A day according to the laws of Ayurveda

The face of an unhealthy color, the legs give way from fatigue, I don’t want to do anything. These are all signs that I am losing my vitality. It’s time to call for help from Indian teachings and Ayurveda, which in Sanskrit means “the science of life.”

According to Ayurveda, the absence of aspirations means that some kind of energy failure has occurred in our body. Ayurvedic practices – from breathing techniques to herbal treatments or massages – help to restore vital energy and restore its free flow through the channels (dhatus) that permeate our body. To do this, it is not necessary to immediately go to India.

Guided by the basic principles of Ayurveda, you can replenish your energy supply on your own. Ayurveda doctor Mohammedali assures: “Just one day a week – and vitality will increase for a long time. We waste too much energy. To restore balance, you need to alternate periods of relaxation and restoration of activity.

This is the purpose of the practice – to devote the whole day to yourself. Well, I’ll try.

05:00 Art of awakening

Morning is the most important part of the day. In India, the hour of sunrise is a time of vigorous activity: offerings, washing and cleansing, yoga … You need to reconnect to the source of vital energy and let it spread throughout the body and consciousness.

When I wake up, I don’t get out of bed right away, I lie for another ten minutes and rethink my nightly dreams. Having completed this inner journey, I forcefully stretch each part of the body.

Then I get up and drink a glass of warm water (ushapan). It is one of the oldest rituals in the Charaka Samhita (a text written in the first century AD, on which Ayurveda is based), it helps to eliminate toxins, prevents aging, obesity and digestive problems. In addition, according to the philosophy of Ayurveda, what we take on an empty stomach sets the mood for the whole day. It is with this thought that I drink water.

05:30 The art of cleansing

In ancient teachings, it is suggested that immediately after waking up, look at “something white and beautiful, like fragrant white flowers.” The principle is to cleanse oneself of the influence of the night. I follow the advice of the ancients and admire the blooming hydrangea on the window. Then I proceed to the morning toilet.

First step: I clean my tongue, nose and mouth. To remove dirt and waste products from the digestive system, I use a tongue brush or a regular toothbrush.

To clear my nose, I prepare a special solution: I dilute a teaspoon of sea salt in half a liter of warm clean water and pour it into a special vessel with a thin spout – neti pot. However, the procedure can be done with your hands, just draw water into your palm, draw it in with one nostril and release it through the second.

Daily cleansing of the nose is useful as a prevention of colds, but is especially recommended for those suffering from chronic sinusitis and colds, as well as people with high blood pressure.

Then I do gandush: I put a spoonful of sesame oil in my mouth and hold for a couple of minutes, sometimes moving the oil slightly in the mouth. On the advice of Ayurveda practitioner Boris Ragozin, I use warm or room temperature oil. It gives an impetus to metabolic processes, strengthens the gums, prevents the development of caries and other diseases of the oral cavity, and simply helps to relax the jaws, which were tense at night.

06:00 Mini massage

In Indian herbal medicine, it is believed that sesame oil can open 72 energy channels! I apply one to two drops to the base of my nails and then massage each arm and leg for a long time. After that, I quickly lubricate the entire body with oil.

06:30 Yoga class

Yoga – active meditation – gets me moving again. I start with breathing exercises – pranayama, which starts the movement of prana – vital energy – throughout the body. On the advice of Boris Ragozin, I perform the simplest exercise for beginners.

It is important to do everything in a calm environment. I sit on the mat in a comfortable position, straighten my spine. I press the middle and index fingers to the mid-eyebrow, and close the right nostril with my thumb. I take a full breath in through my left nostril, slowly counting to four. The number, according to the doctor, you can choose any, the main thing is that breathing remains comfortable.

When the inhalation is finished, close the left nostril with the little finger and ring finger and release the thumb, freeing the right one. I exhale slowly at the same count. Then I inhale through the right nostril. When I have finished, I release my left nostril, blocking my right with my thumb, and exhale slowly. Then I repeat the session several times: inhale through the left, exhale through the right. Inhale through the right, exhale through the left.

After that, I perform a twisting or turning pose. When the session is over, it seems to me that my joints are breathing, I feel a coolness in the solar plexus area. And I’m surprisingly calm.

07:00 I clean myself up

Now I shower with scented soap. Ayurveda involves the use of funds only based on herbal ingredients: turmeric, vetiver, jasmine, almond, rice, aloe, and so on. I prefer sandalwood soap.

After a shower, you can start breakfast. In Ayurveda, it is obligatory to eat after cleansing yourself, with a clean mouth, in clean clothes and in a pleasant environment.

