I begin to notice that when Fall arrives I am far more prone to lock my keys in my car (once with my child in it), lose things, forget appointments and just generally feel scattered and ungrounded. I notice that my students come in to class with a bit of a deer in the headlights look about them.

According to Ayurveda, each season has a corresponding dosha. Fall and early winter is the season of Vata. The air turns crisp and the winds begin to stir. For those of us who already tend toward Vata, this season can bring mental agitation, forgetful or scattered thinking, insomnia, joint pain and constipation. I like to remind my students, “you’re not crazy, it’s the weather.”

Fortunately, Vata imbalance can be managed with a few simple lifestyle and diet habits. The prescription for calming Fall Vata is about creating warmth, nourishment, routine and rest.

If you want to balance your Vata, a fat free diet is not for you. Nor is a raw foods diet. Eat warm food cooked with a bit of ghee (clarified butter that can be found at any Indian or Health Foods market) or olive oil. Begin your day with a warm breakfast; eat warm, heavy pureed soups, greens, squash and root vegetables for lunch and dinner and sip warm tea or warm water through the day. If you wake feeling particularly unsettled you can begin your day with a teaspoon of warm ghee. This is also an Ayurvedic detox practice.

The three ayurvedic tastes that help balance Vata are sweet, sour and salty. Include more of these tastes in your daily diet. Milk, citrus fruits, dried fruit, nuts (almonds are my favorite) or salted toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds make good snack choices. Eat less of the bitter, pungent and astringent tastes. Turmeric is a good supplement for joint pain and inflammation. You can mix it with milk and honey or take it in capsule form. I also take Triphala (thanks to my friend Libby) which is a potent Ayurvedic detoxifier, is very high in antioxidants and makes you quite regular.

Abhyanaga is a daily oil massage which acts as a buffer for the largest and most sensitive organ to Vata, the skin. I start and end my day with an oil massage, either before of after a bath or shower. I also add sesame oil to my body and face lotions. Sesame oil is the traditional Ayurvedic oil, but most  oils will do really. Coconut oil is my summertime favorite. Apply the oil in upward strokes toward the heart. Make sure you get the hands and feet especially. I add a few drops to my ear canals with a cotton swab when I’m going outside. It’s very soothing. Massaging oil on the scalp and letting it sit for a half hour is also a great practice before you wash your hair (the caveat is that sesame oil stains fabric).

Keeping a regular routine is vital to soothe Vata disruption. Keep daily rhythm with eating and sleeping. 10pm to 2am is when the body begins the cycle of restoration, deamination of proteins and assimilation of nutrients. In bed before 10pm is one of the more difficult requests of Vata/Pitta types who often feel they get their second wind at this hour.

A Hatha practice that includes long held poses (Yin Yoga), particularly hip openers are great for bringing energy down toward the earth, rather than up in the head. Also, bringing the more kaphic attitude of love and gratitude to our daily practice can remind us of the abundance that exists in each of our lives.