AYURVEDA AND WINTER WELLNESS by Fran Lewis @franlewisyoga 

As we move deeper into the winter months it is a great time for self-care, not only taking time for some grounding yoga classes in the cosy studio at Sunshine but looking closer to home, what you can bring in for yourself in terms of winter wellness? 

I use the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda for so many great wellness tips! 

What is Ayurveda though and where does it come from? 

‘Ayur’ means life and ‘veda’ means wisdom, so it is really the science of life and is an amazing tool to support your wellbeing and also makes a lot of sense once you begin to explore it! 

Ayurveda can help us create healthy daily rituals. Maybe we have been doing the same routine for a long time? Now is a good time to look at it with fresh eyes, a new beginning as the new moon this week has given us and this winter reset offers us. 

All this knowledge spans back over 5000 years. In recent years Ayurveda is slowly beginning to come into the mainstream and we are awakening to this eastern way of treating dis ‘ease’ in the body. Ayurveda tries to connect all the dots when it comes to disease and disharmony and look at health as mind body and soul all connected rather than separated as we sometimes know of western medicine.  

What I love about Ayurveda is that you don’t really have to know much – most of the time all it requires is listening to your intuition, following nature’s lead and more often than not you already know what do! 

According to Ayurveda a healthy person is a person whose energies are balanced. 

• Strong digestive fire

• Balanced emotions

• Clear senses

• Well-functioning processes

• Calm mind

• Nourished Body tissues

Of course, sometimes these can become imbalanced and when this happens in Ayurveda, we can look at this through your “doshas” which is “faults” translated from Sanskrit. I don’t like to think of them as faults thought, more underlying imbalances. 

Have you ever done your dosha quiz? Perhaps take a moment to take on the internet, there are a few online if you do a search. 

What are the doshas? These are the energies we are all uniquely made up of – Vata, Pitta, Kapha – and they are all related to the elements – earth, fire, air, ether, water. 

We are in Vata season at the moment. Vata is the primary leading dosha in the body linked to the air element. So often most things can be treated well by putting Vata back in balance. 

Nowadays we often have Vata imbalances due to lots of travelling, busy work-life, family life commitments and our overall pace of life is fast and often not in routine. This all causes our Vata to go off whack! 

Now we are in Vata season, air wind cold dry qualities are all around us. These can manifest in the body / mind as imbalances – dry hair, nails, skin, constipation, disturbed sleep, fatigue, anxiety, scattered mind. 

We need to try and cultivate practices in our daily lives to keep things a little more calm and grounded.

So here are some ideas below to give you some tips of things you can begin to adopt in your daily to balance your Vata dosha and bring yourself into balance at this time when we are most likely to suffer colds, coughs and winter flu.  

• Food - as we move into autumn very drying time, thinking of leaves wrinkled and falling from trees, this is what is happening to our skin! So nourishing foods, ghee, unclarified butter can really lubricate the digestive system, warming drinks, milky etc, root veggies, soups, warming spices, lentils and dahl.

• By nature vata characterises itself as mobile, dry, irregular, cold rough light……so building a routine – wake up and bedtimes, regular mealtimes, minimise travel, or if you travel a lot incorporate some grounding practice counteract the imbalance! This will all give better digestion as well.

• Early to bed – this is key to keeping our vata in check.

• Slowing down. Vata people have lively quick minds. So, slowing down is essential to bring this back into balance. Add a yin practice to your weekly routine. Opt for sports such as gentle walks in nature grounding to the earth energy to counter balance all the air! Tai Chi, Pilates, swimming these all ground rather than high energy competitive sports.

• Abhyanga – I have always done this practice ever since I knew about Ayurveda – there is something so calming soothing and grounding about smothering yourself in warm oil, like a protective blanket and it’s so good for the skin to counter balance the dryness of Vata. If you haven’t got time for a full abhyanga then a warm bath with essential oils, frankincense, geranium, orange, cinnamon, patchouli, ginger cardamon are all great for balancing vata.

• Mind – vata can make for a quick scattered mind so trying to incorporate some mindful creativity into your day, some relaxing cooking, painting or simply reading. At this time of year maybe wreath making, picking holly and creating an arrangement at home, or making an altar space with winter foliage and candles can all be really calming for vata minds and sooth any anxiety. These are all things we may do but slowing down noticing and being more mindful and grateful while we do these things can really make a difference!