07:30 Salty breakfast

So that energy is not wasted, it is necessary to realize the significance of the state of mind while eating – it is just as important as what we eat. In no case is it recommended to eat in a state of anxiety, anxiety or anger; eat or drink preferably only while sitting; you can not talk with a full mouth; you need to feel full not only with your mouth, but with all five senses …

Boris Ragozin advises listening to the body: “If you had a hearty dinner the day before and you feel heaviness in your stomach in the morning, you should limit yourself to water or drink tea with cookies. If, despite the late meal, the appetite is good in the morning, you can and should eat hearty.

Another important rule: start each meal with something sweet. According to Dr. Mohammedali, following these rules will help prevent overeating and will make sure that the body has received all the necessary substances.

I forget about sandwiches and coffee. I am preparing a thermos with tea – black tea and boiled milk with herbs – the drink “awakens hidden energy.” I eat a few sprouted grains with a drop of olive oil, some chickpeas, almonds and semolina boiled in hot milk.

08:00 – 11:00 Gradually turn on

It’s time to get to work. Usually I sit in front of the monitor, but today I decide to write by hand. The point is to do something unusual from time to time or do something in an unusual way. For example, to go to work by another road, to go not to the store on the way, but to the one on the next street, to buy a product that you have not tried yet. Such small workouts make the brain more mobile, relieve us of the fear of change, helping us to be bolder and more determined in life.

11:00 am cooking

According to Ayurveda, our body consists of three main elements – doshas (Kapha – earth, Pitta – fire, Vata – wind). Each person is characterized by the predominance of one or another element. Nutrition is carried out according to the type of constitution. But there are also universal rules that apply to everyone.

So, every meal is considered as a source of energy. Is there prana in food or not? It is obvious that a piece of ham in a cellophane package contains less vital energy than fresh vegetables. As well as semi-finished products, they clearly lose in strength even to a bunch of parsley. However, this is not all. It is important not only what we eat, but also in what form.

Dr. Mohammedali elaborates: “Vegetables should be eaten freshly cooked. They, like other ready-made meals, should not be left in the refrigerator overnight, food should be consumed during the day. It is also not recommended to reheat cold food. As for fruits, they must be eaten before or after meals, otherwise they lead to fermentation, which is bad for the digestion process.

Ayurveda traditionally distinguishes six basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent. Ideally, when the food contains a combination of at least five of them. It is believed that only with this combination, food becomes balanced and well absorbed by the body. This is helped by spices and spices – turmeric, fenugreek, capsicum, ginger, black pepper.

Today I’m making basmati rice with carrots, and I use a mixture of cumin, coriander and ginger as seasonings. I also make a salad of fresh leaves and season it with sesame oil.

15:00 Beauty break

After a daytime sleep and a walk, I put on beauty. The goal is to heal the skin and at the same time awaken the senses and vitality. Dr. Mohammedali considers green mung bean with milk, chickpeas with kefir or yogurt, black sesame with yogurt or him with kefir to be the most successful combinations of ingredients for making masks.

I dip my hands in a slurry of herbs, dried flowers, and a thousand spices mixed with yogurt and apply it to my face until dry, then apply a moisturizing and firming turmeric cream. After care, the skin becomes softer, the complexion is brighter, and even the eyes shine.

18:00 Self-massage

Massage in India is part of a wellness ritual, and every child gets used to it from early childhood. Massage accelerates the movement of energy, relieves tension and maintains vitality. Ideally, it is advisable to invite a masseuse to your place to do a full body massage – abhyanga – including the earlobes and phalanges of the fingers. But since this is not possible, I massage myself.

I massage my head, because “there are many energy points on it,” explains Boris Ragozin. I vigorously rub the skin under the hair, pat on the top of the head, pull my hair – separate the large strands and hold the roots without separating them. The head heats up and thoughts clear.

19:00 Dinner time

I make vegetable soup for a light dinner and finish with a glass of hot milk with dates or grapes to get me ready for bed and improve my digestion.

21:00 The art of falling asleep

It’s important to go to bed early: every hour of sleep before midnight equals two hours of recovery. In bed, I relax with the help of yoga nidra – the yoga of sleep. My consciousness travels throughout my body, starting on the right side and moving up from my feet to my face.

I watch the frequency of inhalations and exhalations, then I imagine something pleasant (I am basking in the warm sand on the ocean) and say to myself a phrase that especially inspires me. Today these are the words of Gandhi: “If you want a change in the future, become this change in the present.” Great setup. I already feel ready to live life to the fullest.