A balanced diet and daily exercise routine is essential to a healthy mind and body. But that’s just the beginning when it comes to optimum health. The 5,000 year old science holds all the secrets to living, maintaining and preserving a sweet long life, in all respects to our constant dance of life. Here are 10 ancient Ayurvedic practices that will change your life forever!
1. Drink Warm Water and Ginger Tea
Cold water can actually impede your digestive functions. Drink a lot of warm or hot water and ginger tea throughout the day and with meals. Ginger tea also helps to increase Agni (digestive fire) and promote digestion.
2. Eat in Silence
We should eat in silence too, once in a while. When you do, you appreciate your food more, and it’s easier to hear your body signal that you’re full, which helps prevent overeating and leaves you more satisfied after your meal.
Read Also:Food Sadhana: What, How And When To Eat In Ayurveda
3. Eat Your Largest Meal at Lunchtime
Ayurveda believes the digestive fire is at its peak when the sun is at its highest point in the sky. This is not to say you should start throwing down at an all you can eat buffet for lunch. The point is to make your breakfast and dinner meals smaller and easier to digest.
Read Also:Why Ayurveda Discourages Eating Fruits Before/After Meals
4. Laugh Out Loud
Laughter releases endorphins, stimulates blood circulation, and promotes relaxation. Watch a good comedy movie, tell funny jokes, and don’t forget to laugh at yourself.
5. Massage
Numerous studies have shown the amazing health benefits of massage, including lowered blood pressure, increased muscle tone, stress reduction, and increased lymphatic. A study concluded that abdominal massage successfully reduced constipation and increased bowel movements.
6. Meditation
Meditation can include breath awareness to moving meditation or yoga. Choose the ones that resonate with you and stick to the routine. The more you practice, the more you are eased into it.
7. Oil Pulling
Just like in tongue scraping, when you remove toxins and bacteria from the mouth it leads to detoxification of the body. Oil pulling has the ability to treat various illnesses, ranging from digestive disorders to heart disease.
Read Also:Have You Tried The Oil Pulling Benefits Yet?
8. Pranayama (Breathing Exercises)
Deep diaphragmatic breathing clears the lungs of carbon dioxide, and increases oxygen intake, providing you body with more vital energy. It also massages your internal organs and promotes digestion by your stimulating metabolism.
9. Rest up
A sleep study followed 68,183 women for 16 years. The results showed the women who slept for five hours or less per night were almost a third more likely to gain 30 pounds or more compared to those who got at least seven hours per night.
10. Tongue Scraping
This oral hygiene practice removes toxins on your tongue better than a toothbrush. If your taste buds are covered with bacteria and plaque, it makes it harder to taste your food. This practice helps clear bacteria and plague. This typically leads to going overboard on salt and loading up on sweeteners, and can result in overeating.
