According to an ancient Indian legend, about 7,000 years ago, several sages gathered to find out the cause of human suffering, death, and loss of human health. The sages concluded that human shortcomings are paramount and represent a cleansing process. Bad thoughts and actions are the cause of disease, and therefore the main task of medicine is to instruct a person on the right path. This is the real purpose of Ayurveda.
It is believed that Vishnu himself told the sages about how one should live. According to the Vedas, Vishnu himself had extensive knowledge in the field of medicine, was able to treat not only by using herbs and prayers, but also surgically.
The first question that the sages were asking the patient was: “How is your mood?”. Yes, it is our mood that shows our level of health.
In this article, I want to share with you 7 ayurvedic principles that everyone should follow in order to have good health (physical and emotional).
10 Reasons Why You Should Try To Live By Ayurvedic Principles
Living by Ayurvedic principles not only makes you healthier but also nourishes your mind and soul as much as the body. Here are 10 reasons why you should try to live by ayurvedic principles.
1 You will learn to love yourself
Ayurveda encourages you to accept your uniqueness instead of comparing yourself to others. Once you start living by the basic ayurvedic principles, you will discover your individual needs, be able to heal both soul and body, and become more reflective about life.
2 You will be able to improve your health
Ayurveda says that good health is our natural state, and any health problems we may have are imbalances that we didn’t correct on time. When you feel that something is going wrong with your health, simply refer to the recommended food for your dosha and avoid undesirable products for your dosha. This will help you return to a state of proper balance and improve your health.
3 You will find your place in life
According to Ayurveda, we are all part of nature that consists of five elements: ether, air, water, fire, and earth. The behavior and interaction of these elements determine how we manifest ourselves in different situations. When we learn to understand what elements are present in this or that situation we can identify the hidden aspects of our behavior and situations we are dealing with.
4 You will be easily cleansed and renewed
Like the world around us, we tend to constantly change and leave behind what is not suitable for us anymore and prevent our further development. Ayurvedic nutrition combined with yoga and meditative practices will help you cleanse your body and mind, renew faster and achieve inner peace.
5 You will realize that everything in the world is connected
Ayurveda not only has a beneficial effect on our physical health but also unites our mind, body, and soul, maintaining a balance between them. You are not only muscles and bones, but also the spirit that embodies the five elements. By studying Ayurvedic practices, you will realize that healing begins with the food that is on your plate.
6 You will restore health at the cellular level
Research claims that Ayurveda has the potential to regenerate damaged cells. This once again proves the importance of what we feed our bodies with.
7 Your body will be detoxified
Ayurveda helps to detox your body.
“Maharishi Ayurveda describes three kinds of toxins. The most common type is ama, which is the sticky waste-product of digestion that builds up in the digestive tract when your digestion is either weak or overloaded with the wrong foods. If ama is not cleared from the body and continues to build up, after some time it can leave the digestive tract and start circulating throughout the body.
Once it settles in an area of the body, it can aggravate the doshas or subdoshas, causing an imbalance in that area of the body. If the causal factors are not addressed, and ama continues to sit in one place in the body, then ama becomes reactive and mixes with the subdoshas, the dhatus (body tissues), or malas (waste products such as urine). When it mixes with these parts of the physiology, it becomes amavisha, a more reactive, toxic type of ama. The third type of toxins is those we would call environmental toxins today. Environmental toxins come from outside the body and include pesticides and chemical fertilizers in food, as well as preservatives, additives and genetically engineered foods. Food that has “gone bad” and is filled with harmful bacteria also falls in this category.
Other garavisha toxins include arsenic, lead, asbestos, chemicals in detergents and household supplies, poisons, air and water pollution, chemicals and synthetics in clothing, and recreational drugs.” [Maharishi Ayurveda]
8 Your digestion will improve significantly
When you start eating according to your dosha, certain foods will activate the digestive system at the right time of day and reduce the accumulation of toxins in the body. This will not only boost your energy levels but also help you maintain a healthy weight and feel more relaxed and balanced.
9 There will be less stress in your life
With a diet tailored specifically to your needs, you will be able to take control of your body and mind, and thus reduce the number of reasons for stress and anxiety.
