Though the seasons explained in ritu charyas are not exactly the same in all geographic locations, one can form his own rithucharya based on climatic conditions existing at his place.

According to Ayurveda there are six different seasons (ritu or rithus). Sisira (Sisiram – winter) January-February, vasantha (vasantham, basanta, basantha -Spring) March-April, Greeshma (greeshma, grishma, grishmam – Summer) May-June, Varsha (varsham, barsha – rainy season) July-Aug, Sarath (sarat, sarata – Autumn) September-October and Hemant (hemanta, hemantam – dew) in November – December are the six ritus. However, not all six climates are experienced in India (and Kerala in special) today. The four main climates now experienced in India are sarath, hemant, greeshma and varsha. In Kerala, one can now only identify only three main climates – a prolonged rainy season, a short summer season, and a shorter autumn season. Now a days it rains in Kerala all year round – probably a symptom of climatic changes, a disease that affects bhumi or the earth.

Ritu charya for Sarath (Autumn)
During sarath rithu, pitta dosha becomes prominent. Hot so hot food items are advisable for this season. Never sleep in daytime. Honey, small pea, green vegetables, green berries, red-rice, etc form good food items for this season.

Ritu Charya for Hemantha (dew-snowy season)
Kapha dosha is prominent this season. Enable the body to fight the cold outside this season. Energy rich food items like milk and milk products, ghee, carbohydrate rich food items like rice, wheat, whole gram, etc.

Ritu Charya for Greeshma (Summer)
This season has vata as prominent dosha. Avoid heavy physical exertion this hot season. Drink lot of water, juice, butter milk, lemon juice, etc. Take bath in cold water. Include all possible seasonal fruits in your daily diet – jack fruit, tomato, banana, water melon, cucumber, etc. Wear cotton clothes.

Ritu Charya for Varsha (rainy season)
This is the season when humans are most prone to diseases. Thippali (piper longum or Indian long pepper), honey, dried ginger, honey, ghee, etc shall be used with grains – rice, wheat etc. Eat lot of carbohydrate rich food and drink water that is cooled after boiling. Avoid day-sleep and physical exertion. Expect some kind of digestive problems during this rithu.

Sarath and vasantha ritus are pleasant seasons with hot days and cold nights. Hemant also doesnÂ’t irritate any of the tridoshas.

It is uttarayana kala (north travelling time) during the first six months of the year. That is the sun travels over the northern hemisphere. This months are collectively called ‘adaala kalam’, which means something that sucks away energy. General body condition will be weak during this season. Avoid food items with bitter or hot tastes and include sweet tasting, sour, salty food items in your diet. Orange, banana, grapes, pineapple, jackfruit, etc are good fruit items that one can include in his diet.

July to December and up to January is dakshinayana kalam (the sun travels over the southern hemisphere). Body is better equipped during this season. One can include sweet, sour, salty food items in his/her diet.

These are all the directions by ancient Ayurveda acharyas. At first you may feel these directions are not viable. On a closer look, you can find adjusting food and clothing according to seasons ensures smoothing mingling with nature, the natural route to better health.

Vasantha (Spring)
Sisira (winter/cold)
Grishma (summer, warm, sunny)
Sarath (autumn) and
Varsha (rainy season or periodic monsoons)

Rithucharya and dinacharya are closely related. Dinacharya or daily routines are modified according to the season. There can be more activities during spring season than at hot summer months.

Rithucharya and Dinacharya are designed in Ayurveda to keep the three doshas or Tridoshas in balance and thereby to preserve the balance and health of mind, body and soul.

More at Rithucharya Explained

Dinacharya or daily routine forms the basis of health or unhealthy state of a man (or woman or child). Here is a healthy dinacharya routine that everyone can follow.

Waking up
There is a time to wake up. It is called Brahma Muhurtha, which starts three hours before sunrise. Healthy persons, if they mind their health should rise up before sunrise – Ayurveda Acharyas say.

DonÂ’t jump up from the bed immediately after waking up. Spend some time lying on the bed, assessing the state of the body. Are there any different feelings of pain or unnatural sensations on the body?

A good exercise to enhance memory and brainpower without medicines – bring to mind the things happened in the previous day from the moment you woke up to the moment you fell asleep. Teach children to follow this exercise, the results will be sharper memory and better alertness.

Then answer to natureÂ’s call. After that brush the teeth with fresh twig of vep, ungu, neer maruthu, or karingali plant. Prepare the toothbrush by softening one end. Chukku, pepper powder, thippaly, induppu, etc with honey can also be used for brushing. Take extra care not to damage gums.

Cleaning the tongue is also necessary to remove hindrances to breathing, and for fresh breathe.

