September 11, 2025 • 46 mins
Anna McBride sits down with Ayurvedic expert and longtime friend Rima Shah to explore the wisdom of Ayurveda for the fall season.
🌿 Together, they dive into:
• Rima’s childhood stories of Ayurveda in India and how sacred rhythms shaped her life
• The meaning of seasonal transitions (Ritu Sandhi) and why fall is the most vulnerable time of year
• Understanding the doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) and how the five elements show up in your body and mind
• Daily rituals for calming Vata energy (oil massage, warm foods, journaling, sleep hygiene)
• Practical Ayurvedic food and lifestyle tips to stay warm, nourished, and balanced during autumn
Whether you’re new to Ayurveda or looking to deepen your seasonal practices, this conversation will help you connect to nature’s rhythm, find balance, and cultivate inner peace during this transition time.
Subscribe to She Asked on YouTube
Follow Rima Shah
 @rimashah.ayurveda
✨ Schedule your Free Call with Anna
🎬 Subscribe on YouTube
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome back to she Asked.
Tools for Practical Hope.
I'm your host, Anna McBride,and I am so excited you're here.
My really good friend, RimaShah, is here today with us and
we're going to be talking aboutAyurveda and the fall, but we're
going to actually start with astory, so I'm going to turn it
over to you, Rima, where you canshare your Ayurvedic story with
(00:26):
us.
Tell us more Welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Thank you so much and I'm so excited to be on.
She Asked with you, my dearfriend, longtime friend, and I
love your love of storytelling.
I think it's a good way to setthe stage.
So I want you all to picture1978 India.
I want to give you a little bitof a picture of how this has
(00:50):
just been such a part of my lifewith my family.
So, 1978 India, I was a littlegirl.
All my family lives in India.
At that time every place inIndia was a little village, and
when a little village, there wasdirt roads, no cars.
All my family members drovescooters, so it was very common
(01:12):
to see four or five familymembers on one scooter.
There was a lot of elephants,cows and camels on the streets.
My grandparents house hadjollies, and jollies are carved
wooden windows because in Indiait's a subtropical country, it's
a very agrarian, it's very muchliving with nature, so much so
(01:36):
that it's not cold weather, andpeople pretty much lived in
open-air homes.
And one of my favorite memorieswas going to my grandparents'
house.
Their house was called Bakulthe houses had names there
because everything was sacred,including the home, and one of
my favorite memories was sittingon the bench in the hallway,
(02:00):
the front door was always open,because that's really how India
was and my grandmother would sitme down and she would oil my
curly, wild mane of hair and wewould watch the camel, the cows,
the elephants walk by and shewould oil it and she would talk
(02:22):
to me and she would tell mestories and then she would,
after oiling it, she would putit in such a tight braid and it
would be so slick and that wasthe ritual and it was just such
a part of my life, like theoiling of the hair, the sacred
space, the fact that the animalswere all around us, that the
(02:50):
animals were all around us, andevery day the guy with the mule
cart would come and bring thelocal vegetables.
So every single day you had arelationship with the food that
was being grown around you.
And there was no modernization.
Many times we wouldn't haveelectricity.
Many times electricity wouldcome on for a little time and
would go off.
But the one thing that I trulyremember of all those years
being at my grandparents' houseis how everything had sacred
(03:13):
rhythm.
So I think that was a goodstory to start off with, because
I talk a lot about how myfamily, my grandparents are my
first teachers, but I reallywanted to take you back almost
45 years ago to truly what thatmeant and what that time was
like, because Ayurveda was usedin every household back then.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Yeah, what a great story.
I could just picture you withyour grandmother and the animals
.
It's like you're in the jungleand that it was just all around
right.
Finding that rhythm is what Ihave learned from you as to
(03:56):
really what is at the heart ofAyurveda.
How do we relate to the seasons, to the world, right?
So I really appreciated hearingyour connection with your
grandmother and how that'sreally been a big part of why
Ayurveda is so important to you.
So we're going to be enteringinto fall soon and I wanted to
(04:18):
get a little idea from you as towhat all means when we're
talking about Ayurveda.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Wonderful.
So you know, anna, a good thingto bring up is that the ancient
sages truly understood that thetransition between the seasons
was extremely vulnerable.
It was called Ritu Sandhi Ritumeans time and Sandi means
(04:48):
transition.
Okay, and if we could just lookat ourselves, we're both in
North America right now, but wecan see if we look outside,
right now it is vulnerablebecause summer is waning and
fall is coming, so we mightexperience things like really
windy afternoon, like extremelywindy, which a month ago we
(05:11):
wouldn't have had experiencebecause we would have been in
more of that warmth, humiditytype of season.
So this time is vulnerable andwhen it, when this, when the
nature outside is vulnerable, weare vulnerable.
We are more vulnerable toimbalance, to feeling dis ease,
(05:32):
to getting symptoms pop up thatyou didn't experience.
So the ancients clearlyunderstood that really taking
time between the seasons to getback to your routines was going
to make the transition so mucheasier.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Okay, so in a previous episode, I speak to the
different parts of the basicsof Ayurveda.
However, before we go furtherwith fall, let's talk a bit
about Ayurveda, the seasons, interms of what the doshas are
right and how they're affected,and even let's break down what
(06:10):
these meanings are, because itmatters to give us some
foundation.
Absolutely yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
The thing that I always remind people is that
Ayurveda can get very complex,but in the essence of everything
we talk about is the simplicityof the element earth, water,
fire, air and ether.
Those five elements haveinherent qualities to them.
Like we can say that earth isheavy, if we stand next to a
(06:37):
mountain, we can say that thisis heavy water.
We can swim in it, we can bathein it, so there's a softness to
it, but it's inherently cold.
It's always cold.
We're actually using techniquesto warm up water.
So we start to really putemphasis on the qualities and
(06:59):
when we do that we canunderstand the three doshas vata
, pitta kapha.
We can understand how thedoshas, vata, pitta kapha.
We can understand how thedoshas affect the seasons.
Pretty much everything could berelated to the five elements
and all the gunas.
So let's start with spring,because spring is rebirth, it's
renewal, it's the beginning ofthe zodiac sign.
(07:21):
So that is springtime in NorthAmerica and springtime is Kapha
season, because Kapha peoplehave a lot of earth and water
energy to them and the qualitiesof earth and water are heavy,
dense, gross, like we say.
Gross anatomy, it's in front ofyou, it's tangible.
(07:43):
Gross anatomy, it's in front ofyou, it's tangible.
We say that they're soft,they're grounded, they're stable
.
So this is kapha energy, and Ialso like to call it the mud
season, because it tends to becold and damp still in many
parts of North America and wehave to be really mindful to eat
(08:04):
and live accordingly.
And then pitta season issummertime in North America and
that is ruled by fire, and sofor all of us, because we've
just finishing summer, we knowthat we've just experienced a
period of a lot of warmth, a lotof mobility, a lot of energy.
(08:25):
There's also sharpness.
The quality of sharp is veryunique to fire.
In fact, that's like the onlyelement that uses the word sharp
, and that's why Pitta peoplecan have a sharp tongue, but
they also have a sharp mind.
But there is, like this elementof sharpness even in the season
(08:45):
that we look at.
It's a very flourishing andblooming season, so there's a
lot of flourishing of the seedsthat were planted so long ago.
And then it takes us to fallseason, which is what we're
talking about now, and fall isdominated by qualities of cold,
rough, hard, dry, light andmobile, because the qualities of
(09:11):
Vata season are predominantlyair and ether.
Air is inherently cold, etheris inherently cold.
So the one thing that reallymarks Vata season no matter
where you live even if you're inCalifornia and you experience
mild winters there is theelement of the most cold of that
(09:32):
area coming in, and that's theone big thing that we need to be
mindful of.
So we can help balance that.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Okay, so we'll address a little bit of that,
but why don't you finish it outwith winter?
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Yes, so Vata season being air and ether, it's
actually fall and winter.
It's a big time.
So for us people in NorthAmerica we're talking about
September to late Februarythat's Vata season, and then
late February to May is Kaphaseason in North America, and
(10:05):
then May to September is pittaseason.
We are a four season country,but we can pair fall and winter
together for vata.
This blueprint can actuallywork anywhere in the world,
because India actually has sixseasons, africa has four seasons
, africa has four seasons, buttheir seasons are very different
(10:27):
from us.
They have long rains, shortrains, summer and spring.
So we can use this template, nomatter what climate, what
geography, what microclimate youare in.
When you're in a cold, damppart of that time, that is very
kapha time.
When you're in the hottest,warmest part of wherever you are
(10:49):
, that's pitta time.
