The start of a New year is the perfect time to take a look at your daily habits and routines and see how far they’re supporting you in achieving your health goals. Whatever your plans are for the New Year, an Ayurveda-supported routine can help you stay healthy, vital and energized throughout the year.
So without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the basics of Ayurveda that can help you in pursuing your dreams this year and staying healthy.
Daily Detoxification habits
The first order of business is to detoxify your body every day. During your sleep, your body is busy sending waste and toxins to your elimination channels. It is important that your clear out those channels first thing in the morning so that you feel energized and lively. You can do this by adopting several simple cornerstone habits such as:
- Emptying your body of waste through the bladder and bowels every day, first thing in the morning. (Without straining)
- Starting your day with a glass or two of warm water.
- Use a tongue cleaner to clear your mouth of morning ama and to ensure fresh breath, a cleaner mouth and improved digestion.
Self-massage with Ayurvedic oil
Every morning, right before you take a bath, perform abhyanga (massage) with warm and herbalized Ayurvedic oil. It will help keep your skin moist and improve your body’s blood circulation while also releasing ama from your skin, your vascular system, and muscles. Besides, it will also help tone your muscles, lubricate your joints and also calms your nerves which in turn will aid you in getting a better and more restful sleep every night. In addition to all of this, it is a great stress reliever.
A strict diet
The New Year is a great time to prepare a proper dietary plan and stick to it. The key to good health is good digestion. Good digestion is a result of good food so that’s where you should start. Stack up your vegetable rack with fresh and organic fruits and vegetables, herbs, spices, etc.
When you eat is equally as important as what you eat. Start your day with a warm and well-cooked breakfast but keep dinner light so that you don’t end up overworking your digestive system during the night. Have your main meal for the day around noon (10.am-2pm). This is the peak Pitta time when your digestive fire is at its most fierce. This will also allow your body time to digest your food for the rest of your day.
Exercise and Yoga
There’s no better way to improve your body’s blood circulation and keep your muscles toned and flexible than through persistent daily exercise. Different types of exercises are recommended for different dosha types. Vata types will benefit more from lighter activities such as walking and yoga.
Pitta types do well with exercise in moderation that cools the body such as swimming, skiing, ice-skating, etc.
If you’re a Kapha type person then you could largely benefit from vigorous exercises that include aerobics, jogging, running, skipping, etc.
Yoga asana is an all-encompassing type of exercise that helps balance all your doshas, revitalize your body’s organs and tone your muscles.
Go to bed early and rise early
Everything is much better when you’re well-rested. Ayurveda recommends that you get up during the sunrise (somewhere around 6.00 or depending on your time zone) and don’t sleep late till 10.00 (the Kapha time). This can eventually make you feel lazy, lethargic and inactive.
Also, try to go to bed before the end of the evening Kapha cycle (6.00 pm- 10.00 pm).
