A glimpse into Ayurvedic culture that sparked an interest in traditional medicine.
Ayurveda is the Sanskrit word for India's most ancient form of medicine that is still widely practised today in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Mauritius. Ayurveda is made up of two Sanskrit words; Ayur (which means life) and Veda (which means knowledge) and that's exactly what it's about, knowledge to sustain life.
Ayurvedic principles are based on living in harmony with your individual constitution or 'Dosha'. Your Dosha determines your physical and psychological tendencies as well as your vulnerability to disease.
Much like Naturopathy, Ayurveda focuses on living a life of prevention, acknowledging that it is always easier to correct a health imbalance before it becomes chronic and infiltrates tissue at a deeper level.
"A well-lived day is medicine unto itself" - Acharya Shunya
In 2015 I stayed at Sadhana Yoga retreat in Nepal, nestled high in the mountainous region of Pokhara over looking Phewa fresh water lake. The retreat, run by the most generous, warm and welcoming people, felt like a second home very quickly. I learnt some practises that I still implement daily at home and some that I endeavour to implement but are honestly not as easy to work in as I thought, but i'm trying...
When eating, focus solely on eating - avoid distractions like tv, phones and eating on the run. Respect how your food got to your plate.
Eat slowly - make sure you are calm and content before sitting down to eat. Chew your food well. When we are clam (in Parasympathetic Nervous System dominance) blood flow is directed to our digestive tract, stomach acid does it's job and pancreatic enzymes are released more readily.
Avoid excessive water at meal times - drinking lots of liquid during a meal dilutes your digestive enzymes and slows down the whole process of digestion. Drinking 30 minutes before or after a meal is best.
Ignite digestion with herbs and spices - this helps to activate your salivary glands which secrete digestive enzymes. It also tastes delish.
Tongue scraping - Done first thing in the morning, tongue scraping removes toxic build-up (metabolic waste) and prevents it's reabsorption by the body.
Fasting - Intuitively fast over night and only eat when hungry. This can change from day to day depending on your activity levels and dietary intake, listen to your body. Fasting allows the immune system to regenerate, enhances cognitive function, improves blood glucose control and reduces triglyceride levels (stored fat).
Neti pot nasal irrigation - Probably the most challenging practice to make a habit of for me! Pouring luke-warm, lightly salted water (anti-bacterial) through your nasal passages to flush out excess mucus.
Most of these habits are simple and really easy to implement, I know I am so grateful to have learnt such valuable tools to support my own health. My favourite lifestyle recommendations in clinic stem from these fundamental Ayurvedic principles that go such a long way.
Thanks Nepal, I'll be back.
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