Seasonal Living

How this section works

Ayurveda reads the year in seasons, and each season through the three doshas. The classical name for adjusting your routine to the time of year is ritucharya; adjusting it to the time of day is dinacharya. This section collects both.

The seasonal guides follow the year as the classical texts describe it: Kapha season in late winter and spring, Pitta season in summer, and Vata season in autumn and early winter. Each guide sets out which dosha the season is traditionally linked with, what that means for food, sleep and movement, and how the advice changes with your own dosha. The equinox guide covers the change-over weeks between seasons.

The daily-rhythm guides apply the same idea to a single day, which Ayurveda divides into Kapha, Pitta and Vata periods: start with the morning routine, then the evening routine.

If you do not know your dosha yet, take the dosha quiz first. It takes about 4 minutes, and every guide here reads differently once you know it. Then pick the guide for the season you are in now.