A YOGI CHA BLOG
Whether it’s season changes, digestive issues, sleep or hormonal imbalances this is what you need to understand.

We have a natural harmony in our bodies and we could call that a play of Yin and Yang to use words that most of us can relate to.
Basically there is a constant adjustment of feminine and masculine, of stress and sex, of cortisol and oestrogen. When they are not in synch with each other, we notice this in what we call imbalance, or being out of whack.
We can quite easily also detect which is too active and which seems to be dormant. If we are on high intensity it means the stress, the yang or the masculine energy inside of us is dominant. That gives us issues of drying out, over heating, frustration, lack of regular routine and just not really feeling in our bodies. When it’s the opposite that has taken over too much, we get stagnant and lack of motivation. We go a little too easy with the flow let’s say. Physically we can tend to put on weight and the fluids might not circulate so well.
There has been some kind of disturbance, there has been change. So in Ayurvedic terms we would adjust this by starting with calming the disturbance, the movement. The Vata dosha.
To once again use words that we all find easy to relate to, we need to soothe the nervous system. Vata is so light and sensitive : when in balance it’s the Guru in us. When out of balance, it’s the scared and hungry little child.
So let’s talk about how this relates to seasonal changes.
When we go from one climate to the next, from one season to the next there is first and foremost change happening. This is how imbalance occurs. But not only is there movement there is also an actual change in the temperature and humidity. Depending on what those changes are, we associate them with one of the doshas. It’s not as simple as saying summer is Pitta, winter is Kapha and the rest we can affiliate with Vata. The more you become attuned to the subtle changes of the doshas in nature, the easier it becomes to adjust your internal environment to them to lower the disturbance.
When we go from winter to spring, there is a time where it’s still cold but the wind has gotten a little drier. This lightens the air but also melts the ice. The water content in the atmosphere rises and it’s a combination of both Kapha and Vata before Vata becomes dominant in full spring.
This means that we need to heat up and at the same time calm the movement that is going on. Especially if we suffer from the seasonal changes. In summer it’s warm and might even be humid, Pitta is dominant and maybe it’s so humid that we feel Kapha presence as well. But as the summer goes deeper towards autumn, the heat has dried the air and you can notice it on your skin even. A sunburned skin for instance is rather dry. So as we progressively move from summer to autumn, Pitta is still there and needs to be calmed if we suffer but Vata has begun to rise. Its so dry and light in the atmosphere, we could almost lift and fly.
And as we have moved into autumn and the sun lowers in the sky, the cold comes back, Vata is dominant. Dry, light cold and sharp winds belong to this time and it is rather common to therefore eat those creamy, heavy root vegetable stews and such. But the closer we move to winter, the heavier the atmosphere becomes again, yet cold. Kapha is making it’s way. When that happens, unless we feel that it is time to move ourselves, we might become stagnant over winter. But if we recognise the heaviness in the air and the water from rain and snow approaching, we can dry out the dampness inside our bodies by becoming really physically active.
When we tune into these changes and live accordingly, we soothe the nervous system and we balance out those disturbances in our bodies. Not only will we not become sick with the typical seasonal diseases but more importantly, we get less hormonal imbalances, less irregular bowel movement and sleep can stay stable all through the year.
Hi, I’m Charlotte (Yogi Cha). I’m a yoga teacher with a degree in clinical psychology. I’ve always had a deep curiosity toward eastern and western approaches to understanding the mind, and the ming/body union. You’ll find me in the lovely Canggu Bali, nestled amongst coconuts, palm trees and sunshine 🥥🌴🌞