EAT NOURISHING, WARM FOOD
Notice how you feel like eating heavier food over
Winter? Fortunately, our digestion is the strongest at
this time of year, but we don’t want to overeat or eat
too much heavy food, so go for warm, cooked, slightly
oily, nourishing wholefoods to really satisfy that Winter
hunger. Think porridges, soups, slow-cooked meals,
curries, root vegetables and light grains (e.g. rice, quinoa,
millet and buckwheat). For your cooking oil, Ghee is an
amazing Ayurvedic superfood that is super nourishing
and increases digestion, absorption and assimilation of
food. It also supports our immune system and lubricates
our tissues. Bonus:
it slows the aging
process and calms
the mind.
DRINK TULSI TEA
One of the best
things about Winter
is a hot cuppa!
Winter is peak tea-
drinking season for me. Instead of filling up on heavy
milky and caffeinated drinks all day, I love to also drink
Tulsi teas. Tulsi is known as Holy Basil and has been
used for thousands of years in India for healthy stress-
response, natural detoxification, increased stamina,
WARM SESAME OIL MASSAGE
This is a game changer for me! Get yourself some
good quality cold-pressed black sesame oil and heat it up
for a self-massage. You can gently heat it up on the stove
and then generously massage into yourself as many
times a week as you can manage (even once per week
is wonderful). Make sure you’re sitting in a cozy warm
space to do this, and follow up with a nice warm shower.
This will nourish your tissues, expel toxins, make your
skin supple and glowing, calm your mind and nourish
your nervous system, helping you feel more grounded.
Bonus: it will also make you look younger!
SLEEP
Sleep is a vital part of our routine all year round, but in
Winter we naturally seek a little extra sleep as the nights
lengthen and the sun rises later. As part of my nightly
routine, I unwind after dinner with a warm herbal tea
that will help prepare me for a good night’s sleep. Tulsi
Sleep is my favourite at the moment.
DRY BRUSHING
Winter can be a bit of a sluggish time for the body, so
our body’s natural detoxification channels can also be
a little slow. Our skin is our largest organ, so to help our
body to keep things moving and to ease the load on our
liver, dry brushing can be a great addition to your Winter
routine.
endurance and energy. As an adaptogen it helps the
body adapt to environmental, physical and emotional
stress. As part of my morning routine I get my digestion
ready for the day with a cup of ORGANIC
INDIA Tulsi Ginger tea and then take a
range of Tulsi Teas to work with me
to sip on throughout the day. This
not only keeps you warm and
hydrated but is so great
for your digestion and for
keeping you regular. It is
light, warm and promotes
balance – an essential
for Winter.
10 Complete Health
EXERCISE
And of course, another great way to reduce the
qualities of cold, heavy, slow and scattered is to move!
Create some warmth, lightness, movement and
groundedness by doing regular exercise…
nothing too crazy, just regular movement till
you raise a sweat. Yoga, pilates and walking in
nature are my favourites.
Ayurveda is all about living in accordance
with the rhythms of nature. There is an art
to this that I am really loving learning about.
So let’s embrace Winter and keep ourselves
nourished, cozy, warm and glowing.