Ah-choo! Colds and flu tend to be more prevalent in the winter months. One reason is that colder, dryer indoor air allows viruses to flourish and be passed more easily from one person to the next. Another has to do with the elements of earth and water that are more prominent during the winter months.

The science of Ayurveda recognizes winter as a Kapha season with strong Vata undertones. When these become imbalanced, your immune system can weaken, making you more susceptible to winter illnesses, not to mention the winter blues.

Understanding how the qualities of Kapha affect your body and mind can help you safeguard your health. Read on to learn about seven simple winter self-care habits guaranteed to keep you healthy and happy all winter long. 

Winter Doshas

Ayurveda divides winter into two parts. The first half of winter relates to Vata dosha whose qualities are light, dry, cold, rough, windy, and changeable. The later part of the season is more Kapha in nature, accentuated by the qualities of dampness, coldness, heaviness, slowness, stability, and smoothness. When balanced, Kapha blesses your body with warmth, abundant energy, restful sleep, good digestion, and a sense of contentment.

By contrast, excess Kapha can lead to feelings of lethargy, congestion, constipation, and depression often in the form of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Other signs of a Kapha imbalance include:

• Excess mucous and difficulty breathing
• Slow, sluggish bowel movements
• Excess weight and a tendency toward “emotional overeating”
• Sense of feeling slow, foggy, dull, or heavy in mind and body
• Excessive napping and difficulty rising in the morning
• Complacent or stubborn
• Excessive sentimentality, possessiveness, or attachment

When the qualities of Kapha dominate, it’s important to balance the heavy, cold, and immobile traits of Kapha with its opposite– namely foods and routines that are active, light, warm, and dry.

7 Ayurvedic Tips for Winter Wellness

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Tip #1: Start Your Day Right 

Dark winter mornings often find us lingering in bed. Sunrise to mid-morning is Kapha time, so your body may resist getting going. To prevent lethargy and heaviness from settling in, avoid oversleeping and aim to get out of bed by 7 AM. Upon rising, splash some cool water on your face, and before brushing your teeth, use a tongue scraper to remove any dead bacteria and yeast that have accumulated overnight.

Ayurveda believes there is a direct connection between your tongue and your ability to digest your food well. Since your tongue harbors both beneficial and harmful bacteria, removing any accumulated bacteria before eating or drinking prevents it from entering your digestive tract. Brushing your teeth removes only the outer layer of bacteria, but the cells beneath it can still thrive. Case in point, one study found that tongue scrapers can remove up to 79% more bacteria than brushing alone. So give tongue scraping a try.

Tip #2: Flush Out Toxins

Once your teeth and tongue are clean, start your day by drinking an 8 oz. glass of warm or room-temperature water. Not only is this hydrating, but it will also stimulate elimination. Regular movement of the bowels is an essential part of keeping the digestive tract flowing properly. Healthy elimination also carries out the important function of absorbing water and glucose, forming stools, eliminating solid waste, and clearing heavy metals and toxins from the body.

Not a fan of plain water? Try adding a squeeze of lemon juice to your glass. Fresh lemon not only increases your Vitamin C intake which is important for good immunity, but can also serve to jump-start your body’s digestive enzymes. Then, rather than immediately grabbing your morning cup of coffee, take five to ten minutes to meditate or write in a gratitude journal before enjoying breakfast.

Tip #3: Eat a Warm Breakfast

It’s important to eat a warm, nutritious breakfast that nourishes your digestive fire. According to Ayurveda, warm, cooked foods are easier to digest so instead of your usual toast and yogurt, try eating a warm bowl of oatmeal, barley, or quinoa a few times a week.

For ease of preparation, make use of your slow cooker or Instant Pot, or consider making overnight oats. Flavor your breakfast with warming spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger. To add some sweetness, lean towards natural sweeteners, like maple syrup or honey, or naturally sweet dried fruits like raisins or chopped dried figs.

Tip #4: Exercise Early

To compensate for cold weather-induced lethargy, commit to exercising every day. Kapha stagnates easily and one of the best ways to reinvigorate it is to engage in physical activity that increases circulation and makes you break into a sweat. Ideally, schedule a 20-30 minute walk or engage in another form of vigorous exercise between 6-10 AM.

Walking outside provides the added benefit of absorbing vitamin D from the sun. Vitamin D is an important nutrient for bone health and immune system function. It can also be obtained from foods such as fortified cereals, eggs, and oily fish, like salmon and sardines.

Don’t want to brave the cold or can’t get to the gym? Take a few minutes to practice a few Sun Salutations or Surya Namaskara. Sun Salutations are a series of twelve linked poses that strengthen the legs, shoulders, and chest and lubricate all your joints.

