Varsha Rutucharya
Ayurveda primarily aims at maintaining the health of a healthy individual. To achieve this Ayurveda recommends to follow different diet and lifestyle schedule in each season which helps to maintain the health. Everybody is enjoying the Rain. Rain is beautiful gift to mankind to get fresh, its season of Romance. During the rainy season, our digestive fire is weakened and so digestive system need special precaution in this time.
This is the season where so many diseases can occur in our body due to imbalanced Vata dosha particularly. Along with Vata dosha, Pitta and Kapha also imbalanced causing various diseases. Little precaution and some good habits makes this romantic season more enjoyable. In India, Some habits and precaution are told in all religious holy books.
They says, To be spiritual, we must be Healthy.
Good healthy body is the 1st step to achieve status of spirituality.
शरीरं आद्य खलु धर्म साधनम्...I
They told some habits of food to follow in particular manners, they advised some things to avoid for this four months of Monsoon ( called Chatur Maas) to have healthy body, mind and soul as well. But all this indication of various religions like Hinduism, Jainism etc are for better Health.
चातुर्मास्ये नरो यो वै त्यजे अन्नादि भक्षणं I स गच्छति हरि सायुज्यं न भूयस्तु प्रजायते II
It’s told by the medium of God so the person on this earth will believe in it and follow it sincerely. But all this things also told in Ayurveda and now these things are proved scientifically also.Ayurveda told these things as a Rutu Charya( tips on how to behave in perticular season) for Beautiful Health, Physically as well as mentally.
Varsha ritu (Rainy season) according to Ayurveda falls in theUtarayan (northern solstice) and the general body strength of an individual is weak. One must follow a specific Diet and lifestyle schedule in rainy season as the chances of having digestive problems is great during this season. Ayurveda describes aggravation (vitiation) of Vata and accumulation of Pita in Varsha ritu (Rainy season).This is the major cause of various diseases occurring during the rainy season.
The food and lifestyle should thus be such which helps in balancing Vata and Pita.
Diet in Varsha Ritu (rainy season):
Water available in the reservoirs during monsoon is comparatively heavy to digest and the metabolism is sluggish during this period. An individual is likely to experience loss of appetite. Keeping this in mind one needs to make following changes in his diet:
- Consume light and fresh foods prepared from barley, rice and wheat Include cow’s ghee, lean meat, lentils, green gram, rice and wheat in daily diet.
- consume small piece of ginger with rock salt before every meal.
- take Sour and salted soups of vegetables. Onion, lean meat and vegetables may also be used in soups.
- If the days are cooler due to heavy rains, take a diet that is sour, salty and oily.
- Drink boiled and cooled water mixed with little honey Add ginger and green gram in your daily diet
- Eat warm food and avoid eating uncooked foods and salads
- Avoid drinking excess of fluids at this further slows down the metabolism.
- Avoid consuming stale fod. Avoid leafy vegetables during monsoon.
- Avoid curds, red meat and any foodstuff, which takes longer time to digest.
- One may have buttermilk instead of curds.
Bhavaprakash states that consuming ‘haritaki (terminalia chebula) with rock salt in monsoon season is beneficial to health.
Life style Varsha Ritu (rainy season):
Only taking healthy diet may not provide desired benefits unless supported by a healthy lifestyle.The important changes that one should make in one’s lifestyle in rainy season are:
- avoid Sleeping in daytime as it hampers digestion and slows down the metabolism
- Avoid over exertion and over exposure to sun.
- Avoid moving out in afternoon sun.
- Always keep the surrounding dry and clean.
- Do not allow water to get accumulated around.
- Keep body warm as viruses attack immediately when body temperature goes down.
- Do not enter air-conditioned room with wet hair and damp clothes. avoid walking in dirty water during rainy season.
- keep your feet dry. Avoid getting wet in the rains.
- If you happen to get wet, change into dry clothes as soon as possible to avoid getting infections as immunity is low during this season.
- Drying clothes with fumes of loban and dry neem leaves is also recommended in Ayurvedic texts. - - Panchkarma can be done.
- Use of Perfumes is advocated in this season.
Ayurveda state that when seasons are changing and an individual changes his/her lifestyle and diet to suit that particular season, the change must be gradual over a period of 15 days. Slowly try to give up the initial lifestyle and adopt new one. It the changes are brought about drastically the body may not be able to cope with them and this could lead to problems