• Meditation – you may already have a practice. But slowing the mind really is a game changing for mental health taking out any imbalances and really has a physical impact is a massive beneficial way. Why not come along to our free meditation practice on Sundays to help get you started?

• Creating some time for your own self-care – this really is something we should all do more of. It is our human nature to constantly be thinking of others caring for others, we need to fill out own cup first, being kind to ourselves is going to help our vata imbalance.

• And finally, it is cold at this time of year, opt for warmer environments which doesn’t mean hop on a plane and go on holiday as not all of us can! But simply a warm bath, hot steam room if you have access to one, a massage, or abhyanga with warm oil mentioned before can all help. Try to avoid excess exposure to wind and cold – wrap up warm, hats, scarves, gloves, warm coats, wear warm earthy colours, listen to soothing music and light warm candles, surround yourself by warm kind hearted people!

• If crystals are your thing, then rose or clear quartz, citrine, jade, amethyst, green aventurine, aquamarine are all warming, grounding and nurturing, great to have around at this time of year.

I really hope that these little tips and tools may help support your during this winter season. You can find me at Sunshine Café and Yoga in Penryn on Tuesdays and Saturday mornings teaching yoga and I would be so happy to chat about anything Ayurveda or if you have any more questions! 

Warm wishes and winter blesssings 

Fran 

This was a very exciting and fun feature in Issue 13 of 91 Magazine, here’s the full interview we did. I loved reflecting on all that went into Sunshine!

1. Why did you decide to open the cafe?

I think I've always dreamt of opening my own cafe by the sea. I was living in the French Alps and had the discussion with a friend of opening a cafe & yoga studio, as we both felt this such a beautiful combination. I love the cafe culture around the world and when I have been travelling/living in other countries, it's an integral part of my lifestyle. I wanted to bring inspiration from all these places and set up a little haven of Sunshine in Cornwall, centred around community & connection.

2. How would you describe the inspiration of the interior style?

Again, I've drawn inspiration from travels around the world - Morocco, Bali, Los Angeles, Scandinavia, The French Apls. Ultimately, I wanted to create a calm & inviting space that people feel inclined to stay in a while - sip one of our warming drinks & enjoy good food, stretch in a yoga class or head for a massage in our Healing Room. I wanted to work with a lot of wood and natural materials to get that earthy, grounding feel. Our walls are all clad in white-painted scaffold boards and we've teamed this with lots of warm oak tones around the rest of the space. It's a beautiful old granite barn, that was built in 1815, so we've made a feature of some of the original wall and the ceiling beams. We've added in lots of intriguing plants, Moroccan & Indonesian textiles and a mixture of local artwork to bring some extra energy into the space.

3. What three words do you feel best describes the feeling of the space?

Calming, Nourishing, Community

4. I love the paragraph about the sun and the moon (light and dark) on your website (dreamy!) - does the sun or moon feature in your design inspiration at all? I'd imagine from the name it may!

Thank you! We love the duality of the sun & moon. I worked with our wonderful architect, Andy, to design our moon scape yoga studio doors. They are a special feature in our space and I love how the light glows through them at different times of the day. Our name came from a love of sunshine, how it boosts mood & evokes a freedom and longing to be outdoors in nature. We have some big, beautiful crittal-style windows in our cafe space, that let the sunlight stream through. We included 3 large skylights in the roof of our studio and mezzanine space, which lets in gorgeous natural light, it was important for us to get as much natural light in as possible. The building has incredible high ceilings and old, original A-frame beams that work so well with the natural light.

5. Have you used any sustainable materials - if so, why was choosing these materials important for you?

We used reclaimed scaffold boards for our outdoor furniture and some indoor features, this was a good way to work sustainably, whilst also giving more character & a story to part of our design. The outside of our Healing Room is also clad in these reclaimed scaffold boards and I love the little markings and numbers in the wood that tell of a life before Sunshine. We also tried to source mostly second hand furniture for our cafe, as this seemed a way to reduce waste and breathe a new life into some old, but sturdy pieces.