**Bonus Video: Try this Warming Winter-Solstice Yoga Flow

Tip #5: Winter Warming Diet

As the days grow shorter, your appetite can increase as your internal fire, or agni, increases. Your immunity receives a boost from this warm glow within, setting you up for good immunity throughout the year.

During winter, lean into foods that survive and thrive in the cold winter months like carrots, acorn squash, sweet potatoes, and apples. Eating meals at regular times benefits the nervous system and aids good digestion. Ayurvedic wisdom recommends consuming a warm, nourishing breakfast before 10 AM, your largest or main meal around midday, and a light, warm supper by 6 PM. Leaving several hours between your last meal of the day and bedtime assures you of a better night’s sleep.

When making food choices, keep in mind that your body will be best served by consuming warm, cooked foods that are slightly oily and well-spiced. For optimal health, aim to include a balance of the six tastes: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. To help you, here are some examples of foods that are readily available during the colder months:

• Sweet: turnips, sweet potatoes, carrots, dates
• Sour: citrus fruits such as oranges and pickles
• Salty: sea vegetables, rock salt
• Bitter: dark, leafy greens like kale, collard greens, and Brussel sprouts
• Pungent: garlic, leeks, spinach
• Astringent: chickpeas, lentils, black beans, bananas
• Warming spices: cinnamon, ginger, garlic, black pepper, cayenne

Particularly nourishing is Kitchari (pronounced kich-uh-ree), the traditional cleansing food of Ayurveda. Considered a superfood for its nourishing and balancing effect on the body, kitchari combines rice, mung beans (or dal), and spices cooked into soothing, easy-to-digest porridge. Recipes abound on the internet, but for an excellent guide to Ayurvedic cooking, I highly recommend Kate O’Donnell’s book, The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook: A Seasonal Guide to Eating.

Tip #6: Winter Skin-Care 

Winter is a perfect opportunity to indulge in self-care. It is when your immunity is strengthened through rest and increased metabolic activity to build ojas (pronounced oh-juhz). Ojas, which in Sanskrit means “life-essence” or “vigor,” is the subtle energy of the Kapha dosha. Ojas is the container that holds your energy and rules your immunity, strength, and happiness. Mindful self-care through diet, self-massage, yoga, and meditation nourishes ojas, keeping you healthy and strong.

To rid the body of toxins and promote ojas, an excellent winter self-care practice is dry brushing, or garshana (pronounced gar-shun-uh). Garshana promotes lymphatic cleansing and removes ama, or cellular waste products from the body. Traditionally done using raw silk or linen gloves, you can use a natural bristle body brush. Garshana is best done in the morning before showering. Massage from the feet up toward the torso and head, using circular strokes on the joints (such as the elbows and knees) and long strokes on the long bones of the arms and legs.

You can follow dry brushing with an oil self-massage, known in Ayurveda as abyhanga. Because our skin tends to be much dryer in the winter months, performing abhyanga, even a few times a week, works wonders to nourish the skin. Additionally, self-massage calms the nervous system, supports lymphatic health, and promotes a sense of overall comfort and well-being.

For winter, use almond or sesame oil, adding essential oils for added sensory enjoyment. Choose fragrances such as rosemary, ginger, grapefruit, pine, clary sage, and bergamot. While typically done before bathing, I like to keep my bottle of oil in the shower and slather my skin post-shower to seal in moisture. Before dressing, allow the oil to soak in while you perform other self-care tasks such as brushing your teeth.

Tip #7: Time to Reflect and Destress

Nature shows us that winter is a season of letting go, of endings. It is the season in which the natural world withdraws and hibernates, turning inward. Similarly, you may also feel winter’s pull towards stillness, quiet, and solitude. Winter’s dark evenings invite you to indulge in your desire to withdraw from the hectic pace of life and curl up under a cozy blanket with a cup of tea and a book. Too often high levels of stress lead to illness, so embracing the quiet of winter evenings offers you the opportunity to build immunity, rest, and reflect.

Taking time to reflect on your day also ensures a more restful night’s sleep. Set a goal of spending at least an hour of distraction-free time before bed each day. Turn off any electronic devices (including the TV) and use this time for reading, journaling, a hot bath, listening to music, or any other activity that soothes your spirit. Ayurveda recommends turning the lights out by 10 pm for optimal sleep and rest.

Winter’s calm, peaceful nature can sometimes feel oppressive, making you feel weighed down, stagnant, or uninspired. Winter illnesses can compound those feelings. Happily, Ayurveda supplies easy self-care guidelines to ensure you can make the most of this glorious season.

Be well!

published 12/17/23; updated 11/17/24

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