It is sad that when most of us hear about Ayurveda, we feel intimidated by the word or think that it’s not real science. However, Ayurveda is very much real.
It is a several-thousand-year-old tradition of scientific medical knowledge gathered by Indian physicians over time and has been tested throughout the ages and been found to be effective.
The treasure trove of ancient knowledge found in Ayurveda is our heritage and is still as applicable to the fast-paced life of our modern age as it was in the golden ages of India in the past.
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We have all heard the saying, ?Prevention is better than cure. Ayurvedic practices can prevent several lifestyle diseases like diabetes and give relief from existing conditions.
It can also help you lose or gain weight, help mothers give normal delivery to their child and help you have naturally glowing skin and healthy hair
It has been proven time and again that Ayurveda can help people maintain a healthy and fulfilling life.
In this article, we are going to share with you eight of the best Ayurvedic tips to stay healthy both mentally and physically.
1. Take regular walks
According to Ayurveda, walking is one of the best exercises a person can do. Walking is thought to be a tridoshic exercise which means that it reduces and balances each of the three doshas. Walking is beneficial for both your mind and body and replenishes your energy. Walking positively helps in digestion as well.
Alternatively practicing yoga asanas enhances digestive function to a great extent. It will affect your overall health along with boosting your digestive health which will keep various digestive problems at bay. When you practice yoga for digestion you provide an internal massage to your digestive tract. Due to this massage fresh blood and oxygen rush to the digestive system. A huge amount of enzymes are created to support the absorption of nutrients, side-by-side, intestinal peristalsis becomes better, enhancing excretory processes.
2. Drink water mixed with lemon juice in the morning
Lemons have acidic properties along with minerals and vitamins which help clear out your digestive system. Drinking lemon water in the morning gets rid of toxins that accumulate in the body overnight. Ayurvedic practices recommend a proper flow of substances in and out of the body and this is a great way for achieving the needed flow.
3. Meditate
People associate meditation with something mystical but it also has several mental and physical benefits. Meditation helps you reconnect with your inner self and being disconnected from the world and its worries for some time helps you heal.
4. Ayurvedic tips for weight loss
Many of us struggle with keeping our weight manageable. Being overweight deteriorates the quality of our life and hurts our self-esteem.
Ayurveda has a cure for excessive weight and using the techniques described in the books, you can achieve weight loss easily. Drinking lemon water, exercising regularly in the morning until you break into a sweat and meditation all help reduce weight. Along with these, a few more things you can do to lose weight are-
- Eat Three Meals a Day- If you eat just three meals a day and avoid snacks and junk food, you are sure to lose weight. Take breakfast at around 7:30 A.M, a large lunch between 11:00-2:00 P.M and a small dinner between Half past five and 8:00 P.M.
- Eat seasonal foods, along with regional foods to lose weight- Ayurveda recommends followers to have seasonal fruits and vegetables as nature knows what we have to eat best. For example- Winter provides us with several root vegetables, high energy nuts, fruits and seeds of plants along with grains. These will help you get through this time which demands high energy.
- Have all 6 tastes in your diet- There are 6 kinds of tastes that our tongues can perceive. They are- sour tastes like lemons, sweet as in sugar, salty, bitter as in bitter gourds, pungent and astringent tastes. Salty, sour and sweet foods contribute to weight gain and must be balanced by other foods which are bitter like green leafy vegetables, pungent foods like capsicum and chilli pepper. Pomegranate seeds are astringent and these when combined work against the effects of food which cause weight gain.
- Take mild exercise after your meals- It is often said that you should not move too much after eating but Ayurveda recommends mild exercise for 10 to 20 minutes after food so that your digestive system is stimulated. Sleeping on your left side for 10 minutes after eating can aid digestion too.
- Have enough sleep- Ayurveda prefers being in harmony with nature. It recommends us to go to sleep with the setting sun and rise with the rising sun. The modern lifestyle makes us look at screens long past our time to sleep which harms our natural cycles and causes an imbalance in hormones. Getting adequate sleep for 7-9 hours every day helps us be well rested and lose weight while maintaining our fitness.
