Blog
The Proper Way to Massage Your Head & Feet
Many powerful energy points that connect to the brain and the rest of the body can be found in the head and the feet. Massaging your head and foot before you go to bed each day can be great for invoking relaxation and restoring the body’s balance. It ensures a calm and restful sleep each night, helping you wake up in the morning with renewed vigour, fully alert and well-rested. Head Massage The head is one of the most significant parts of the body. It comprises eight vital openings,namely- eyes, ears, nose,mouth and the crown of the head. It also encompasses a multitude of vitale energy points linking up to the brain and the mind. Technique Heat oil up to a warm and comfortable temperature Take a tablespoon of oil and pour it onto the crown of the head. Massage oil onto either side Bend your head forward and pour oil along the back of your head where the hairline ends. Spread oil over the back of your head and massage it onto your neck and shoulders With gentle yet firm pressure, massage the entirety of your head in small circular motions. (Make sure that you massage with the tips of your fingers, not your nails) Leave it on for at least twenty minutes and cover your head to protect it from air and cold drafts. The following are the few benefits of a good head massage Benefits Offers Deep Relaxation Releases Tension and Relieves Stress Strengthens Memory and Cognition Nourishes the hair,providing a lustrous shine Strengthens the nervous system Balances brain chemistry and the body’s hormones Foot Massage Your foot is yet another part of your body that contains many energy points linked to different parts of the body. A foot massage is a great way to find daily relief and show your appreciation to this very deserving part of your body. Technique Place a towel beneath your feet Pour a small amount of oil onto your palms and spread it over the top and bottom of your feet as well as your ankles and toes Massage the sole of your foot, in firm strokes using circular motions. Start with your big toe, simultaneously holding the base of your toenail and the underside of your toe with forefinger and thumb respectively. Massage from the base of each toe to the tip. Massage the length of the top of your foot. Make sure to press into the crevices between the bones Benefits Improves quality of sleep by instilling a deep sense of relaxation Stimulates all organs and bodily tissues Instills a sense of stability Relieves anxiety and tension Improves circulation to the lower half of the body Strengthens feet Offers relief from coarseness, fatigue and stiffness
7 Foods for a Flat Tummy
Belly fat is most irritating of all body fat since its very hard to lose them. Implementing these seven tummy tamers in your daily diet will help removing the stubborn body fat around your waistline – 1. Oatmeal Water Oats, one of the best fat burning foods around will optimize your body for getting rid of unwanted belly fat when you eat them first thing in the morning. Preferably cooked in water not using milk will make it much more potent. 2. Green Vegetables Leafy greens are one of the very best fat burning foods. Eating a fresh salad packed with leafy greens either before or with your meal is recommended. 3. Olive Oil Healthy mono-saturated fats found in olive oil can help in burning calories and excess fat. Including Olive oil in your daily diet will also help in lowering the levels of cholesterol in the body. 4. Berries If you are looking to lose belly fat, berries are must because of its ideal combination of fibre and antioxidants. The superfood is extremely rich in fiber that helps in flushing out the toxins from the body. 5. Green tea Green tea is a powerful metabolism simulator: Drinking it frequently can help to accelerate weight loss. 6. Asparagus Being a healthy source of soluble and insoluble fiber, Asparagus helps maintain a healthy balance in the digestive system. To reduce belly bloat, eat steamed asparagus a few times a week. 7. Almonds This superfood is packed with belly busting power. It helps build muscle, reduce cravings, and make a most convenient snack. Avoid salted almonds. Instead, nibble on raw almonds! Incorporating these super foods along with a daily routine of physical exercise will help you lose inches off your waist and have a perfect flat stomach.