And when you're feeling thecoldest, the windiest and the
driest, that's vata time.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Okay, that gives us a good general understanding, and
I have a question for you.
During this time of year, atleast on the calendar, we're
seeing things like eclipses andcertain full moons that are
occurring, and I'm wondering inwhat way does that affect the
(11:17):
Vata season?
Does it emphasize it or make itless?
What's your understanding ofthat?
Speaker 2 (11:22):
So much change happens in Vata season,
including in the astrology.
There's change, there'sconstant change and it can be
overwhelming.
Let's talk about these eclipses.
The full moon started a lunareclipse.
Eclipses are very powerful inVedic astrology, so powerful
(11:49):
that they actually say to you tonot actually go out during a
solar eclipse because the energyis very strong.
They actually tell you tomeditate and to do your
practices because that's howmuch we can get influenced by
things happening in the sky.
Another thing that I think isreally cool because Vedic
astrology, along with Ayurvedaand yoga and meditation, they're
(12:13):
all sister sciences.
And one thing that I think iscool is it's also called Pitru
Paksha, and Pitru Paksha is aportal where your ancestors
basically are very close to you.
And in Vedic astrology and ourHindu culture, these two weeks
(12:33):
we actually do a lot of ceremonyfor our ancestors to convene
with them, to communicate withthem, to please them.
They want to see that we'reliving our Dharma, them to
please them.
They want to see that we'reliving our dharma.
So we do things to show ourancestors that we're listening,
we're following your lineage.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Right, yeah, I think that's interesting.
My culture, which is Spanish,we do that at the end of October
, beginning of November, wherewe celebrate the ancestors that
have passed before us.
Because, you're right, there isthis connection and I'm just
curious, as we're talking aboutthese big changes and what Vata
means, share with us from yourexperience how this affects the
(13:16):
mind and the body for people.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
So Ayurveda is opposite cures like, by the way.
So if you're feeling cold, weuse warm therapies, if you're
feeling dry, we use moisttherapies.
Homeopathy, which actuallyflourished greatly in India also
, is like cures like they'lltake, actually like the venom of
(13:46):
a bee and they'll potentize it.
Well, they'll take a littledrop of the venom and they'll
potentize it with drops of waterand then they'll take a drop of
that water and potentize itagain.
So by the end of that cyclethey'll have a homeopathic
pellet, but it will have beenpotentized so many times that it
actually just holds thevibration of the bee sting, but
that remedy is given for peoplethat have bee stings.
(14:08):
So homeopathy is like cureslike.
That's a beautiful method onits own, but Ayurveda really we
call it cosmic medicine isopposite cures like.
So we always want to come backto the gunas, the qualities of
vata season, and that is cold,rough, hard, dry, mobile energy.
(14:30):
So the mind at this time startsto have consistent, mobile
thoughts, and when we have toomany thoughts we do have too
much going on in our mind.
Vata season when we're balanced, you can be the most creative
that you possibly can bethroughout the whole year,
(14:51):
because we have a lot of greatjuice flowing in our mind, but
when we don't know how tobalance it, it's very easy to go
out of control.
So some of the biggest mentalchallenges are anxiety,
overwhelm, feeling overwhelmed.
So when you're facing astressful situation, instead of
(15:11):
being able to dig your heels andrise to the challenge, you can
feel overwhelmed, and to thepoint that you're not sure where
to start.
Eventually that can lead toinsomnia.
Also.
Nervous, nelly, feeling nervous.
Feeling like your nervoussystem is more on edge.
Feeling worry anything that Isay is cold.
(15:34):
Emotions are very vata tendency.
Mental imbalances when we don'tknow how to balance.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
As well as focus.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Yes, when you get overwhelmed.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
if that's a byproduct of that, as well as having many
thoughts and so being atreatment of opposites to bring
back balance, what are somethings, when people are
imbalanced in this Vata season,that you would recommend that
they approach doing to helprebalance themselves?
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Yes, vatas love to say to people I dance to the
beat of my own drum, I follow myown path.
I don't like to be told what todo.
I need to flit like the windand that is wonderful, but guess
what?
You're going to so much more.
Be able to be your creative,carefree self when you do one of
(16:30):
the most important things inAyurveda, which is establish
Dhinacharya.
Dhinacharya is your dailyroutine.
It is what you do from the timeyou wake up to the time you go
to bed, and if you ask Ayurvedicdoctors what is one of three
concepts that you think arereally important, they will
always say your Dhinacharya,because, at the end of the day,
(16:54):
ayurveda is ancient wisdom forpractical everyday living.
So the biggest thing is routine, because Vata's want to say I
don't like routine, it messeswith my creativity.
And the number one thing youneed to do is to establish a
good Dhinacharya, especially forVata season.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
Yeah, I find, being a Pitta myself, that I really
love a routine and I have hadthis very structured morning
ritual for years now, which Iknow is a bit of kapha in me as
well, and so the way to balanceit out I find as well, and so
the way to balance it out, Ifind, is like not to be too held
(17:36):
tight to something, to beopen-minded to new ways of doing
it.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
However, following a routine is important during the
season?
Yes, very, and Ayurveda is avery established daily routine
and most of it occurs in themorning.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
Okay, so give me some examples of what are some
morning routine things from anAyurvedic perspective that you
recommend.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
Yeah, I'll start from the moment you wake up.
So, the moment you wake up andreally, anna, you tap into this
so much, but a daily prayeraffirmation before you even
leave the bed, but a dailyprayer affirmation before you
even leave the bed You're aboutto start the day, and every day
you're starting a day over andagain.
So to make that part of yourroutine and many Ayurvedic
(18:27):
doctors have said this for along time do a body scan, do a
prayer, do an affirmation.
And we know, because we'vestudied meditation so much, that
we also know that when youstart your day with positive
affirmations, you have a 50%chance of having a better day.
Just by doing that.
I think that you and I bothhave made meditation a first
thing, so nothing gets in theway of that.
(18:48):
So, prayer meditation.
But then you go into yourbathroom and there's quite a
beautiful bathroom ritual and inAyurveda we like to dry skin
brush to get your lymphaticsystem going, and that only
takes about five minutes.
And then after that, a dailywarm oil massage, which is
(19:10):
called Abhyanga.
That is very key and veryessential to daily routine.
Then we also sometimes applynasal oil.
We do our regular cleansing,like brushing our teeth, but we
add a tongue scraper.
A tongue scraper is a beautifulway to get the coating, the
toxic coating, off your tongueso it doesn't get reabsorbed
(19:32):
into your body, and then we getready to prepare ourselves to
have a really good breakfast.
You know, I would say that'skey elements to the morning, and
you could add so much more intothat if you want to do yoga, if
you want to do other things, ifyou want to do journaling.
But I think some of the key isto realize that the way that we
(19:56):
tap into our body throughabhyanga, through dry skin
brushing, and then with our mind, through prayer and meditation,
that sets the day up in themost beautiful way.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
What I hear you saying is touch you yeah, what
our teacher would tell us is iswhat sets the trajectory for the
day.
You have to tend both to themind and to the body.
Yeah, and that morning ritualis a great way to kick that off.
Now, does it differ at all insuggestion for fall versus other
(20:30):
times of year as to what themorning ritual be?
Speaker 2 (20:34):
Yeah, warm is key, keeping yourself warm.
I cannot stress enough how I'vemet so many clients and
students over the years and theyknow how they feel.
They come to me and they saythat they feel cold, they feel
dry, and they don't establish aroutine to necessarily help that
.
And then I'll see them three orfour months later and it's
(20:57):
really hit them Because nowyou're really been in the cold
season.
So the oil is extremelyimportant in Vata season.
In fact, the mantra that I sayfor Vata season is warm, moist
and oily.
Keep yourself warm.
Do it with a hot shower or abath, do it with a hot water
(21:18):
bottle, do it with your extrablankets, make sure that your
meditation room is warm thesekind of things.
You can say that you're goingto do it, but if you don't feel
warm, you're not going to showup every day.
We definitely want to use moreoils in our diet, we want to
have more soups, we want to getinto teas and then oily.
So I think Abhyanga for Vataseason is really necessary,
(21:43):
especially for Vata type people.
You and me are both Pittas, soPittas and Kaphas.
They might not oleate every day, but it's something that every
dosha should do regularly duringVata season.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Okay, so each dosha should have a similar morning
ritual.
When it comes to how we takecare of the body, is that what I
hear you saying during Vataseason?
Speaker 2 (22:08):
Yeah, of course each dosha is different Vatas because
they're the most dry, the mostprone to things like
constipation, any kind of drythings like dry eyes, dry mouth,
dry hair.
