Simple Celery Soup

Spring is upon us. A time of cleansing, renewal, and regeneration. Our bodies naturally want to let go of anything we may have accumulated over the cool winter months that we no longer need and prepare for the warmer days ahead. If you’re like me, you may experience a time when digestion seems a little sluggish in the spring. This is called mandagni and is associated with Kapha dosha which is predominant in the spring time. Kapha’s qualities are cold, wet, heavy, slow, smooth, soft, stable, and unctuous. It’s no wonder our digestive fire can feel a little dampened this time of year.

To help balance Kapha, we want to cultivate some of the opposite qualities in our lives. Some brisk activity to balance the slow and dull qualities; light foods that have the bitter, astringent, and pungent qualities, and continuing to use warming spices to help with digestion. Sipping ginger tea throughout the day and having a ginger appetizer (look for it in another blog post) before meals will also help to keep agni (our digestive fire) stronger.

This is a recipe for the days when you don’t have much of an appetite, but something simple and nourishing is called for. A day, perhaps, when our digestion isn’t at its strongest and we could use a break. This recipe could also be used with asparagus, fennel, or other spring veggies and green that give us those pungent, bitter, and astringent tastes as well. Feel free to experiment and as always, enjoy!