How To Tackle Night-time Worry
Do you find yourself feeling restless at night, tossing and turning in your bed as the thoughts from the day pace through your head and keep you awake? Excess worry usually leads to a lack of sleep. Both of these problems are rooted in Vata dosha. It is the life force that governs movement in your body and controls your body’s natural rhythm. This includes everything from your respiration, your circulation all the way to the flow of your thoughts. Therefore an impaired Vata can lead to a rise in unusual anxiety levels and an overall restless feeling. Here are a few diet and lifestyle changes to rid your mind of stressful emotions and promote better and peaceful sleep. Eat Foods that Pacify Vata The Vata dosha is dry and mostly cold in nature. To counter its influence, try warm and well-cooked foods such as soups, stews and steamng rice dishes. You might also need to cut back on dry foods such as crackers, dried fruits and raw vegetables (stewed, boiled or soaked is the best way to go). If you’re preparing a lettuce salad for yourself, consider sauteeing it. Not only does it taste better, but it also ensures that your Vata is in check. Dinner should be light Make sure you have your dinner at a reasonable time, at least three hours before bedtime. Also make sure that you have something that’s light and easy-to-digest so that you don’t end up overtaxing your body’s digestive system during the night. If possible, avoid aged cheese , fried foods and other heavy meals during dinner. Avoid Stimulants Consuming caffeine, chocolate and other similar beverages and food items can interfere with your sleep,particularly if consumed during the evening. A hot cup of milk is a much better alternative if you’re keen on gaining hours of healthy restful sleep. Try avoiding stimulants of any kind during the nighttime. Allow your body to Unwind As tempting as they might be, try resisting the pull of your TVs, smartphones and computers. Take an evening stroll while listening to soothing music to allow yourself to tune in to your body’s circadian rhythms. Relaxing Aromas Use sweet-smelling oils like lavender essential oil or jasmine, sweet orange etc. to imbue a pervading aroma in your home environment. This will help promote better sleep. Remember: A Soothing Scent leads to a deep and restful slumber. Early to bed, Early to rise The Kapha time, which falls between 6-10 pm is the ideal time to go to sleep. This can be a challenging habit to instill but well worth the benefits that come with it. Also try to wake up at or before the Kapha time’s next cycle in the morning (6.00pm). This will ensure that you feel fresh and active during the day and well-rested during the night. Ayurveda also strongly recommends walking in the morning sunlight. Prioritise Practising Abhyanga Daily The major cause of Night-time worry is the constant stress and toxic emotions you deal with on a daily basis. Sometimes its hard to relent. Your mind takes you through a wild train of thought that exhausts you at the end of the day but makes it all the more harder for you to rest. One of the best ways to combat night-time worry is a physical practice called Abhyanga (self-massage). Simply put, you apply warm oil on your whole body before or after shower.. It is a soothing activity that helps calm your mind and relieve all tensions and worries. As a result you’ll find it easier to drift off to sleep in a worry-free Get Moving Vata is the energy associated with movement. Taking a short walk, gentle exercises that require you to sneak in some light movement can be quite helpful to get your blood flowing and your stress levels on the low.
The 3 Most Common Headaches and how to deal with them
Many of us are often plagued by headaches that can range from moderate and tolerable ones to extreme cases that are sometimes hard to deal with. To an extent, Ayurveda can be helpful in determining the underlying cause of the headache and treating it efficiently. There are majorly three types of headaches, each one of which is associated with a certain kind of dosha imbalance. They are as follows: Sinus Headache A Sinus headache can be caused usually during spring. This is the season in which major qualities of the Kapha dosha are predominant. Sinus headaches are caused by a Kapha-Vata imbalance. Nasal congestion,an overall heavy and dull feeling are all traits of a sinus headache. Causative factors include: Accumulation of Ama (digestive toxins) Overeating Lack of Exercise Excessive consumption of heavy and cold foods Exposure to wind, fog and cold. In the case of Sinus Headaches, it is recommended that you favor a Kapha pacifying diet. Include more astringent and bitter foods while avoiding sweet, sour and salty foods, especially during the spring time. Tension Headache An impaired Vata dosha is what causes a Tension Headache. It is a very common type of headache that is characterised by a sharp, unsteady pain. It can be caused by: Mental & Emotional Stress Irregular food habits and sleeping patterns Improper diet Eyestrain caused by Exposure to a tV or computer screen for long hours Suppressing emotions In the case of Tension headaches, it is better to include more sweet, sour and salty foods into your daily diet while avoiding bitter and astringent foods. This is part of a Vata-pacifying diet. Migraine Headache Caused by a Pitta-vata imbalance, Migraines are distinguished by a sharp, hot searing pain that is normally triggered by visual sensations such as eyestrain from excess use of computers and TV screens. They can also be caused by: Imbalances in Digestion Accumulated ama Excess Stress For migraines, it is advised that you favor a Pitta-pacifying diet throughout most of the year. This would mean adding more sweet, bitter and astringent foods while avoiding acidic, sour and salty dishes. In this regard, tomatoes should be avoided as their excess consumption can trigger migraine symptoms. Additionally, you should avoid strong exposure to the sun.if you suffer from migraines. A Few tips you can follow in general to treat headaches Most headaches are caused due to an imbalanced digestion. It is suggested that when you follow your dosha-pacifying diet, you start off the first few weeks with lighter foods before moving on to heavier foods so that it helps with your digestion. Freshly cooked, warm and organic foods are best for digestion. Eat your main meal at noon, when your agni is at its strongest Avoid aged cheese, butter, yogurt, leftovers and packaged foods. These are all difficult to digest. Avoid food combinations that disturb digestion. Eg: Milk combined with any food other than rice and wheat. Quit unhealthy habits such as staying up late at night, working excessively with computers, watching TV for long periods, exposing yourself to toxic fumes and chemicals etc. Plan a regular routine and stick to it. Make a habit of going to sleep early and waking up early. Include abhyanga (self-massage) into your morning routine. This will help improve circulation and enhance your digestion. To Balance digestion, exercise daily. Take a light stroll for an half an hour each day. Practice Yoga asanas that are known to help with blood flow to the brain.
