Ayurveda teaches us how to flow with seasonal change, so we can maintain positive energy and balance. Discover how to adapt your workouts during each season to create a robust immune system that supports resilience and lasting health.
Our environment impacts our mental and physical health.
When it’s windy, our skin and hair tends to be dry.
When it’s hot and we are spending time outside, we need additional hydration or there can be a tendency to overheat.
When it’s cold, we may feel stiff and our joints might ache more.
Seasonal shifts add stress to our systems. Our body and mind feel the seasons change whether we are aware of it or not.
Different seasons have different characteristics. These varying characteristics cause our body-mind-spirit to require different nutrition, exercise and self-care routines at different times of the year.
What your body needs in the spring is very different from what it needs in the fall.
What you do during the cold of winter is different from what you do during the heat of summer.
According to Ayurveda (eye-your-vay-dah), each season carries its own unique qualities and influences how we feel, move, and live.
Ayurveda aka: The “Science of Living”
Ayurveda is a holistic science that began in India more than 3,000 years ago. It is based on the idea that an imbalance in one area of life or in the body can affect another. And when an imbalance is not fixed, disease and illness can occur.
Ayurveda (like most eastern medicine) focuses on getting to the root cause of health issues. And uses an understanding of the elements (fire, water, earth, air, ether) to create balance.
As things change in our outer environment, it can cause imbalances in our inner environment. So, it is helpful to make adjustments to our lifestyles each season as a way to be proactive about our health and well-being.
I’m not an Ayurvedic doctor, I’m a movement and manual therapist who loves systems that work. And Ayurveda is a system that is simple and effective – and it works!
When I put Ayurveda’s principles into practice, I notice:
- Less joint aches and pains
- Better balance
- Feeling more grounded and calm
- Less illness, more good energy
- Advantageous connection with the world around me
- A deeper sense of health that flows easily and naturally
The Power of Opposites to Create Balance and Longevity
Ayurveda’s teachings really boil down to one simple concept: it’s all about balancing opposite qualities.
As we think about the qualities of each season, ask yourself:
How do these qualities show up in my life?
And how can I bring in the opposite qualities to balance them out?
Qualities of each Season According to Ayurveda:
- Summer – hot, bright, sharp, intense
- Fall – dry, rough, light, mobile, cold.
- Winter – cold, dark, depleted, reflection, hibernation
- Spring – moist, heavy, warm, heavy, blooming, growing
Keep these qualities in mind as we dive into what type of fitness routines and workouts support balance in each season.
How Do Seasonal Fitness Adjustments Benefit Health and Longevity
Nothing in nature is meant to always stay the same.
Everything changes whether we like it or not.
Nature and our environment is going to change with the seasons – these shifts add stress to our physical systems whether we are aware of it or not.
When you acknowledge the shift in your environment by adding in self-care routines that help you balance the qualities that are currently being stirred about in nature – your body-mind-spirit responds with good health and energy.
These shifts are a simple and beneficial way to keep yourself healthy, strong and resilient all year long. And these practices will help you avoid burn-out and fatigue.
How to Adjust Your Fitness Routine for Every Season: A Holistic Approach
Summer
The Summer qualities of “hot, “bright,” “sharp,” “intense,” tend to aggravate or perpetuate things like;
- Stomach acidity,
- skin rashes,
- aggressiveness,
- frustration,
- Anger,
- irritability,
- exhaustion,
- fatigue
To counteract these Summer qualities you want to practice things that keep you sweet, cool & calm.
Summer fills the body with a fiery force. During this season we may feel more motivation to exercise & move – ride the inspiration wave but, please listen to your body, rest and hydration are key elements to well-being too!
Ayurveda Inspired Exercise in the Summer Season
- Cultivate a sense of relaxed effort and flow in your movements – yoga, dance, jogging, etc.
- When it is especially hot, and you feel very heated – be mindful not to push too hard – about 70-80% exertion is good.
