October Favourites

October is an eventful month in our year. The morning and nights get darker; the temperature drops; visually, our landscape begins to change and the clocks go back. Below are the tools I have used to guide me through the month.

Tongue Scraping

Autumn is usually the season where we begin to catch colds and flus. With kapha in the air, its damp qualities begin to manifest in the body. In ayurveda, the tongue is our visual aid to understand what is going on within the body.

When toxins begin to build up within, these toxins, ama, can be seen on the tongue as a thick white coating. When we wake up, this ama is more prominent as the body detoxifies over night. By scraping the tongue we can remove the ama before re-ingesting it back into the body.

Simply run the scraper over the tongue from back to front and rinse.

I personally use Dr Tung

Flowers

Buying a bunch of flowers can really brighten up a space as well as uplift our mood. We tend to buy flowers for others but rarely ourselves.

Why not treat yourself and be reminded that its the little things in life that matter.

Earth is Hiring

This book reframes how the majority of us were brought up to see success. By understanding that different generations are born with different 'coding', we can then realise that just because an older generation's version of success dominates life now, doesn't mean that it is fit for purpose for generations that have followed.

We now see a lot of millennial success as using the internet as a form of income and freedom; something older generations would find different and possibly challenging to comprehend. I'm sure we will see Generation Z, the generation that was born into technology, create a whole new definition of success with their unique coding.

A thought provoking read for those that are seeking an alternative to the 'success' framework that is currently set in place .

Pumpkin

Ayurveda teaches us to eat seasonal food. When we work with nature, we are closer to a natural state of being. Although most of us buy pumpkins in October for decoration, the reason they are harvested at this time has another meaning.

Pumpkin specifically helps pacify (balance) vata, the current season we are in where vata can easily blow (literally) out of balance. Pumpkin/squash has wet and sweet qualities , opposite to vata's dry cooling properties.

Pumpkin is versatile and can be roasted, blended into soups or puree's, added to pasta or sliced into stripes to replace lasagne sheets.

Here is my go to roasted pumpkin soup recipe:

You'll need:

- 1 small pumpkin/medium butternut squash cut into small cubes

- 1 diced red onion

- 3 chopped cloves of garlic

- 1-2 litres of vegetable stock

- Mixed herbs or use fresh rosemary, thyme, sage

- All purpose seasoning.

- High speed blender

Method:

1. Preheat the the oven to 220°c.

2. Placed chopped pumpkin onto a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, add a coating of all purpose and herbs. Mix together and place in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft and has began to caramelise around the edges.

3.Whilst waiting for the pumpkin to cook, add the diced onion and chopped garlic into a medium sized pot with a drizzle of olive oil. Sweat down until onions are translucent.

4. Once the pumpkin is ready, add to the pan with the onion mix and stir until the pumpkin begins to break down.

5. Begin pouring the vegetable stock in until it just covers the mixture. Gently simmer for 5 minutes to amalgamate the flavours.

6. Add the mixture and blend on a high speed until smooth.

7. Pour back into the original pan and depending on the texture desired, add more stock in.

8. Taste, and add salt/pepper as required.

9. Serve with some warm bread or if your feeling fancy, sage butter to go on top.

Balansana

Balasana is a perfect pose for this final stage of the year. It requires us to surrender to stillness and is a reminder to slow down, breathe and reconnect; just as autumn teaches us.

As a forward fold, child's pose literally makes us face ourselves and look within; an opportunity to reflect and enjoy being rather than doing.