|
Ritucharya |
 |
The year according to Ayurveda is divided into
two kaals:
Aadaan kaal (Uttarayan) (Northeren Solastice)
Visarga kaal (Dakshinayaan) (Southeren Solastice).
This division is done according to the position
of the sun. Aadaan means taking away and visarga means giving.
In aadan kaal, the sun and wind are powerful. The sun takes away
the strength of the people and the cooling qualities of the
earth. It is the debialiting period. strength is weakened . In
Visarga kaal , the sun releases the strength to the people. The
moon is more powerful, the earth becomes cooled due to the
clouds, rain and cold wind.
A year consists of six ritus (seasons). Each
ritu is two masas (months) long. Three ritus (one semester) form
a kaal.
The Six Ritus
The six ritus and their properties can be
summarized in the following table
|
Kaal
(Semester)
|
Ritu (Season)
|
Maas (Month)
|
Properties of the season
|
|
Aadaan (Northeren Solastice)
|
Sishira
|
Magha
and Phalguna
(mid January to mid march)
|
Cold
and dewy season
|
|
Vasanta
|
Chaitra and Baisakh
(mid March to mid May)
|
Spring season
|
|
Grishma
|
Jyeshtha and Aashadha
(mid May to mid July)
|
Summer season
|
|
Visarga (Southern
Solastice)
|
Varsha
|
Shravan and Bhadrapada (mid July to mid September)
|
Rainy
season
|
|
Sharat
|
Aashvin and Kartika
(mid September to mid November)
|
Autumn season
|
|
Hemant
|
Margshirsha and Pausha
(mid November to mid January)
|
Winter season
|
Seasons and Tastes
The following table summarizes the tastes which are more
powerful and hence can be included in the diet in each of the
six seasons.
|
Ritu
|
Seasons
|
Powerful Taste
|
|
Shishir
|
Cold
and dewy season
|
Tikta
(bitter)
|
|
Vaasant
|
Spring season
|
Kashaya (astringent)
|
|
Grishma
|
Summer season
|
Kattu
|
|
Varsha
|
Rainy
season
|
Amala
(sour)
|
|
Sharat
|
Autumn season
|
Lavan
(salty)
|
|
Hemanta
|
Winter season
|
Madhura (sweet)
|
Seasonal Regimen
|
Hemanta Ritu (Winter Season)
Shishira Ritu (Cold and Dewy Season)
|
|
Diet
|
Lifestyle
|
-
Sweet,sour and salt taste food can be taken. In this
season the digestive activity becomes more powerful.
Increased vata gets obstructed from spreading out
due to cold atmosphere outside which can digest the
tissues. More intake of sweet, sour and salt helps
reducing the vata.
-
Wine prepared from jaggery (molasses) can be
taken.
-
Wheat/gram flour products, milk products, sugarcane
products and corn/edible oils can be taken as a part
of food.
|
-
Massage with oil.
-
Ubvartan with fine paste/powder of kumkum (kesar).
-
Exercise (vyama).
-
Clothing-leather, silk and wool.
-
Exposure to sunlight and fire to keep yourself warm.
|
|
Vasanta Ritu (Spring Season)
-
In this season, increased kapha is liquified by the
heat of sun which causes diminished agni (digestive
activity) causing diseases
|
|
Diet
|
Lifestyle
|
-
Easily digestible food.
-
Barley, honey, roasted meat, mango juice can be
taken as food.
-
Beverages such as asava (fermented infusion), arista
(fermenteddecoction), sidhu (fermented sugarcane
juice), honey mixed with water and water boiled with
extracts of chandan (sandal wood).
-
Avoid hard to digest and cold food, sour, sweet and
fatty food. Such food increase kapha causing dosha
imbalance and hence genesis of disease.
|
-
Physical exercise.
-
Dry massage.
-
Nasal medication can be taken.
-
After massage bath with karpura/chandan/kumkum.
-
Avoid sleeping during day time,
|
|
Grishma Ritu (Summer Season)
-
In this season, Sunrays become powerful. Kapha
decreases vata increases day by day.
|
|
Diet
|
Lifestyle
|
-
Sweet, light, fatty and liquid food can be taken.
-
Wine should not be taken as it can cause burning
sensation and even debility. If neccesary take in
very little quantity.
-
Boiled rice with meat, cornflour, curd (yoghurt) can
be taken in food.
-
Drink very cold water. Panak Panchsara (syrup
prepared with draksha (sugarcane), madhuka, date,
kashmarya and parshuka fruits all in equal quantity
cold with cardamom powder.
|
|
|
Varsha Ritu (Rainy Season)
-
The agni (digestive activity) weakens further and
gets vitiated by doshas.Hence all methods to
mitigate doshas and measures to enhance digestive
activity can be adopted.
|
|
Diet
|
Lifestyle
|
-
Easily digestible food to be taken.
-
Pulses, meat juice, soups, old grains and mastu
(thin water of yoghurt ) can be taken in food.
|
|
|
Sharat Ritu (Autumn Season)
-
Sudden exposed to sunlight after cold season
aggravates pita.
|
|
Diet
|
Lifestyle
|
-
Bitter, astringent and sweet taste can be included
in food.
-
Take easily digestible food like rice, green gram,
aamla, honey and sugar.
-
Avoid heavy food, curd, oil, strong liquors.
|
|
|