10 You will eat according to a clearly constructed plan
The rules of Ayurveda are simple and ideal for those who like a structured approach. Just think of it not as another diet, but as a comprehensive wellness plan that can transform all aspects of your life.
9 Ayurvedic Principles To Live By
Here are 9 ayurvedic principles that will improve your health and make your life more balanced.
#1 Early Rise
You’re probably familiar with Ben Franklin’s old saying “Early to bed, and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” It’s actually true. According to ancient sources, it is very important to get up before sunrise. However, considering the modern lifestyle, it is acceptable to get up not later than 5:30 AM.
The use of early rises is confirmed by the research of modern scientists. According to Ayurveda, morning time should be spent with benefits for the body and mind: take a shower, perform Surya Namaskar, meditate, pray and get ready for the day.
#2 Eat properly
The basic principle of Ayurveda is to eat only when eaten food has fully digested and you feel hunger. The General recommendation for all doshas is to give preference to moist, freshly prepared, warm food.
Try to avoid overcooked, too dry and too fatty foods, as well as foods that cause gas formation. You don’t have to eat something you don’t like. In addition, Ayurveda does not recommend eating in anger and irritability.
Ayurveda recommends to gradually exclude meat from your diet. You can start by giving up meat on a certain day of the week. Then increase the number of such days to two, three and then to complete exclusion.
According to the ancient Scriptures, people living in Kali Yuga are advised to completely give up meat in order to purify their karma.
#3 Exercise
According to Ayurveda, we should regularly perform asanas, giving the circulation of ether flow the right direction. Constant yoga practice helps us develop will power and purposefulness, get rid of laziness and illnesses.
#4 Good behavior
Ayurveda teaches us to always be polite to everyone, to respond to greetings, not to swear and not to discuss others behind their backs. In Bhagavad Gita, Krishna teaches that speech should be pleasant, kind, harmless, and truthful.
#5 Be grateful
The positive mind never asks, it thanks! We should learn how to stop feeling the need for something, and start noticing what we already have. Start small. For example, you can replace your morning thought “I have to go to work again” with the other one “I am so grateful that I have a job”.
#6 Be disciplined
Ayurveda teaches that the daily routine makes us disciplined, balances the flow of energy and makes us happy. The mode of the day is individual, but the main points in it is an early rise and early to bed.
In Ayurveda, planning plays a huge role. By following a clear and consistent routine every day, you will be able to program your needs and avoid unpredictability. Lack of planning leads to stress, and stress leads to premature aging.
Try to get up, go to bed, eat and work at the same time. If you have a sedentary job, take breaks every hour for walks or light exercise to avoid blood stagnation.
#7 Healthy sleep
Good sleep provides recovery processes in each cell of our body. Chronic sleep deprivation is fraught with serious neurological disorders, memory impairment, and accelerated aging. The optimal duration of sleep depends on the prevailing dosha, but in any case, it should be at least 7 hours.
#8 Do not suppress your natural needs
Suppression of needs such as urination, defecation, thirst, hunger, sleep, sneezing, coughing, tears, etc. is harmful to our health. If you strictly observe the daily routine, all these needs are met in a timely manner, as they are programmed and appear at about the same time.
#9 Regularly do oil massage
The main problem of modern people is a sedentary lifestyle, leading to stagnation of blood and disruption of cellular nutrition. Ayurvedic oil massage helps to improve blood circulation throughout the body.
Ayurveda recommends oiling and massage daily. The optimal solution – every day to perform self-massage with sesame or coconut oil, and once a week to receive the whole body oil massage from an ayurvedic specialist.
The Bottom Line
Ayurveda is the art of everyday life, developed from the practical, philosophical, and spiritual understanding of the essence of life. It is rooted in the knowledge of the very act of creation. The knowledge of the ayurvedic principles is the first step to understanding your body and improving your health. Obviously, it’s impossible to cover the whole ayurvedic knowledge in the frame of one article or even a book. People study Ayurveda for many years. However, you can use this article as a helpful tool to start practicing the basic ayurvedic principles today!
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