An Ayurvedic Lifestyle for Women's Healthy Living
Woman’s
role is revered in our society today. It thus becomes very important to
maintain health and fitness as a mother, a sister and a daughter. The
responsibility increases as her role nowadays has extended to workplace too.
For many women today, it's hard to
find a moment to breathe, let alone take care of your health. Whether you're
working in the office or in the home, raising your children or caring for
elderly parents — it's a balancing act just to get through the day.
Yet taking care of yourself and
staying in balance mentally and physically is central to meeting all the
demands of your family and career.
"Women today have so many areas
of life to attend to, it's important that they set aside time to maintain their
own health and happiness."
So,
here are a few Ayurveda tips to keep you stand tall and help you play your
major role with ease, by keeping you in the pink of health.
Ayurveda’s
definition of health
“II
sama dosha sama agnischa sama dhatu mala kriyaaha
Prasanna atma indriya
manaha swastha iti abhidheeyate II” – Sushruta
Samhita
Meaning -
One is in perfect health when all
the following are in perfect order:
- Three
doshas ( Vata, Pitta
and Kapha),
- Digestive
fire ( digestion, assimilation and metabolism),
- All
the body tissues & components i.e. Dhatus (the
entire physical body)
- All
the excretory functions (the physiological functions of
urination and defecation)
- Contented
mind, senses and spirit
How
to know if you are in the pink of Health?
Health of an individual can be known by the
following aspects:
- Desire and appetite for intake of food
- Proper digestion of food ingested at proper
time
- Sleep well at proper time
- Absence of pathological or dreadful dreams
- Feeling of freshness after waking up in the
morning
- Proper evacuation of faeces, urine, and flatus
at the proper time
- Proper functioning of mental faculties,
intelligence and senses in all respect
- Proper nourishment
- Proper strength
- Absence of any kind of pain
How can you achieve
your goals in life?
Good
health can be maintained until death. For this one should intelligently follow
all the rules laid down according to the Ayurvedic science. Only then will a
person enjoy an optimum life span of a hundred years without contracting disease.
She will also gain recognition in society, friendship with people and honour and
wealth as she has the energy and ability to achieve all the goals in life.
Ayurveda
simply aims to prevent illness, heal the sick and preserve life. This can be
summed up as follows:
- Swasthyasya
swasthya rakshanam – to protect health and prolong life
- Aturasya
vikar prashamanamcha – to eliminate diseases and dysfunctions of the body
Both
of these are aimed towards the promotion of health on three levels – Mentally, Physically
& Spiritually.
How can you always be happy, healthy &
beautiful naturally?
Ayurveda suggests a good daily routine
which is absolutely necessary to bring radical change in body, mind, and
consciousness. Routine helps to establish balance in one's constitution. It
also regularizes a person's biological clock, aids digestion, absorption and
assimilation, and generates self-esteem, discipline, peace, happiness, and
longevity.
So, you can begin your day in the
following Ayurveda way:
1. Rise before
the Sunrise
It is good to wake up before the sun
rises, when there are loving (sattvic) qualities in nature that bring peace of
mind and freshness to the senses.
Right after waking up, rub your palms
and place them on your closed eyes for a few seconds. Then look at your hands
for a few moments, and gently move them over your face and chest down to the
waist. This helps to cleanse your aura.
2. Morning
prayers of Gratitude
Every morning say this prayer to your God
before getting up from the bed –
"Thank you God for this beautiful day. May
love, joy, health, peace and compassion be part of my life and all those around
me on this day.”
After this prayer touch the ground
with your right hand, then the same hand to the forehead, with great love and
respect to Mother Earth, and then bow your head to the Sun for providing us
with immense strength, immunity and Vitamin D.
3. Instant Facial
Glow
Look beautiful naturally by doing these simple steps:
- Fill up your mouth with tap water, splash your
eyes & face with cold water and rinse out your mouth. Repeat it three times.
- Massage all the parts of your face in the
following order:
- Head
- Eyebrows
- Eyelids
- Nose
- Cheeks (in upward direction)
- Above and below lip
- Chin
- Neck
- Nape of the neck
- Blink your eyes 7 times and rotate your eyes
in all direction.
