September is when autumn arrives in earnest. The cool mornings are showing up, the body is asking for warm breakfasts and grounding food, and the autumn spices come into their own. Ayurveda's September practices are about giving the body what it needs to make the seasonal transition smoothly: stewed fruit instead of cold cereal, autumn spices in everything, abhyanga as the daily oil practice, and dressing properly so you do not fritter away the resources you need for the cold months ahead.
What stewed fruit is, and why it is the classic September breakfast
In Ayurveda we only eat a warm breakfast. Cold breakfast cereal sets the wrong pattern for autumn. Stewed fruit is the classic answer.
Susan's stewed fruit is the consistency of pudding. The fruits you cook together in autumn:
- Apples
- Raisins (raisins remove excess heat, which helps with constipation)
- Pears
- Peaches
- Apricots
Any of these fruits cooked together work. The rule: never have melons or citrus with anything else, but autumn fruits cook beautifully together.
The method: take a saucepan, cut up the fruit, and keep the peel on unless you have poor digestion. The peels have the most nutrients in the fruit. Apple peels break down well; apples, pears, and peaches all keep the peel on.
Cut up the fruit, remove seeds and pits and stems, add ghee (Kapha half a teaspoon, Vata one or two teaspoons, Pitta one teaspoon), and add spices according to your constitutional needs.
What the autumn spices do (and how to use them)
The autumn spices are the medicine cabinet for September:
- Cinnamon. Reduces deep cold in the body and provides lung support.
- Cardamom. Breaks up mucus. Number one anti-mucus spice. Helps you ground and clear the head. Ayurvedic breath mint.
- Ginger. The universal medicine. Great for immunity, digestion, and circulation.
- Cloves. A fantastic diaphoretic. Brings trapped heat up to the surface, up to the pores, where you release it. Helps release excess heat. Power spice.
- Star anise. A late-summer-into-autumn warming spice.
- Pippali (long pepper). The power of pepper but does not disturb Vata.
Use these in the stewed fruit, in tea, in soups. They are the autumn signature.
How to dress for the September seasonal transition
Susan's four autumn tips for keeping the body strong:
Keep your body temperature stable. Do not get too cold at night or too overheated in the afternoon. If you are cold when you wake up, drink some warm ginger and cardamom tea. This is about conserving your body's resources. You need them to prepare for winter.
Stay covered on the cool mornings and evenings. Use a scarf to cover your neck, a hat to cover your head and ears, a tank top under your clothes to fully cover your torso, and socks to warm your feet during these cooler days. The body is working hard to make this seasonal transition go smoothly for you.
Eat warming, soothing, and easily digestible meals. Baked apples, root vegetables, soups, and stews. If you live somewhere hot, have some fresh-made hummus or fennel bulb pesto.
Avoid diuretics like caffeine and dry foods. Keep reducing all caffeine as you approach the cleanse. Watermelon with a little fresh ground coriander and a sprinkle of pink salt would be great in early September. Do not forget pomegranate juice in late summer and early autumn.
Why abhyanga is the September daily practice
Abhyanga is the number-one thing to do in September. Daily oil massage feeds the skin, holds water in the body, and prepares the system for the dryness of autumn proper.
The same dosha-specific oils Susan teaches in August work in September: Brahmi coconut for Pitta, Aswaganda bala for Vata, Brahmi sesame for Kapha.
What the autumn cleanse is
September is the entry point for the autumn cleanse at Sarasvati. The cleanse is about clearing the trapped heat from summer before the body locks into winter mode. Susan runs a guided autumn cleanse on the school's Mighty Networks platform with seasonal recipes and daily practices.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Ayurvedic breakfast in September?
Stewed fruit, the consistency of pudding. Cooked apples, raisins, pears, peaches, and apricots together in a saucepan, with the peels on (unless you have poor digestion), seeds and pits removed, ghee added by dosha, and autumn spices stirred in.
Which spices are in season in autumn?
Cinnamon (reduces deep cold), cardamom (breaks up mucus), ginger (the universal medicine), cloves (releases trapped heat), star anise, and pippali (long pepper, which gives you the power of pepper without disturbing Vata).
How should I dress in September?
Cover the head, neck, chest, and ears. Use a scarf, a hat, a tank top under your clothes for the torso, and socks for the feet. The body is working hard on the seasonal transition; do not waste its resources by getting cold.
What food is best in September if I live somewhere hot?
Fresh-made hummus, fennel bulb pesto, or other foods that are easy to digest. You can still eat watermelon in early September with coriander and pink salt if it is hot. Pomegranate juice is the late-summer carryover.
What is the autumn cleanse, and when does it happen?
Susan runs a guided autumn cleanse starting in September at Sarasvati. The cleanse releases trapped heat from summer before the body locks into winter mode. Recipes and daily practices live on the Mighty Networks platform.