This week I want to get you thinking about how you can support your digestive fire this season and stay healthy through the holidays and beyond. When we overeat, Nibble at parties all night, eat too late or eat foods our bodies can’t digest, we feel heavy, dull and cloudy the next day. When we eat the right amount of food, and are digesting it well, we feel lighter, energized, relaxed and clear. Elimination happens on schedule, and all is well.
Many of us awoke the day after Thanksgiving with a sense of heaviness and fatigue. The body was still processing all we had taken in the day before and needed our support in getting back to normal. One way to support your digestion after over-indulging is simply to sip some hot water or broth. After a few hours, you should feel a little more clarity returning, and the body getting back on track. When your appetite has returned, eat a simple-to-digest meal, without over-eating. If you tend to eat everything on your plate no matter what, serve yourself on a smaller plate and eat more slowly and with awareness of the food. This will slowly train you in a new pattern of recognizing when you have had enough to eat.
By giving your body some time to get back to its normal digestive capacity and not overwhelming it at the next meal, you will find yourself feeling well again soon. Ignore this practice, continue to over indulge, and you can be sure that sickness in some form will be visiting you to force the matter.
As we take delight in the pleasures of the holidays, please enjoy some of our favorite indulgences and sharing with friends and family. This time of celebration and love is so good for our hearts and souls. After the party, return to a simpler way of eating, avoiding sugar, lessening dairy and wheat this season, and eating plenty of local produce. Use more onion, garlic, and fresh ginger in your foods to support your immunity and keep you warm this winter.
If you’d like to take a closer look at your daily diet and lifestyle practices, come in for an Ayurvedic Assessment this month. I would love to tailor a diet and daily practice to support your particular body in maintaining its equilibrium this season.
With love, Shannon
P.S. This Sunday join me for a deep and renewing practice of yin style yoga and meditation at Two Dog Yoga. 5:30 – 7pm. Just what the doctor ordered to support your calm flow this season. Register here.