Lean on Ayurveda

Ep 19 - Cosmic Rhythms and Mental / Emotional Clarity: Ayurvedic Wisdom for Eclipse Seasons

• Vytaute Liutkeviciute • Episode 19

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Eclipse seasons have a way of stirring the mind and emotions. They shake up our sense of self, unsettle the ego, and sometimes leave us feeling restless, vulnerable, or even blindsided. But within this intensity also lies the possibility of deep insight.

In this episode, I share how Ayurveda can help us navigate eclipse season with steadiness and care. From simplifying meals to reducing nervous system stimulants, creating space in your calendar, and leaning into grounding rituals like self-oiling, you’ll discover simple ways to soothe the restless mind and become more available for the wisdom this cosmic moment offers.

✨ What you’ll hear in this episode:

  • Why Vedic traditions view eclipses as powerful times to pause, rest, and turn inward
  • My personal observations from this eclipse season (including unexpected omens and lessons)
  • How to simplify your diet to support both digestion and mental clarity
  • The importance of spacing out your calendar during high-vulnerability periods
  • Ayurvedic practices to calm the nervous system: reducing stimulants, digital hygiene, and self-oiling rituals

🌿 Resources & Links

  • Join the Fall Reset (prep starting September 14, Reset Days September 19-21 ) → https://leanonayurveda.setmore.com/#classes
  • Sign up for my newsletter to hear about the next seasonal reset → HERE
  • If this episode resonated with you, please leave a review or rating — it helps more people discover the show! 
  • More about me and my work: leanonayurveda.com
  • Let's connect on Instagram @lean_on_ayurveda
Speaker 1:

Hi and welcome to the Lean on Ayurveda podcast. Here we explore how the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda can help us gain a deeper understanding of our body and open the gateway to finally feeling better. Hello, my name is Vito Te. I'm the host of the Lina Nairvada podcast and today I am very happy to welcome you to episode 19. So today we're going to be talking about how to work with our mind when it gets restless, which is especially likely to happen during eclipse seasons, and we're in one right now. So if you're listening to this episode right about the time when it airs, so it's going to air on the 12th of September. This means that you're going to be navigating the seasonal eclipse period just like all the other human beings on this earth. So this fall, or if you live in the southern hemisphere, this spring eclipse season will be happening from the 7th of September until the 21st of September, possibly one day give or take, depending on your locale I haven't looked at like the global time for this eclipse season, but in my locale. So in Belgium, this eclipse season started on the 7th of September, which was a full, total lunar eclipse with a full moon, and it will end on the 21st of September, which will be marked by a partial solar eclipse. And in case some of you are wondering, why am I talking about eclipses on a podcast which is dedicated to Ayurveda?

Speaker 1:

Ayurveda teaches us to live in tune with the cycles of nature, right, and that also includes the cycles of the cosmos, right, the cycles of the cosmos, right. So all of these ancient Vedic disciplines such as Ayurveda, yoga, vedic astrology, they're all designed to fit together and to complement each other. So what happens during an eclipse is that the main luminaries, right so the sun and the moon, they are kind of like swallowed by shadow planets, which is what causes these luminaries to be eclipsed, right. So when the moon is eclipsed, the moon, in the Vedic tradition, represents our manas, our mind and our emotions, right. So when that celestial body is eclipsed, that will have repercussions on our emotional landscape. And the sun represents the soul, it represents our vitality, our sovereignty, vitality, our sovereignty. And so when that luminary is eclipsed, there will be repercussions on our ego, on our you know sense of self and the way we conduct ourselves in the world.

