Strengthen your digestive power.
As Ayurveda teaches, good health is dependent upon our capability to fully metabolize the nutritional, emotional, and sensory information that we ingest. When our digestive energy, known as agni (fire), is robust, we create healthy tissues, eliminate waste products efficiently and produce a subtle essence called ojas. Ojas, which may be envisioned as the source of our vitality, is the basis for clarity of perception, physical strength, and immunity. On the other hand, if our agni is weakened, digestion is incomplete and lead to an accumulation of toxic residue known as ama. The buildup of ama in the body mind leads to obstructions in the flow of energy, information, and nourishment, and is the basis of all disease. Here are a few Ayurvedic practices to strengthen your digestive fire:
Always sit down to eat (don’t eat in front of your computer or TV or while you’re driving).
Eat in a settled atmosphere and not when you’re upset.
Don’t eat until you’re definitely hungry.
Dine at a moderate pace. Don’t gulp down your food or eat too slowly.
Minimize raw foods, which are much harder to digest than cooked ones.
Include all six tastes at each meal.
Drink hot water with ginger throughout the day.
Practice some form of moderate exercise on a regular basis.
Perform a daily oil massage with herbalized oil that balances your mind-body type. Find instructions for a self-massage here.
Spend time in the quiet of meditation every day.
Use detoxifying herbs such as triphala, ashwagandha, guggulu, brahmi, ginger, turmeric and neem.
