“Is the spring coming?" he said. "What is it like?"..."It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine...” ― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden
As Mother Earth awakens from her slumber, the lands starts to flourish and the air is perfumed with blossoms wanting to share their scent. It triggers our bodies to also shrug the dreariness of winter and welcome the renewal and reenergising.
Creating practices and rituals that allow us to live in alignment with the seasons can support our health and wellbeing - balancing the immune system, digestive pathways, and our personal dosha all contribute to living in harmony within ourselves.
Rishis, a Hindu sage who gifted the world yoga amongst other spiritual tools created rituals and festivals that honour each season that reminds us of our connection to the natural world.
As we know our skin health is also a reflection of our internal health, which is why we at Terra Tonics always advocate a holistic approach to health.
Listen to your body; it’s your best guide!
Adopt a diet punctuated with bitter, pungent, and astringent foods.
Eating with the seasons is a great step in balancing our doshas. It’s a time to transition away from the heavier grounding foods, and welcome in fresher, lighter foods that are packed with antioxidants, minerals, flavonoids and the nutrients your body will crave during this change.
A few of Terra Tonics favourites are: Legumes, amaranth, buckwheat, radishes, spinach, artichoke, asparagus, beets, okra, berries, pears, peaches, mangos, schisandra berries and pomegranates.
Grow your own herbs
Fresh herbs are easy to grow, whether in a garden or on a windowsill. Herbs are a great way to lessen salt intake and still add flavour to food. Growing certain dark leafy greens is also an easy way to add bitter foods to your meals. We love adding a handful of various herbs to our meals, as this is an effective way to balance the body. Some of our favourites are: Tarragon, thyme, coriander, parsley, basil, sage and fennel.
Rising with the sun
As day light breaks earlier in the warmer months choose to take this time to embrace morning light. Aim to wake with the sunrise and spend some of this time breathing in the fresh air, taking your morning meditation/movement outside, allowing exposure to the beneficial morning light and connection to the earth.
Body brushing
Dry brushing or body brushing is a great way to awaken your senses and invigorate blood flow. Incorporate this beautiful ritual to clean and refresh the skin each morning. By practising body brushing you not only remove dead skin cells but also increase circulation and enhance your energy and blood flow.
Abhyanga massage
Self-massage and the use of oils are an important aspect of Ayurveda all year round, but in spring we want to veer towards lighter oils. Here’s a well-loved tip use lightly warmed oil for your massage. Gently heat the oil over low flame on the stove. The oil must warm and touchable. The warm oil penetrates the body better. Our favourites are sesame and almond oil.