4 Ayurvedic Tips to Boost Your Wellness This Winter

We've definitely moved a big step towards winter this week here in Surrey. We've experienced the first proper frost and my beloved dahlias have been blasted and are now collapsing. We've had a lot of rain, it's been windy, and some of the leaves are on the ground - although as I look out of the window, there's still a remarkable amount of green leaves still on the trees.  As winter approaches we tend to retreat indoors, put the central heating on, and pile on the layers, and it's easy to get a little lazy about taking care of the body.  

Ayurveda is the ancient Indian system of medicine which balances the body using diet, yoga, meditation, breathing practices, herbal treatment and many other self-care practices with the aim of reaching and sustaining optimum health. Ayurveda offers more than just the treatment of illnesses, it shows us ways to change our lifestyles so we can nourish ourselves, become healthier and enjoy life more fully.

Here are 4 simple practices you could do first thing in the morning to start your day with self-care and boost your immune system this winter ... 

1. Drink a glass of warm water with a slice and a squeeze of lemon as soon as you wake up. This stimulates the digestive system , encouraging bowel movement, hydrates the body after a night with no fluid intake, and introduces some vitimin C via the lemon. Ayurveda recommends we then drink water regularly throughout the day but in small amounts so that we absorb the water slowly rather than downing a pint of water at lunchtime and just peeing it straight out. 

2. Dry Skin Brushing your skin every day before you shower has many positive benefits for your health and is very quick and easy to do. It's cheap too - a soft body brush from the local chemist or health food shop costs around £10-£15 and, if you hang it up to dry after use, it will last for ages. Always choose a natural bristled brush, or a loofah, rather than a synthetic one as the bristles are more gentle, and give it a wash it from time to time too.

5 minutes brushing every day will help to stimulate a sluggish lymphatic system. Your lymphatic system's primary function is to isolate infection and clear waste products from the whole body, so it is crucially important to your health. Lymph drainage is improved by deep breathing, exercise and massage. Dry skin brushing provides the massage to increase the lymph flow and also helps to reduce cellulite, which is caused when fat cells, lymph and toxins get stuck in little 'pockets' beneath the skin. If you're interested in learning more about the lymphatic system and cellulite, take a look at this article which explains it really well.

Before you shower (ideally in the morning as skin brushing really does boost your energy and make you feel tingly and alive) take just 5 minutes to brush your skin. Always brush towards the heart. Start at the feet and brush in long strokes up the legs and over the buttocks, then brush your arms from the hands towards the shoulders. Brush your back (it's helpful to have a long-handled brush for this bit), and gently do your chest (be really, really gentle as you brush your breasts), and the sides of the body. Finally, brush your stomach gently in a clockwise motion, following the direction of the colon (up the right side, across the top from right to left, then down the left side). Then step into your shower to wash away the dead skin that has been exfoliated. After a week or so of doing this each day your skin will be feeling really smooth and you'll start to notice the other benefits of this simple practice too. 

3. Oil Massage In Ayurveda the practice of massaging the body with warm oil is called Abhyanga. It helps keep the skin supple and smooth. It has the added benefits of being cheaper than expensive body lotions and much purer too - it just doesn't make sense to be taking care of yourself, trying to decrease the toxic load on the body, and then adding loads of chemicals to be absorbed into the skin via standard lotions and potions. Choose sesame, almond or coconut oil, and don't rush - take time to massage with loving care and attention.

Warm the oil first by placing a little bowl of it by a radiator (be careful not to spill it!) or place the bowl in a sink of hot water. Massage your body slowly, using long strokes on the limbs and circular movements on the joints. As in the dry skin brushing, massage the abdominal area in a clockwise direction. This helps with digestive problems such as constipation by encouraging peristalsis - the movement of food along the gut - which encourages regular bowel movements, which therefore removes more waste products and toxins from your body. Gut health plays an important part in keeping your immune system in good working order, which is especially important at this time of year when there are lots of coughs, colds and bugs being passed around.

