Stay Grounded this Vata Season
We're almost at the Autumn Equinox which according to Ayurveda is Vata season. Vata is made up of the air and space elements and as a result the Vata energy tends to be scattered, airy, anxious and ungrounded.
A rise in Vata energy means you are more likely to experience overwhelm, anxiety, feel depleted, feel colder and dryer than usual and be up and down in both body and mind.
So what's the answer then? GROUNDING!
- Grounding foods. Focus on comforting stews and root vegetables.
- Ground in nature. I love getting out in nature during Autumn because the colours are spectacular! All those red, orange and yellows which are the colours of the lower 3 chakras and are so very grounding!
- Bringing in structure and routine helps to reign in Vata's scattered energy. One good habit to implement at this time of the year is to turn off your devices a couple of hours before bed time to stay in rhythm with the darker nights.
- Grounding Yoga practices and breathing like Ujjayi breath.
- Grounding essential oils like cedarwood, sandalwood, clary sage, patchouli, and vetiver and of course all those lovely autumnal smells like pumpkin pie spices!
- This is also a good time to declutter or do a seasonal detox to shed some accumulated toxins and baggage.
All this means you will be able to tap into Vata's positive aspects of creativity, spirituality and intuition without going into excess. Autumn is also about the energies of harvesting, gratitude, preserving and letting go and I've created a mudra meditation in honour of those energies below.
Ksepana Mudra
In the meditation I use Ksepana Mudra, which is great for letting go, and that is exactly what nature is doing at this time of the year.
In Sanskrit, Ksepana (pronounced say-pah-nah) means to throw (away), to let go, pour off or to cast off. Ksepana mudra is the mudra for letting go of waste known as mala in Ayurveda. This waste, or mala, can be literal physical waste, toxic relationships, negative thoughts, or old habits, samskaras, and vasanas that don’t serve your highest self.
Ksepana Mudra works with apana vayu (a sub dosha of Vata), which is the down and outward flowing energy (prana) of elimination (defecation and urination), menstruation, and child birth. In addition to elimination through the large intestine. Ksepana mudra helps us remove mala through the surface of our skin via perspiration and through our lungs via expiration (the exhale breath).
It's therefore a great mudra to do in the second half of your cycle (luteal phase) as you need to eliminate any excess hormones like Estrogen from your system and during menstruation and labour!
Some good journaling questions to do after this mediation are:-
- What am I harvesting in this season of my life or cycle?
- What am I grateful for?
- What do I wish to store in the basement of my soul?
- What do I need to let go of?
Enjoy the meditation!