Have you heard about Ayurveda? If not, you’re in for a treat!
“Ayur = life Veda = science or knowledge.”
Ayurveda (Ayur=life Veda=science or knowledge) originated in Indian wayyy before modern science and it is a way of life, according to your ‘dosha’ (I’ll get to these in a moment). Ayurveda is the balancing and harmonizing of the mind-body, in order to bring us back into health and alignment.
There are so many different aspects to Ayurveda, you may have heard of an Ayurvedic Massage, Ayurvedic Diet or Ayurvedic Medicine. It is a way of living our lives in balance with the different elements, ether, air, fire, water and earth.
So there’s your quick introduction to Ayurveda, now I’m going to give you my Top 4 Ayurvedic Tips that I stick with everyday.
“..like my taste buds have new super powers.”
1. Scrape your tongue.
This may not have been what you expected, but there you have it. Every morning, the first thing I do is scrape my tongue. Why? Because it removes a whole load of bacteria off your tongue (you’ll have the pleasure of actually seeing this when you scrape). It makes your tongue feel fresh and silky and clean. It instantly gets rid of that morning breath, which is always a bonus (those around you may thank you for this). Since I’ve started scraping my tongue, I’ve noticed that my food tastes better, like my taste buds have new super powers. I use a copper tongue scraper, designed for such action, however you can also use a spoon, it does the trick just nicely. Give it a try and I promise, once you’ve got over the gross factor, you’ll never not scrape again!
2. Use a Neti Pot.
I know what you’re thinking, this is getting weirder. But trust me, this one is so beneficial. You can buy all fancy kinds of Neti Pots, mine is just a small plastic one, looks a bit like a gravy boat (a jug for gravy (gravy is a delicious liquid we pour all over our Sunday Roasts (Sunday Roasts are...I’m going off topic))). A Neti Pot cleanses the nasal cavity, cleaning away any mucus or other nasty stuff lurking there. This is very useful if you live somewhere dusty and dry, like here in Morocco or somewhere that’s quite polluted. It’s really great if you have any allergies, colds or sinus problems. Since I started using a Neti Pot, I’ve noticed that I don’t get so many sinus headaches any more (apart from when I don’t drink enough water, always drink plenty of water). Going surfing, falling off and getting washed around in the waves has the same effect, however, be warned, the water may fall out your nose when you least expect it, could be an hour after, two hours or even a day. Much more predictable with a Neti Pot.
“...you start to realise what works for you and your body.”
3. Wake up early.
It kind of makes sense that we should wake up when the sun rises and sleep when it sets, however we are all now so far removed from this (thanks to Netflix..and just electricity in general). When you wake up early you are waking up in the time of ‘Vata’ which is the most powerful and active time of the day. Yes, I’m with you, dragging myself out of bed with sleepy eyes reaching for the coffee pot, however it’s worth it. When I wake up early, it’s a struggle, but for the rest of the day I am motivated, productive and energised. When you wake up later, you are waking up in the time of ‘Kapha’ which is pretty much the opposite of ‘Vata’ much more of a lazy inactive stage. I feel it, when I wake up late, for the rest of the day I’m slow. I’m much more likely to laze around wasting time on my phone, eating unhealthy foods and generally just being unmotivated. Try it for yourself, set the alarm for 7am, drag yourself out of bed, sit, drink coffee, meditate, watch the world go by, whatever floats your boat, then reap the rewards for the rest of the day.
4. Here is the moment to find out about ‘Doshas’.
Have you noticed that we are all quite different, in our temperament, eating habits, behaviours, digestion, everything. This is all down to our ‘dosha’. It is said that we are all made up of different elements, some more than others. For those of us who are quite fast paced, a bit ‘up in the air’ we have a constitution of ‘Vata’ (ether and air). Those that are quite determined and feisty more 'Pitta' (fire and water). 'Kapha', (earth and water) are generally more stable, grounded and slower paced. You can be a combination, but usually have one that is more dominant. As I am more of a Vata Type, and have a tendency to be a busy bee whizzing around, I have to take time to balance out my dosha by grounding myself. I meditate often, practice yin yoga and eat healthy grounding foods, such as root vegetables (I think chips and crisps count, right?). This all makes perfect sense to me, and I notice when I am out of balance; my skin and my hair get dry, my digestion gets, well, ‘windy’ and I feel like my head is up in the clouds. When I take the time to add some grounding Kapha elements into my life, I feel like all the pieces fall back into place. This works. It’s also better than any ‘new, latest’ diet, because rather than following what works for someone else's body, you start to realise what works for you and your body.
There are so many other ways you can implement Ayurveda into your life, however these are the main 4 that I have managed to stick to daily. The others I tend to dip in and out of, but they still make me feel great when I do. It takes a while to create a new routine or habit. Sometimes we try to go big and change our whole lifestyle in one day, which often ends in failure. For me especially, when I start making small realistic changes, setting myself up for success, I’m much more likely to keep them going. I find then, once those small habits are set in place, bigger changes don’t seem so scary or daunting.
So I challenge you to bring in one new healthy habit. Maybe it’s getting back into your yoga practice, whether it’s vinyasa, yin or meditation, check out my weekly schedule here.You might discover your Ayurvedic Dosha and make a few changes to your diet, or if you're feeling brave, buy a tongue scraper!
I'd love for you to get in touch and tell me what changes you decide to make!
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