Why practice Ayurveda?
The one lesson that all humans learn at some point is that happiness is fleeting and suffering is inevitable. Most of us spend a considerable number of years, or even decades, pursuing happiness and avoiding pain, only to find ourselves caught in a confused web, wondering why we're running around in circles, why we feel stuck, afraid, unworthy, or unfulfilled. What if there was a roadmap, that is simple and practical, that can help guide the choices we make with clarity and ease? Ayurveda, an ancient healthcare system that originated in the Indian subcontinent, provides very detailed guidelines on how to live. At its very core, Ayurveda is about understanding that each person is unique, with unique characteristics and needs. With this understanding, comes clarity and the empowerment to design a life that is true to one's nature, leading to fulfillment. This guide explains, in a nutshell, the Ayurvedic roadmap for living. 
Table of contents:

• Purpose of life
• Optimizing health
  1. Key indicators of health
  2. How to eat
  3. Eat for your digestion - take the quiz
  4. Eat for diurnal and seasonal variations
• Lifestyle 
  1. Self care for physical and mental health
  2. Ethical guidelines
• Know thyself - Ayurvedic Prakrti assessment

 

Purpose of life
Ayurveda is a healthcare system that goes into great detail about preserving health and treating disease. However, it is rooted in spirituality. The purpose of living a long and healthy life is to fulfill the four goals of life:

1. Pursuit of Wealth and Material Comforts: ​​Work ethically and diligently, contributing positively to humanity without attachment to the results. 
   
2. Pursuit of Deepest Desires: Embrace life's joys, deriving pleasure not just from personal comfort but also from giving to others, while avoiding excessive pursuit of pleasure.
   
3. Living with Balance:Navigate the pursuit of wealth and desires with principles such as self-control, integrity, resilience, forgiveness, purity of thought, action, and knowledge, truthfulness, and maintaining health. 
   
4. Freedom from Suffering: Attain freedom from suffering by discovering the true self through meaningful work, spirituality, or immersive study as pathways to ultimate freedom. 
   

Ayurveda practicing tips

1. Healthy detachment​: Develop a healthy detachment from your body while gradually embracing Ayurvedic principles at a sustainable pace. Aim for empathy and a deep understanding of oneself, not perfection.
   
2. Food as medicine​: Embrace Ayurveda's perspective on food as medicine, recognizing that there's no universally good or bad food; it all depends on individual context.

 

Optimizing health
Ayurveda defines health as homeostasis, a state of equilibrium in the body and the mind. Optimizing one's health involves the following principles:

• Each individual has a genetic constitution that makes us who we are. This genetic constitution, called Prakrti, is made up of three energies that are combined in a specific proportion that is unique to each individual. Prakrti is analogous to our genetic make up. 
• Our behaviors, diet, and the environment can affect our constitution and disturb equilibrium, analogous to epigenetics, which is a study of how our behaviors and the environment affect our DNA. 
• Small changes in equilibrium are reversible by diet, lifestyle modifications, and spiritual practices.

The practicality of Ayurveda lies in its simplicity. We can restore equilibrium by:

• Learning how to eat and live for optimal health
• Learning the signals our body sends us when something is off, and then correcting with proper food and lifestyle measures.

 

​Step 1: Know the key indicators of health

1. Feeling hungry before mealtimes
2. Proper digestion - no food sensitivities, bloating, acid reflux or other discomfort after eating most foods
3. Daily evacuation of waste 
4. Feeling light in the body - absence of any sense of blockage or heaviness
5. Good physical stamina - ability to exercise, perform physical activities without feeling constantly exhausted
6. Waking up well rested 
7. Proper functioning of senses - ability to breathe without obstruction, no ringing in the ears, weird tastes in the mouth
8. Peace of mind - ability to handle negative emotions like stress, anxiety, fear, anger, and depression

The first 5 indicators of health correlate to metabolism. Thus, Ayurveda places huge importance on ensuring proper metabolism (or Agni) as this is the first thing that goes off balance. 

 

Step 2: How to eat
In Ayurveda, eating for your health does not mean eating certain macro or micro nutrients. It means to follow certain rules for eating so your Agni is balanced. six_tastes.pdf

1. ​Eat only when hungry
2. in a pleasant ambience without multi-tasking
3. what is suitable for you
4. with portion control
5. at a pace that's neither too fast nor too slow
6. food that is hot and fresh
7. that's cooked with good fat
8. containing compatible foods
9. incorporating the six tastes 

 

Step 3: Eat for your Agni
​Unbalanced metabolism manifests as variable, intense, or low metabolism.

