SELF HEALTH + HEALING

Autumn is upon us—and that means cold and flu viruses are lurking everywhere. How can you keep the bugs at bay? Sure, you can try the basics that many folks use: stay warm, perhaps schedule a flu shot, eat well. But you can also prevent colds and flu using ancient wisdom from yoga’s sister science, Ayurveda.

According to this holistic healing system, vata (ruled by the elements of air and ether) tends to increase in the fall. Often translated as “wind” or “that which moves,” vata’s qualities are cold, dry, light, mobile, and erratic. You can see these qualities manifesting outside: The leaves are getting brittle and dry, the temperatures are dropping (and fluctuating), and the wind is picking up speed.

According to Larissa Hall Carlson, Dean of the Kripalu School of Ayurveda, these changes also affect the body-mind. Here is her list of telltale signs that your vata dosha is gaining too much momentum: