From Stress to Serenity: Ayurvedic Practices for Modern Life
The ancient Indian traditional medicine, known as Ayurveda takes a holistic approach to wellbeing by balancing your internal life energies, called doshas. Ayurvedic physical, mental, and spiritual practices have powerful healing benefits that bring internal balance and keep you feeling your best.
According to the Ayurvedic Institute, this tradition recommends keeping a daily routine, known as dinacharya. These repeated practices set the foundation for health and happiness. If you stick to a routine with activities that support physical and mental purity, you’ll set yourself up for success and harmony with the universe. So, go from stress to serenity with these Ayurvedic practices for modern life.
Say a Morning Prayer
Ayurveda looks at the big picture when it comes to health. It’s not just about taking a pill, but instead you should take an integrated approach by considering physical, mental, and spiritual healing. The Ayurvedic Institute recommends saying a morning prayer before you get out of bed. It puts you in the right mindset by starting your day with gratitude, intention, and positivity.
Feel Healthy with Healing Herbs
Ayurveda emphasizes plant medicine. According to Medical News Today, each herb and spice made from plants has unique healing properties. Ashwagandha can help with stress and boost muscle strength. Turmeric has wonderful benefits and may have an anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effect. Triphala may also help with inflammation and digestion. Feeling forgetful? Make Gotu kola your go-to as it may help with memory. Try eating these healthy herbs and spices and enjoy their benefits each day.
Stay Balanced with Yoga
Yoga and Ayurveda are two sister practices that originated in India thousands of years ago, according to a blog on Big Banyan. Like Ayurveda, yoga aims to bring balance to the mind, body, and soul. If you stay in tune with your body, you can use yoga as a way to heal and bring alignment through breathwork, meditation, and poses. Hip opening practices like frog, pigeon, and child’s pose can help with digestion. Or, try poses like bow, camel, or upward bow for circulation. Twists also help if you want to detoxify.
Eat Seasonally
Ayurveda takes the phrase “food is thy medicine” quite literally, and nutrition plays a powerful role in balancing the body and spirit. An Ayurvedic diet, in particular, emphasizes eating seasonally, according to The Art of Living. Your body responds differently to each season. At different times of the year, your body needs different types of food to maintain balance. During the cold winter months, a hearty bowl of soup warms and soothes from within. On a hot summer day, juicy watermelon and peaches taste refreshing and hydrating. Eating the foods that grow in season helps align with nature and ensures you’re getting the nourishment you need throughout the year.
Breathe Deeply
According to the Saumya Ayurveda website, Ayurveda emphasizes the importance of breathing exercises, known as pranayama. Nadi Shodhana, for example, balances the mind and body through breath. By gently switching the breath from one nostril to the other, you’re clearing the respiratory system while sending a calming signal to your brain. It’s like hitting a reset button for your body and mind. Make sure to carve out some time in your dinacharya to breathe. It’s a simple way to feel your best!
