Have you ever swum against the current? Do you remember how exhausting it is? You feel like you can't move forward despite your best efforts and that you have to put in huge efforts for little success. Every meter of progress involves a great deal of effort.

Those who swim with the current have it easier. Carried by the waves, one effortlessly covers great distances.

Using the rhythms of nature

Time is also like a current. If you move with the rhythm of the day and the seasons, you will be carried by the energy of nature. Those who work against the natural rhythm unnecessarily burden themselves with great effort and run the risk of not achieving their goals because they do not have enough strength.

In Maharishi Ayurveda, there are millennia-old recommendations on how to use the rhythms of nature to support health, vitality, and success.

Every human being is part of nature and is constantly subject to the cycles set by external nature. The most important of these are the seasons, the phases of the moon, and day and night. Within our own body, breathing and heartbeat are the most important clocks.In our "civilized" world, disconnected from nature, natural rhythms no longer seem to play a role. However, this is a fallacy. Our body responds to daytime and seasonal rhythms even when we seem to eliminate them through artificial light and constant temperature buildings. Modern research shows that hormonal control is influenced by time of day and season, even when we try to disconnect from them. We cannot completely detach ourselves from these rhythms. But if we turn night into day and vice versa, we clearly disturb the sensitive regulatory mechanisms. As a result, the depth and regenerative power of sleep is lost, as well as the energy and purposefulness of action.

Rhythm of the Doshas

Time runs in cycles or waves. Each wave follows the same pattern.

 

The sequence of the three doshas, vata, pitta and kapha, is always the same. This is true for seasons and times of day as well as for life cycles.

Seasons

In all cultures, the annual cycle begins with spring. After the quiet of winter, everything begins to sprout, grow and multiply. Nature blossoms, becoming lush and green (kapha). In summer, the warmest time of the year, fruits, vegetables and grains ripen (Pitta). Autumn is harvest time, nature shows its abundance. At the same time, it also stops growing and reproducing and begins to dry out (Vata). In the cold winter, everything seems to stand still in preparation for germination the next spring.

Typical disturbances in the different seasons

With the seasons, the qualities of the doshas change, creating fundamental influences on our mind-body system. We notice very little of this as long as we are in balance. If the balance is missing, typical complaints easily arise, which are different in each season. Imbalance during the Kapha time shows itself e.g. in tiredness (spring tiredness) or weakened immune system (allergies and infections). If one is not in balance during the Pitta time, disorders of the digestive system (summer diarrhea), the skin (sunburn, eczema) or the circulatory system occur easily. In autumn and winter, typical Vata disorders such as joint problems, back pain or psychological changes due to the darkness, such as winter depression, arise particularly easily.

Ayurvedic recommendations for the seasons

Among the most important recommendations given by the classical texts regarding seasons are cleansing cures during the transitional periods from one season to the next. Ayurveda assumes that every change of climatic influences, as well as the changing length of the daytime, puts a great strain on our regulatory system. Therefore, it is important to always restore the full regulatory capacity.

Limitations in the ability to regulate come from the fact that we accumulate ama (unprocessed substances). This ama blocks the body's information channels (shrotas or meridians) and thus hinders good adaptability to the changing climatic conditions.

Cleansing cures eliminate ama from the body channels, thereby optimizing communication in the body, which works through hormones, messengers and nerve impulses.

At least two or three times a year, the mind-body system should be cleansed - whenever the dominance of one dosha transitions to the next. This can be optimally achieved by a Pancha Karma cure.

For purely time and economic reasons, it is not possible for most people to complete a Panchakarma cure lasting several weeks three times a year. However, because of this, one should not forgo the absolutely necessary seasonal purification. In order to enable everyone to do a cleanse without spending a lot of time and money, we offer detox cures that can be easily implemented in everyday life. Our herbal detox cure is particularly suitable for use alone at home.

This is for different reaction types

• Vata package - tendency to flatulence and constipation
• Pitta package  - sensitive stomach and intestines, with a tendency to soft stools
• Kapha package  - overweight, insensitive gastrointestinal tract

available.

Seasonal guided cleansing cures with webinars

As a specialty of our house we offer seasonally different guided cleansing cures as webinars. Under the guidance of our doctors Dr. Wolfgang and Dr. ⁱⁿ Valeria Schachinger, large groups take part in three different webinars at the seasonal transitions. Those who attend all three webinars will have the optimal preparation for each upcoming season.

Further information on the webinars can be found here: www.ayurvedawebinar.at

After each cleansing, old burdens are removed and the mind-body system is fully regenerated. Thus, the adaptation to heat, cold, wind, rain and snow, to sun and darkness, to seasonally increased professional requirements can succeed effortlessly. This brings success in life and protects against illness and premature aging.

Nutritional recommendations for the seasons

Each season has its dosha-specific qualities. The crops we harvest in the different months of the year reflect the qualities of the season. This allows us to always harvest what will most balance our body's doshas as food or supplements.

Ayurveda recommends different dietary focuses in each season.

Kapha time (spring)

During the Kapha period, food should be especially light and have warming qualities. After winter, foods rich in vital substances are especially important. In spring, fresh herbs from the garden and balcony, light soup preparations and stews are highly recommended. Heavy and hard-to-digest foods such as (fatty) baked goods, cheese and other animal products should be avoided. Here you can find more information

Pitta time (summer)

When it gets really hot during Pitta time, our digestive power weakens and thus our performance decreases. To neutralize the effects of the heat, sweet fruits, bitter leafy vegetables and sweet root vegetables are the optimal diet. Cooling drinks such as lassi, pitta tea and cool herbal teas made from mint or sage protect against fluid loss and overheating. In summer, one should refrain from eating a heavy midday meal, heavily salted or spicy foods.

Vata time (autumn and winter)

To survive the cold, dry season well, particularly nutritious dishes are favorable now. The grains, vegetables and fruits harvested in summer and autumn should be used now to build up energy reserves in the body. Important at this time of year is an adequate intake of healthy fats (ghee, linseed oil, omega3 oil ). Warm and warming foods should be preferred. At this time of year, cold foods and drinks, as well as large portions of raw foods, are not favorable.

Summary

Everything in nature progresses in cycles and waves. Living in rhythm with these cycles gives strength and energy. If you do not pay attention to the rhythmic changes of nature, you weaken yourself. It is like "swimming against the current."

Special recommendations in Maharishi Ayurveda include seasonal cleansing cures and adjusting the diet to the annual rhythm of the three doshas, Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.