Want to keep warm and have your skin thrive this winter season? Let’s see what trusty old Ayurveda has got to say about warm foods you should consume during the harsh winters! When the word winter comes to mind, the first thing which pops up is a hot cup of your favourite brew or your mother’s famous warm delicacy. Did you now that the food we eat is closely associated with the weather? Ritucharya is an ancient Ayurvedic practice and is comprised of two words, “Ritu” which means season and “charya” which means Regimen or discipline. Ritucharya consists of lifestyle and ayurvedic diet routine to cope with the bodily and mental impacts caused by seasonal changes as recommended by Ayurveda. Ritucharya is a powerful, health giving ayurvedic tool that helps us live according to the changes in season and make internal adjustments so that our doshas are in a state of balance. People do not know or ignore the suitable types of food stuffs to be followed in particular season, this ...
Ayurveda seems to have taken a back-seat in the hustle bustle of
modern life, with material comforts becoming the norm while we ignore
the various gifts that nature has to offer to us on an everyday basis.
Instead
of being in harmony with nature, we have adopted artificial practices
that disturb the equilibrium of mind and body. We can’t sleep,
concentrate or relax. The imbalance in our lives manifests in addiction,
disease and – eventually – an early death.
Living naturally in sync with the ayurvedic principles can
do away with the requirement for expensive medical treatment or
needless suffering from debilitating diseases. Here are 10 very simple
tips to prepare you for the journey to good health.
Connect with nature: You need to spend more time outdoors,
preferably in parks and gardens, and not be confined to the four walls
of your house. The fresh air and green environs prepare one’s body and
mind for everyday life and work by naturally recharging our cells.
Exercising in the outdoors is good for our overall health.
Take a moment to breathe: The air we
breathe gives us prana energy, and this energy goes down when we take
short breaths. “Breathing exercises or pranayama, which are part of an
ayurvedic lifestyle regimen, revitalise your body. Pranayama drives the
energy of the air (prana) throughout your body, restoring it and
preserving its vitality,” says Dr Partap Chauhan, director, Jiva
Ayurveda, Delhi.
Get stronger with yoga: Simple yoga
postures (hatha yoga) included in the ayurvedic lifestyle regimen make
your body strong, supple and healthy. Your body becomes more agile and
flexible, so you can do your best in all situations at work and in life.
Regular practice of yoga makes us stronger.
Wake up before the sun: Most diseases today
are lifestyle-related, which can be easily avoided by steering clear of
the frequent lifestyle mistakes we make. “The simplest way to lead a
healthy life is to follow the ayurvedic dincharya. This routine involves
waking up two hours before sunrise, eating at the right time, sleeping
on time, performing light exercises and practising yoga daily,” explains
Dr Keshav, a senior ayurveda physician based out of Delhi.
Clean your sense organs:
According to ayurveda, the gyaanendriya (sense organs) should be kept
clean. But what is the correct way of doing this? “Every morning, wash
your eyes well. Once in a while, you can use rose water or
triphala-soaked water to wash your eyes. As the coating that forms on
the tongue is a sign of ama, make sure you scrape it daily. Brush your
teeth, gargle with lukewarm water and put a few drops of oil in each
nostril every morning. This will clear your senses and prepare you for
the day ahead,” explains Dr Keshav.
Eat healthy: Ayurveda
says you may never need medicines if you eat healthy. The secret to
eating healthy is to eat in accordance with your body type and have a
sattvic diet. How should one do this? “It is easy. Choose seasonal
fruits and vegetables for your diet; eat freshly prepared, easy to
digest foods. Fast food slows you down, so you should avoid it,” says Dr
Partap.
A healthy diet is very important for a productive life.
Be sattvic: To attain sattva (purity and
positivity), avoiding non-vegetarian food items, onion and garlic is
just not enough. “The things you read, the music you choose to listen
to, the images and videos you watch – everything influences your gunas.
If you watch and listen to sattvic information, your sattva guna will
increase. Similarly, if you are surrounded by tamasic (darkness and
negativity) things all day, your tamasic guna will increase. How you
behave with people around you should also be sattvic,” says Dr Keshav.
Keep your digestion strong: According
to Dr Partap, nutritious food gets converted to rasa which – in turn –
becomes dhatus and then ojas (the purest essence of the dhatus form)
thereby strengthening the immune system. However, in order to form ojas
you need good metabolism and a strong digestive system.
Proper use of intelligence: Man has a
rare gift of the intellect. Unfortunately, most of us don’t use it. “We
know smoking is bad for the lungs, we know that fast food is not good,
and we also know that missing out on breakfast is unhealthy. Yet we do
all these things! We misuse our intellect, and this is known as
pragyaparadh,” says Dr Keshav.
Balanced ahaar, nidra and brahmacharya:
Balance in your ahaar (diet), nidra (sleep) and bhramacharya (sensory
gratification) is very important. Sattvic food is good, but if you
over-eat sattvic food, it will still cause indigestion or some other
disease. The secret to health and happiness is choosing good things and
maintaining the right balance.
You do not need to devote time
specifically for the ayurvedic lifestyle regimen in your busy schedule.
Start by integrating small and easy aspects, and it will soon become
part of your daily life.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/health/ayurveda-tips-for-complete-health-experts-say-these-10-help-build-immunity/story-zheydyrF9CqEee7qwxRA5N.html
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