For vatas you can pretty muchguarantee that, like a daily oil
massage would be wonderful.
For pittas we have a sense ofoiliness.
(22:31):
I always use J-Lo as acelebrity to say that she's very
pitta.
J-lo's got that glow becausepitta people have lustrous skin.
We have fire and that lends tooily skin.
So a lot of times pitta peoplenaturally feel oily, but fire
can eventually dry your tissuesout too.
(22:53):
So pitta people might not feelthe need to do oil massage every
day, but two times a week,three times a week, every Sunday
, they need it and they'llfigure out what works for them
too.
Once you get into these it'slike your body tells you Because
sometimes you'll be like Idon't feel the need for oil
(23:13):
today.
And then kapha people areactually very lubricated because
they're made up of earth andwater.
The saying goes that a kaphaperson who's 70 years old many
times is mistaken for a 50 yearold because they have a thick
head of lustrous hair still andthey virtually have no wrinkles.
(23:34):
So kapha people are the onesthat least need oil massage.
And I'm picking Abhyanga as afocal point because I want to
educate your audience on how wecan do the same practice, but it
will look different for all thedoshas.
Kapha person might be fine todo it once every three weeks
(23:55):
because they have such alubricated skin, but for kapha
people, one thing that theyshould consistently do is dry
skin brushing, because they havea tendency to get stagnant.
So I would say vatas are goingto need to have abhyanga a lot,
kaphas are going to need to dryskin brush a lot, and pittas
(24:16):
they're going to find that nicebalance in the middle between
both.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
Okay, so the abhyanga , which is the massage, the
personal massage done with theoil, is highly recommended.
Now, what about foods?
Speaker 2 (24:31):
Yeah.
Food is medicine, and if youreally find a way to to find a
daily rhythm where you'refeeling good about what you're
eating two or three times a day,you're already going to be well
ahead of the game for mostpeople, because I think what
really stops people is theirconfusion around food.
(24:52):
So food is extremely important,and here's something that I
want to bring back to the Vataseason and Vatas in particular.
It is so common for a Vataperson to say, oh, I ate at 7 am
yesterday because I was hungry,but then the day before I
totally forgot to eat all dayand I think I ate at 9 pm at
night.
(25:12):
It's very common eat all dayand I think I ate at 9 pm at
night.
It's very common.
We have our agni means ourdigestive fire right, and in
order for us to have good agni,we have to make sure that we
have proper meal times at thesame times every day.
So the first thing that I sayto clients, especially vatas you
(25:33):
must establish a food routine,because when your body knows
that Anna's going to eat ateight o'clock, your body's
already working at 7 am toprepare you.
And when your body knows thatAnna's always going to eat
between 12 and 1, then yourbody's ready for that.
But when your body is not surewhen it's going to happen,
that's going to be really hard.
(25:54):
Vata season we say we stick onmore moist oily.
I do think that what I'vediscovered working so many years
in America is we have a verycold diet, especially for the
morning time.
People have cold yogurt, coldberries, cold smoothies.
Maybe the only thing thatthey're having warm is maybe
(26:15):
black coffee, cold cereal, coldmilk, like it's very cold.
And one thing that's extremelyimportant during Vata season is
you need to wake up your Agni.
Our physiology is feeling cold.
So we want to have a morningroutine where we're having some
warm foods or cooked foods orsome good teas, so Agni gets to
(26:35):
warm up.
Because if we follow this sortof diet that I see is very
common.
Avocado toast is another onethat's a healthier option, but
it's still cold.
So I think the number one thingfor Vata season is we've got to
expand our repertoire and feelokay about some cooked foods in
the morning.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
Yeah, I think what's interesting about Ayurveda is
that we're focusing, we'relearning from Ayurveda to seek
balance, given that we live inNorth America and I know that
we're not unique in the world.
However, we're unique in this.
I think we're moving, moving,moving.
I live in New York City, forexample, and the world is so
(27:14):
fast outside my door.
It's a setup for imbalance and,given that it's Vata season, I
noticed in anything that's newsrelated or any TV, right, that
(27:38):
social media influence.
Then, when you couple that withwhatever is going on
emotionally within my life I'm amother of three children and
that expression you're only ashappy as your least happy child,
right.
And that expression you're onlyas happy as your least happy
child, right?
I think what I really wouldlike to hear from you is, given
(28:04):
that we live in this part of theworld, speak a little bit about
what Ayurveda how we wouldapply it here that might be
different in other parts of theworld.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
Ayurveda is one word that I really love in Sanskrit
and, by the way, the words thatI'm using are Sanskrit.
It's one of the oldestlanguages in the world and it's
based on the sounds from thecosmos.
All the Vedas are written inSanskrit, and so when I'm
referring to it, it's really thelanguage of the Vedas, which is
the oldest written scriptureson the planet, and one of the
(28:35):
Sanskrit words I really love isswasta, swasta, and swasta means
perfect health, but it alsomeans swasta to know thyself.
(29:07):
So ultimately, whether we're inNew York or we're in a
beautiful idyllic farmhouse inthe countryside of Vermont, we
are here as human beings to knowourselves more.
Ayurveda is when you know whoyou are, and you take time, and
every day you keep diving intothis, because Ayurveda is a
lifelong learning tool, so youstart to learn more and more
about yourself as every yeargoes by, but when you learn,
first of all, are you very fiery, are you airy, are you earthy?
(29:29):
That's the starting point,because once you know that, you
stop judging yourself on thesymptoms you see yourself having
, instead of saying I'm anairhead, people always say I'm
unaccountable, people always sayI'm late.
Instead of judging yourself,you can have compassion for
yourself because you can say toyourself I'm really vata, I've
(29:51):
got a lot of air and ether, andI think that's really theata
I've got a lot of air and ether,and I think that's really the
basis, like we are all here tohave a better quality of life
and less stress, and I thinkwe're going to be able to do
that using Ayurveda, when wefeel like we know ourselves more
on an elemental level.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
Okay, so the stress of the world is mitigated
through Ayurveda, first, bygetting to know ourselves and
really talking about ourselvesin terms of nature and how we
are really related to nature.
You did a great job earliertalking about the different
seasons and how the differentpersonalities of the doshas,
(30:34):
about the different seasons andhow the different personalities
of the doshas.
We were taught.
I was taught that everythingthat we see outside of ourselves
in terms of the five elementslive within us.
Right, we have earth, fire,water, ether and air, and within
us, and I think, if we can evenget to know ourselves that our
(30:55):
bodies are a reflection of whatthe cosmos are, right, then
maybe being able to relate tonature more, relate to how it
affects us, maybe an antidoteperhaps for some of the stress
that we're facing now.
Do you see that as apossibility?
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Absolutely, and I think even you and I, just
speaking from our own experience, like I am a pitta, I could see
the fire in me throughout mywhole life and the more we grow
and the more we use all thesetools, not just in Ayurveda but
in every self-help avenue thatwe've gotten to, I know you and
I both have had conversationswith our fire self and we've
(31:41):
learned how to use it for ourbenefit instead of harming,
because for us Pitta people, weneed to know that our fire is
strong, it's sharp, it couldburn down a village if we're not
careful.
But if we really use it in a wayto our benefit, then that fire
(32:01):
brings out the beautiful aspects, like the natural born, the
clarity, the natural born leader, knowing your truth but not
having to declare therighteousness of it, because one
of the things I always say topit to people is do you want to
be right or do you want to bepeaceful?
So I think it empowers you onhow to see the higher version of
(32:24):
yourself you on how to see thehigher version of yourself.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
Okay, that's what Ayurveda does.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
It helps us to seek a better connection to our place
in the world.
Yeah, you know, it makes us havecontrol over the way we act.
Instead of judging us for howwe act or how our digestion is,
or why do I have gas and shedoesn't have gas?
Like instead of that judgmentand seeing it as like a final
thing like I guess I'm somebodythat has poor digestion and a
lot of gas, you start to say, oh, the gas is a lot of air in
(32:54):
your body and that poordigestion probably lends to the
fact that I don't meal plan,that I don't think about my day.
We can really pinpoint it andonce we start to look at those
things and see how we can addmore balance into our lives, we
start to let it empower usversus us judging our flaws that
(33:16):
we see, or you know what I'msaying.
Does that make sense?
Speaker 1 (33:19):
I believe that what I hear you saying is that we, if
we can relate to our connectionto nature, really relate to it.
We can see it a lot workingwithin us.
We can see where we may beworking against it Instead of
making it a problem.
There's so many possibilitiesin terms of how to rebalance
(33:40):
ourselves just by looking at theseasons and how we can be more
in harmony with the season.