Speaker 1:

So the Vedic tradition holds that when our sense of self, our ego and our manas, our mind and emotions become vulnerable, right, when they become more agitated, that is a good time to go inwards as opposed to outwards, and so these eclipse seasons, they're considered very auspicious time for doing less, acting less, resting more, going inwards more. And, especially, there are good time to, you know, do our devotional practice Right. Practice right, because these are kind of safeguards, you know, in situations where we might take action that is resulting from an agitated mind or an agitated ego, which will always, always, create lots of problems for us, right? So it's kind of like you know this advice from this tradition, to kind of like lay low during this time where these parts of ourselves might feel a little bit more vulnerable. It's kind of like good hygiene, if you will Like. It's preventative, so that we don't create more shit in the world. And also during these times, of course, depending on our personal charts and this is something that you know, if you get a consult with a good Vedic astrologer, they'll be able to advise you further on this but these are also times when things can just come up in our life or like resurface. And things can just come up in our life or like resurface, you know, things to do with health, like illnesses or things from past relationships or sometimes work, and they can bring about, you know, these periods can bring about, like sudden change. These periods can bring about sudden change and so if we are dedicating this time to kind of lay low, act less and tune in more, we become better equipped to deal with whatever these periods might bring in ways that you know we might have less.

Speaker 1:

That term in the yoga tradition, which describes our ability to just bow our heads towards whatever it is that we need to receive from life, whether it's good or bad or anywhere in between, and, you know, receive it gladly, right, accepting that this is what is given to us right now, and then we can choose our course of action, we can participate with that, but we receive what we receive right and not throwing a tantrum that this is not what we ordered off the menu perhaps. So my teacher always repeats during eclipse seasons that the risk of eclipses is blindness. Right, so us acting blindly because of that ego piece and the mind, the emotional piece that is involved, right, and eclipsed. But the blessing of eclipses is insight, right, but in order for us to have insight, we need to be available for it. So this is what this episode will aim to help you with if that's something that you want is to help you become more available for that potential so that you can make something beautiful out of it, create something that propels you forward as opposed to keeping you stuck, as opposed to keeping you stuck.

Speaker 1:

So at first, I want to share with you some of my like some fragments of my own experience of this particular eclipse season, even though we're only like four days into it. But there are definitely things that I have already picked up on, and I am so glad that I planned for this in the best way that I could so that I am able to be more of an observer. So, for example, the very first days after the eclipse, so after the 7th of September, any conversation that I had with a family member, like my parents and such, we always ended up circling around the theme of death, and I wasn't like initiating this topic. It was just naturally coming up in conversation, which doesn't usually happen, if ever. So that was a really interesting observation. And then the following day I took my kids to school and we saw just outside the school gates a beheaded rat. That was like there from overnight, and so I remember thinking to myself oh, this is a strong omen. But and then, obviously, you know, my kids saw it too and they were, you know, a little bit like disturbed by the image, obviously you know. And then we in the car were also discussing a little bit about, like you know, that theme of death um was like really felt really present, much more present than um than usual.

Speaker 1:

And it's interesting because, uh, this year the eclipse season is is actually corresponding with another Vedic tradition, which is the ancestors fortnight. So, you know, according to the Vedas, every year there is a fortnight Usually it happens like early fall um, where we honor our ancestors, and so this year it really falls during that eclipse season. I think it's like matched, you know, day-to-day match um. So I am actually also in, I I'm doing my morning practices, working with a particular ancestor that I chose to work with this year. So I'm doing some, you know, some ritual and some mantra practice around that, around that.

Speaker 1:

But it was just really interesting how, like at the beginning of this eclipse season, like that theme of death like really presented itself and it's not, like you know, it didn't really, I can't say that it created a lot of like anxious ripples in me is just like being aware of what this season is about and the themes that it can evoke, and and so it becomes an exercise of awareness, right, um and um, not one to kind of like push death away, right, because it, because it is part of life, it does need to be talked about, we do need to prepare. That was actually one of the conversations I had with a loved one how can we prepare for our death so that, you know, we make it easier for our loved ones afterwards? So, yeah, that theme of death for me personally in this eclipse season was definitely like it kind of like opened the gates to this fortnight. Another thing that happened to me just a few days ago is that it has come to the surface. I had realized that I had purchased a service that didn't actually exist. So, in other words, I was scammed.