- When possible, strenuous exercise should be done in the morning or evening, when it is not too hot.
- Practice breathing in and out through your nostrils when exercising – to avoid overheating.
- Practice yoga poses like backbends and twists – to help release heat from the body.
- Practice a cooling breath like Sitali Pranayama. Click this link to view a video on how-to.
💡 Pro tip: Focus on finding fluidity in your movements. Think “water-like” movement during the summer season.
Fall
Characteristics of the fall season, can be described as – “dry,” “light,” “windy,” “cold,” “rough,” “empty,” “mobile”
Fall season can have pretty harsh effects on the body.
These characteristics tend to aggravate or perpetuate things like;
- achy muscles & joints,
- anxiety, worry,
- dry skin/hair,
- constipation,
- depression,
- airheadedness,
- Fatigue,
- Poor sleep/insomnia
To counteract these harsh effects on the body and mind, add in things that feel nurturing and calming. This is the season to stay grounded, warm and calm.
Ayurveda Inspired Exercise for the Fall Season
- Balancing exercises
- Stabilizing exercises
- Planks & side planks
- Single arm/leg movements
- Pilates exercises
- Yoga (Gentle type classes) (This Youtube playlist is full of Gentle Yoga practices)
- Non-Sleep Deep Rest (aka: Yoga Nidra) Guided Relaxation Practices, like this.
- Breathing Techniques (Try this grounding Bhramari Pranayama practice)
💡 Pro tip: Focus on stabilizing by holding exercises longer instead of rushing.
Examples:
- 5 slow, mindful squats > 15 fast, mindless box jumps
- 90-second plank > 20 quick push-ups
- 30 minutes in the sauna > 30 minutes of jogging
Winter
Winter qualities – “cold,” “dry,” “dark,” “depleted”
These qualities tend to aggravate or perpetuate things like;
- Anxiety,
- depression,
- loneliness,
- constipation,
- dry skin,
- insomnia,
- not-good-enoughness,
- not-doing-enoughness
Ayurveda Inspired Exercise for Winter Season
- Practice with the purpose to increase heat within the body
- Keep your inner fire stoked with a daily energizing practice
- Slow & intentional movements – focus on precision
- Longer holds to increase muscle recruitment, build endurance & focus
- Invigorating breath – try Breath of fire or Bellow’s breath, like this
- Expansive stretches that allow prana to flow
💡 Pro tip: Focus on building and maintaining internal heat through deep breathing and precise movements.
Spring
Spring tends to have qualities like; “moist, “heavy,” “warm,” “gentle,” “unctuous.”
In the Spring there is a natural tendency towards new growth, but new growth without getting rid of the old garbage only leads to congestion.
This is why the qualities of Spring tend to aggravate or perpetuate things like;
- sinus/chest congestion,
- hay fever,
- colds,
- allergies,
- Sluggishness
Spring energy thrives in things that bring us heat and lightness in order to support our natural process of renewal.
Ayurveda Inspired Exercise for Spring Season
- This is the season to move your body!
- Exercise is especially helpful in countering this heavy and wet season – the improved circulation and heat results in feelings of lightness.
- Good time of year to push yourself a little more physically with longer, more intense workouts
- Focus on cleansing the lungs with an invigorating breath practice like, Breath of Fire or Bellow’s Breath, like this
- Add in lots of stretches that open up the chest and sides of the body – hold stretches until you feel you’ve challenged, then take one more deep breath.
💡 Pro tip: This is the season to move your body A LOT. The more you can sweat, breathe heavy and work your muscles the better you will feel.
I hope this post will help you adapt your fitness routines to balance the energy of each season, so you can feel your best all year long!
If you’re looking for more guidance, I offer online live group trainings twice a year (once in the winter/spring, and another in the summer/fall) to help you find consistent and mindful exercise.
Click here to learn more about the 8-Week Holistic Strength Training program.
Cheers to deeper awareness, longevity, and health that flows with nature.
-Jessi Rose