Yeah, as we start to wrap uphere, I wanted to ask you what
some of your favorite dailypractices are for you in your
dosha, as well as your favoritefoods this time of year.
Speaker 2 (34:00):
Because Vata season.
Another thing I also want tobring up to Anna is that very
few people and you and I havehad many discussions about is
that very few people, and youand I've had many discussions
about this very few people areonly one dosha.
Right, we can say we're pitta,vata, kapha, but most of the
planet is dual doshik, meaningyou have one primary dosha and
one secondary dosha, and maybethat's something we'll talk
(34:21):
about in the future, becauseit's also really a beautiful
thing to dive into.
So, in saying that, many people, even if you don't relate to
being predominantly Vata, manypeople have secondary Vata and
no matter if you're relating tobeing a Pitta or Kapha, we are
in Vata season.
So all of us need to rememberthat we are seasonal beings.
(34:45):
We are here to change with theseasons, so none of us should be
having the same diet throughoutthe entire year, because the
seasons change.
We have to change with them.
Speaker 1 (34:57):
Okay.
So how are you changing thistime of year?
What works best for you?
Speaker 2 (35:02):
Yeah.
So I've got a lot of pit in mebut I get cold.
So one thing I incorporate inthis season is I can't express
how amazing Abhyanga is, and Iactually have recorded a how to
on Abhyanga too.
So if you feel like you everwant that as a resource, we can
(35:23):
talk about that.
But Abhyanga, warm oil massageso important.
But then do you know what Iincorporate this season?
I actually take a warm bath inthe morning before I start the
day, because that really helpsme not feel like that cold is
entering my bones.
So that's a very common practicethat I only literally do during
(35:44):
Vata season, especiallyNovember, december, when it gets
really cold in Wisconsin I willdo my Abhyanga and then I will
just go inside an Epsom salts,magnesium salts bath and that
instead of a shower, and thenI'll go and start my day and I
feel like that's helped me a lotwith just that feeling of cold
that a lot of people get, whereyou'll see people say I can't
(36:08):
get the cold out of me.
So that's one of my favoritedaily routines.
Another one that I love aboutthe season, because it gets so
dark in North America.
I really love journaling beforebedtime because I think it's
really important to close thebookends in Vata season because
it is very common to feelisolated, lonely, fearful.
(36:31):
The dark is deep.
It starts to get dark at 430.
So there's a lot of innerthoughts that we all have and I
think for me, journaling beforebedtime, really closing my
thoughts, is a practice I reallybring in for Vata season.
Speaker 1 (36:47):
Okay, I find that what's interesting for me.
I'm Pitta Vata myself and Ihave to be careful of the
technology exposure beforebedtime because it will keep me
awake later and or it willinterrupt my sleep at some point
throughout the night.
(37:07):
What do you think about thatbedtime ritual and besides,
journaling for people during theseason Sleep?
Speaker 2 (37:16):
hygiene is extremely important.
We're facing a time in historythat it's now over 90 percent of
the population has sleep issuesof one kind or the other.
So sleep hygiene is extremelyimportant and I like to follow
the 10, 3, 2, 1 rule.
10 hours before you want to goto sleep which for most people,
(37:40):
hopefully it's you're windingdown between 9 and 10.
That's what we want in Ayurveda.
So 10 hours before you want togo to sleep, you don't have any
more caffeine, which is areminder to people that they
really shouldn't have caffeineafter 12 pm.
You really can't, because itwill affect your sleep.
Three hours before bedtime Imake sure I finish my food and,
(38:03):
being in menopause, I find thisextremely important to me.
If I eat late, it affects mysleep.
So, three hours before bedtime,finish your food.
Two hours before bedtime nodistractions For me.
I'm somebody in the communitythat people come and they want
to talk to me, they want myadvice, and I cut off phone
(38:26):
calls.
I'll cut off any distractionsso I won't answer that phone
call of a girlfriend that needsto talk about something at eight
o'clock at night.
That's really important,especially during bata season
for me.
And then one hour before bed,absolutely no phone at all.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (38:42):
So 10 hours no caffeine?
Okay, so 10 hours no caffeine.
Three hours no food, two hoursno distractions, which is a
great time to get intojournaling or reading or an
evening bath or whatever.
And then one hour no food.
Speaker 1 (38:58):
Okay, that's a great process for a bedtime ritual.
And what about your favoritefoods?
What are your favorite foodsthat you go to during this
season?
Speaker 2 (39:07):
Yeah, I love dal, which is basically Indian lentil
soup, and yellow moong dal isso easily digestible because you
know your digestion can beaffected by the cold weather.
So I love yellow moong dal withspiced with cumin seeds,
mustard seeds, a little bit of acinnamon stick cloves, because
(39:30):
those are nice warming spices.
So I'll saute all of that inthe ghee or the oil before I
even put the dal in to be cooked.
And then we're spicing withturmeric and coriander and cumin
and a little bit of chili.
We want some chili to keep uswarm.
And that's just such a wonderfulcomfort food.
(39:54):
Because lentils are so good infiber, so good for your colon,
and because they're heavy, theywork through your body slower as
you're digesting them, soyou're really able to eke out
all the nutrients from them,which is why there's such a
(40:14):
powerhouse food in Ayurveda.
So absolutely, the good spicedtoward Moong Dal is amazing,
amazing.
And then another thing that Ijust really love a lot is making
stone ground rotis.
They're like chapati, so theywould be like tortillas, and we
(40:40):
make it into a dough and we'llroll it out so thin and then we
will heat it over a dry skilletand then we drizzle a lot of
ghee on it and then we'll eat itwith vegetables.
Okay, but that ghee drenchedwith the cooked vegetables, all
that, when we eat it we can feelso grounded, like the food
(41:00):
makes us feel so grounded.
Feeling hungry right nowlistening to you feel so
grounded, feeling hungry rightnow, listening to you.
I know, I know.
So those are two of myfavorites, but I'm also a tea
girl.
I think this is a great time toget out all your teas.
Speaker 1 (41:14):
That sounds wonderful .
The idea of just warmingyourself up by bath, by tea, by
dal right Moong dal is one of myfavorites.
Coming back full circle to astory, my favorite story, which
I know we both share a love forit, is the Bhagavad Gita, and it
talks in there a lot aboutAyurveda practices that Krishna,
(41:40):
who is one of the characters,was saying to Arjuna in terms of
how to take care of yourself.
And, if I remember, one part ofthe story that he goes to or
speaks to is how it's importantto take action right, that's the
pitta.
It's important to do yoga,which is everything, and it's
(42:06):
important to know yourself rightand to be still right.
And I think, like one of myfavorite quotes from that story
is center yourself in thepresent moment before you take
action.
And I even remember that whenArjuna didn't know himself, and
I even remember that when Arjunadidn't know himself or didn't
(42:26):
know what to do about hisdilemma, krishna said of course
you don't know what to dobecause you don't know who you
are.
And as we wrap up thisconversation today, I think that
(42:49):
one of the things I love aboutthat story and I want to hear
your favorite in terms ofAyurveda is that it just reminds
us that we all come from nature, we all come from the cosmos.
We're connected to everythingand everyone.
That's what Arjuna wasstruggling with, and when we
understand the connection, wecan understand that we are able
to be rebalanced if we seek it.
So tell me a bit about whatyour favorite Ayurveda moments
are from that story.
Speaker 2 (43:09):
I just love the Bhagavad Gita as our Hindu's
Bible, so it's I just love that.
You love it so much becauseit's a text that I've been
loving ever since being a child,and that's the thing is that
it's not very long, but you canspend a lifetime contemplating
the Bhagavad Gita, and that'swhat makes it so amazing.
What I really get from youtelling that story is that
(43:33):
health is a byproduct ofenlightenment.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
Yeah, balance too, right, yeah.
And if we get to know ourselves, if we really lighten up, we
can have a better connectionwith our mind, our body, our
spirit, the world nature.
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (43:57):
So I really want people to remember that this is
not wasted work.
I feel like the slow movementof ancient cultures is really
necessary right now.
I think we live in a time wherewe want to do good things, but
we don't think we should giveourselves the time for it.
This is slow medicine gettingto know who you are Like.
(44:18):
You have to come into your egoso you can become Anna and I can
become Rima, but then a lot ofit is unlearning the things that
are getting in our way toreally growing described in some
circles anyway, about beingwoo-woo, and yet I think there's
(44:41):
nothing more practical about ascience that is one of the
oldest sciences, that's beenaround since the beginning of
time.
Speaker 1 (44:54):
I appreciate your connection, I appreciate the
time we got to spend in Indiatogether and I appreciate this
conversation.
Thank you so much, rima.
