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Ayurvedic Lifestyle
Ayurve-huh?
Ayurveda offers us tools in the form of food and lifestyle choices for maintaining health and overall well being that are uniquely tailored to one’s unique mind/body type. Ayurveda recognizes health is upheld by three governing pillars: getting adequate sleep, managing exercise that is specific to your own body, and maintaining an appropriate diet that is not only specific to you but also changes with the seasons.
Healthy Food Practices are not only about what we eat, but also, how we eat. Both are necessary to ensure healthy digestion.
Healthy eating practices include: eating slowly in a calm atmosphere, chewing food well, eating without the distraction of the TV or computer, eating warm, cooked food, stopping before you are too full, and taking food in with a mindset that you are nourishing your body.
Nourishing food and self care practices assist the body in preparing for and recovering from stress.
Foods such as ghee, sesame seeds, almonds, and golden milk support the body’s ability to withstand practices such as self-massage, spending time in nature, slowing down, and meditating, all of which are tools for preventing depletion and burnout.
What are Doshas?
The doshas, Vata, Pitta, and Kapha are the basis for understanding our mind/body type. Just like nature, we are composed of the 5 elements and their qualities. Vata is characterized by the elements of air & ether, Pitta by fire & water, Kapha by earth & water. The doshas determine our physical, emotional, and psychological characteristics and determine how we handle stress, make decisions, and relate to others. Understanding our predominant dosha is the basis for determining which food and lifestyle choices sustain health.
Can a person change doshas during their lifetime?
Our dosha doesn’t change, however, our environment is always changing: time of year, time of life, time of day. Even though we can observe one – two predominant doshas as our constitution, we can experience an imbalance in any of the doshas. This is why observation of how we are feeling presently and mindfulness are important in Ayurveda. By understanding what we are currently experiencing, we can make adjustments to our food and lifestyle choices.
Will this lifestyle truly make me physically feel better?
Yes! You will see for yourself as you begin to implement these healthy routines and observe how you’re feeling in our body as a result. Simple changes such as eating a seasonally appropriate diet: warming, grounding foods in the winter, cleansing, lighter foods in the spring, and cooling, hydrating foods in the summer all result in living in harmony with your environment and feeling your best. Why do I sometimes hear about Ayurveda during my yoga class? Ayurveda is often referred to as the sister science to yoga. Yogic breath, meditation, and postures help to strengthen the body and calm the mind. Ayurveda offers healthy food and lifestyle routines to feel our best while optimizing healthy digestion, restful sleep, and stress/energy management.
What does ghee have to do with Ayurveda?
In Ayurveda, ghee is considered gold! As a healthy, nourishing, hydrating fat, ghee pays an important role in maintaining healthy digestion – one of the 3 pillars of Ayurvedic medicine. Ghee is a pure, alkaline cooking oil that contains butyric acid which helps the good bacteria in the gut flourish. It also helps the body assimilate the nutrients that we ingest. Ghee is also a tonic for the mind, it pacifies the central nervous system bringing calm and a sense of grounding.
How do I know if living the Ayurvedic lifestyle is working for my body?
Working with Ayurveda to bring balance to your life can look and feel different for everybody, but many people experience more energy, a calmer nervous system, better focus, healthy elimination, improved sleep, and a sense of empowerment with their own health.
Where did Ayurveda originate?
Ayurveda originated in India over 5,000 years ago, preceding and influencing both Chinese and Western medicine. It’s approach to health and healing is through eating the right foods for your body, optimizing healthy digestion, and managing stress and energy.
Why do I sometimes hear about Ayurveda in during my yoga class?
Ayurveda is often referred to as the sister science to yoga. Yogic breath, meditation, and postures help to strengthen the body and calm the mind. Ayurveda offers healthy food and lifestyle routines to feel our best while optimizing healthy digestion, restful sleep, and stress/energy management.
