READ ONLY IF ITS AUTUMN (FALL) 🍂... OR IF YOU 🖤 TURMERIC LATTES
... and so if you are, chances are is that you're in the Southern Hemisphere somewhere, which has a completely different weather to the northern parts of the world. If you've been in southern Victoria, Australia, like me, you'd notice that the air is cooler and drier, and there's also some crazy winds going on. This was both awesome (we need rain) and a little unsettling (wind can rattle the solidity of the ground beneath our feet).
Please don't stop reading if you love a turmeric latte though! Scroll down for the recipe! I've also included an awesome tea recipe which is great for digestion.
In Ayurvedic science (which means life knowledge or science) this time of the year is predominately VATTA dosha. This means our environment can be cold and windy, drying and unsettling (think of sore dry throats and feeling anxious and unsettled). Dammit, though, I envy you lot that live in countries with just one weather - warm, torquoise oceans and a touch of coconut and pina coladas, am I right? Here, we have 20 seasons in one day, let alone four in a year. I know it's Autumn as soon as the days get shorter, the mornings get icier, and there's spider webs catching the light between the trees...
Doshas are energies that define every person's makeup - they are set at birth according to what is happening politically, socially, personally (i.e what's going on for your parents) at that time. They never change for you - but, they can get out of balance. Most of us will fall into a Vatta, Pitta or Kapha category and if you'd like to do a quiz to figure out your 'type' you can find out online - there's a good one at Banyan Botanicals. I don't want to go into details because - cough cough, disclaimer! - I'm no expert on this stuff, but know enough to think it works.
A Vatta constitution is awesome - you're far more likely to be creative, mentally alert and highly imaginative, lively, fun, joyful and enthusiastic. On the flip side, quick to forget, excitable and talk too fast (the best thing to do is consciously talk slowly, calming down your nervous system!), have cold hands and feet, irregular routines and poor digestion. This can be true for many of us experiencing vatta weather or vatta like imbalances, along with fear, worry, anxiety, impulsiveness, distracted thoughts, dry skin and hair, headaches, back pain, tummy issues, menstrual cramps and so on.
As Ayurveda teaches, like attracts like. So if you're a Vatta person, you're more likely to be thrown out of balance by vatta weather. At this time of year, more than others, you might be finding sleep a little tricky, feeling a bit forgetful, anxious, nervous and edgy even if you're not a Vatta type. If you're a yogi, this is the time of year where you'll find it really hard to settle into savasana without opening your eyes or at least them rolling around in your sockets. This was the clincher for me - I wasn't sure if I was actually affected by this Autumn or not, but then realised that for the last few weeks, there was no way I could shut my eyes in yoga or settle on one thing - my thoughts are racing more than usual and I'm overthinking.
“Overthinking will not empower you over things that are beyond your control. So, let it be if it is meant to be and cherish the moment."
Mahsati A
“The head thinks. The heart knows.”
Rasheed Ogunlaru
The other thing that Ayurveda teaches is that the opposite is your cure. So if you are feeling airy, spacey, nervous and out there, you need something to bring you back down to earth.
This is where yoga comes in - apart from a headstand, which isn't that grounding (last time I tried to do a freestanding one, I flipped over and smashed a hole in the plaster, so no, I get why that' s not so grounding) anything with your head below your heart is a really great shape to make.
Think child's pose, supine twists or hip openers, forward folds. I was thinking of how close yin and its relationship to Chinese theories suit this Ayurvedic understanding really well - both say that the large intestines need support at this time of the year. The gut, of course, is linked to the vagus nerve, which regulates the parasympathetic nervous system - the rest and digest response in the body. Supine twists and forward folds are exactly what you want to be doing to aid digestive processes at this time of the year, and if you're doing that and breathing deep, regular, even breaths, you're activating this nerve. Having experienced anxiety most of my life, and especially in the last few years, I've learnt to tune in to my subtle body and recognise that that Vatta energies at play. The best thing I can do to help myself is to get down on the floor, shut my eyes, forward fold and breath - with slow, even, diaphragm conscious breaths. At those times, I couldn't give a shit what anyone calls it - I just know it's helping me.
