There is something about November in Wisconsin that makes you want to pull on your favorite flannel, grab a warm cup of something, and settle in for a little while.
The leaves have mostly fallen, the mornings are getting colder, the days are shorter, and the landscape is slowly preparing for winter.
I love the changing seasons here. There is something about living in Wisconsin, being surrounded by woods, trees, and open land, that reminds me how connected we really are to nature.
My husband and I live on 118 acres with his wonderful parents, and we're still learning the land, figuring things out, and discovering something new along the way. There's always something to do, something to work on, something growing, changing, or needing attention.
And then there's the rest of life!
We have three kids, ages 13, 11, and 6. Between school, sports, travel, dance competitions, music lessons, work schedules, and all the other things that come with raising a family, our calendar can look like a game of Tetris.
My husband has a busy work schedule, sometimes working from home and sometimes traveling. My schedule is all over the place, too, between my work, clients, projects, and everything happening at home.
Some days we're all moving in different directions. Other days we're together, and we're trying to enjoy those moments in between everything else.
And I'm guessing some of you can relate!
Life isn't always slow, quiet, or perfectly organized. There's no magical little morning routine that makes every day go according to plan.
But this is actually one of the reasons I love Ayurveda.
What does Ayurveda have to do with November?
Ayurveda is an ancient system of health and wellness that teaches us to live in relationship with nature and pay attention to what our bodies need.
One of its beautiful teachings is that we aren't meant to live the exact same way throughout the entire year.
As the seasons change, our needs can change, too.
In Ayurveda, late fall and early winter are associated with Vata dosha, which is connected to the elements of air and space. Vata has qualities of cold, dry, light, and movement.
Think about November in Wisconsin. The temperatures drop, the wind picks up, the air becomes dry, and the trees have let go of their leaves. Everything outside begins to shift.
We can experience some of those same qualities in our bodies. We might notice drier skin, colder hands and feet, changes in digestion, feeling a little scattered, or having a harder time slowing down.
Ayurveda encourages us to bring in the opposite qualities: warmth, moisture, nourishment, grounding, and consistency.
And no, that doesn't mean you need to completely change your life or add 17 more things to your to-do list.
Thank goodness, right?
A Little More Warmth in the Kitchen
As the weather gets colder, I naturally find myself drawn toward warmer, more nourishing foods.
Soups, stews, roasted vegetables, warm breakfasts, and meals that make the house smell wonderful.
Ayurveda places a lot of importance on digestion and encourages us to pay attention to not only what we eat, but how we eat.
Are we rushing through meals? Eating while distracted? Skipping meals because we're busy getting everyone else where they need to be?
I think this is something so many of us can relate to, especially when we're raising a family and juggling a million different things.
One simple place to start is with warm water in the morning, a nourishing breakfast, and more cooked seasonal foods throughout the day.
Think ginger, cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, root vegetables, squash, and warming soups.
You don't need fancy ingredients or complicated recipes. Sometimes the simplest meals are the most nourishing.
And there's something special about gathering around a warm meal after a long, busy day.
Learning to Slow Down in a Life That Doesn't Always Slow Down
This is a big one for me.
For much of my life, I was always doing something. Working, exercising, cleaning, accomplishing, taking care of things, and keeping myself busy.
I had a hard time sitting still. Rest often felt like something I had to earn after everything else was finished.
It took some difficult experiences with my own health for me to begin looking at things differently.
I started learning that constantly pushing myself wasn't necessarily making me healthier. I needed to nourish my body, slow down, pay attention, and actually give myself time to rest.
That changed the way I looked at health.
And I still have to remind myself of those lessons.
Because let's be honest, having three kids, a husband with a busy schedule, a business, and 118 acres to learn and care for doesn't exactly mean life is suddenly quiet!
But I've learned that slowing down doesn't have to mean stopping everything.
Sometimes it's taking a few minutes in the morning before reaching for my phone.
Sometimes it's stepping outside, breathing in the crisp air, and looking around at the land.
Sometimes it's enjoying a warm shower, taking time for a little self-massage with oil, or sitting down with a cup of tea instead of immediately jumping into the next thing.
Those little moments count.
Bringing Ayurveda into Your Everyday Family Life
One of the things I love about Ayurveda is that it doesn't have to be something separate from your everyday life.
It can be part of how you care for yourself and your family.
It can look like making a warm breakfast before the kids head off to school, preparing a nourishing dinner, getting outside together, or creating a little more consistency around bedtime.
It can be choosing a warm meal instead of grabbing something cold and eating it in the car.
It can be learning which foods and routines help you feel your best.
And it can also mean recognizing that every day won't look the same.
Some days everything falls into place. Other days, the schedule changes, someone needs a ride, dinner gets pushed back, and the best-laid plans go right out the window.
That's life.
Ayurveda isn't about perfection. It's about awareness. It's about learning to recognize what your body needs and making small adjustments where you can.
A Few Simple Ways to Welcome the Season
As we move into the colder months, here are a few simple Ayurvedic practices you can bring into your everyday routine:
- Start with warmth. Enjoy a cup of warm water in the morning and give yourself a few quiet minutes before the day takes off.
- Choose nourishing, cooked foods. Soups, stews, roasted vegetables, and warm breakfasts are wonderful choices for colder weather.
- Try Abhyanga. This is the Ayurvedic practice of warm oil self-massage. It can be a lovely way to care for dry skin and create a grounding moment in your day.
- Create a little consistency. Regular meal times and a reasonably consistent bedtime can help bring more rhythm into busy days.
- Get outside. Bundle up, take a walk, enjoy the trees, and breathe in that crisp Wisconsin air.
- Make room for rest. You don't have to fill every available minute with something productive.
Start with one or two things. You don't need another long list of things to accomplish.
Let the Season Remind You
One of the things I appreciate most about spending time in nature is that it reminds me that everything has its own rhythm.
The trees don't fight the changing seasons. They don't try to hold onto every leaf. They let go when it's time.
And I think there's something we can learn from that.
As women, we spend so much of our lives taking care of everyone and everything around us. We manage schedules, families, homes, work, responsibilities, and all the little things that nobody else even notices.
Sometimes we forget to check in with the person doing all of it.
Ourselves.
So as November settles in here in Wisconsin, I'm reminding myself to bring a little more warmth into my days. To enjoy the simple things, nourish my body, spend time outside, be present with my family, and remember that rest is part of a healthy life, too.
You don't have to create a perfect routine or completely change the way you live.
Start by paying attention.
Notice the season. Notice your body. Notice what feels nourishing and what might be asking for a little adjustment.
Ayurveda gives us some beautiful tools to do just that.
And perhaps this season is a good reminder that we don't always need to do more.
Sometimes we just need to come back to what matters.
With warmth,
Khrystyna Goodman
