After days of rain, the north wind kicked in. It’s cold, dry and sharp.
I’ve been outside a lot too – walking, working, and this week we’re visiting the community where we used to live. This meant 6 hours in a car driving, so everything was adding up.

And I could feel it. My lips started getting that tight, dry feeling. Not quite cracking yet, but close. My lower legs when I looked had that rough, scaly texture, and my nose was also dry and sensitive.

This is normal, it’s what bodies do in winter. Cold and dry outside means cold and dry inside. For me it’s my lips, lower legs and nose, but it can be anywhere really.
But normal doesn’t mean you should ignore it.

Because here’s what happens if you do:
Your lips actually can crack. Maybe even start bleeding. They hurt every time you talk or eat. Your legs get rougher. Your circulation isn’t great which leave your feet cold no matter how many socks you wear. At night your calfs might cramp up. And if you tend toward being cold anyway? You’ll catch every cold that passes by.

This is vata accumulating. In Ayurveda, winter brings cold and dryness (depending on the weather), both vata qualities. Add travel (movement, also vata), being outside in the wind (more cold, movement and dryness), and your body gets a vata overload, dry, rough, constricted.