Ayurvedic Winter Remedies: Stay Healthy this Winter
By: Steph Ball-Mitchell, ERYT500, RPYT, RCYT, YACEP
By: Steph Ball-Mitchell, ERYT500, RPYT, RCYT, YACEP
Ayurveda, the sister science of yoga and India's ancient system of medicine, offers tips on staying healthy over the Winter. Here are some of my favorite Ayurvedic Winter Remedies:
Research has shown us that ginger can be powerful in relieving the symptoms of nausea and vomiting. As Ayurvedic theory goes, ginger is also healing for colds. Because it is so pungent, it reduces the kapha dosha which is active during colds and works to create mucus when it is out of balance. Ginger should not be mixed with anticoagulant medications like aspirin because they are both blood thinners.
Ginger can be steamed and inhaled to reduce upper respiratory symptoms. To do this, just boil one teaspoon of ginger in one pint of water. As the water begins to cool slightly, you can lean in, bringing your face over the steam that is coming from the pot. Make sure you have a towel covering your head while you do this to keep the steam contained.
When you have a cold, your body needs rest more than it needs movement. It's likely that you need to cut back on physical exercise and movement in general. If you can, take the day off as soon as you realize a cold is setting in. The more rest you get, the quicker your body can heal.
If you are feeling congested, you can steam eucalyptus oil in the same way you can steam ginger. You can also diffuse eucalyptus oil in an aromatherapy diffuser to help you breathe more clearly.
Let us know how these Ayurvedic remedies work out for you this winter. We love to hear from you. Namaste.
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Founder of Online Yoga School and Yoga & Ayurveda Center
Steph has over 25 years of experience in yoga and movement. Her understanding of yoga and the human body has been influenced by lifelong dancing and holistic health. She found her life’s purpose in helping people become happier and healthier through her own healing journey. Steph assists her students in knowing the joy and wonderment of integrating the mind and body through accessible yoga. She encourages an authentic and life-nurturing practice, one that brings greater consciousness to each moment and every movement of the body with a heavy emphasis on breath.
With a masters degree in counseling, Steph brings awareness, acceptance and a down to earth approach to her classes. She studied with Maty Ezraty and later completed her second 200-hour training with Nancy Candea at Yoga Impact in New Jersey and her 300-hour training with Chris Loebsack at Boundless Yoga Studio in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. The perpetual student, Steph has studied with Leslie Howard, Travis Eliot, Bryan Kest, Donna Farhi and countless others. She has extensive training in pelvic floor yoga, restorative yoga, yin yoga, power yoga and accessible yoga. Most recently, Steph was certified as a Grand Master of Meditation through Swami Vidyanand.
Steph founded Yoga and Ayurveda Center with her husband. She later launched Online Yoga School to support her local trainings and has recently launched a virtual yoga studio to accommodate the international community of trainees.
When she isn’t on her mat, Steph can be found volunteering, enjoying her husband and children, dancing and cooking. She currently enjoys serving on the board of World Yoga Federation and Meditation Alliance International and previously enjoyed serving on the Education Committee of Yoga Alliance and places a strong emphasis on inclusivity in her teacher trainings.
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