What if the key to a
healthier mind and body was in front of us all along?
Many people turn to
modern diet fads in order to lose weight and boost their health. But
one of the best and most reliable methods of achieving a healthier
you is an ancient Indian tradition known as Ayurveda.
Wondering what Ayurveda is and how it can transform your life? Check out this comprehensive guide to discover all the answers!
What Is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is more
than a change in diet or exercise. Instead, it is a holistic approach
to boosting your health. This includes your mind, body, and spirit.
As traditions go,
Ayurveda is downright ancient. It was developed in India over 3,000
years ago, and the general concepts still help everyone maintain
their health in the here and now.
Because this
approach is designed to treat your whole body (hence, “holistic”),
there are a variety of specialized diet and exercise methods to
choose from. It’s possible for everyone to find something that
suits their lifestyle and goals.
More Than a Fad
It seems like a new fad diet or health kick comes out every day. And most of these diets are more like short-term gimmicks instead of a long-term way to maintain your health.
That leaves an
obvious question: if fad diets are so bad, what makes Ayurveda so
good?
First, it’s more
than a fad. At 3,000 years old, the concepts behind Ayurveda are
older than many religious texts, including the Bible!
Second, Ayurveda is
a different kind of lifestyle. Embracing it means more than changing
up your diet: instead, you must embrace a new way of living.
Different Needs,
Different Diets
While Ayurveda is
more than a diet, healthy eating is a part of the discipline. One
thing you will quickly discover is that Ayurveda diets are unlike
anything you have seen before.
Ayurveda treats
eating as a kind of science. A healthy body means a healthy digestive
system. Therefore, healthy eating should focus on improving your
digestive health.
Certain kinds of
food are good for all practitioners of Ayurveda. This includes fruits
and veggies that help to clean out your body. And you should avoid
things like sodas and alcohol in favor of water.
Other dietary
considerations vary from person to person. For example, you can
create Ayurveda tea, but the exact ingredients will be different for
each person due to unique digestive requirements. And you may add
different spices to achieve different effects, such as adding nutmeg
to a dish to help you get to sleep later that night.
Benefits of Ayurveda
Let’s say you’re
interested in Ayurveda. It all comes down to this: what, exactly, are
the benefits?
First of all, you get to understand your mind and body. Ayurveda breaks people down into three different doshas or energies that rule their body: vata (“space and air”), pitta (“fire and water”), and kapha (“water and earth”). Studying Ayurveda can help you discover surprising traits about yourself and how to nurture them.
Secondly, you’re likely to lose weight. Ayurveda helps you improve your digestion and overall diet, helping you shed those unwanted pounds.
Finally, Ayurveda can make you happier. By reducing your stress and improving your physical health, it’s almost impossible for you to not love this whole new you.
Drawbacks of
Ayurveda
Now you know about
some of the benefits of Ayurveda. By now, you’re probably wondering
if there are any unique drawbacks as well.
The primary drawback
is that this process can be slow. If you’re looking for something
where you immediately start to shed pounds, things like the Ayurveda
diet are not for you.
However, you’re likelier to stick with this slow and steady approach than any fad diet. And it’s easy to notice improvements in mind, body, and spirit when you know what to look for.
The Ayurveda Diet
Earlier, you learned a bit about Ayurveda diet techniques. The Ayurveda diet you choose depends on your dosha: vata, pitta, and kapha. Ayurveda believes that we need six different tastes in our diet to balance our doshas: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent.
If you are a vata type (anxious), you should eat sweet, sour, and salty foods. If you are a pitta type (fiery), you should eat sweet, pungent, and bitter foods. And if you are a kapha type (sluggish), you should eat pungent, bitter, and astringent foods.
Here are a few other tips to help you embrace a healthier and happier way of living. First, try to stick to three balanced meals per day. Your biggest meal should be lunch. Try to eat around the same times each day and eat fresh food whenever possible.
Try swapping your cold water out for hot water. This can help with both digestion and cleansing your body. And, as with many diets, try to stay hydrated each day!
Ayurveda Massage
Ayurveda is more than a diet. To help balance your body, you can also enjoy a nice Ayurvedic massage.
Such a massage uses
a blend of special oils and your body’s natural pressure points to
help you achieve a feeling of balance and control. When done right,
this massage can help cleanse your body while also relaxing your
mind.
Ayurveda Yoga
Massage and diet are not the only ways to balance your body. You can also do this by trying some of the many Ayurvedic yoga poses.
These poses are variations of traditional yoga poses. Each one is formulated with a different body type and goal in mind.
For instance, those with a vata dosha will want to do poses such as sun salutations, mountain pose, tree pose, warrior pose, and child’s pose to add warmth, stability, and focus to their cold, anxious, and expansive energies.
Those with a pitta dosha should do poses such as moon salutations, standing forward folds, chair pose, locust pose, and bridge pose to add compassion, acceptance, and cooling to their fiery energy.
Finally, those with a kapha dosha should do poses such as breath of joy, angel wings, reverse warrior, cobra pose , and bow pose to add space, stimulation, and buoyancy to their sluggish energy.
By blending Ayurveda diet, massage, and yoga, you can achieve the kind of healthy body, mind, and spirit that you never thought was possible.