A new year is born, and this month we pose the question…
Can we offer ourselves rebirth and a lease of new life?
We believe you can, with the right approach, much of which is centred in Ayurveda, so this is great time to revisit the teachings of this ancient holistic medicine for tips on starting the new year well.
What do you want from 2015? If you are anything like us here at AWE, you’ll want to revitalise yourself inside and out, have more energy, be healthy and vibrant, whilst maintaining your inner calm. In our modern fast-paced lives we often find this difficult. So let’s address this as we share some Ayurvedic knowledge on how we can make the most of 2015.
Rid yourself of your ‘Ama’
Something weighing you down, making you feel sluggish and like you’ve plateaued on your energy?
‘Ama’ is the build-up of toxins in your system, namely your digestive system, that can inhibit your physical health, as well as your mental and emotional wellbeing. So it’s time for a detox Ayurveda style…
Ayurveda recommends that the removal of Ama is done using the following steps:
- Enjoy a light, fresh-food, vegetarian diet for 7-10 days mainly consisting of juices, shakes and soups to cleanse the body.
- Eat only when hungry and avoid snacking.
- Season foods well with herbs and spices to break down the Ama and stimulate healthy digestion. Ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, fennel, garlic, cinnamon and pepper are all good options.
- Drink plenty of water – room temperature and 8 glasses per day.
- Rest, relax and enjoy calm activities such as light walking, yoga and meditation (also covered below under Rasayanas).
Revitalise with ‘Rasayanas’
Help stimulate and revitalise both your mind and body with Rasayana (rejuvenation therapy). This final step in the Ayurvedic ‘healing’ practice also helps to boost your body’s natural immunity stores and cellular renewal to prevent illness and degradation such as ageing, infertility and endurance.
Rasayanas are the physical, mental, herbal or food based methods or activities used to help stimulate this revitalisation and can include rest (as if we need an excuse!), sleep, therapeutic massage, positive eating as well yoga, breathing practice and meditation.
In basic terms, the above activities encourage deeper breathing, allowing for more oxygenated blood to circulate the body. This stimulates energy, clarity of thought and helps slow-down decay of the body’s cells via this fresh new blood. This may be why you’ve heard people claiming that eating well and yoga etc keeps them young!
In further benefits, these rasayanas help calm while blood cells making these effective treatments for skin conditions such as dermatitis or eczema.
Any foods rich in antioxidants are rasayana substances including but certainly not limited to ghee or clarified butter, onions and garlic, honey, aloe vera & licorice. This list is a long one but ultimately your fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts and wholegrains are all very valuable sources of antioxidants.
As with anything worthwhile, Ayurvedic benefits take time and commitment and there are no ‘quick fixes’. Ayurveda is a way of life, so perhaps consider embracing it all in 2015!