Speaker 2 (45:04):
Oh, absolutely, you're my roomie.
Speaker 1 (45:06):
Yes, you're mine too.
Thank you for joining me and mydear friend Rima on.
She Asked Tools for PracticalHope.
Until soon, be well.
Welcome back to she Asked.
Tools for Practical Hope.
I'm your host, Anna McBride,and I am so excited you're here.
My really good friend, RimaShah, is here today with us and
we're going to be talking aboutAyurveda and the fall, but we're
going to actually start with astory, so I'm going to turn it
over to you, Rima, where you canshare your Ayurvedic story with
(00:26):
us.
Tell us more Welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Thank you so much and I'm so excited to be on.
She Asked with you, my dearfriend, longtime friend, and I
love your love of storytelling.
I think it's a good way to setthe stage.
So I want you all to picture1978 India.
I want to give you a little bitof a picture of how this has
(00:50):
just been such a part of my lifewith my family.
So, 1978 India, I was a littlegirl.
All my family lives in India.
At that time every place inIndia was a little village, and
when a little village, there wasdirt roads, no cars.
All my family members drovescooters, so it was very common
(01:12):
to see four or five familymembers on one scooter.
There was a lot of elephants,cows and camels on the streets.
My grandparents house hadjollies, and jollies are carved
wooden windows because in Indiait's a subtropical country, it's
a very agrarian, it's very muchliving with nature, so much so
(01:36):
that it's not cold weather, andpeople pretty much lived in
open-air homes.
And one of my favorite memorieswas going to my grandparents'
house.
Their house was called Bakulthe houses had names there
because everything was sacred,including the home, and one of
my favorite memories was sittingon the bench in the hallway,
(02:00):
the front door was always open,because that's really how India
was and my grandmother would sitme down and she would oil my
curly, wild mane of hair and wewould watch the camel, the cows,
the elephants walk by and shewould oil it and she would talk
(02:22):
to me and she would tell mestories and then she would,
after oiling it, she would putit in such a tight braid and it
would be so slick and that wasthe ritual and it was just such
a part of my life, like theoiling of the hair, the sacred
space, the fact that the animalswere all around us, that the
(02:50):
animals were all around us, andevery day the guy with the mule
cart would come and bring thelocal vegetables.
So every single day you had arelationship with the food that
was being grown around you.
And there was no modernization.
Many times we wouldn't haveelectricity.
Many times electricity wouldcome on for a little time and
would go off.
But the one thing that I trulyremember of all those years
being at my grandparents' houseis how everything had sacred
(03:13):
rhythm.
So I think that was a goodstory to start off with, because
I talk a lot about how myfamily, my grandparents are my
first teachers, but I reallywanted to take you back almost
45 years ago to truly what thatmeant and what that time was
like, because Ayurveda was usedin every household back then.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Yeah, what a great story.
I could just picture you withyour grandmother and the animals
.
It's like you're in the jungleand that it was just all around
right.
Finding that rhythm is what Ihave learned from you as to
(03:56):
really what is at the heart ofAyurveda.
How do we relate to the seasons, to the world, right?
So I really appreciated hearingyour connection with your
grandmother and how that'sreally been a big part of why
Ayurveda is so important to you.
So we're going to be enteringinto fall soon and I wanted to
(04:18):
get a little idea from you as towhat all means when we're
talking about Ayurveda.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Wonderful.
So you know, anna, a good thingto bring up is that the ancient
sages truly understood that thetransition between the seasons
was extremely vulnerable.
It was called Ritu Sandhi Ritumeans time and Sandi means
(04:48):
transition.
Okay, and if we could just lookat ourselves, we're both in
North America right now, but wecan see if we look outside,
right now it is vulnerablebecause summer is waning and
fall is coming, so we mightexperience things like really
windy afternoon, like extremelywindy, which a month ago we
(05:11):
wouldn't have had experiencebecause we would have been in
more of that warmth, humiditytype of season.
So this time is vulnerable andwhen it, when this, when the
nature outside is vulnerable, weare vulnerable.
We are more vulnerable toimbalance, to feeling dis ease,
(05:32):
to getting symptoms pop up thatyou didn't experience.
So the ancients clearlyunderstood that really taking
time between the seasons to getback to your routines was going
to make the transition so mucheasier.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Okay, so in a previous episode, I speak to the
different parts of the basicsof Ayurveda.
However, before we go furtherwith fall, let's talk a bit
about Ayurveda, the seasons, interms of what the doshas are
right and how they're affected,and even let's break down what
(06:10):
these meanings are, because itmatters to give us some
foundation.
Absolutely yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
The thing that I always remind people is that
Ayurveda can get very complex,but in the essence of everything
we talk about is the simplicityof the element earth, water,
fire, air and ether.
Those five elements haveinherent qualities to them.
Like we can say that earth isheavy, if we stand next to a
(06:37):
mountain, we can say that thisis heavy water.
We can swim in it, we can bathein it, so there's a softness to
it, but it's inherently cold.
It's always cold.
We're actually using techniquesto warm up water.
So we start to really putemphasis on the qualities and
(06:59):
when we do that we canunderstand the three doshas vata
, pitta kapha.
We can understand how thedoshas, vata, pitta kapha.
We can understand how thedoshas affect the seasons.
Pretty much everything could berelated to the five elements
and all the gunas.
So let's start with spring,because spring is rebirth, it's
renewal, it's the beginning ofthe zodiac sign.
(07:21):
So that is springtime in NorthAmerica and springtime is Kapha
season, because Kapha peoplehave a lot of earth and water
energy to them and the qualitiesof earth and water are heavy,
dense, gross, like we say.
Gross anatomy, it's in front ofyou, it's tangible.
(07:43):
Gross anatomy, it's in front ofyou, it's tangible.
We say that they're soft,they're grounded, they're stable
.
So this is kapha energy, and Ialso like to call it the mud
season, because it tends to becold and damp still in many
parts of North America and wehave to be really mindful to eat
(08:04):
and live accordingly.
And then pitta season issummertime in North America and
that is ruled by fire, and sofor all of us, because we've
just finishing summer, we knowthat we've just experienced a
period of a lot of warmth, a lotof mobility, a lot of energy.
(08:25):
There's also sharpness.
The quality of sharp is veryunique to fire.
In fact, that's like the onlyelement that uses the word sharp
, and that's why Pitta peoplecan have a sharp tongue, but
they also have a sharp mind.
But there is, like this elementof sharpness even in the season
(08:45):
that we look at.
It's a very flourishing andblooming season, so there's a
lot of flourishing of the seedsthat were planted so long ago.
And then it takes us to fallseason, which is what we're
talking about now, and fall isdominated by qualities of cold,
rough, hard, dry, light andmobile, because the qualities of
(09:11):
Vata season are predominantlyair and ether.
Air is inherently cold, etheris inherently cold.
So the one thing that reallymarks Vata season no matter
where you live even if you're inCalifornia and you experience
mild winters there is theelement of the most cold of that
(09:32):
area coming in, and that's theone big thing that we need to be
mindful of.
So we can help balance that.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Okay, so we'll address a little bit of that,
but why don't you finish it outwith winter?
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Yes, so Vata season being air and ether, it's
actually fall and winter.
It's a big time.
So for us people in NorthAmerica we're talking about
September to late Februarythat's Vata season, and then
late February to May is Kaphaseason in North America, and
(10:05):
then May to September is pittaseason.
We are a four season country,but we can pair fall and winter
together for vata.
This blueprint can actuallywork anywhere in the world,
because India actually has sixseasons, africa has four seasons
, africa has four seasons, buttheir seasons are very different
(10:27):
from us.
They have long rains, shortrains, summer and spring.
So we can use this template, nomatter what climate, what
geography, what microclimate youare in.
When you're in a cold, damppart of that time, that is very
kapha time.
When you're in the hottest,warmest part of wherever you are
(10:49):
, that's pitta time.
And when you're feeling thecoldest, the windiest and the
driest, that's vata time.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Okay, that gives us a good general understanding, and
I have a question for you.
During this time of year, atleast on the calendar, we're
seeing things like eclipses andcertain full moons that are
occurring, and I'm wondering inwhat way does that affect the
(11:17):
Vata season?
Does it emphasize it or make itless?
What's your understanding ofthat?
Speaker 2 (11:22):
So much change happens in Vata season,
including in the astrology.
There's change, there'sconstant change and it can be
overwhelming.
Let's talk about these eclipses.
The full moon started a lunareclipse.
Eclipses are very powerful inVedic astrology, so powerful
(11:49):
that they actually say to you tonot actually go out during a
solar eclipse because the energyis very strong.