One should bath everyday. Before bathing, one should apply oil (coconut oil, gingelly oil, etc) over body, under feet, and all parts of body. There are different benefits for applying oil all over body. The first among them is their effectiveness in increasing blood circulation. It shoves away tiredness and keeps the body fresh and healthy. It also helps in preventing wrinkles of skin. applying oil on head before bath strengthens senses, nervous system and circulatory system. Persons suffering from fever, stomach upset, etc shall not apply oil on head. Bathing without applying oil can cause vatha related diseases in the future.

Use hot and cold water for bathing – use hot water for below neck and cold water for head. Don’t take a bath immediately after meals.

A carefully followed exercise regimen gives different advantages to your body – general health, enthusiasm, better digestion of food, etc. are some of them. Persons with defective digestive system shall not attempt exercises. Physical exertion can be maximum in cold months and in spring. Only light exercise is needed in other seasons.

Massaging the body after exercise is also good for body.

Don’t overdo anything – exercise, sleeplessness, going to woman, etc can cause deterioration to body.

All the above things are primarily aimed at keeping body in good condition. One must also keep his mind in good condition.

Willingness to help other living things in need is required to attain satisfaction. Associate only with people that think and do good deeds only. Associating with people with wrong intention can harm your peace of mind.

DonÂ’t believe everyone, donÂ’t view everyone with skeptic eyes either. DonÂ’t talk about bad things happened to you to others. DonÂ’t strain eye, ear, tongue, etc. Avoid travel at night.

Stop all activities – both physical and mental – before you feel tired. Don’t gather, sell or drink wine.

DonÂ’t think about or engage in sex during dusk. It is also not good time to eat, sleep, serious thoughts, etc. DonÂ’t take any food from enemies, prostitutes, and people you donÂ’t know. View the matters of others as your own and do all possible help to them. Keeping this ensures health, longevity, good fame, etc.

This is the general outline of dinacharya. This will give swastya or state of rest and health to body and mind while keeping tridoshas balanced.

There are set rules about the time to perform various tasks. Waking up and taking bath before sunrise is considered to be the most healthy beginning of the day.

Ayurveda prescribes a healthy dinacharya even for periods of complete health. Observing the dinacharyas including waking up before sunrise, taking exercises, doing meditation, eating healthy food at right times, doing physical jobs, and going to sleep before it is too late into the night are all healthy dinacharya routines.

Waking Up
The ideal time to wake up is before 5am. The two hours before dawn is considered to be the freshest time of the day. However children, aged people, nursing mother, and persons with diseases are not to follow this rule.

Breakfast
Take a nutrition rich light breakfast at least before 7am.

Work time
Work time is until noon. You can use this time to study, work or traveling.

Lunch
Take lunch before 12.30. this is the main meal of the day. Moderate carbs and highly nutritious food are to be taken.

Bedtime
Bedtime according to Ayurvedic dinacharya is around 10pm. It will ensure that you get enough sleep before you get up early in the morning. It is also the time for physical union.

Everyone has a dinacharya – it can be natural or unnatural, healthy or unhealthy. The dinacharyas also can change with ritucharya. That is your dinacharya can change with different seasons (ritus). That is your body needs more rest during rainy and summer season than it would require at spring or winter.

Dinacharya and Rithucharya are designed in Ayurveda to keep the three doshas or Tridoshas in balance and thereby to preserve the balance and health of mind, body and soul.

More at Dinacharya Explained

Only three srotas or channels are recognized by modern medical science – they are the anna vaha srotha (the digestive system), rakta vaha srota (circulatory system) and the prana vaha srota (respiratory system).

Charaka, the ancient Ayurveda acharya lists thirteen srothas in his book, the Charaka Samhita. Three srotas for food, air and water, seven srotas associated with sapta dhatus, and three srotas for excretion. Presently there are sixteen srotas identified.
The first three srotas are:
Prana vaha srota carries breath
Anna vaha srota carries solid and liquid food
Udaka vaha srotas carry water in the body

The seven srotas associated with sapta dhatus are:
Rasa vaha srota carries plasma and lymphatic liquid
Rakta vaha srota carries blood – circulatory system
Mamsa vaha srota carries nutrients to muscles and wastes from muscle tissue
Meda (medha) vaha srota supplies fat to adipose tissues
Asthi vaha srota supplies nutrients to bones
Majja vaha srota supplies nutrients to bone marrow, nervous system and the brain.
Sukra (shukla) vaha srota supplies nutrients to sexual organs and carry reproductive cells and liquids.

The three srotas associated with malas are:
Purisha vaha srota carries feces
Mutra vaha srota carries urine
Sveda vaha srota carries sweat

The three additional srotas that are not described in Charaka Samhita are Artava vaha srotas (the menstrual channel) stanya vaha srotas (the channel that carries breast milk) and mano vaha srotas (the channel that carries all mental activities).