Speaker 1:

And this is really interesting because my teacher warned us she was like this eclipse season, beware of scams. There is a particular, you know, planetary configuration I can't remember which one it is now but it makes us especially vulnerable for, like, falling for scams. So also, just a word out watch out, and anyway, it's, it's not um like, for me personally, this uh instance, it wasn't, uh, the instance itself that was really like painful or burdensome, but it's more all the like aftermath that you know having to like change your bank card and, um, you know, investigate and the paperwork and, you know, reporting to the police. I'm not reporting to the police, you know all this like investigative work that comes afterwards. That which I was dealing with yesterday, by the way, I was like I could really watch myself spiral into this, like you know, into the space where I'm really annoyed about the situation, and so, again, I was really lucky that I kept my agenda as spacious as possible for these two weeks. So obviously I still have, you know, some client work and I still have some other engagements, but anything that is non essential is not on there for this time period Because, you know, eclipses can bring up unexpected stuff and, like yesterday, I was so lucky because, you know, I ended up spending many hours trying to work this out and, had I had a jam-packed schedule, that would have been a really stressful thing to experience here, making a case for, like you know, when we are more vulnerable during these eclipse times, it's such good medicine to keep your calendar space more spacious than you normally would, if that's at all possible, and when these unexpected and unpleasant things happen you know, anytime during the year but especially if it's during the times when our emotions are more likely to run high, right, and if we're not prepared, we might be very quick to spiral into this like self-pity and look at how unlucky I am and look at all these horrible.

Speaker 1:

And, on the other hand, if we do make space for the sacred pause, right, we're more available to the inside and so, even if it's crappy stuff happening to us, we can ask what is available for me there, right, even if it's really unpleasant, really unexpected, what is available for me there? In my situation, there's plenty for me to learn from. Plenty, plenty of lessons that I can integrate and then use them to propel me forward, right, such as use them to propel me forward right, such as you know, definitely be more diligent and read the terms and conditions. And if there are no terms and conditions, don't buy the damn thing. Also, what a great lesson in observing whether what I say will be helpful or whether it will just add to the drama and, you know, have everyone else spiraling.

Speaker 1:

So, in this particular case, I wasn't the only one involved in this scheme. There were other individuals who were also getting worked up, and so we were communicating together and it would have been really easy to like put out more of my frustration out there, but like again that ability to pause and center and to ask is this going to be helpful for everyone, or is this just gonna add to the drama? Is this just gonna be like wood to the fire? So you know, from that situation there are already things that I can take away as lessons, right, and while accepting that I am a work in progress, a perpetual work in progress, and I didn't handle it perhaps in an ideal way, you know, I do remain available for insight, insight right, because I had planned for more space around these days, and so that alone makes me more available.

Speaker 1:

Another pattern that I have been noticing for quite a few years now that is coming up for me always during the eclipse seasons, whether it's fall or spring. I've noticed that pattern both times is that there is some momentum to propel me towards taking on a particular study or mentorship. So usually we are not advised to like make big decisions during this time or like make big investments. Usually this is not the time to do that, because that ego piece and that mental agitation and the mind restlessness piece can be clouding our judgment. But we are encouraged to observe, right, and to kind of like listen to what is being presented to us, right.

Speaker 1:

And I have been noticing that for me personally, usually like, either a new teacher will find their way to me, like via teachings that somebody might, you know, forward me, and then I kind of like explore their you know, their work or their podcast or whatever other form they might have, they might offer or mentorship opportunities. So I am specifically also on the lookout for omens around that. And it happens to me each time that after the eclipse season I kind of sign up for something either like a program or a mentorship, but these periods tend to propel me towards the direction of learning something. So I think that's something that's very interesting, that I have observed over time. And for you it might be something else, right, but once you find a pattern that can be really really cool to experience as part of this, like cosmic momentum, and again that might change over time. So you know, maybe it's just a period where this is a lie for me and it might turn into something else later, but nevertheless later, but nevertheless. So again, the risk, as my teacher says, the risk of the eclipse seasons is blindness, acting blindly, but the blessing is insight, right. So how do we become more available to receiving more insight during these times? So here we really can call in Ayurveda to help us, because it has really simple and effective tools to lead us to that state. Okay.

