4 Ayurvedic Practices for Self Care

Self care is absolutely important for each and every one of us so that we can show up to the world with our best self. Self care is a highly personal practice, where we find special activities that nurture ourselves. Only recently, I realized how important it is to take some time each day to take care of ourselves first. I found the wisdom of self care in Ayurveda, an ancient Indian system of health and longevity, and the sister science to yoga. Ayurveda is based on the concept that our body, mind and soul are tools for the sacred manifestation of our life. Therefore, we need to honor them so that we can experience the true vitality and luminosity of life.

My daily Ayurvedic practice helps me feel connected to my body, mind and soul so that they can be used to serve society. There are several Ayurvedic rituals that really resonated with me, which I want to share with you!

  • Massaging with oil: I regularly massage oil (e.g. coconut oil, sesame oil) all over my body. The Sanskrit word for oil is ‘sneha’, which means love. By massaging my body with oil, I am giving it the love it needs to lubricate the tissues, to promote the circulation of lymph and more. At times, I use coconut oil on the scalp of my head to create calmness and deeper connection with my crown chakra (I will share about chakras another day!). I also rub oil on the base on my feet because they have special nerve endings to all the organs. When well oiled there, it gives me a strong feeling of stability and grounding connection to Earth. 
  • Tongue scraping: According to Ayurveda, our tongue is an indicator of our overall health. All our bodily organs are connected to our tongues, and accumulated toxins are released there. Hence why it is vital to keep our tongues clean. Every morning and evening, I use my tongue scraper to remove any bacteria and toxins on the tongue so that they don’t re-enter my body. Not only does tongue scraping invigorate and cleanse, but it also supports the body’s overall detoxification. And by removing the white coating, I can taste my food better! [1]
  • Taking Ayurvedic herbs: There several natural plant based herbs that are extremely therapeutic for our system. The ones that I consume daily are triphala and ashwagandha. Triphala is composed of 3 fruits that keep my digestion healthy by removing toxins. By having a detoxified digestive tract, I noticed that my skin and overall health is much better. Ashwagandha provides me with the right energy needed to face challenges in life by acting as an anti-stress adaptogen. With these herbs, I found that I have much more clarity in my thoughts and serenity in my actions.
  • Eating Ayurvedically: The intensity of our internal digestive fire is related to the sun. Between 12pm to 1pm, the sun is at its strongest. Therefore, Ayurvedic scriptures suggest that we eat our largest meal during this time period to break down the food. And don’t overeat - eat about 1/3 full. When our digestion is ready for more food, it will let us know by creating a hunger inside us. Therefore, I only eat when I am truly hungry because we need to give our body the full amount of time to digest the food properly. If we continuously eat food without allowing what we last ate digest properly, we are overloading our digestive system.

In the current world that we reside in, self care is more needed than ever. Make sure that you formulate your own daily practice to honor yourself!

 

REFLECTION

  1. What is currently your favorite self care practice?
  2. What new self care practice do you want to try?

   

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REFERENCES

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