Seasons

Hemant Ritu (Early Winter) Tips

The Acharyas tells us that by simply following appropriate Dinacharya (daily routine) and Ritucharya (seasonal routine) we can avert about 85% of all diseases. Imagine that!

Early winter (hemant ritu) will start on the 9th of November in India and will end on the 18th of January.

Follow the below advice in order to stay healthy in this seasons:

  1. In Hemanta season digestive power is strong. It may cause emaciation of body tissues; therefore, one should eat well, one should take relatively heavy food as per one’s digestive capacity, choose sweet, sour and salty tastes.
  2. You can have rice, wheat, and flours. It is also the best season to have Urad dhal or Black gram if it suits you. One can eat preparations with milk products, sugarcane juice, beverages made with molasses and rice flour. You can have curd or buttermilk in this season. Have a good amount of ghee, dry fruits like almonds, raisins, dates, saffron and sesame oil in your meals if your digestion is strong.
  3. Acharya Charka also says that in Hemanta, we should avoid foods and drinks that are very light & tend to aggravate vata-dosha. We should also avoid fasting in winters. Avoid pungent, astringent and bitter food, avoid cold food.
  4. Warming spices like Pepper, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Mace, Nutmeg and Turmeric are good to keep the energy and warmth of the body intact.
  5. Drink warm water throughout the day.
  6. One should keep the body warm: wear warm clothes, always wear footwear, expose yourself to sun or fire, spend time in houses warmed by fire. Take a walk in the midday and soak in the rays of the sun.
  7. The skin gets dry in winter. Therefore, we should apply oil on the head and body (Abhyanga Snana) in the morning. For this you can use sesame oil, almond oil, mustard oil. After that do vigorous exercise and later take a warm bath with herbs of kashaya rasa (astringent taste). You can try Gomata Bliss Bathing Powder “Angarakshak”.
  8. Massage the head with Herbal Hair Oil “Shyam Kesh Tailam”.
  9. Use herbal face pack to keep the face glowing.
  10. Inhale pleasant smells like agarbatti incense.
  11. Since this Ritu is perfectly balanced in nature, Rasayana or Anti ageing regimen is to be followed. One can consume Gomata Bliss Special Chyawanprash Kesar yukta for this.