• Variable digestive power, called Vishamagni (pronounced Vish-um-agni)
• Low digestive power, called Mandagni (pronounced Mun-dag-ni)
  
• Intense digestive power, called Teekshnagni (pronounced teek-shnug-ni)
  
• Balanced digestive power, called Samagni (pronounced San-mug-ni) 

Take the quiz below to find out your Agni type and steps to take to restore balance and attain Samagni. 

Use the following guidelines for 3 weeks to restore balance in your digestion. 
Balancing variable digestion, Vishamagni

• Eat your meals at about the same time everyday. 
• Favor hot, soupy, cooked meals. 
• Drink hot water and herbal teas; warm lemon water with a pinch of salt every morning is excellent to stimulate digestion. 
• Incorporate spices like black turmeric, pepper, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, coriander, and fennel. 
• Incorporate good fats like ghee, olive oil and sesame oil. 
• Incorporate sweet, sour, and salt tastes in your diet. Sweet foods are whole, cooked grains, lentils like mung and masur, organic milk, soaked nuts like almonds and walnuts; sour foods are citrus fruit, and fresh yogurt; use a good rock salt like Himalayan salt. Note: If you're allergic to any of these foods, avoid them. 
• Minimize salads, dry foods like crackers, chips, and popcorn, cold foods like ice cream, cold water or juices, frozen foods, and processed foods. 

Balancing weak digestion, Mandagni

• ​Exercise in the morning before breakfast. A brisk walk, run, yoga, anything! 
• Kick start your digestion with ginger. Either chai with fresh ginger or a one inch thin slice of ginger coated with rock salt (ex. pink Himalayan salt). 
• Eat only when hungry. It's ok to eat two meals a day, just eat when you're hungry. 
• Incorporate pungent, bitter, and astringent tastes. Pungent foods are hot peppers, black pepper, cloves, onions, fresh ginger etc. Incorporate light lentils like green mung or red lentils. Spices like turmeric, mustard seeds, and fenugreek (seeds or leaves) are great. Green leafy vegetables are great for slow digestion. Fats like sesame and canola (mustard) oil may be used in moderation.  
• Minimize heavy foods like carbs, sweets, meat, and dairy. The carbs you do eat must be balanced by the tastes above. 
• Minimize snacking. 
• Minimize salty foods like all packaged foods which are loaded with various sodium salts. 
• Drink hot water or herbal teas, or coffee or tea in moderation. Avoid ice or cold water and drinks.

Balancing intense digestion, Teekshnagni

• ​Start the morning with a lukewarm tea with cumin, coriander, and fennel. You can find the recipe at the end of this food guide. 
• Eat satisfying meals with whole grains like oats, wheat, basmati rice (or white rice), limited amounts of brown rice, lentils such as green mung, yellow, and red, white meat or seafood, and cooling veggies like gourds and squashes. Use this food guide to plan your diet. 
• Snack on seasonal fruit (avoid citrus and unripe fruit), figs, dates, and soaked nuts. 
• Minimize caffeine and alcohol. 
• Minimize spicy, sour, and salty foods. Use black pepper in moderation instead of hot peppers, minimize fermented foods, citrus fruit, yeasted breads, soy sauce etc. 
• Exercise with moderation. 
• Use cooling breath work and meditation to ease any stress. 

 

Step 4: Eat for diurnal and seasonal variations
​Our digestion varies with the time of day as well as with season. Here are some guidelines for diurnal and seasonal changes. 

• The biggest meal should be at lunch, when our digestive power is highest. Use this guide to plan your meals; heavy foods should be eaten for lunch, lighter foods for breakfast and dinner. 
• Eat a light breakfast and dinner. 
• Allow three hours between eating and sleeping. 
• Digesting is strongest during winter and fall and weakest in the summer and spring. Thus, eat light foods in summer and spring, hearty meals in the cold months. Use this guide to plan your meals. 