4 Yoga Poses to Boost your Immunity
Practicing yoga regularly helps to increase our blood flow, reduce stress and also promote our lymphatic system which is responsible for clearing out our body toxins; overall thus, increasing the immunity. Here are 4 key yoga poses to boost your immunity – 1. Pranayama An integral part of the yoga practice for decades, Pranayama clears the respiratory tract and improves its resistance level and helps boost our immune system. Steps – • Sit on a mat with legs crossed in a spacious room. • Keep your head straight and your spine erect. With your face forward, and your eyes pointing to the nose tip, close your eyes and sit relaxed. • Take a deep breath slowly, hold it as much as you can and exhale it slowly. Do this for about 5 times. 2. Balasana Known as Child’s pose, this benefits the immune system. Steps – • Sit on the mat with your knees bent and at least a hip width apart. • Bend your body and rest it on the top of your thighs. Keep your forehead on the floor. • Place your arms next to you, adjacent to the feet and palms facing up. • Exhaling, press the hips to the heels and stretch your body. • Stay in this pose for up to 2 minutes. • To release, inhale and press the hands into the floor to lift yourself up to seated position. 3. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Dog Pose) This asana works out your entire body and increases the blood circulation thus benefiting the immune system. This pose sends out energy throughout the body. Steps – • Come down onto your fours. • As you breathe out, lift the hips up, knees & elbows straight, forming an inverted V-shape with the body. • Hands must be shoulder width apart, and feet hip width apart and parallel to each other. Your toes must point straight ahead. • Press your hands firmly into the ground and widen through the shoulder blades. • Hold the downward dog pose and take long deep breaths for a few seconds. • While you exhale, bend the knees and return. 4. Bhujangasana Called as the Cobra pose, this can help in the production of cells that fight diseases. Steps – • Lie down on the yoga mat in supine position and stretch your legs outwards, the heels in contact. • Rest your hands, palms facing the mat, alongside your chest. • Inhaling deeply, push your neck, chest, and head backwards. • Hold your breath and remain in the position, for about 10 seconds. • To release, exhale deeply, and come back to the initial stage. Krishnendu Ayurveda recommends performing these poses daily for 30 to 60 minutes to ensure a strong immune system and a fit and healthy life.
8 Incredible Health Benefits of Brinjal
Known as the King of Vegetables, Brinjal or Eggplant hails from the nightshade family of fruits and vegetables that includes potatoes, peppers & tomatoes. The superfood is extremely high on essential nutrients – 1 cup or approx. 82 g of eggplant/brinjal consists of 11% fiber, 63.5% Vitamin B, 10% manganese, 5.3% potassium, 4.5% folate, 3.5% Vitamin K, 3.5% copper, 3% Vitamin C and 2.8% magnesium. Here are few impressive health benefits of having Brinjal – 1. Keeps Diabetes in Control Brinjal or eggplants are a rich source of fiber and low soluble carbohydrates. Thus, they are really good for the regulation of blood sugar levels and also to control the absorption of glucose 2. Good for Heart Eggplants helps in stabilizing the blood pressure levels and also brings down cholesterol levels. Being rich in Vitamin B-6, fiber, Potassium, and Phytonutrients like flavonoids, Brinjal helps is good for heart health. 3. Weight loss The superfood is considered to be high in water content, no fat and very low in calories (Just around 20 to 25 calories per 100g). Also, the vegetable is rich in fiber that keeps you feeling full for longer. 4. Good for Brain Brinjals can help protect your cell membranes owing to its rich amounts of phytonutrients. They are also known to boost memory function. 5. Promotes Bone Health Eggplants contain good amounts of calcium, iron and phenolic compounds that help in making the bones stronger, increasing bone mineral density. 6. Aids Digestion Eggplants are good sources of dietary fiber, that helps regulate the bowel movements and also stimulates the secretion of gastric juices that facilitate the absorption of nutrients and the processing of foods. 7. Prevents Anaemia Eating foods high in iron will help fight anemia, and eggplants are iron-containing food. Also, brinjal is rich in copper, another essential component of red blood cells (RBCs). 8. Boosts Immunity Owing to the powerful presence of phytonutrients and antioxidants, eggplants help strengthening the immune system. These elements encompass antimicrobial and antiviral properties, that shields your body from any foreign body invasion. Having soft brinjal regularly (along with some honey) after baking it directly over the fire, may completely cure insomnia and your sleeping problems. Also, people suffering from chronic constipation can get relief by consuming brinjal in their daily diet. Krishnendu Ayurveda recommends Brinjal as a highly nutritional superfood that should be added to our daily regime.