for Winter’s Health
Kristine Backes, MA
September–October 2017 • Vol 3, No 94
Ancient healing traditions such as Ayurveda see the transitions between the seasons as an opportunity to pause, take a break, and clear out imbalances accumulated in the previous few months. Much as we love our summers here in Montana, the long days, high temperatures and intense activity can result in excess heat lodging in our bodies.
In Ayurvedic teaching, any substance we take into our bodies that is not completely digested and either assimilated or eliminated can become a toxin, called “ama.” Ama tends to collect first in the digestive system, then spill over into the parts of the body in which we are uniquely vulnerable.
