Reviewing Ayurveda: My favorite practices
Do your remember the earlier modules about yoga’s sister science, Ayurveda? You can review them here: Intro to Ayurveda, and Dinacharya.
I want to share a little more about why Ayurveda has been so life changing for me. I first learned about Ayurveda in my first Yoga Teacher Training in 2008. Beginning to get a grasp on the different doshas was both confusing and enlightening. There is so much to understand about how to determine your own body mind constitution, let alone anyone else’s, but having this tool for understanding differing tendencies helped me to have compassion for myself and close friends and family members.
Fast forward to 2020! I am continuing to further my education in Ayurveda, in fact by the end of this year I’ll be a certified Ayurvedic Wellness Coach. And yet I still feel I have grasped only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Ayurveda. I still get confused when trying to understand my own and other people’s doshas. What I’m trying to convey here is that if you are still unsure about your dosha or how to balance it, relax, you are not alone!! The most helpful thing is to schedule a consultation with a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner to clarify your dosha and where you can work to balance it.
If that’s not in the cards for you, no worries! There are some Ayurvedic practices that are tri-doshic, meaning they benefit all the dosha types. I highly recommend regularly incorporating these things into your daily rhythm. Since we just started a brand new year, perhaps choosing some of these to commit to could be a part of your intentions for self-care for the new year! Here are what I consider the most important parts of your day to have a consistent practice around:
Waking and sleeping at about the same times each day helps you to feel grounded and helps your circadian rhythm stay balanced.
Having a regular morning and evening hygiene regimen. Review the Dinacharya page for ideas! My can’t-live-without practices include tongue scraping and starting my day with a huge glass of warm lemon ginger water.
Creating a consistent ritual of sacred movement/ pranayama/ meditation. This is what we’ve been working on most throughout this immersion! Try to establish a regular time each day to do your sadhana.
Eating three regular meals at about the same times each day, and avoid snacking much in between. Remember, agni is the digestive fire. One of Ayurveda’s main teachings for optimal health is to keep your digestive fire tended so it burns regularly and evenly to properly assimilate everything you take in each day.