 

Lifestyle guidelines
The most important principle of an Ayurvedic lifestyle is self care, every single day. Practicing daily self care is essential for physical as well as mental health. Ayurveda is very precise and recommends specific routines for self care. It's not about a weekly facial, or a monthly massage. The purpose of a daily self care routine is primarily focused on proper care of your sense organs, your instruments of knowledge to the external world. The information received by our senses is processed my our mind. Thus the two are inextricably linked, and proper care of the senses is good for our mental health. 
Step 1: Daily self-care

1. Wake up, ideally just before sun rise. 
2. Clean your mouth. At minimum, brush your teeth, scrape your tongue, and floss, or nerd out with Ayurvedic procedures like oil pulling in addition to the basics. 
3. Cleanse your gut by passing excreta, ideally within an hour of waking up. 
4. Practice eye care: rinse your eyes with cool (never warm) clean water, or use an eyewash with filtered triphala tea. 
5. Practice nasal care, especially if you suffer from a stuffy nose. Use a sinus rinse like this. Or if you want to do it the traditional way, consult your doctor about using Anu Tailam. Typically, 1-2 drops of this oil is instilled in each nostril. 
6. The next step is to do a self body massage with an oil that is suitable for your constitution, typically sesame or coconut. I personally do a variation on this by moisturizing my body with a suitable body oil right after a shower. 
7. Ear care: instill a drop or two of the body oil in your ears and massage around your ears. 
8. Exercise. The exercise should be mild, typically stretches like sun salutations, a short brisk walk, or some yoga asanas. 
9. Shower, always with Luke warm water. 
10. Breakfast
11. Work
12. Before going to bed, massage your feet with your body oil. This practice promotes sleep and is also beneficial for the eyes. 
13. Sleep. 

Step 2: Ethical guidelines (Sadvritta)
The purpose of following ethical guidelines is to be mentally healthy according to Ayurveda. The principle behind good mental health is to ensure that we moderate what we consume through our senses. Sensorial stimuli are processed by the mind, and thus. Ayurveda postulates that the root cause of mental disease is over/under stimulation, or abuse of our senses. The ethical guidelines below help us exercise control over how we react to external stimuli as well be a positive influence on others. 

1. Treat people who impart knowledge to you with respect and reverence. Parents, teachers, and the elderly were expected to provide knowledge. 
2. Practice daily hygiene like showering. This is not only about self care, but also ensures we are a pleasant stimulus to others' senses. 
3. Practice good grooming, like cutting your hair, trimming your nails, wearing good clothes, and a clean, natural deodorant. The idea is to be gentle and pleasing in appearance, not garish and overstimulating. 
4. Participate in discussions with enthusiasm, while being respectful.  
5. Help others who are in trouble or in need. 
6. Be hospitable to your guests. 
7. Speak with meaning, politeness, and use measured words. 
8. Commit fully to causes you are passionate about, but detach your passion from the outcome of the cause. 
9. Always have a positive attitude. 
10. Be aware of your environment, watch where you're going. 
11. Ensure a clean environment - a tidy home, desk etc. Stay away from overstimulating environments that are extremely dirty, loud, bright, or smelly. 
12. Exercise in moderation, never to the point of exhaustion. 
13. Be compassionate to all living beings. (Ayurveda is not against eating meat, but cruelty to living beings for pleasure or no reason is going to impact you adversely). 
14. Always speak the truth. 
15. Be tolerant of those who are rude to you, have a different opinion than you etc. 
16. Prioritize peace and avoid causing hurt, negativity, or harm to others. 

 

Know thyself
It's now time to do some introspection and find out who we are. As mentioned in the beginning of this guide, each one of us is born with certain physical and mental characteristics that make us who we are. Understanding our constitution (Prakrti) enables us to make choices that are harmonious to our fundamental nature, empowers us with the knowledge to use the tools above to restore equilibrium when it shifts. It also allows us to be compassionate to ourselves. Societal norms and conditioning leads us to believe that there are certain characteristics that are more desirable than others; a certain body mass index, certain looks (full lips, fair complexion), being a leader, an aggressive go-getter, being a super-person who can do it all with ease. It's easy to see ourselves lacking when we don't meet these expectations (External or self-induced). By knowing your Prakrti, you understand that it may be against your fundamental nature to have some of these characteristics, even worse, you will fall sick if you force yourself to acquire them.

• The results of this assessment will show you the the proportions of three energies, called doshas. This constitutes your genetic blueprint. 
• Read this to understand what is dosha. 
• Your dominant doshas (typically the highest components) in the assessment is what you need to work most to keep in balance. 

​If you want to know more and would like some one-on-one guidance, hit the contact button and send me a note. Wishing you good health and peace!