Ritucharya

RITUCHARYA (Seasonal Regimen)

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.

Anoint body with chandan paste and take bath with cold water.
Stay in cool places.
Wear light dresses.

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.

Panchkarma can be done.
Perfumes can be used.
Avoid sleeping at daytime, exertion and too much exposure to sunlight.

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.

Udvartan with chandan.
Bath with warm water.
Pearls give soothing effect from aggravated pita.

Ayurveda Lifestyle

Dinacharya

Ritucharya

Ayurvedic Diet