Below are some fundamental “rules” for good health, from an
Ayurvedic perspective:
• Have a regular morning & evening routine each day. Do everything in the same order, and same time each day, if possible. This will calm your nervous system as it will know what to expect.
• Go to bed and get up and the same time every day.
• Make sure you’re in bed no later than 11pm each night. 10pm is ideal. Avoid blue light for at least an hour before bed.
• Exercise before 10am each day.
• Eat your main meal at lunch time, between 12-2pm - this is when digestion is at its strongest. Digestion gets weaker as the day goes on, so it’s best to have a smaller meal at tea time.
• Have your last meal by 7pm. After this, digestion drastically gets weaker.
• Eat fruit either 1hr before a meal, or 2hrs after. Fruit digests differently to other foods and can disrupt digestion when eaten with other foods.
• Don’t shower or bath after a meal. Wait 2hrs to allow the food to digest. Our digestive system is like a fire, which is needed to digest our food, so going into hot water straight after a meal can take the heat away from our digestion and towards the skin, which will reduce our digestive power.
• Don't suppress natural urges - e.g. going to the toilet, sneezing, coughing, crying etc. This can cause a build up of toxins in the body.
• Avoid heating honey as this releases toxins in the honey. Favour raw honey.
• Use ghee to cook with. Ghee has many health benefits, but aside from that, it really aids in good digestion.
• Add spices to your meals to boost digestion. These are usually tolerated well by most people: dry ginger, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon.
• Choose organic foods where possible.
As we are human, we won’t be perfect at sticking to these things 100% of the time, but the goal is to just do our best.
It’s important to not stress about following any routines to a T, as stress will cause more issues than anything else, and life is about living.
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About Ayurveda
Ayurveda is an ancient, but timeless healing practice that originated in India. Ayurveda translates as “science of life” or “knowledge of life”.
The basic principle of Ayurveda is that our health is dependent on how good our digestion is. Most issues are related to undigested food or emotions, which leads to “ama” (toxins) in the body. The goal with Ayurveda is to strengthen the digestive system, which then leads to better health in all aspects.
The nutrients in the foods we eat are sent to the different tissues of the body. If our body isn’t absorbing our foods well, or if we are eating a lot of unhealthy foods, this can lead to issues with health, as the body isn’t getting what it needs to feed and build our tissues. This is why diet and digestion is so important.
This healing practice is mainly focused around diet and lifestyle practices, but herbs are also incorporated in certain instances.
Ayurveda is a lifestyle, that if you follow properly, you will notice amazing benefits in all aspects of your life and health.
Each person is always looked at as an individual, and as a whole. Ayurvedic initial consultations can take up to 2hrs to complete, as we dive deep into your medical history, diet, lifestyle, personality and every aspect of you. It’s important to cover these topics so we can get a good understanding of your constitution and the imbalances you’re dealing with - which then highlights what we need to work on, and what changes are needed.
In Ayurveda - not all foods are suitable for everyone, and can hider your health when eaten on a regular basis. This practice isn’t about restriction, but you may need to cut out certain foods or lifestyle habits until you’re back to balance, and then you can enjoy these things in moderation, whilst sticking to your Ayurvedic lifestyle the majority of the time. It’s all about balance.
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