9 Ayurvedic Rituals for Youthful Vitality
I love the buzzword “longevity”. Saying it almost makes me feel five years younger. Try it.
Don’t we wish it were that easy? We have tried the “low carb” diet and the “eat right for your blood type” diet. We heard about the power of goji and acai berries and so on, and we believed that the magic anti-aging pills would actually work. We believed these multi-million dollar industries that avowed that their products would indeed remove ten years from our being.
The truth of the matter is that it takes serious effort and a massively strong will for changes to occur.
The good news is that if we make the optimal “choice” of changing our lifestyle habits, we can attain that beloved state of being which radiates “youthfulness” even late into our eighties. By beginning to take seriously the task of obtaining balance over your own health and wellbeing, and committing fully and wholeheartedly to a set of healthful daily habits, the universe will be at your service.
The 5,000 year old science of Ayurveda holds all the secrets to living, maintaining and preserving a sweet long life, in all respects to our constant dance of life.
Attaining a human life, according to the Vedas, Buddhism and old Ayurvedic scriptures (such as Cakara Samhita) is by far the greatest gift nature endowed on us humans. This gift makes it so that we can conquer the most profound of goals possible: nirvana/moksha or liberation.
It is indeed our birthright to realize our true selves.
Such lucky humans are we.
According to Ayurveda (Dr. Arindham Chatterjee of Global Ayu Care in New Delhi, India), by following 70% of the techniques and tools suggested by the ancient knowledge of Ayurveda, one can truly attain well-rounded health of mind and body. Viva! This is in fact an attainable goal.
9 Regimens for Youth and Vitality
It might be impossible to introduce all of the following rituals at once. Take your time and try two at a time. It won’t take long to get a taste of success.
- Immediately upon rising (hopefully slightly before sunrise) brush your teeth, scrape your tongue and drink a cup of warm water with lemon. Toxins accumulate on the tongue while we sleep and we don’t want to introduce them back into our system. Tongue scraping acts to stimulate and massage the internal organs. The water with lemon kick starts the liver for a brand new day of work.
- Splash open eyes with clean water. This practice strengthens the eyes, improves eyesight, clears the mind and recharges mental energy.
- Self-massage with appropriate oils a minimum of three times per week. Don’t forget to include the ears. Self-massage ignites your internal pharmacy, according to Deepak Chopra, and stimulates all the systems of your body.
- Exercise daily. This includes either a daily yoga practice or a daily practice of the 5 Tibetans (fountain of youth).
- Eat only when hungry. Aim to eat Sattvic foods (pure foods). Ayurvedically speaking, eating only when you’re hunger rises means that you are responding to the urges of the body appropriately. Learn how to differentiate hunger, from eating for the sake of eating.
- Utilize turmeric in your cooking. Turmeric is considered the most medicinal Indian herb. Its powerful healing benefits help to clear infections, fight inflammation and support joint function. It also works to promote healthy skin and aids in digestion.
- Fast at least once per month. The term fasting does no have to mean avoiding food completely. One can fast on solids or grains for twenty-four hours in order to simply give your digestive system a break.
- Triphala before bedtime. If you had to choose one herb out of the thousands of herbs used in Ayurvedic Medicine, Triphala would be the one. Triphala translates to “three fruits” and is comprised of Amalaki, Bibhataki and Haritaki, which are three of the most important herbs in Ayurvedic medicine. Triphala is known as a rasayana, which means that it rejuvenates and strengthens the tissues–specifically as it cleanses and tonifies the gastro-intestinal tract.
- Meditate every day. A regular meditation practice will calm the mind. Learning to observe the movements of the mind is paramount to helping us to make conscious choices, live in the moment and face the daily battles of life from a much more detached place of acceptance.
Unlock your inner healing powers; you are your own healer.
For another perspective on increasing your longevity, watch the documentary The Immortalists.
Learn How to Meditate
Whether you’re looking to cultivate more authenticity, increase happiness, improve relationships, or reduce stress, all of these things are accessible to you through the practice of meditation. Learn how Gaia can help you transform your life in our Beginner’s Guide to Meditation.
About the Author
10 Ayurvedic Tips for a Deep and Restful Sleep
I have been a great sleeper my whole life…Well, that used to be the case up until a very stressful period in my life where major changes took place and I was shaken to my core. The result was insomnia.
How embarrassing, I thought. Being a yoga teacher, Ayurvedic practitioner and Bio-Energy practitioner, surely I had picked up some tools to help me sleep. While I have a plethora of tools to work with, what I found was that insomnia has a deep root. Until the root cause is addressed the endless tossing and turning will prevail.
In Ayurveda, insomnia is considered a vata condition. Vata is wind, movement, change, instability, cold, dry, light.
In order to reverse the insomnia, the opposite qualities must be experienced: stillness, stability, grounded, warm, unctuous, heavy.
The nervous system has been derailed and the five vayus/prana are not flowing properly, causing sleeplessness. With too much stress, anxiety and over-thinking, all of the prana moves upwards into the head, gets stuck and there you are staring at the ceiling all night long.
Been there?
Try these things. Not just once but get into a habit so that you adjust your relationship to sleep:
- No caffeine / sugar / stimulants Be kind to your delicate nervous system and avoid these sleep-suckers. If you must indulge, do so in the morning time and certainly not after 3:00 p.m.
- Drink a cup of milk That’s right, just like your Grandma used to make you before bed. Boil a cup of organic milk (or almond milk) with ¼ tsp of nutmeg.
- Lavender essential oil Sprinkle a few drops of this pure essential oil onto your pillow or a dab onto your temples before bed.
- Oil your feet Yep, you heard that correctly. Rub some cold pressed organic sesame oil onto the soles of your feet before you cozy up under the covers (be sure to slip on some cotton socks so you don’t get oil on your sheets).
- Wind down At least one hour before bed, get off your computer, away from the TV and turn off bright lights. Get your nervous system in the mood for sleep. Light a candle. Journal. Relax.
- Meditation You knew that was coming didn’t you? It’s true, meditation is the panacea for uncluttering the mind and releasing all of the conscious and subconscious garbage we carry around.
- Chamomile tea Simple. Easy. Have a cup in the evening instead of reaching for that glass of wine or stimulating tea.
- Abhyanga Say what? This is the Ayurvedic oil massage. Taking up this daily practice will change your life. Warm up some sesame oil (baby bottle style) and massage it into your body, working from the extremities in to your heart. Let this oil soak into the skin for 10-20 minutes before having a warm shower or bath. Ladies, avoid this practice on your menstrual cycle.
- Exercise You don’t have to do a half-marathon every day but make sure you are active, working your muscles and getting your heart rate up. Take the stairs, walk to the store. Do yoga.
- Breathe But breathe how? Deep, abdominal breaths are super but my favorite pranayama – the king of pranayama practices – is nadi shodhana or alternate nostril breathing. Choose either practice and do it nightly like your sleep depends on it.
Don’t underestimate these simple practices. Simultaneously, unearth the deeper disturbances in your life – at work, in relationships, unresolved emotions or trauma. Getting a good night’s sleep is crucial to your health, well-being and the ability to experience joy and peace in your life.
And don’t we all want a better sleep?