4. Tongue Scraping This practice, known as Jihwa Prakshalana, is an important part of daily self care as it removes the bacteria and toxins that build up on the tongue overnight. If you are well, this coating is minimal, but if your body is struggling to cope with an illness or health problem the coating can be thicker and smell bad.  As with all toxins, we want them to be eliminated from the body rather than be re-absorbed, and scraping the tongue is a quick and easy way to do this. It is also beneficial for oral hygiene too by freshening the breath and helping to remove particles of food which decreases plaque building up on the teeth. Ayurveda recommends a stainless steel scraper as it is easy to clean which you can buy in health food shops and online, but there are plastic versions available in chemists such as Boots for around £5.  You can also use the side of a metal spoon quite effectively too.

Here's how to do it: extend your tongue fully and scrape from the back to the front repeatedly until all the residue has been removed, cleaning the scraper under the tap as you go.

Next week I'll be sharing some more simple Ayurvedic health care tips to help you stay well this winter. Until then, get brushing, scraping, oiling and flushing - you are important and feeling good is priceless, and anything you can do to take a little extra care of yourself is worth it. 

This Week's Recipe... Super Green Soup

This soup is like a green smoothie - full of almost raw, fresh, healthy goodness - but it's hot. Its vivid bright green colour makes it look very vibrant and alive and it just feels like you're eating energy! 


You will need:

• 1 bunch fresh asparagus, roughly chopped
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 big handful fresh kale leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 small fennel bulb, finely diced
• 1 big handful fresh spinach
• 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• half a litre of vegetable stock (I use Marigold Bouillon for the best flavour)
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon olive oil oil
• juice of half a lime
• toasted nuts and seeds, to garnish

and here's how to make it...

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the chopped onion, garlic, asparagus, fennel and celery stalks and cook for 5 minutes over low heat.
• Add the vegetable stock, bring to boil and simmer over a low heat for 5-7 minutes.
• Add the kale leaves and spinach and remove from the heat.
• Allow to cool for a few minutes, then transfer into the blender, add lime juice and whizz until almost smooth (be careful when blending hot liquids). Add more vegetable stock to adjust the texture to your required consistency.
• Serve warm, topped with toasted nuts and seeds

From super-greens to super moon...

Tonight, Sunday 13th November, and apparently tomorrow night too, if the weather is clear we will get the chance to see a celestial spectacle - the largest supermoon for 70 years!

Even though I watched the video twice it still boggled my mind so I found this article from CBBC's Newsround which made it much clearer for me!!.....

How to see biggest supermoon in almost 70 years via CBBC Newsround.

If you go outside at night on 13/14 November, you might get to enjoy something quite spectacular. You will see an amazing supermoon up in the night sky, which means the moon will be very big and bright.

There was a supermoon last month but this one is particularly special. That's because it will be the biggest and brightest that it has been since 1948 - that's almost 70 years!

But what actually is a supermoon anyway? Why do they happen? Two things have to happen for there to be a supermoon. Firstly, it must be a full moon. Secondly, the moon must be at a point during its orbit where it is particularly close to Earth.

Image copyright Reuters 

The moon orbits the Earth in an oval shape, and sometimes it is closer to the Earth than at other times.

When the moon is at the stage when it is closest to Earth, this is called its perigee. When it is further away, this is the moon's apogee.

The perigee, which makes supermoons happen, is about 30,000 miles closer to Earth than the apogee The reason that the supermoon this month is particularly special is because the moon will be even closer to Earth than it has been for decades, so it will be bigger and brighter than you will ever have seen in your entire life!

Usually, a supermoon is about 14% bigger and 30% brighter than a full moon when it is further away from the Earth.

How can I see it? Go out at night and have a look at the sky on the night of 13 or 14 November. Try to go somewhere where there aren't many other lights, as this can distract from how bright the moon is and how easily you can see it.

If you look at it when the moon is nearer to the horizon, this can create an optical illusion which will make it look even bigger and more spectacular.

There is due to be another supermoon on 14 December, but it won't be as amazing as the November one, which is the biggest so far this century.

The December supermoon will be special for its own reason. Because it is so bright, it will make seeing the Geminid meteor shower next month much more difficult than usual. As for November's supermoon, you won't see one as impressive as this again until the end of November in 2034, so it's well worth making sure you step outside to take a look!

Let's hope the weather decides to behave ...

A supermoon behind Glastonbury Tor 

This Week's Musical Offering... Moon Magic by Stevin McNamara... a track with a steady, gentle rhythm that you could add to your yoga playlist for standing and seated pose sequences and sun salutations.