Keep yourself balanced through the holidays with Ayurveda

The science of Ayurveda teaches us to stay balanced throughout the years and with the seasons, especially here in New England. The practice reminds us to eat with the seasons and in line with our digestive system, to manage stress, get enough sleep and take time for ourselves every day. That sounds so lovely, but, in reality, it can be so hard to stay on track — especially during the holidays. There can be any amount and combination of travel, varied sleeping patterns, added stress not to mention a lot of different foods put together and many things we don’t typically eat or drink on a daily basis. On the other hand, there can be so much excitement, joy, and love during these times that we want to take in and be present for as much as we can.

The good thing is that most holiday foods are seasonal. The tricky part is not to overindulge and keep the snowball effect of that going for days and days with a fridge full of leftovers. There are many little things we can do throughout the holidays to keep ourselves on track:

  • Wake up and move your body! Grab a friend or family member and take a walk outside or hit up a yoga class. It’ll help relieve the stress that naturally comes around with holiday commitments, relieve any travel unease (tight hips/low back pain), and prep hunger (agni, or ‘digestive fire’ in Ayurveda) for a big meal.

  • Try not to graze or snack ALL day long and take your time eating the main meal. This will help you to be mindful of food choices and won’t overload the system constantly or too quickly.

  • Sip some “CCF tea” after a meal. The spice combo (cumin, coriander & fennel) is ‘tridoshic’ (good for everybody) and is helpful in relieving gas and bloat.

  • If you’re not hungry for breakfast the next morning, definitely avoid grabbing a spoon and heading right for the apple pie! Instead, sip ginger tea until your hunger returns!

  • Keep enough leftovers for a day or so (make a soup & add lots of veggies) and give the rest to your friends or family! You’ll probably notice the leftovers taste yummy the next day, but not much longer after that. It’ll be better for your digestion, the prana in the food and your fridge are gone after that point!

CCF Tea Recipe: take 1 tsp seeds (equal mix of cumin, coriander & fennel) to 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the stovetop, strain & sip! Optional: add ½ tsp raw honey to taste.