- Dry your face with a clean towel
4. Detox your
body naturally
Drink a glass of warm or regular water,
preferably from a pure copper cup filled the night before. This washes the GI
track, flushes the kidneys, and stimulates peristalsis. It is not a good idea
to start the day with tea or coffee, as this drains kidney energy, stresses the
adrenals, causes constipation, and is habit-forming.
5. Let loose and
be happier
Sit, or better squat, on the toilet
and have a bowel movement. Improper digestion of the previous night's meal or
lack of sound sleep can prevent this. However the water, followed by sitting on
the toilet at a set time each day, helps to regulate bowel movements. Alternate
nostril breathing may also help. After evacuation wash the anal orifice with
warm water, and then the hands with soap.
6. Freshen up &
have a beautiful Smile
- Using a tongue scraper: Gently scrape the tongue from the back
forward with help of a tongue scraper made up of stainless steel /copper, until
you have scraped the whole surface for 7-14 strokes. This stimulates the
internal organs, helps digestion, and removes dead bacteria.
- Using a tooth brush: Always use a soft toothbrush and an
astringent, pungent, or bitter toothpaste or powder. The traditional Indian
toothbrush is a neem / licorice root stick, which dislodges fine food particles
from between teeth and makes strong, healthy gums.
- Oil pulling: Gargle once or twice a day with warm sesame oil to
strengthen teeth, gums, and jaw, improve the voice and remove wrinkles from
cheeks. Hold the oil in your mouth, swish it around vigorously, then spit it
out and gently massage the gums with a finger.
- Chewing work out: Chewing a handful of sesame seeds
helps receding gums and strengthens teeth. Alternatively, chew 3-5 dried dates
and an inch of dried coconut meat. Chewing in the morning stimulates the liver
and the stomach and improves digestive fire. After chewing, brush the teeth
again without using toothpaste or powder.
7. Keep Calm
& Be A Beauty with Brains
Our nose is the door to the brain, so
nose drops nourish Prana and bring intelligence. Practice Nasya therapy daily
by instilling 3 to 5 drops of warm ghee or oil into each nostril in the
morning. It helps in the following ways:
- Lubricates the nose
- Clears the sinuses
- Improves voice
- Enhances vision
- Develops mental clarity
- Detoxifies the ENT canals
- Rejuvenates the facial skin
- Boosts hair growth and prevents its
early graying
- Strengthens the muscles of shoulders
and neck (which are getting affected these days due to excessive use of mobile
phones)
8. Be a good
listener!
Practice Karna Purana therapy at home
by simply instilling 2 - 4 drops of warm sesame oil in each ear. It helps in
various ways like:
- Nourishes and moisturizes the ear
canals
- Improves the hearing activity
- Helps to detoxify and drive away the
negative effects of pollution and cell phones
- Helps in treating conditions such as
ringing in the ears, excess ear wax, poor hearing, lockjaw, migraine,
depression, ear infection, vertigo, etc.
9. Self Spa Time
There is no greater expression of
Self-love than lovingly caressing and anointing ourselves from head to toe with
warm oil. Practicing Abyangam therapy by gentle, daily oil massage of the body
and scalp helps to:
- Nourishes the entire body and softens
skin
- Imparts muscle tone and vigor to all
the dhatus (tissues) of the body
- Lubricates and strengthens the bones
and joints
- Increases circulation
- Detoxifies and balances all the doshas
(Vata, Pitta & Kapha)
- Improves stamina
- Makes hair (scalp) grow luxuriantly
thick, soft and glossy
- Prevents headache, baldness, graying,
and receding hairline
- Induces sound sleep
10. Wash your
worries away
Begin your morning with a cleansing
and refreshing bath. It is best to use a homemade body cleanser which is made
up of split chickpeas flour, turmeric and milk. This helps to cleanse &
refresh your body and mind; remove sweat, dirt, and fatigue; and bring energy
to the body, clarity to the mind, and holiness to your life.
