2 handfuls of chopped spinach
Cover the veggies with water so the veggies are a few inches below the water. Boil until the veggies are very, very soft (almost falling apart). Strain out the veggies and drink the broth. You can add some black pepper & salt. Enjoy!
2. Sip Hot/Warm Water Throughout The Day.
This will help keep you warm and hydrated. You may also choose to sip on herbal teas for the same results.
Photo by Carli Jeen
Recipe: In a cup of hot water add 1 tsp of raw ginger grated. Let steep for 10 - 15 minutes. You can strain the ginger out. You can add a tsp of organic honey and some fresh lemon juice.
3. Clean Our Your Sinuses With A Neti Pot.
If you do get sick you can help clean out your sinuses by using a neti pot.
Recipe: Fill your neti pot with warm, distilled water and ½ tsp of sea salt. Let salt dissolve. Lean your face over the sink and pour the solution in through one nostril and allow it to leak out the other nostril. Breathe through your mouth while you are doing this. Use half of the solution on for one nostril and the other half for the other nostril. After you are finished follow up with oiling your nostrils.
4. Oil Your Nostrils.
Dry sinuses can irritate your delicate nose membranes. To remedy this, put a drop of oil on the tip of your pinkie finger and rub it inside your nostrils.
Recipe: Use an organic nasya oil, high quality organic olive oil, or ghee.
5. Exhausted? Swap Your Exercise Routine For A Gentle Yoga Class.
Consider a gentle yoga class instead of exerting your limited supply of energy. Remember, Spring is around the corner, soon we can move outside of our comfort zone with ample energy!
This time of year nature encourages us to slow down, nourish ourselves, build our vitality. Winter is a time to rest and nest so that we are filled with sustainable, vibrant energy come Spring, when we are naturally healthier and energetic.
BONUS! Limited on time? You can also get much needed rest & relaxation through Yoga Nidra…..follow my voice: Yoga Nidra Recording.
About Ayurveda: Ayurveda means wisdom/knowledge of life. It is an ancient practice that can be traced back to India. Considered a 6,000 year old healthcare system, Ayurveda is a way of life to experience wholeness and wellness on all levels. With ancient teachings such as Ayurveda, there is much to be learned. I am by no means an expert in Ayurveda. I have been studying and practicing Ayurveda since 2013. I am a new student and humbled to say I have so much more to learn, perhaps a lifetime of studying. My daily practice of Ayurveda has brought about a profound understanding of unhealthy patterns and how I can better take care of myself and my family, plus I use some of the basic Ayurvedic principles to help support my yoga therapy clients and my group classes. I’m excited to share this with you, too. Stay tuned for my next Ayurvedic Self-Care Tips in mid-March as we move toward Spring!