You should start out slow, one step at a time and progressively increase your efforts. Don’t be daunted about the large challenge ahead as each step counts and will make you lead a happier and healthier life.
5. Ayurvedic tips for hair growth
Ayurveda can help keep your hair strong, healthy and shiny. Ayurvedic knowledge tells us that hair fall usually occurs due to two reasons, either there might be a hormonal imbalance in the body or a problem in the Pitta dosha, the kosha which governs our metabolism.
Having a proper diet keeps our Pitta dosha balanced. A few foods which can help with hair fall are-
? Buttermilk.
? Coconut oil.
? Cinnamon.
? Fruits like pomegranate, grapes and citrus fruits like melons.
One thing common to all these fruits is that they are all sweet to taste and have a cooling effect on the digestive system.
You also have an amazing herb called Bhringraj which is called the king of herbs. Bhringraj oil is an amazingly effective natural conditioner and will make your hair strong from its root to its tips. You can apply it either in paste form or in the form of oil.
6. Keep your tongue clean
According to Ayurveda, we can understand the health of our body by seeing the status of our tongues.
If our tongue is pink and clean, then it indicates that we have a healthy body and our organs and digestive system are fine.
However, signs of unhealthy organs and toxins present in your body can show up on your tongue as a sticky film or bulges which are not your taste buds.
Ayurveda recommends juices which can detoxify your entire body or you can even take the advice of Ayurvedic practitioners.
You can keep your tongue clean by making the use of tongue scrapers which can remove the toxins. Stainless Steel scrapers don’t rust and will get the film off in 7-14 strokes. However please don’t overdo it as it might leave your tongue bleeding.
7. Ayurvedic tips for glowing skin. How to remove Acne
Why use chemicals and risk damaging your skin with unnatural products when you can use natural products recommended by Ayurvedic gurus which are proven to make your skin texture better naturally.
Some skin softeners recommended by Ayurveda are Sandalwood which is also known as ?Chandan?.
Do you find yourself asking ?How to remove pimples??. Ayurveda says that if you mix a paste made of 1 teaspoon of Sandalwood powder and 1 teaspoon turmeric in rose water, it can act as an effective face wash for you and change your skin tone and remove spots and acne.
Some foods that you should eat when you have acne are foods rich in vitamin A like carrots and others like beetroot and pomegranate which purify your blood giving your skin a warm healthy glow.
8. Ayurvedic tips for diabetes control
Diabetes is a disease that reduces the quality of our lives a lot. Please do not lose hope if you were diagnosed with diabetes as there are many things you can do to improve your situation and maintain an enjoyable standard of living.
If you’re looking to manage your diabetes naturally, then Ayurveda has a lot to offer to you.
In Ayurveda, diabetes is referred to as Madhumay and one of the ways of keeping it under control is avoiding too much sugar and easily digestible carbohydrates so that your Khapa levels are balanced.
Managing diabetes is tough, but definitely not impossible.
A few ways you can control diabetes using Ayurveda are-
- You should drink a glass of water containing the essence of ten basil leaves, 10 belpatras and 10 neem leaves in the morning while your stomach is empty.
- You can leave the water in a copper vessel at night and drink it in the morning as copper charges the water.
- Jamun seeds are also an effective method to control diabetes. You can take them in powder form along with water in the morning.
- Bitter herbs and fresh vegetables will help you avoid excess Khapa.
- Turmeric or Haldi is something you should add to your diet in large quantities as it increases the flavour of your food and helps you maintain your blood sugar levels.
- Methi water, juice of Bael leaves and ginger tea are some beverages that will help you stay fit and control diabetes.
- Finally, you should consider meeting with a certified Ayurvedic practitioner who can help clarify any doubt you have and suggest a course of action.
Conclusion
We can thus conclude by saying that there is a lot we can do to keep ourselves healthy by applying the teachings of Ayurveda to our daily lives. We hope you enjoyed reading the article and wish you a long and healthy life.