6. The cafe menu looks delicious - how did you decide on your plant based menu?

Thank you! Growing up, my Mum was a bit of a health nut, so it's always been important for me to eat healthily, cleanly & a majority wholefood diet. Nowadays, there's a lot of processed vegan food out there, but we only want to serve balanced wholefood in our cafe that is good for you! Again, I was inspired by health food from around the world and we've tried to combine that with seasonal & local produce. We work closely with Cusgarne Organic Farm, which is just down the road and they supply us with lots of fresh & seasonal veg for our menu. I wanted to curate a large drinks menu too, I don't drink caffeine myself and it can be frustrating when coffee is the only thing on the menu in a cafe! We have a large list of caffeine-free Healing Lattes, teas & fresh cold-pressed juice that we make in house. We encourage people to try something new and love talking about the health benefits of all our drinks.

7. Which menu item is the bestseller? Why do you think that is?

I'd say from our breakfast menu, it's got be the Avo Happy Toast. Let's face it, it's a classic and people seem to love our twist on it. We serve it topped with our tamari-roasted seeds & house pesto (both delicious and add SO much flavour) and fresh herbs. Simple & clean. For lunch, our Nourish Bowl is very popular - this dish changes every month or so, it's a warming, balanced dish from around the world, bringing exciting flavours. My favourite was our Sri Lankan Laksa or our Mexican Taco Bowl. I think people love the chance to try something interesting & delicious.

8. Do you source food and drink from any local suppliers? If so, do wax lyrical!

Oh yes, I jumped the gun! We love Cusgarne Organic Farm, like I said, just down the road and they grow some great veg. They also have a farm shop which you can visit too. We get in some wonderful, locally-made, vegan sourdough donuts every Friday (as a sweet treat) from Sasparella, also just down the road! Not so local, but we love Bath Culture House - they make the best kimchi and cashew cheese, definitely worth a try! Most of the companies we work with are based in the South West too, so it's nice to keep everything relatively local & work with some small companies with a good ethos.

9. The cafe spans a mezzanine and courtyard - can you tell us about the feel of these spaces?

Our mezzanine is a secret little relaxing space for people to discover. We have a sofa and fun rattan swivel chair, as well as some work desk space that overlooks the rest of the cafe through large glass windows. Our outdoor cafe seating is mostly tiered, so each table has its own level and invites some quiet or a more private space to socialise with friends. When the sun is out, it's a real sun trap and many people have told me that they feel as if they are eating in a cafe in the Mediterranean! We have a larger table near the entrance that feels very sociable and people often stop to chat with new friends. It's lovely to see people stay after a yoga class and connect with all the new people they've met, over a coffee or breakfast.

10. Community and connectivity plays a central role to the cafe - why do you feel this is important?

I think the focus on community and connection has always been important to me and it's something I really found when I moved to Cornwall 9 years ago. Also from lots of travelling and living in other countries, I've experienced how people can find community and connection wherever they go. There's nothing like chatting to a new person about a shared interest, feeling the exciting connection and the possibility of a deep friendship based on shared experience. I think both community & connection are key to living a healthy and happy life and I feel blessed to be able to provide a space for people to find this on a regular basis. It makes me so happy when people tell me what a great community Sunshine has created, I think it has pulled together a group of truly lovely people and I feel very lucky & grateful.

11. What's the area like around you? It looks gorgeous! (I think I need a trip!)

Oh, Cornwall is a dream. When the sun is shining, the air is warm and you can just sit and watch the sea, it's my favourite place to be! There's so many gorgeous, hidden coves and wonderful swimming spots nearby. Lovely country walks with views of the sea, heaps of outdoor water sports and adventurous activities to partake in. There's some really good surf spots here and it's a big hub for sailing too. The water really does go turquoise and I think sometimes people forget they're in the UK! Our cafe & studio is just a short walk from the harbour in Penryn, it's lovely to be so close to the water and to be able to see it from our window. Penryn is one of the oldest towns in Cornwall, it has had a rich history of trading fish, tin, copper and granite. Due to this history, there are some really beautiful old Cornish architecture nearby and we would definitely recommend a little walk around to see the area! There's some really interesting businesses & local creative shops nearby that are definitely worth a visit.

12. Finally, what's your favourite thing about running the cafe?

Ooh, my favourite thing... I love the community that has unfolded and getting to chat to all our lovely customers and regulars. We even had people come down on holiday to visit during the summer that had been following our journey on Instagram and they were so excited to visit in person. That's pretty cool when you can reach people from all over the world and they have so much enthusiasm for your space & offerings. I think it just gives me so much energy and purpose to be around so many wonderful and like-minded people.

You can read their article and buy a copy through their website https://91magazine.co.uk/