Two women-only srotas are:
Artava vaha srotas carry menstrual fluids
Stanya vaha srotas carry breast milk

One srota associated with mind is:
Mano vaha srotas carrying thoughts, and wisdom

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Ahara mala include purisha (feces), mutra (urine), and sveda (sweat).

Dhatu mala are secretions from nose, eyes, ears, and elements like carbon dioxide, lactic acid, hair, skin and nails.

These all are waste products. They also serve specific functions before the body expels them. Skin, for example protects the inner body tissues from infection. The external skin sheds away and gets replaced by new skin. The hair is also expelled from the body after serving purposes like body heat regulation. Sweating serves to regulate body temperature and urine serves to remove toxic waste products from blood.

These all function normally when the quantity and quality of them remains normal. Any abnormality in quality or quantity of the malas leads to disease. Malas interact with the dhatus (sapta dhatus) and whenever they become imbalances, it is called spoilt elements or dushyas.

The malas too are composed of panchabhootas, the five principle elements of nature.

Purisha or feces is composed mainly of the element bhoomi (earth). Its increase can cause abdominal unrest, heaviness, etc. Its decrease can lead to abdominal pain, back pain, asthma, hypocalcemia, bloating and other conditions.

Mutra or urine is composed mainly of jal (water) and agni (fire). Its increase can cause infections to urinary tract and bladder dysfunction. Reduced urine production can lead to kidney stones and subsequent abdominal pains.

Sveda or sweat is composed mainly of jal (water). Increased sweating can cause quick dehydration, lower body temperature, fungus attack on skin resulting in itching and body odour, constipation, etc. If decreased, it can lead to dry skin, high body temperature, etc.

The mental powers exist parallel to tridoshas that control the body.

Sattwa means purity. Persons of this quality are calm, kind and thoughtful. This is the best mental quality to posses.

Rajas roughly translates into activity.
This kind of persons will be very active and seek incessant activities.

Tamas is darkness.
The most unfavorable mental condition, the persons in this condition have a lethargic mind.

There is Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas (all the trigunas) in every individuals. The dominance of a guna in that person tells about the character of that person. It is said that there is no one man on earth without at least a bit of purity in his mind.

There are three main subtypes for Tamas Guna persons, they are:

Pasava – pasava persons show lack of understanding or comprehensive powers. Envious and excess sexual indulgence, they also like many hours of sleep a day.

Matsya – Matsya guna persons show cowardice. They require too much water everyday. Unsteadiness, constant passion, etc are other signs to identify Matsya guna persons.

Banaspatya – they don’t like to work. Poor intelligence and excess indulgence in food is another sign to identify them.

Satwa quality is further divided into seven subtypes they are described below
Brahma: Brahma persons are free from jealous, greed, ignorance, anger and possess knowledge and understanding.

Arsa: Arsa satwa guna persons have good memory, purity of mind, maintains composure, free from ego and pride, and are knowledgeable persons.

Aindra: Aindra Satwa guna type of persons have great interest in theology and spirituality. They read holy books, and like to lead disciplined life. They are knowledgeable and possess far-sightedness and courage. They are happy to perform religious rituals at temples and other places.

Yamya: Yamya satwa guna persons have clear thought and purposes. They stay away from mean thoughts and all kinds of negative emotions. They are natural leaders. They are capable of taking and implementing right decisions at the right times.

Varuna: Varuna satwa guna people like to observe religious rites and keep themselves away from all vices. They are also not afraid to express their feelings at the right place.

Kabera: Kabera Sattwa guna persons have courage and patience. They like virtuous acts but hate impure thoughts. They enjoy spending time in leisure.

Gandharva: Gandharva guna persons attract people and wealth. They study and understand epics, puranas, poetry, etc. They enjoy dancing, singing and listening to music. They are passionate and spend money on perfumes, flowers, etc.

Rajas guna has six divisions, they are:
Asura – these type of persons are known for ruthlessness, cruelty and dare-devilry. They indulge in boasting and possess a terrifying appearance. No mercy – that is their principal slogan.

Rakshasa – jealousy is the most prominent negative emotion among them. They are also known for anger, cruelty, excessive lust and eating. They are also known to sleep more than is needed.

Paisala – not so particular about hygienic habits, they are also lusting for sex. The last thing about them is disciplined – be it about food, habits, or sex. They are cowards too.

Sarpa – sarpa type persons are known for quick negative reactions, but are usually fearful and cowards. Rare instances can witness acts of bravery, but largely unstable.

Praita – gluttony, envy, greediness, thoughtless actions, etc are the main symptoms of this type persons.

Sakuna – ruthlessness, unsteadiness, and full of passion, sakuna type persons are also known for love for food.