By making small changes in our daily routines, we can begin to throw small pebbles into the pond of our lives. That small pebble, if thrown correctly, will begin to make very visible and tangible ripples throughout everything we do.
Balancing the Elements
Ayurveda teaches us that there are daily methods of bringing our bodies back into balance. Through our normal daily activities of life, the doshas (or the elements within the body) tend to go out of balance. One common example is that of pitta. Pitta is related to the element of fire. If someone eats too much spicy food, he may find that he has heartburn. Both spicy food and heartburn are related to a pitta imbalance, or too much fire in the body. To correct this "fire-imbalance," we would need to cultivate the opposite quality of fire: water and coolness. In the heartburn example, we may decide to correct the imbalance by taking cooling, watery aloe vera juice, or by eating some cooling fennel seeds. We may also give ourselves a cool bath and rub our bodies in cooling coconut oil. We may also decide to avoid taking any spicy foods for a few days, until the fire within can regain its own sense of balance. This is just one example of how we can balance the elements within the body.
Ways to Ripple Your Pond
The following list highlights the most important daily recommendations from Ayurveda, in regard to daily ways you can "throw positive health pebbles."
Morning routines:
- Wake with the sun
- Brush your teeth, cleaning the tongue with a scraper
- Massage the gums with warm sesame oil
- Drink a glass of warm water (this gives a signal to the body that you can eliminate toxins)
- Empty the bladder and bowels
- Massage with warm oil for dosha type (pitta:coconut, vata:sesame, kapha: almond). Let the oil sit for at least 10 minutes, best is 30 minutes
- Bathe
- Exercise, yoga, meditation
- Eat breakfast with awareness
Mid-day routines:
- Have your largest meal from 12-1pm
- Sit quietly for 5 minutes after lunch, lay on left side of the body to enhance digestion
- Take a brisk 10-15 minute walk to aid digestion (108 steps)
Evening routines:
- Meditate before the sun sets
- Eat dinner from 6-7 pm (light to moderate)
- Sit quietly for 5 minutes after eating
- Take a brisk 10-15 minute walk to aid digestion (108 steps)
Bed-time routines:
- Do only light activities in evening
- Avoid mentally stimulating work, movies or actions.
- Take an early bedtime from 9:30-11 pm, depending on your dosha
- Wait for 3 hours after your last meal to go to sleep
- Take a warm bath to relax if you feel wired
- Try to sleep by 10:30, as 10-2 a.m. are “pitta” time where body heals and detoxes itself.