Speaker 1:

So the first thing that I would recommend is to really simplify your diet during this time. Okay, so, really thinking like simpler, local ingredients, less sophisticated ingredients, less exotic ingredients, less exotic combinations, like really going back to basics if you can, for most of this eclipse period. And we advise this because and you have definitely heard me say this before mental digestion and physical digestion always go hand in hand, and so when there is more risk of agitation at the mental level or emotional level, then there is also risk of agitation at the physical digestion level. So you have perhaps experienced in your life already when you're feeling really anxious, right, you might have digestive trouble. Anxious, right, you might have digestive trouble, right. So by simplifying our diet, we are helping our digestion. We're like easing the job of our digestion in case our body is processing other stuff, right, like a restless mind. So if your mind feels like it's running all over the place, if you feel like you're under a lot of stress, the first thing you can do is really simplify what you are eating. And obviously you can keep you know more elaborate, more indulgent foods for later. We're not saying that there isn't a place for them in your life.

Speaker 1:

Simply, during this time you know, having like a simple grain, a simple source of protein and vegetables as your main meal is a great formula to go by if you want some inspiration. So the Ayurvedic tradition really loves khichdi, so it's a kind of porridge made from yellow split mung beans and basmati rice, and with some steamed cooked vegetables if desired. That is going to be our meal of reference for the fall reset experience that I am leading very, very soon. So during our fall reset, we will undergo a phase of preparation, which we will start already this Sunday, so the 14th of September, and on the 19th of September to the 21st of September, so really closing up this eclipse season, we will have our reset days and during these reset days we will be eating an ayurvedic mono diet of kichari, of this nutritious and super easily digestible porridge that really takes out the guesswork for our gut and so our body can really concentrate on, you know, natural processes that otherwise can't really happen efficiently if too much effort goes into digestion, which is, I think, the case for most people in the Western world nowadays, I think we really tend to over-employ our digestive tract and we tend to give it a hard time with everything that we consume. So during this eclipse period, you could learn to make a cherry or another version of a very simple meal that you know your body does well with, and you could have it like either once a day or at least once a week, but really putting an emphasis on simplicity on your plate another tip that is linked to digestion.

Speaker 1:

Now that we're on the subject of simple meals, I would also encourage you to notice, especially during this period, that you are eating when you are hungry, so you're having your meal when you are hungry, and that requires you noticing the language of your body right and looking for that physical sensation of hunger. And I'm saying this because when we're in periods when our mind is more unsettled and more restless, we're more likely to be compelled to eat more than we need, especially in between meals, and here I'm definitely referring to, like compulsive snacking, and I have been there before. So, if you can really, you know, remember to tune in with your body before your meal and look for that physical sensation of hunger that is going to help your digestion heaps. It's really going to be your digestion heaps, it's really going to be supportive.

Speaker 1:

And this is something that we all explore, also in the context of, you know, the resets that I lead with my community, whether it's the fall reset or the spring reset, because many of us, in our daily lives, we're actually conditioned to avoid that physical sensation of hunger, right? So I, for example, when I was growing up, I was taught to finish my plate, first of all, not to waste food, but also because I was told that there won't be food for so and so many hours. Right, so you need to eat up not to be hungry, not to be hungry. And it was like this preventive kind of like eat more than you need so that you can last a little longer. But it was kind of taken a step further, like you know, outside the context of eating the correct quantities, what would have been appropriate for me as a child during regular meals, but also like encourage that any chance I get I should fuel up, right, to prevent further hunger. So this is kind of like twofold things that I'm noticing here.

Speaker 1:

Obviously, like my ancestors, they have gone through, uh, material hardship, um, you know, generations ago, and so this is probably like part of that wound that is manifesting like hunger is not okay, right, um, and we will do anything to prevent that. But but it's actually a healthy sensation for us to feel physical hunger before our meal. It's actually something that we should be aiming for, because that sensation of physical hunger, it signals to us that the digestifier is ready to receive a meal and it's ready to process it Right. So sometimes it can take a little bit of effort to kind of, you know, overturn that. If you have been conditioned this way, if you have been conditioned to finish your plate in order not to waste food and kind of override that natural stopping point that otherwise you may have been able to notice before, but then it kind of disappeared, with you constantly overriding that right. Or if you have this relationship with hunger where you have been conditioned to avoid it at all costs, right.

