7 Easy Ways to Build Ayurvedic Practices Into Your Daily Life
Originally published on Annmarie Gianni All Natural Skincare Blog.
Health fads cycle in and out of style too fast to keep track. Each trend takes its turn in the limelight, providing just enough theories and evidence to get us hooked…until the next saving grace takes its place on all the wellness blogs.
It is incredibly hard to determine which health and wellness practices we should incorporate into our lives and which don’t hold merit.
back to the basics
That is why I went back to the basics. I was tired of hearing about a new cure-all every other month so I started searching for wellness beliefs that had a history. This lead me to Ayurveda, what is thought to be the oldest healing science.
what is ayurveda?
Ayurveda revolves around the belief that our health and wellness are reliant on a mental, physical, spiritual and emotional balance. Ayurveda originated in India over 5,000 years ago and has been passed down through the generations as the “Science of Life,” guiding the wellness practices of entire civilizations.
the doshas
Within the Ayurvedic practice it is believed that we are all made of up three energies, or doshas, known as Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. We are born with a blueprint of our doshas and although we contain all three, most of us have one or two doshas that are stronger.
There are assessments to help you determine which dosha is strongest within you. Once you know which dosha you are dominant in you can tailor your eating and practices to balance out the other doshas.
staying balanced
In our day to day lives it is easy to lose track of what truly matters and keep a balance. We all have stressors that pull our energy in one direction or another, whether it is a demand for physicality, a mental exhaustion, or an emotional draining from the world around us.
7 Ways to Build Ayurvedic Practices Into Your Day to Day
There are Ayurvedic practices you can incorporate into your everyday life to help you stay balanced. Some practices are more time consuming but offer a greater impact on your wellness, while others are simpler and easier to fit into any schedule.
Ayurveda calls for detoxifying the body to start your day. There are Ayurvedic practices that focus on every part of your wellness to start you off on the right foot every morning.
1. Get a full night’s rest
It is believed that the body resets and detoxifies between the hours of 10 pm and 2 am, so it is recommended you go to bed early rather than sleep in late. In Ayurvedic practices one should wake with the sun to create a synchronicity with the natural world. This will prevent a clogging of energy that leads to poor communication, a tired body and a bad mood.
2. Morning routines are key
Start your mornings the same way—with 8 ounces of water and a nice poop. The water will activate your organs, readying you for the day. And by pooping as early as possible you don’t allow the toxins in your waste to linger in your body.
3. Cleanse through hygiene
Oral hygiene is a large part of Ayurveda. Good Ayurvedic practices are tongue scraping to remove toxins that build up in the mouth and promote healthy digestion. From there brush your teeth with herbal toothpaste and then gargle with salt water.
Another Ayurvedic practice is Shat Kyria which is simply splashing the face with water in the morning. It is then recommended to follow this up with Neti Kyria, a cleansing of the nostrils. You can do this easily with a neti pot.
There are Ayurvedic practices you can incorporate into your life throughout the day as well to maintain awareness and help you focus on balance.
4. Warm up with Abhyanga
Abhyanga is the practice of massaging the body with warm body oils to tone, relax, and warm the muscles. You can perform self-abhyanga by rubbing warm, herbal oils in different patterns across the body.
5. Bend and Breathe
Yoga and Pranayama are a large part of Ayurveda. They go hand in hand. If you can squeeze even just a few sun salutations or your favorite pose into your day it will help you focus. Follow it up with Pranayama, a meditative breathing exercise.
Ending your day with Ayurvedic practices will help you refocus and center yourself for everything to come when you wake up.
6. End with some bubbles
Ending the day with a bath is an Ayurvedic practice that is believed to promote good health by helping you relax and giving you the space to meditate on your day.
7. Use food as fuel
Everything that goes into our body either helps or hurts us. In Ayurveda it is recommended to eat three meals a day, starting with a light breakfast and making lunch the largest meal so your body has time in the day to digest and harness the energy. End your day with a light dinner filled with natural foods and vegetables to fuel your body and mind.
After making just a few Ayurvedic practices a part of my life, I noticed I was able to be more present, focused and energized throughout the day. But don’t take it from me, there’s 5,000+ years of experience for you learn from.