Author: Karunakar Shukla,
Lecturer, Raipur University
Ayurvedic medicine is the
science of balance. Learning how to create balance at mental, emotional,
spiritual, and physical levels are essential. The magic is with in us,
Ayurveda provides us the tools to seek it and achieve optimal health.
Maintaining good health and treatment of disease are two sides of the same
coin. The food, drugs and regimen that Ayurveda prescribe for both are
similar. The components are the same: they are all found in nature. Equal
importance is given to the kind of food to be taken as to the drugs
prescribed. Each reinforces the other and both act in similar ways to
maintain the equilibrium of the doshas in the body. Ayurvedic Medicine has
delineated rejuvenation and virility as a branch
of medicine where the main purpose is to maintain health as age advances,
and to keep the body healthy,
avoiding the transfer of to
our offspring.
Let’s face it, we all age, but we don’t need a life style of diseases like
diabetes, heart diseases, hypertension, auto-immune diseases, obesity, and
cancer etc. We can all age gracefully without these horrible diseases.
Routines to follow:
Dincharya
(daily routine)
1. Wake up early morning before
sunrise. Sun activates the pineal gland to send massages to the pituitary
gland, which in turn messages the adrenal glands to release adrenal
Cortisol, which wakes us up from deep sleep.
2. Drink 1-3 glasses of warm water. This helps
the peristalsis to begin and helps bowel evacuation.
3. Oral hygiene is of utmost importance for
healthy gums, digestive health and healthy heart so brush your teeth and
take a shower everyday!
4. Get in touch with your senses by massaging
your body with oil customized for your body type (or sesame as a default
oil). To sharpen your sense of smell, put few drops in your nose, for eyes
wash your eyes with water. Similarly, put a couple drops of olive oil or
vegetable glycerine in your ear, you can also dip the Q-tip in olive oil and
lubricate your ears.
5. Walk for 30-45 minutes depending upon your
schedule, and meditate regularly.
6. Eat a healthy breakfast according to your
constitution.
7. Fried, processed, and artificially
sweetened foods, white sugar and white flour should be avoided at all times
as they weaken digestion and deplete the body’s nutrition.
8. Finish your day
calming your mind by mediating, exercising pranayama (breathing exercises)
and quieting your mind.
Ritu
Charya (Seasonal routine)
Use a common
sense approach to seasons. During the summer, dress up light, eat fruits and
vegetables and drink lots of fluids to prevent dehydration. During winter,
dress warm; keep your vital organs like heart, lungs warm. Add more nuts and
seeds to get extra oils and energy for winter and lubricate your skin with
oils or cold creams. In spring dress up not too light or heavy. It is the
seasons for allergies so avoid mucous producing foods like excessive sugar,
dairy products, fried and heavy foods. Also, fasting on vegetables, fruits
and rice proteins can be very helpful. Autumn, season is considered best for
cleansing.
pancha karma
Over time, we accumulate toxic materials in our bodies that lead to
diseases. We may eat healthy, do our Yoga, exercises and meditation, but
mind may play bigger role in a disease process. This is why Pancha Karma is
advised. These treatments mimic the body’s natural ways of detoxification.
It has been divided into three phases: Poorva Karma: preparation for
detoxification. Next is Pancha Karma, which involves five methods of
cleansing, followed by
Pashchtya
karma (Post Pancha karma) to help restore the function of the body to its
natural state with rejuvenating Ayurvedic herbs called
Rasyayans.