There's also things we can do with our diets that help us out. In Australia, corn chips and guacamole are almost a staple diet - but they are almost the worst things for us, because they're drying and cold - exactly what Autumnal weather is all about. We need warming, wet, oily foods.
One of the easiest and tastiest vatta pacifying drinks that fulfil this criteria is so damn good it shouldn't be healthy! Turmeric lattes aren't just a Melbourne coffee shop fad, they are an amazing drink that can help soothe and calm us (don't forget coffee is the WORST thing we can be drinking if we are feeling the effects of Vatta weather or imbalance). I'd love to share this recipe with you. I did talk an Instagram friend into it once, who I'd met online but lived in America, and every now and then she affectionately blames me for blaming her kitchen bench, her clothes and her duvet cover with yellowy turmeric. Let this be a warning to you!
We used to make this recipe when we were young - it was well before turmeric lattes were trendy. We'd get a beaten up old saucepan and some spices, and share it with friends in front of a fire with a spliff. I might not have a spliff anymore, but I still love turmeric lattes in winter.
Turmeric 'Golden Mylk' with a Chai Twist
Sliced chopped fresh turmeric 5cm piece, peeled (or 1 heaped teaspoon turmeric powder)
Sliced fresh ginger 3cm piece
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 - 3 cups of milk - your choice (I love coconut milk!) or half milk, half water
1 cinnamon stick or 1 tsp of cinnamon
2 cloves
2 cardoman pods
Pinch of chilli (optional)
2 slices of fresh ginger
A few shakes of organic black pepper (this helps absorb the benefits of turmeric)
Add all ingredients to a pan and slowly warm. Simmer/heat for about 15 minutes to really release the spices. You might like to sweeten it if you wish.
You can make this mixture in advance with only a tiny bit of water to steep the spices, add some honey and then store in the fridge. Bring out a tsp to add to warm milk when you fancy a vatta pacifying drink!
Vatta Pacifying Herbal Tea
Vatta pacifying remedies always suggest that you don't drink cold water if you are feeling unbalanced. This is a hard one for me as I'm always drinking lots of water to hydrate! However, this is a great tea to have just slightly warm in a thermos or insulated cup to sip through the day - and it's easy to make!
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 slices of fresh ginger
1 tsp licorice root
Simmer all spices for 15 minutes or until the brew looks nicely strong. Strain and add honey or sweetener to taste.
What do you do in this crazy ass with to calm and ground? Are you a Vatta type? If so, pllleeeeassse give me your tips and tricks!
Awesome post @riverflows! So much info... it reminds me I had intended on getting back to doing a bit of yoga, but I need to find my yoga pants first (that's my excuse and i'm sticking to it 😉)
Lovely photos to illustrate too. You're a photographer as well?
Thanks heaps. Im not a photographer!! This is the first post where I cheated by using images from elsewhere. You can see the little box and the arrow underneath is the link so Im not plagiarising or claimimg them as my own. Beautiful arent they!!!! Thanks heaps for the comment. Xx and getcha yoga pants on girl!!! You qont regret it... we only regret the yoga we didnt do!!!
The sunlit dark forest and the forward fold (me) are mine though 😁😁😁🕉
They're perfect!
I love TURMERIC LATTES!! And with coconut milk too!! Best way to go :D Do you make your own coconut milk?
Noooo but i SHOULD... a local cafe does in Torquay though! They are so good!
It's so cheap to make... and it tastes so much better!! Better for you too! You need to have the right goods to make it easily though! : )
We should be experiencing spring here, but it's still cool rainy with patches of snow, which means I still crave warm soothing drinks like this! I have most of the ingredients so I'll be trying it this week. Here's a peek at a REALLY OLD post of what I usually make for my Not-a-Latte, but that's more of a heavy winter drink. Thanks for the inspiration!