Speaker 1:

So working with this physical sensation and like sitting with it, and you know it can be very therapeutic for us to make peace with that sensation again, because it's not like a wrong sensation, it's not signaling that something is wrong, right, but I think many of us are so uncomfortable with it that we want to make it stop, right. And so that's when we like reach out for snacks even though we know we'll be eating in 20 minutes, right, um, so, um, if that's you, if you see yourself in, um, you know, in this description, and then I would really encourage you to join the Fall Reset that will be starting the 14th of September, so this Sunday, because that is an opportunity to explore this in community, right, and you get the support of community and you can share about your experience. And that is, you know, sharing your experience is a huge part of the healing path, because it allows us to integrate what we lived and it allows us to move on when we share it with other people. It's very different than just like writing it in your diary or saying it out loud to yourself, which also has its place, but being able to communicate about it to a circle of you know people that you trust is very powerful. Another thing I would love to offer and I can't emphasize this enough this is the time to really rethink the stimulants, the nervous system stimulants that we're consuming on a daily basis, that have become a habit, right? So if you do have like a daily coffee habit, if you have like a triple daily coffee habit because I see that in my clients, definitely, you know, if, um, you do have an attachment to processed sugar, um, or your you know like a glass of wine or or a beer after you, to start reducing them. Okay, because when we stimulate the nervous system, the mind gets more restless and so then it becomes accumulating factors. Right, it's like adding extra fuel to this excessive activity of the mind. So, at the times when the mind and the emotions might already be a little bit more vulnerable, you know, reduce or progressively remove or at least reevaluate your relationship with caffeine.

Speaker 1:

Sometimes I have it, sometimes I don't. Like, on days when I do client work, I typically don't consume caffeine Because it contributes, it fuels that restlessness in the mind, that stimulation of the mind, and when I am meeting with a client, my goal is to be as rooted as possible. Right, so it's, it's the opposite of what caffeine gives us. So I have already started phasing it out. And as of this Sunday, when, on the 14th of September when I meet my fall reset participants, we will continue that journey journey.

Speaker 1:

So some of us will only be starting that journey of removing nervous system stimulants from our diets progressively, whether it's caffeine, refined sugar, processed sugar or alcohol, and we will be doing this as community and that's why I really love, you know, this container that I create twice per year, because even if you didn't do the cleanse part, if you didn't do the mono diet, the kichari mono diet part, which is three days, doing this, um, you know, nervous system stimulant elimination thing as community is an experience on its own and I, um can only see benefits of that experience because I feel like we all come out through the other side feeling more freedom and not feeling like we are controlled by these substances. You know, not feeling like coffee has the power to dictate my morning and like if the coffee isn't there, then my morning is like ruined. Right, and past participants did say that. You know, going through this experience does shift their relationship with these substances. So once you come out through the other side and you know, if you take part in a reset with me, you will have spent at least 10 days without these substances. You get like a clean opportunity to again be more deliberate in how you choose to build that relationship with these substances going forward right, to what extent you wish to reintroduce them back into your life and what kind of relationship you want to have with them, right. So I really can't recommend this enough. Whether you do this on your own or you wish to receive community support and you also wish to benefit from this group momentum, that happens. That is very, very powerful. Wish to benefit from this group momentum that happens. That is very, very powerful when more people get together and go through the same journey as you and share about it. So, if you have a chance to reduce your nervous system stimulants during this time, I highly, highly recommend it.

Speaker 1:

And I think, when we're speaking of nervous system stimulants from the digestive perspective nowadays, it's very important to address the elephant in the room, and that elephant in the room is perhaps not caffeine, it's perhaps not your chocolate bars, but rather smartphone use, right, and our scrolling habits, our social media habits. So you know, during times when our mind is a little bit more vulnerable, tending to that, witnessing that first of all, right, and witnessing if you are already spiraling with all the shit that's happening in the world. If you notice yourself kind of like, leave your body right, and if you're noticing that you're starting to live in your thoughts, that is a sign that you've gone a step too far. And this happens to me right, especially with world events. You know that I find heartbreaking and I find incredibly relevant. That is something that I am on the lookout for and I happen to catch myself, you know, spiraling more often than I would like to see. So that is another piece of self-care for this vulnerable time.