They actually tell you tomeditate and to do your
practices because that's howmuch we can get influenced by
things happening in the sky.
Another thing that I think isreally cool because Vedic
astrology, along with Ayurvedaand yoga and meditation, they're
(12:13):
all sister sciences.
And one thing that I think iscool is it's also called Pitru
Paksha, and Pitru Paksha is aportal where your ancestors
basically are very close to you.
And in Vedic astrology and ourHindu culture, these two weeks
(12:33):
we actually do a lot of ceremonyfor our ancestors to convene
with them, to communicate withthem, to please them.
They want to see that we'reliving our Dharma, them to
please them.
They want to see that we'reliving our dharma.
So we do things to show ourancestors that we're listening,
we're following your lineage.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Right, yeah, I think that's interesting.
My culture, which is Spanish,we do that at the end of October
, beginning of November, wherewe celebrate the ancestors that
have passed before us.
Because, you're right, there isthis connection and I'm just
curious, as we're talking aboutthese big changes and what Vata
means, share with us from yourexperience how this affects the
(13:16):
mind and the body for people.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
So Ayurveda is opposite cures like, by the way.
So if you're feeling cold, weuse warm therapies, if you're
feeling dry, we use moisttherapies.
Homeopathy, which actuallyflourished greatly in India also
, is like cures like they'lltake, actually like the venom of
(13:46):
a bee and they'll potentize it.
Well, they'll take a littledrop of the venom and they'll
potentize it with drops of waterand then they'll take a drop of
that water and potentize itagain.
So by the end of that cyclethey'll have a homeopathic
pellet, but it will have beenpotentized so many times that it
actually just holds thevibration of the bee sting, but
that remedy is given for peoplethat have bee stings.
(14:08):
So homeopathy is like cureslike.
That's a beautiful method onits own, but Ayurveda really we
call it cosmic medicine isopposite cures like.
So we always want to come backto the gunas, the qualities of
vata season, and that is cold,rough, hard, dry, mobile energy.
(14:30):
So the mind at this time startsto have consistent, mobile
thoughts, and when we have toomany thoughts we do have too
much going on in our mind.
Vata season when we're balanced, you can be the most creative
that you possibly can bethroughout the whole year,
(14:51):
because we have a lot of greatjuice flowing in our mind, but
when we don't know how tobalance it, it's very easy to go
out of control.
So some of the biggest mentalchallenges are anxiety,
overwhelm, feeling overwhelmed.
So when you're facing astressful situation, instead of
(15:11):
being able to dig your heels andrise to the challenge, you can
feel overwhelmed, and to thepoint that you're not sure where
to start.
Eventually that can lead toinsomnia.
Also.
Nervous, nelly, feeling nervous.
Feeling like your nervoussystem is more on edge.
Feeling worry anything that Isay is cold.
(15:34):
Emotions are very vata tendency.
Mental imbalances when we don'tknow how to balance.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
As well as focus.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Yes, when you get overwhelmed.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
if that's a byproduct of that, as well as having many
thoughts and so being atreatment of opposites to bring
back balance, what are somethings, when people are
imbalanced in this Vata season,that you would recommend that
they approach doing to helprebalance themselves?
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Yes, vatas love to say to people I dance to the
beat of my own drum, I follow myown path.
I don't like to be told what todo.
I need to flit like the windand that is wonderful, but guess
what?
You're going to so much more.
Be able to be your creative,carefree self when you do one of
(16:30):
the most important things inAyurveda, which is establish
Dhinacharya.
Dhinacharya is your dailyroutine.
It is what you do from the timeyou wake up to the time you go
to bed, and if you ask Ayurvedicdoctors what is one of three
concepts that you think arereally important, they will
always say your Dhinacharya,because, at the end of the day,
(16:54):
ayurveda is ancient wisdom forpractical everyday living.
So the biggest thing is routine, because Vata's want to say I
don't like routine, it messeswith my creativity.
And the number one thing youneed to do is to establish a
good Dhinacharya, especially forVata season.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
Yeah, I find, being a Pitta myself, that I really
love a routine and I have hadthis very structured morning
ritual for years now, which Iknow is a bit of kapha in me as
well, and so the way to balanceit out I find as well, and so
the way to balance it out, Ifind, is like not to be too held
(17:36):
tight to something, to beopen-minded to new ways of doing
it.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
However, following a routine is important during the
season?
Yes, very, and Ayurveda is avery established daily routine
and most of it occurs in themorning.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
Okay, so give me some examples of what are some
morning routine things from anAyurvedic perspective that you
recommend.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
Yeah, I'll start from the moment you wake up.
So, the moment you wake up andreally, anna, you tap into this
so much, but a daily prayeraffirmation before you even
leave the bed, but a dailyprayer affirmation before you
even leave the bed You're aboutto start the day, and every day
you're starting a day over andagain.
So to make that part of yourroutine and many Ayurvedic
(18:27):
doctors have said this for along time do a body scan, do a
prayer, do an affirmation.
And we know, because we'vestudied meditation so much, that
we also know that when youstart your day with positive
affirmations, you have a 50%chance of having a better day.
Just by doing that.
I think that you and I bothhave made meditation a first
thing, so nothing gets in theway of that.
(18:48):
So, prayer meditation.
But then you go into yourbathroom and there's quite a
beautiful bathroom ritual and inAyurveda we like to dry skin
brush to get your lymphaticsystem going, and that only
takes about five minutes.
And then after that, a dailywarm oil massage, which is
(19:10):
called Abhyanga.
That is very key and veryessential to daily routine.
Then we also sometimes applynasal oil.
We do our regular cleansing,like brushing our teeth, but we
add a tongue scraper.
A tongue scraper is a beautifulway to get the coating, the
toxic coating, off your tongueso it doesn't get reabsorbed
(19:32):
into your body, and then we getready to prepare ourselves to
have a really good breakfast.
You know, I would say that'skey elements to the morning, and
you could add so much more intothat if you want to do yoga, if
you want to do other things, ifyou want to do journaling.
But I think some of the key isto realize that the way that we
(19:56):
tap into our body throughabhyanga, through dry skin
brushing, and then with our mind, through prayer and meditation,
that sets the day up in themost beautiful way.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
What I hear you saying is touch you yeah, what
our teacher would tell us is iswhat sets the trajectory for the
day.
You have to tend both to themind and to the body.
Yeah, and that morning ritualis a great way to kick that off.
Now, does it differ at all insuggestion for fall versus other
(20:30):
times of year as to what themorning ritual be?
Speaker 2 (20:34):
Yeah, warm is key, keeping yourself warm.
I cannot stress enough how I'vemet so many clients and
students over the years and theyknow how they feel.
They come to me and they saythat they feel cold, they feel
dry, and they don't establish aroutine to necessarily help that
.
And then I'll see them three orfour months later and it's
(20:57):
really hit them Because nowyou're really been in the cold
season.
So the oil is extremelyimportant in Vata season.
In fact, the mantra that I sayfor Vata season is warm, moist
and oily.
Keep yourself warm.
Do it with a hot shower or abath, do it with a hot water
(21:18):
bottle, do it with your extrablankets, make sure that your
meditation room is warm thesekind of things.
You can say that you're goingto do it, but if you don't feel
warm, you're not going to showup every day.
We definitely want to use moreoils in our diet, we want to
have more soups, we want to getinto teas and then oily.
So I think Abhyanga for Vataseason is really necessary,
(21:43):
especially for Vata type people.
You and me are both Pittas, soPittas and Kaphas.
They might not oleate every day, but it's something that every
dosha should do regularly duringVata season.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Okay, so each dosha should have a similar morning
ritual.
When it comes to how we takecare of the body, is that what I
hear you saying during Vataseason?
Speaker 2 (22:08):
Yeah, of course each dosha is different Vatas because
they're the most dry, the mostprone to things like
constipation, any kind of drythings like dry eyes, dry mouth,
dry hair.
For vatas you can pretty muchguarantee that, like a daily oil
massage would be wonderful.
For pittas we have a sense ofoiliness.
(22:31):
I always use J-Lo as acelebrity to say that she's very
pitta.
J-lo's got that glow becausepitta people have lustrous skin.
We have fire and that lends tooily skin.
So a lot of times pitta peoplenaturally feel oily, but fire
can eventually dry your tissuesout too.
(22:53):
So pitta people might not feelthe need to do oil massage every
day, but two times a week,three times a week, every Sunday
, they need it and they'llfigure out what works for them
too.
Once you get into these it'slike your body tells you Because
sometimes you'll be like Idon't feel the need for oil
(23:13):
today.
And then kapha people areactually very lubricated because
they're made up of earth andwater.
