10 Ayurvedic Tips for a Healthy Holiday Season

Tip 1: Embrace the Season, But Set Boundaries

Is the season too festive to resist? You absolutely deserve to enjoy every moment as it comes just once a year. But by setting a few boundaries, you can enjoy the season even more by staying healthy and active.

It is all about maintaining the balance by enjoying the festivities without overindulgence, savouring the food without guilt and celebrating without feeling drained. 

What boundaries can you set? 

1. Indulge in Treats, Mindfully

Ayurveda states that mindful eating helps in better digestion and absorption of nutrients, and improves your overall well being.

• Avoid eating till you are completely full. Instead, stop just before you reach that level of fullness.
• Focus on the flavours and richness of the food on your plate – avoid looking at the TV or scrolling through your phone while eating.
• Do not eat your food in a hurry or too slowly or while talking or laughing.
• Consume your food when it is still warm. This helps in better digestion.

2. Prioritise Sleep

Do not miss out on the festivities – prioritising your sleep can give your body the rest it requires and keep you refreshed and energised the following day. 

3. Manage Stress

With all your friends and family coming together for the holiday season, organising everything can sometimes lead to stress. However, it can be managed by practising stress-relieving techniques like breathing exercises, yoga and meditation. 

Tip 2: Nourish Your Body

Even while indulging in all the delicious and flavourful foods during the holiday season, it is essential to keep your body nourished. Here’s how:

• Choose comforting foods like warm soups and stews. 
• Enjoy your meals while they’re still warm – this enhances the flavours and also aids in digestion.
• Use digestion-promoting Ayurvedic herbs like ginger, turmeric, pepper and fennel in your recipes or use them to prepare herbal teas. Sipping these teas in between your meals can prevent gas formation and bloating and ensures proper digestion of food.

Tip 3: Create a Calming Atmosphere

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a calm and cosy spot for yourself amidst all the hustle and bustle of the festive season?

Create a space where you can relax – that is free from noise and well-ventilated. You can also use calming essential oils like lavender or rose in a diffuser for a soothing effect and decorate it with plants and candles for a pleasant experience.

According to Ayurveda, a calm and tranquil atmosphere can balance your emotions and bring about mental clarity. 

Tip 4: Connect Mindfully

The holiday season is a time that brings together friends and families. Focus on spending quality time with your loved ones. You can make the holiday season meaningful by participating in volunteer work or offering free services, like teaching skills, donating clothes, books or toys and much more. 

This can bring you the satisfaction of helping others and spreading the joy and spirit of sharing during this season. 

These actions align with Sattva, the supreme quality of mind, explained in Ayurveda. Sattva is a state of purity and harmony. Helping others without expecting anything in return and showing gratitude can reduce negative feelings and thoughts and make you feel content and peaceful.

Tip 5: Gentle Detox

Ayurveda explains detoxification procedures to cleanse the body of accumulated toxins. These treatments, when done in a gentle way can also have significant benefits – it counteracts overindulgence in heavy foods during the holiday season, keeps you energetic and improves immunity and mental clarity.

Some simple detox methods you can practise from home are:

• Sipping herbal teas made from herbs like ginger, fennel, cumin, coriander and so on.
• Use spices like ginger and pepper while preparing your foods, as it can promote digestion.
• Drink plenty of water and stay hydrated.
• Massage your body using warm sesame or coconut oil before a warm bath to improve blood circulation and strengthen your joints and muscles.
• Use a Neti pot filled with warm saline water to clear your nasal passages. In this process, the water from the pot is poured through one nostril and allowed to flow out through the other nostril.
• If you’re looking for a deeper Ayurvedic cleanse, get a professional Panchakarma treatment done.

Tip 6: Early to Bed, Early to Rise

During the holiday season, you break away from your normal routine – you might stay up late, enjoying the company of friends and family and taking a break from work. 

But try to stick to a regular sleep schedule as much as possible. Your body requires quality sleep to repair the tissues, maintain immunity, clear the mind, regulate your mood and balance the hormones.

According to Ayurvedic principles, sleep is one of the three pillars that support life. The ideal time to wake up is before sunrise, around 4 AM to 6 AM, and about bedtime, try not to stay up past 10 PM.

Your body’s natural internal clock (circadian rhythm) should align with the day and night in nature. This keeps your Doshas (body bioenergies) balanced and prevents illnesses.

Tip 7: Mindful Movement

Holiday weight gain is a common concern in many adults, leaving you feeling guilty with every bite of the delicious holiday treats. But you cannot really blame the season for your weight gain, right? 

Practising simple physical exercises like yoga postures, brisk walking, cycling or swimming can improve your mood, help maintain a healthy body weight and reduce stress levels.

Ayurveda also explains the importance of exercise – it is beneficial in improving your stamina, aids in digestion, reduces excess fat accumulation and keeps your muscles toned and well-defined. 

Tip 8: Hydration is Key

Amidst the bustle of the holiday season, don’t forget to listen to your body. If you feel thirsty, don’t ignore it – be sure to keep yourself hydrated by drinking plenty of water. 

Indulge in fruit juices, warm herbal teas or nourishing soups. You can also go for fruits having a high water content, like watermelons and oranges. If you’re travelling, keep a bottle of water close by to prevent dehydration.

Ayurveda mentions some interesting points about drinking water:

• Drinking water in between meals is ideal and helps in digestion. Drinking water before your meals decreases your appetite and digestive strength, and drinking water after meals can cause weight gain.
• If you are feeling exhausted, thirsty, or light-headed, sip on water at room temperature to restore your energy.
• Drinking warm water is beneficial for flushing out the toxins accumulated in your body, improving digestion, and reducing fat deposition. 

Tip 9: Lighten Up Your Plate

What comes to your mind when you think of the holiday season? The rich, flavourful, mouth-watering meals? The colourful, sugary treats?

These heavy and greasy foods can disrupt your digestion and cause poor digestion, gas and bloating.

Therefore, it is important to choose lighter meals and avoid heavy or sugary foods, particularly before bedtime, to support digestion and good sleep.

In addition to treatments for each disease, Ayurveda also recommends a group of foods that are beneficial for a person dealing with that condition. This is called ‘Pathya’, which refers to a wholesome or suitable diet. These foods are light, nourishing and easy to digest. 

Tip 10: Say No When Needed

The festive season is a time for celebrations, but it is important to prioritise your well-being during this busy time of year. 

Don’t worry if you’re not able to make it to all those events or gatherings . You don’t have to be available for everything. If you feel overwhelmed or tired, it is okay to say no.

Ayurveda teaches that self-awareness is the key to your well-being. Nurturing your ‘true self’ can help you live a healthy life. Love and embrace yourself – this is the secret to your inner peace and harmony.

Wrapping Up

The festive season is here! Enjoy this year guilt-free with these Ayurvedic tips for a healthy holiday. Don’t let anything hold you back from having the best time, savouring your favourite holiday treats, and making memories with your loved ones.

Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season!