Vasant Ritucharya
Introduction
After the chilly winter it’s that time of the year again – Yes, Spring season. Spring is certainly my favourite season of the year. As the spring season sets in, the earth looks lovely and charming. The trees put forth new leaves and the sight of beautiful flowers blooming brings a smile to all our faces. As a matter of fact spring is the season of beautiful flowers. But have we ever wondered what happens to our body in this season ??
During Spring the Climate gets warmer and the heat reduces the digestive power of body, As a result Kapha increases leading to various diseases like Cough, Cold, Allergies, Sinusitis, Indigestion to name a few. It is a known fact that Spring is the time of year for seasonal allergies. As the trees start to bloom and the pollen is released into the atmosphere, allergy sufferers begin their annual ritual of sniffling and sneezing. Each year, 58 million Americans fall prey to seasonal allergic rhinitis, more commonly known as hay fever. [1]
Many people are unable to enjoy spring as they land up having Allergies and many other problems. Fortunately Ayurveda,the ancient science of life has the solution. There is a concept of Ritucharya in Ayurveda , “Ritu” meaning Seasons and “Charya” meaning to follow a routine. Hence Ritucharya is the Seasonal Routine, by following the Seasonal lifestyle & diet people can stay away from seasonal diseases and can have a healthy life . As per Ayurveda, The duration from mid March to mid May constitutes the Vasant Ritu or Spring season.
Ayurveda hence advices certain Lifestyle modifications which could prevent people from getting the Recurrent Allergies, hay fever and Asthma
During spring certain Poses To Aide Digestion can be adopted : A few examples being Trikonasana (Triangle pose), Paschimottanasana (Forward bending pose) , PavanaMuktsana , Matsyendrasana and Ushtrasana (Camel pose)
Other Poses like Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose), Virabhadrasana (Warrior Pose ) and Bhujangasana(Cobra Pose ) can also be done to reduce kapha
Conclusion
According to research the metabolic and temperature response to mild cold were investigated in summer and winter in a moderate oceanic climate. The average metabolic responses during cold exposure were significantly higher in winter as compared to summer. Fast changes in temperature are probably may produce a number of physiological changes in the body. Rapid drops may affect blood pH, blood pressure, urination volume, and tissue permeability.
The eating habits of workers may vary according to the season of the year and corresponding work schedule. The effects of biological variations of platelet counts were investigated in three cities of China. Platelet counts in healthy subjects were significantly higher in summer than in winter. It was already reported that levels of physical activity vary with seasonality. Hormone secretions are periodic variation release that may also be influenced by seasonal variation.[6]
Hence following the above said regimen can help the body adapt to the seasonal variation occurring during Spring, as a result it can prevent the occurrence of Allergies and other seasonal disorders.
1. https://www.webmd.com/allergies/guide/spring-allergies
3 https://www.webmd.com/diet/medicinal-uses-of-honey
4. Barley MLA Immune Receptors Directly Interfere with Antagonistically Acting Transcription Factors to Initiate Disease Resistance Signaling
6. Singh Pramod et al / IJRAP 3(1), Jan – Feb 2012