The saying goes that a kaphaperson who's 70 years old many
times is mistaken for a 50 yearold because they have a thick
head of lustrous hair still andthey virtually have no wrinkles.
(23:34):
So kapha people are the onesthat least need oil massage.
And I'm picking Abhyanga as afocal point because I want to
educate your audience on how wecan do the same practice, but it
will look different for all thedoshas.
Kapha person might be fine todo it once every three weeks
(23:55):
because they have such alubricated skin, but for kapha
people, one thing that theyshould consistently do is dry
skin brushing, because they havea tendency to get stagnant.
So I would say vatas are goingto need to have abhyanga a lot,
kaphas are going to need to dryskin brush a lot, and pittas
(24:16):
they're going to find that nicebalance in the middle between
both.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
Okay, so the abhyanga , which is the massage, the
personal massage done with theoil, is highly recommended.
Now, what about foods?
Speaker 2 (24:31):
Yeah.
Food is medicine, and if youreally find a way to to find a
daily rhythm where you'refeeling good about what you're
eating two or three times a day,you're already going to be well
ahead of the game for mostpeople, because I think what
really stops people is theirconfusion around food.
(24:52):
So food is extremely important,and here's something that I
want to bring back to the Vataseason and Vatas in particular.
It is so common for a Vataperson to say, oh, I ate at 7 am
yesterday because I was hungry,but then the day before I
totally forgot to eat all dayand I think I ate at 9 pm at
night.
(25:12):
It's very common eat all dayand I think I ate at 9 pm at
night.
It's very common.
We have our agni means ourdigestive fire right, and in
order for us to have good agni,we have to make sure that we
have proper meal times at thesame times every day.
So the first thing that I sayto clients, especially vatas you
(25:33):
must establish a food routine,because when your body knows
that Anna's going to eat ateight o'clock, your body's
already working at 7 am toprepare you.
And when your body knows thatAnna's always going to eat
between 12 and 1, then yourbody's ready for that.
But when your body is not surewhen it's going to happen,
that's going to be really hard.
(25:54):
Vata season we say we stick onmore moist oily.
I do think that what I'vediscovered working so many years
in America is we have a verycold diet, especially for the
morning time.
People have cold yogurt, coldberries, cold smoothies.
Maybe the only thing thatthey're having warm is maybe
(26:15):
black coffee, cold cereal, coldmilk, like it's very cold.
And one thing that's extremelyimportant during Vata season is
you need to wake up your Agni.
Our physiology is feeling cold.
So we want to have a morningroutine where we're having some
warm foods or cooked foods orsome good teas, so Agni gets to
(26:35):
warm up.
Because if we follow this sortof diet that I see is very
common.
Avocado toast is another onethat's a healthier option, but
it's still cold.
So I think the number one thingfor Vata season is we've got to
expand our repertoire and feelokay about some cooked foods in
the morning.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
Yeah, I think what's interesting about Ayurveda is
that we're focusing, we'relearning from Ayurveda to seek
balance, given that we live inNorth America and I know that
we're not unique in the world.
However, we're unique in this.
I think we're moving, moving,moving.
I live in New York City, forexample, and the world is so
(27:14):
fast outside my door.
It's a setup for imbalance and,given that it's Vata season, I
noticed in anything that's newsrelated or any TV, right, that
(27:38):
social media influence.
Then, when you couple that withwhatever is going on
emotionally within my life I'm amother of three children and
that expression you're only ashappy as your least happy child,
right.
And that expression you're onlyas happy as your least happy
child, right?
I think what I really wouldlike to hear from you is, given
(28:04):
that we live in this part of theworld, speak a little bit about
what Ayurveda how we wouldapply it here that might be
different in other parts of theworld.
Speaker 2 (28:12):
Ayurveda is one word that I really love in Sanskrit
and, by the way, the words thatI'm using are Sanskrit.
It's one of the oldestlanguages in the world and it's
based on the sounds from thecosmos.
All the Vedas are written inSanskrit, and so when I'm
referring to it, it's really thelanguage of the Vedas, which is
the oldest written scriptureson the planet, and one of the
(28:35):
Sanskrit words I really love isswasta, swasta, and swasta means
perfect health, but it alsomeans swasta to know thyself.
(29:07):
So ultimately, whether we're inNew York or we're in a
beautiful idyllic farmhouse inthe countryside of Vermont, we
are here as human beings to knowourselves more.
Ayurveda is when you know whoyou are, and you take time, and
every day you keep diving intothis, because Ayurveda is a
lifelong learning tool, so youstart to learn more and more
about yourself as every yeargoes by, but when you learn,
first of all, are you very fiery, are you airy, are you earthy?
(29:29):
That's the starting point,because once you know that, you
stop judging yourself on thesymptoms you see yourself having
, instead of saying I'm anairhead, people always say I'm
unaccountable, people always sayI'm late.
Instead of judging yourself,you can have compassion for
yourself because you can say toyourself I'm really vata, I've
(29:51):
got a lot of air and ether, andI think that's really theata
I've got a lot of air and ether,and I think that's really the
basis, like we are all here tohave a better quality of life
and less stress, and I thinkwe're going to be able to do
that using Ayurveda, when wefeel like we know ourselves more
on an elemental level.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
Okay, so the stress of the world is mitigated
through Ayurveda, first, bygetting to know ourselves and
really talking about ourselvesin terms of nature and how we
are really related to nature.
You did a great job earliertalking about the different
seasons and how the differentpersonalities of the doshas,
(30:34):
about the different seasons andhow the different personalities
of the doshas.
We were taught.
I was taught that everythingthat we see outside of ourselves
in terms of the five elementslive within us.
Right, we have earth, fire,water, ether and air, and within
us, and I think, if we can evenget to know ourselves that our
(30:55):
bodies are a reflection of whatthe cosmos are, right, then
maybe being able to relate tonature more, relate to how it
affects us, maybe an antidoteperhaps for some of the stress
that we're facing now.
Do you see that as apossibility?
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Absolutely, and I think even you and I, just
speaking from our own experience, like I am a pitta, I could see
the fire in me throughout mywhole life and the more we grow
and the more we use all thesetools, not just in Ayurveda but
in every self-help avenue thatwe've gotten to, I know you and
I both have had conversationswith our fire self and we've
(31:41):
learned how to use it for ourbenefit instead of harming,
because for us Pitta people, weneed to know that our fire is
strong, it's sharp, it couldburn down a village if we're not
careful.
But if we really use it in a wayto our benefit, then that fire
(32:01):
brings out the beautiful aspects, like the natural born, the
clarity, the natural born leader, knowing your truth but not
having to declare therighteousness of it, because one
of the things I always say topit to people is do you want to
be right or do you want to bepeaceful?
So I think it empowers you onhow to see the higher version of
(32:24):
yourself you on how to see thehigher version of yourself.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
Okay, that's what Ayurveda does.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
It helps us to seek a better connection to our place
in the world.
Yeah, you know, it makes us havecontrol over the way we act.
Instead of judging us for howwe act or how our digestion is,
or why do I have gas and shedoesn't have gas?
Like instead of that judgmentand seeing it as like a final
thing like I guess I'm somebodythat has poor digestion and a
lot of gas, you start to say, oh, the gas is a lot of air in
(32:54):
your body and that poordigestion probably lends to the
fact that I don't meal plan,that I don't think about my day.
We can really pinpoint it andonce we start to look at those
things and see how we can addmore balance into our lives, we
start to let it empower usversus us judging our flaws that
(33:16):
we see, or you know what I'msaying.
Does that make sense?
Speaker 1 (33:19):
I believe that what I hear you saying is that we, if
we can relate to our connectionto nature, really relate to it.
We can see it a lot workingwithin us.
We can see where we may beworking against it Instead of
making it a problem.
There's so many possibilitiesin terms of how to rebalance
(33:40):
ourselves just by looking at theseasons and how we can be more
in harmony with the season.
Yeah, as we start to wrap uphere, I wanted to ask you what
some of your favorite dailypractices are for you in your
dosha, as well as your favoritefoods this time of year.
Speaker 2 (34:00):
Because Vata season.
Another thing I also want tobring up to Anna is that very
few people and you and I havehad many discussions about is
that very few people, and youand I've had many discussions
about this very few people areonly one dosha.
Right, we can say we're pitta,vata, kapha, but most of the
planet is dual doshik, meaningyou have one primary dosha and
one secondary dosha, and maybethat's something we'll talk
(34:21):
about in the future, becauseit's also really a beautiful
thing to dive into.
So, in saying that, many people, even if you don't relate to
being predominantly Vata, manypeople have secondary Vata and
no matter if you're relating tobeing a Pitta or Kapha, we are
in Vata season.
