Glimpse of Seasons
A Glimpse of Seasons through the path of
Ayurveda
C
hanging seasons has always mesmerized the human mind for centuries from the day of his very existence. With the passage of every season, mankind has absorbed memories & knowledge which time had passed on to him. In every season he saw bio-life changing around him like flowering in spring, leaf shedding in autumn, hibernation of animals in winter etc. Mankind always tried to explore more about Mother Nature so that he can adopt himself to the changes it brought along with her. Man’s curiosity towards knowing cosmic bodies & knowledge of Astronomy gave him the wisdom to divide the time to years, months, and days for his convenience. Man, even divided the year into various seasons based on changes he found around his surroundings like changing weather. Mankind as a whole evolved around this cycle which influenced his diet, clothing, festivals, cultivation, literature which literally influenced his culture.
Ayurveda, ‘Science of Life’ is
not just any science which boasts only about treatment but it is a science which guides you to fulfil a healthy life. In the literature of Ayurveda, we get references on Dinacarya (daily regimen), Sadvrtta (good conduct), Rtucarya (Seasonal regimen) which when followed by an individual helps him to lead a healthy life. According to Ayurveda, a year is divided into two periods (Ayana) or solstice depending upon the direction of the movement of sun
that is (Uttarayana) Northern solstice and (Dakshinanyana) Southern solstice. Each solstice consists of three seasons namely, Sisira (winter), Vasanta (spring) and Greeshma (summer) in Uttarayana and Varsha (rainy / monsoon), Sarat (autumn) and Hemantha (late autumn) in Dakshinayana. So according to Ayurveda there are six seasons and Acharya’s has advised to follow some strict diet and lifestyle modification according to the changing season by which one can maintain our equilibrium.
The Ancient Ayurveda | Nov-Dec 2020 | Page 07
Northern Solstice is the period between mid-January to mid-July when sun and wind are powerful which take away the strength of people, while southern solstice is the period between mid-Julys to mid-January when moon becomes more powerful than sun. When winter (Sisira) sets in, environment will be cold along with cold winds which fall between mid-Januarys to mid-March. In this season strength of the individual declines so he has to feed on the cereals and pulses, wheat flour, new rice and corn, milk