11. Time to open
your closet
Who doesn’t love to dress up? So, now it’s
time to wear your clean, nice clothes as it brings beauty, happiness and
virtue.
12. Your
fragrance says it all
Do use some nice natural scents,
essential oils, or perfumes without fail, as it brings you freshness, charm,
and joy. It also gives vitality to the body and improves self-esteem.
13. Work out.
Breathe. Relax.
Do some regular exercises, especially
Yoga and Pranayama (breathing techniques), as it helps in many ways:
- Improves circulation, strength, and
endurance
- Relaxes your mind and puts you to good
sleep
- Improves digestion and elimination
Exercise daily to half of your
capacity, which is until sweat forms on the forehead, armpits, and spine.
14. Have some ME
time
You can know your true self and have
inner peace by just giving a few minutes of your day to meditate. The best time
to meditate is early morning or late evening or both. You can do it for at
least 20 minutes daily. Meditate in the way you are accustomed, or try the
"Empty Bowl Meditation". Meditation brings balance and peace into
your life.
15. And finally break
your fast!
Have warm, nourishing and wholesome
breakfast around 8 am. Our body will be depleted of all nutrients as we do not
have food in the night. So, a healthy breakfast every morning is paramount for
the body to function well. Contrary to popular belief, skipping breakfast will
not help lose weight. Instead, it is one of the prime reasons why people put on
weight. Also, skipping breakfast in the morning will leave us depleted of
energy, lethargic, grumpy and irritated.
16. Work mode on..
You are now ready to begin with your daily
chores - be it work, study or performing other duties.
17. Munch a Lunch
Have your heaviest meal of the day or
lunch around 12 Noon, as the Sun is strongest at that time and so is our
digestive fire or Agni. Having lunch at this time helps digest the food
properly. Skipping lunch or having late or irregular lunch is the primary
reason for many metabolic disorders.
Walk for a 100 steps then as it in
digesting the food better.
Avoid taking a nap or an afternoon
siesta, except you haven’t been keeping well.
18. Calm down as
the sun downs
Sundown is considered to be another Sattvic
time of the day, so try to finish your work asap and do go for an evening walk
in some park. Try and stay calm for some time and introspect or just feel the
natural sounds by taking a calm walk or looking at the beauty and splendor of
the nature.This is an important time to relax and disconnect yourself from the
rest of the world, at least for a short period.
19. Fine Dine
Have your dinner around 7 PM as it
should be taken at least three hours before the bedtime. This helps our body to
digest the food with ease and prevents the build-up of ama or toxins in the
body. Also make sure, it is lighter than the lunch.
20. Have a good
night sleep!
Turn off the lights and hit the bed
before 10 PM, as this is the Kapha time of the day where in our body naturally
feels heavy and is trying to wind down. If we miss this time and are still
awake, then we move into Pitta time (10 PM – 2 AM), which makes it all the more
difficult to sleep.
One needs to sleep at least for 6 to 7
hours every day. Adequate sleep is paramount for the body to perform its functions
well. Sleeping is the time during which our body performs several involuntary
functions. These functions are very important for our body to stay in shape and
good health.
So ladies, these are the simple 20 steps of
your daily routine which will keep you happy, young and beautiful for a lifetime. Try
and align yourself to this Ayurveda way of Life (Dinacharya) and you will
automatically see a sense of purpose to your life. If we remodel our lifestyles
to resemble the Ayurvedic lifestyle or at least try and come close to nature,
then our body will automatically develop a strong resistance against diseases
and we can lead a good healthy life.
This post is written by Dr.Jaina Patwa who is a Chief Ayurvedic practitioner based at Vile Parle, Mumbai, India. She is an International Ayurvedic Consultant, also available on Skype. Skype ID - vishwacare
VishwaCARE offers Ayurvedic treatment globally for all chronic and refractory health problems.
Dr.Jaina Patwa uses high quality organic herbal extracts which are easy to take, effective and completely safe for long-term use.
Most
of us have been given a veiled theocratic brought up, that we believe
traditional school to promote sex just to indulge in for reproductive
purposes. However, this is not true as per the ancient science of India.