So all of us need to rememberthat we are seasonal beings.
(34:45):
We are here to change with theseasons, so none of us should be
having the same diet throughoutthe entire year, because the
seasons change.
We have to change with them.
Speaker 1 (34:57):
Okay.
So how are you changing thistime of year?
What works best for you?
Speaker 2 (35:02):
Yeah.
So I've got a lot of pit in mebut I get cold.
So one thing I incorporate inthis season is I can't express
how amazing Abhyanga is, and Iactually have recorded a how to
on Abhyanga too.
So if you feel like you everwant that as a resource, we can
(35:23):
talk about that.
But Abhyanga, warm oil massageso important.
But then do you know what Iincorporate this season?
I actually take a warm bath inthe morning before I start the
day, because that really helpsme not feel like that cold is
entering my bones.
So that's a very common practicethat I only literally do during
(35:44):
Vata season, especiallyNovember, december, when it gets
really cold in Wisconsin I willdo my Abhyanga and then I will
just go inside an Epsom salts,magnesium salts bath and that
instead of a shower, and thenI'll go and start my day and I
feel like that's helped me a lotwith just that feeling of cold
that a lot of people get, whereyou'll see people say I can't
(36:08):
get the cold out of me.
So that's one of my favoritedaily routines.
Another one that I love aboutthe season, because it gets so
dark in North America.
I really love journaling beforebedtime because I think it's
really important to close thebookends in Vata season because
it is very common to feelisolated, lonely, fearful.
(36:31):
The dark is deep.
It starts to get dark at 430.
So there's a lot of innerthoughts that we all have and I
think for me, journaling beforebedtime, really closing my
thoughts, is a practice I reallybring in for Vata season.
Speaker 1 (36:47):
Okay, I find that what's interesting for me.
I'm Pitta Vata myself and Ihave to be careful of the
technology exposure beforebedtime because it will keep me
awake later and or it willinterrupt my sleep at some point
throughout the night.
(37:07):
What do you think about thatbedtime ritual and besides,
journaling for people during theseason Sleep?
Speaker 2 (37:16):
hygiene is extremely important.
We're facing a time in historythat it's now over 90 percent of
the population has sleep issuesof one kind or the other.
So sleep hygiene is extremelyimportant and I like to follow
the 10, 3, 2, 1 rule.
10 hours before you want to goto sleep which for most people,
(37:40):
hopefully it's you're windingdown between 9 and 10.
That's what we want in Ayurveda.
So 10 hours before you want togo to sleep, you don't have any
more caffeine, which is areminder to people that they
really shouldn't have caffeineafter 12 pm.
You really can't, because itwill affect your sleep.
Three hours before bedtime Imake sure I finish my food and,
(38:03):
being in menopause, I find thisextremely important to me.
If I eat late, it affects mysleep.
So, three hours before bedtime,finish your food.
Two hours before bedtime nodistractions For me.
I'm somebody in the communitythat people come and they want
to talk to me, they want myadvice, and I cut off phone
(38:26):
calls.
I'll cut off any distractionsso I won't answer that phone
call of a girlfriend that needsto talk about something at eight
o'clock at night.
That's really important,especially during bata season
for me.
And then one hour before bed,absolutely no phone at all.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (38:42):
So 10 hours no caffeine?
Okay, so 10 hours no caffeine.
Three hours no food, two hoursno distractions, which is a
great time to get intojournaling or reading or an
evening bath or whatever.
And then one hour no food.
Speaker 1 (38:58):
Okay, that's a great process for a bedtime ritual.
And what about your favoritefoods?
What are your favorite foodsthat you go to during this
season?
Speaker 2 (39:07):
Yeah, I love dal, which is basically Indian lentil
soup, and yellow moong dal isso easily digestible because you
know your digestion can beaffected by the cold weather.
So I love yellow moong dal withspiced with cumin seeds,
mustard seeds, a little bit of acinnamon stick cloves, because
(39:30):
those are nice warming spices.
So I'll saute all of that inthe ghee or the oil before I
even put the dal in to be cooked.
And then we're spicing withturmeric and coriander and cumin
and a little bit of chili.
We want some chili to keep uswarm.
And that's just such a wonderfulcomfort food.
(39:54):
Because lentils are so good infiber, so good for your colon,
and because they're heavy, theywork through your body slower as
you're digesting them, soyou're really able to eke out
all the nutrients from them,which is why there's such a
(40:14):
powerhouse food in Ayurveda.
So absolutely, the good spicedtoward Moong Dal is amazing,
amazing.
And then another thing that Ijust really love a lot is making
stone ground rotis.
They're like chapati, so theywould be like tortillas, and we
(40:40):
make it into a dough and we'llroll it out so thin and then we
will heat it over a dry skilletand then we drizzle a lot of
ghee on it and then we'll eat itwith vegetables.
Okay, but that ghee drenchedwith the cooked vegetables, all
that, when we eat it we can feelso grounded, like the food
(41:00):
makes us feel so grounded.
Feeling hungry right nowlistening to you feel so
grounded, feeling hungry rightnow, listening to you.
I know, I know.
So those are two of myfavorites, but I'm also a tea
girl.
I think this is a great time toget out all your teas.
Speaker 1 (41:14):
That sounds wonderful .
The idea of just warmingyourself up by bath, by tea, by
dal right Moong dal is one of myfavorites.
Coming back full circle to astory, my favorite story, which
I know we both share a love forit, is the Bhagavad Gita, and it
talks in there a lot aboutAyurveda practices that Krishna,
(41:40):
who is one of the characters,was saying to Arjuna in terms of
how to take care of yourself.
And, if I remember, one part ofthe story that he goes to or
speaks to is how it's importantto take action right, that's the
pitta.
It's important to do yoga,which is everything, and it's
(42:06):
important to know yourself rightand to be still right.
And I think, like one of myfavorite quotes from that story
is center yourself in thepresent moment before you take
action.
And I even remember that whenArjuna didn't know himself, and
I even remember that when Arjunadidn't know himself or didn't
(42:26):
know what to do about hisdilemma, krishna said of course
you don't know what to dobecause you don't know who you
are.
And as we wrap up thisconversation today, I think that
(42:49):
one of the things I love aboutthat story and I want to hear
your favorite in terms ofAyurveda is that it just reminds
us that we all come from nature, we all come from the cosmos.
We're connected to everythingand everyone.
That's what Arjuna wasstruggling with, and when we
understand the connection, wecan understand that we are able
to be rebalanced if we seek it.
So tell me a bit about whatyour favorite Ayurveda moments
are from that story.
Speaker 2 (43:09):
I just love the Bhagavad Gita as our Hindu's
Bible, so it's I just love that.
You love it so much becauseit's a text that I've been
loving ever since being a child,and that's the thing is that
it's not very long, but you canspend a lifetime contemplating
the Bhagavad Gita, and that'swhat makes it so amazing.
What I really get from youtelling that story is that
(43:33):
health is a byproduct ofenlightenment.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
Yeah, balance too, right, yeah.
And if we get to know ourselves, if we really lighten up, we
can have a better connectionwith our mind, our body, our
spirit, the world nature.
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (43:57):
So I really want people to remember that this is
not wasted work.
I feel like the slow movementof ancient cultures is really
necessary right now.
I think we live in a time wherewe want to do good things, but
we don't think we should giveourselves the time for it.
This is slow medicine gettingto know who you are Like.
(44:18):
You have to come into your egoso you can become Anna and I can
become Rima, but then a lot ofit is unlearning the things that
are getting in our way toreally growing described in some
circles anyway, about beingwoo-woo, and yet I think there's
(44:41):
nothing more practical about ascience that is one of the
oldest sciences, that's beenaround since the beginning of
time.
Speaker 1 (44:54):
I appreciate your connection, I appreciate the
time we got to spend in Indiatogether and I appreciate this
conversation.
Thank you so much, rima.
Speaker 2 (45:04):
Oh, absolutely, you're my roomie.
Speaker 1 (45:06):
Yes, you're mine too.
Thank you for joining me and mydear friend Rima on.
She Asked Tools for PracticalHope.
Until soon, be well.
Popular Podcasts
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Charlie is America's hardest working grassroots activist who has your inside scoop on the biggest news of the day and what's really going on behind the headlines. The founder of Turning Point USA and one of social media's most engaged personalities, Charlie is on the front lines of America’s culture war, mobilizing hundreds of thousands of students on over 3,500 college and high school campuses across the country, bringing you your daily dose of clarity in a sea of chaos all from his signature no-holds-barred, unapologetically conservative, freedom-loving point of view. You can also watch Charlie Kirk on Salem News Channel