Speaker 1:

If you wanted to kind of check in with your digital nervous system, stimulants right and sources of that digital stimulation, and what kind of boundary would you wish to have, what kind of boundary would you need to have to catch yourself when you start spiraling so that you can stop it? And one last tip I want to give to you today for working with a restless mind is oils Oiling yourself, oiling yourself and oiling yourself. So all things oily and nourishing will help balance vata dosha. That is an axis and a restless mind is an expression of that elevated vata dosha. And that's because the reason why these two kind of like go together and complement each other is because an anxious and restless mind is a dry mind. It's an expression of dryness. It creates dryness, rather right. Just like quick movement will create dryness in the physical world, right. When the wind moves quickly, when there's a lot of wind, our clothes will dry faster, right. So bringing oils into your life can help you build up more grounding and juiciness in the mind too.

Speaker 1:

So in this fall reset that I'll be leading next week, I'll be guiding participants on how to infuse Ayurvedic self-oiling rituals into their day, even when they have only five minutes to dedicate to it. So I'll be providing different options. Like this is what you can do if you only five minutes to dedicate to it. So I'll be providing different options. Like this is what you can do if you have five minutes. This is what you can do if you have 10 minutes. And this is what you can do. This is the ritual that you can do if you have 20 minutes to half an hour. So there'll be different options for different time availabilities.

Speaker 1:

And you know, I'm only mentioning this in passing because self-oiling up younger rituals merit in Ayurveda like a whole separate episode, because there's just so much to this practice there's, so it's such a rich and effective practice from the Ayurvedic perspective. But if you can do it in, like even if you're doing this on your own for the first time, just start really small, you know. Just like putting a couple of drops of oil, warm oil, into your belly button and rubbing your belly in the clockwise motion, right, that can already be a start. But including oils into your life in some shape or form that is accessible to you, that can be a very effective way of working with that dryness of the Vata Dosha that will be created when the mind is restless for too long. So this is a very nice and delicious way to you know experience, more grounding and experience like really just coming back to your body as opposed to being in your head the whole time.

Speaker 1:

So I hope that this eclipse season brings that which is auspicious for you in this moment, and I wish you courage in creating the conditions to become more available to receive what is to be received and, as my teacher would say it, to turn it into nectar. Right, because during eclipse seasons it's really helpful if we can take what is, no matter how unpleasant it may be, and turn it into nectar, turn it into a learning opportunity, turning it into a remembering opportunity, remembering who we are, remembering why we're here. May it be so. And if you would like to join my community Fall Reset, we have our very first opening call on the 14th of September, so this Sunday, during which we will start preparing our bodies for the reset. The reset days will be the following weekend, so from the 19th to the 21st of September, so closing that eclipse season, and also some participants will be doing their reset days just a few days later.

Speaker 1:

So if you wish to participate, but that weekend you, for whatever reason, cannot, no worries, there will be people.

Speaker 1:

There are always people doing theirs a little bit later, but you can still benefit from that group momentum and community support.

Speaker 1:

You can save your seat for the fall reset via the link in the show notes. And just in case you're listening to this episode later, after the 14th of September, when the enrollments will be closed, and if you still wish to participate, then the best thing you can do is you can sign up for my newsletter, which you can also find in the show notes, and that way you will get to participate in the next one, which will be happening in spring, typically around the dates of the spring equinox, which also sometimes tends to coincide with the spring eclipse season, so I haven't looked at the dates yet for 2026, but if you sign up for my newsletter, you will definitely get their information way ahead of time so you can plan for this experience, should you wish to take part. Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, if you find it valuable, do leave me a review or rating. That will be much, much appreciated, and I say goodbye to you. Until next time, take good care.