5 Ayurvedic Practices to Help You Find Balance
Chances are, if you have been in the yoga community long enough, you’ve heard of Ayurveda. (EYE-Your-Vay-Duh) Ayurveda means “knowledge of life” and its science is based on the idea that disease comes from an imbalance in our physical bodies created by mental stress. It encourages natural remedies to bring more balance between the mind, body and spirit, and with nature.
There are many different ways that you can use the practices of Ayurveda. There are therapeutic applications, seasonal components, dietary guidelines, and so much more. But it doesn’t have to be complicated. Start with one or two and add as you feel able.
I was very fortunate that my initial 200 hour training introduced me to Ayurveda early in my Yoga Journey, but even with that early knowledge it’s taken me years to regularly incorporate some habits that keep me well. There are some that are simple and quick and I truly feel what a difference they make, so I thought I’d share them here.
Neti-Pot : simply a saline rinse for your sinuses. These are popular around allergy and cold season, but I do them every morning and love the clarity I feel in my ears and eyes as a result. I got mine from a local drug store, nothing fancy. But it’s important to note, you should use distilled water (not tap) and keep that water at room temperature.
Self-Oil Massage, aka Abhyanga: Abhyanga is calming and soothing to the nervous system. Which oil is best for you to use is going to depend both on your dosha and on the season. But The idea is to bring balance. I am what’s called “Pitta”, which is fire-y, (surprising right?) so a cooling oil is best. (But not necessarily in the middle of winter when it’s already cold) So I use coconut oil (cooling) in late spring to early fall and switch to jojoba oil (good for most) the rest of the year. This is a great opportunity for self check-in as well, paying direct attention to your physical body and setting positive intention into it. Massage from fingers/toes/head toward the heart, using long strokes on limbs and circular movement around the joints, chest and belly. Personal tip - add a drop of essential oil to your self massage that aligns with your needs that day!
Dry Brushing, aka Garshana: Garshana is stimulating to the nervous system. It’s a great way to wake your body up, I love doing it before a shower in the morning. It exfoliates the skin, helps in detoxing by increasing blood flow and encouraging the flow and drainage of lymph. It’s important to dry brush in the direction of natural lymph flow, from from fingertips to lymph nodes in the armpits and from feet to lymph nodes in the groin area. This is one of my favorite Ayurvedic practices.
Golden Milk: My tried and true recipe is equal parts Turmeric, Cardamom, Ginger, and Cinnamon (1/4 tsp. of each) in one cup of warmed plant based milk, with 1 tsp of local honey and a couple turns of black pepper. Turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory. (The body cannot easily absorb the capsasin without black pepper) Having this as my night time tea feels nurturing and is my favorite relaxing night time ritual. (not sure how ayurvedically correct this is, but I often have it with a small piece of dark chocolate - yum!)
Drink Warm Lemon Water: Consuming warm lemon water before anything else in your morning is a great practice. I like to do it during my morning reading. It helps to rehydrate the body, flushes out toxins built up overnight while your liver was its most active, starts igniting your digestive fire, agni, which can help to reduce indigestion, and can even improve immunity and boost collagen production with the daily dose of vitamin C. Further on this habit: consuming this first thing prolongs your consumption of coffee. When you wait at least an hour upon waking before consuming caffein, it helps keep energy levels up throughout the day!
These small habits, that can help create more balance in your life, are very personalized. These guidelines are specific to your Dosha. A Dosha (either Vata, Pitta, of Kapha) is an energetic quality made of a combination of elements (earth, fire, water, air, ether).
Each type of food, or oil, time of day, or seasonal influence depends specifically on your Dosha. If you’ve never taken a Dosha quiz to find out which of the 3 types you are dominant in, I encourage you to start that path of self-discovery.
If you’d like to learn more, we have an in person “Journey into Ayurveda” workshop at the studio this Saturday 1/28 11am-12:30pm where you can discover your Dosha and learn ways to support your wellness using these practices!
Sign Up HERE!
