hamburger
×
Digit General Insurance Logo
Powered By Digit
mobile-img

Get your ABHA Card Online

Create and Download Instantly

desktop-img

What is the Ritucharya in Ayurveda?

What is Ritucharya?

List of 6 Ritucharya According to Ayurveda

We know that the external environment, due to seasonal changes, influences our body. During the changes in the seasons, one’s body may fall to Dosha Vaishamya and become susceptible to catching diseases. As previously discussed, Ritucharya divides the year into 2 Kaalas and 3 seasons each, and these are:

Kaala Season
Adaan Kaal/ Northern Solstice/ Uttaryana (14 January to 14 July)
  • Shishir Ritu (Winter) Mid-January to Mid-March
  • Vasant Ritu (Spring) Mid-March to Mid-May
  • Grishma Ritu (Summer) Mid-May to Mid-July
Visarga Kaal/ Southern Solstice/ Dakshinayana (14 July to 14 January)
  • Varsha Ritu (Monsoon) Mid- July to Mid- September
  • Sharad Ritu (Autumn/ Fall) Mid- September to Mid- November
  • Hemant Ritu (Late Autumn/Pre-Winter) Mid-November to mid-January

Adaan Kaal/Uttarayan/Northern Solstice

Duration Mid-January to Mid-March (Winter)
Diets You should eat more sour foods like Amla during this season. According to Ritucharya, you should consume more salty, fatty, sweet, and fermented food items. You should increase your consumption of food items like pulses, cereals, rice, and milk. It would be best to incorporate condiments like ginger, garlic, Pippali, and Haritaki in your meals.

On the contrary, you should avoid consuming food that has astringent or cooling properties. Ritucharya also recommends avoiding spicy and bitter foods during this season as it will increase the Kapha levels in your body.
Lifestyle Massage your scalp and body with oil and shower with lukewarm water. Wear warm clothes and expose yourself more to sunlight, especially after a bath.

Duration Mid-March to Mid-May (Spring)
Diets You should incorporate food you can easily digest into your daily diet during this season. Eat more rice, old barley, Mugda, and cereals. Pungent, bitter, and astringent foods like bitter gourd and neem should also be a part of a Ritucharya-based diet. Besides, you must incorporate honey in your meals and beverages. Avoid foods that are sour, sweet, cold, and heavy.
Lifestyle You should avoid sleeping during day time during this season. It is also a good idea to perform Nasya to clear out the nasal passageways.

Duration Mid-May to Mid- July (Summer) 
Diets During this time of the year, you should eat more mineral-rich, light, sweet, and cold foods.

Drink ample amounts of water and fruit juices to stay hydrated. Some ideal produce for the summer seasons are fresh coconut water, watermelon, fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables, and leafy greens. Additionally, avoid the consumption of warm, pungent, and sour foods.
Lifestyle Nap in the daytime and staying in cool and shaded places when going outside are some of the things Ritucharya recommends. You can also apply sandalwood before and after the shower if possible. Avoid excess consumption of alcohol and cold water, which lowers digestive Agni.

Visarga Kaal/ Dakshinayana/ Southern Solstice

Duration Mid-July to Mid-September (Monsoon)
Diets According to Ritucharya in Ayurveda, you should eat more sour, salty, and oily foods during monsoon. Drink lots of soup and incorporate lots of ginger in your meals. Start the season with light meals but slowly transition into oily foods to not shock your body. You should avoid difficult-to-digest food and excess liquid and wine. 
Lifestyle Avoid getting wet in the rain and napping in the daytime. Additionally, you should avoid hanging out near riverbanks.

Duration Mid-September to Mid-November (Autumn)
Diets Ritucharya advises one to consume sweet, bitter, and easy-to-digest food items. Some food items you can incorporate in your meals are wheat, sugar, honey, patola, green grams, and animal meat like goat meat. On the contrary, you should avoid consuming fats, fish, and oil.
Lifestyle During this season, you should eat only when you are hungry. Furthermore, Ritucharya suggests that you use water that is kept out in the Sun so that sunlight sanitises the water. It is also recommended to opt for Panchakarma practices like Raktamokshana. 

Duration Mid- November to Mid- January (Winter)
Diets According to Ritucharya, you follow a diet with lots of sweet, salty, sour, and unctuous food items. You should also eat food made with flour, green grams, and freshly harvested rice. Additionally, increase the intake of milk and milk products, fats, meat, sesame, and fermented foods.
Lifestyle During this season, you should exercise regularly and massage your head and body parts with oil. Furthermore, you should bathe in warm water and sunbathe if possible. You should avoid napping during the day and exposing yourself to cold winds.

What are the Benefits of Ritucharya?

In Ayurveda, among seasonal treatments, Ritucharya aims to adjust the body and mind to the habits according to the season. Following Ritucharya brings several benefits, including but not limited to the following:

Benefits Description
Stronger Immunity Living and eating as per the season, Ritucharya improves the body's immunity and resistance to seasonal/environmental changes and diseases.
Better Digestion Following the seasonal eating pattern in the correct season gives the body important nutrients while stirring the digestive fire (Agni) properly.
Energised Body and Mind Cycz borderline guide paren reflexive sedentary and consistent natural energy provisions while enduring boredom, lethargy, and fatigue.
Concentration Improvement Helping form beliefs by practising seasonal activities can improve thinking and focus while at work, resulting in lesser stress.
Negative Health Effects Consistent observance of practised routines within Ritucharya will manage any ailments or chronic conditions by curtailing their emergence.
Healthy Weight A seasonally changing diet and lifestyle can improve the body’s metabolism, which, in this case, aids in retaining the child's optimum weight.
Improved Skin Quality In the treatment of sunny skin, the summer season tends to require a lot of adaptation in terms of skincare and diet.

How to Perform Ritucharya?

FAQs about Ritucharya in Ayurveda