The foundations of health according to Ayurveda
Eat, Sleep, Sex (um, yes, please)
According to Ayurveda, we need 3 strong pillars in which to build a solid foundation of health.
The pillars of health are: what we consume, how well we rest and our relationship to our sexual energy, so in other words what we eat, sleep, sex. Sounds pretty good, right?
What we consume is the first pillar in Ayurveda.
Food and what we eat is often a heated subject in the wellness industry and we could spend a lifetime agonizing over the details of our food choices but in Ayurveda, food is only one pillar in how we are nourishing ourselves and our health on multiple levels.HOW we choose to prepare our food, HOW we choose to consume our food and what we are consuming with the rest of our senses is what builds this pillar of our health. In terms of food, Ayurveda has suggestions based on your dosha also known as your vikruti, which is your current dominating dosha based on your lifestyle imbalances. However, Ayurveda would say that there's no point in figuring out your macrobiotics when you’re eating in your car, scrolling on your phone. You would be better off eating fast food while sitting at a table and consciously enjoying it. Ayurveda is simple and simplicity is what makes it so powerful.
That said, understanding your dosha allows you to make the best balancing choices for your unique constitution. For example, a fiery Pitta should lay off the spicy food and aggressive contact sports. Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with spicy salsa and full-contact rugby, but because Pitta already has a lot of fire, spice and heat internally, consuming more with any of the senses, can lead to a state of overflow (i.e. inflammation, acid indigestion, acne and overall aggression).
The second pillar of Ayurvedic health is sleep.
- specifically, how, when and how much we rest. Are we going to bed at the same time everyday and allowing our bodies the same amount of quality rest each day? This is hugely important. We already know the effects of sleep on our overall health. According to Dr. Marishka Brown, a sleep expert at NIH, good sleep improves our brain performance, mood, and health. Not getting enough quality sleep regularly raises the risk of diseases such as heart disease and stroke as well as obesity and dementia.
The Doshic clock observes the day in phases and has suggestions for how to adjust our day according to these phases.
Pitta time is between the hours of 10am - 2pm and 10pm -2am. We are naturally more inclined to have more energy and digestive power (both food and information).
Kapha time is between 6am- 10am and 6pm- 10pm, when our bodies slow down and are often more grounded. Think about how hard it can be to get up after 8am or get your energy moving mid-afternoon.
Vata time is between 2am-6am and 2pm-6pm, when we feel space, air and creativity. Do you ever wake up with racing thoughts at 3am and can't go back to bed… that is Vata energy, my friend. When we know these time blocks, we can tailor our days and get into a natural rhythm (read more about how to create rituals around the Doshic Clock HERE).
Regardless of when you wake up or go to sleep, the most helpful thing I've found is to “bookend” my days with rituals that signal a start and a finish to the day. A morning meditation welcomes a new day and an evening bath or herbal tea with a book ushers in the evening. This tells my body, everything is going well, we can relax, we can digest, we are not running from tigers. Now think about the signals we give to our body when we are jumping out of bed to the shock of an alarm clock, guzzling coffee in order to stimulate a bowel movement and then scrolling on our phone in bed at night until our eyes burn and the melatonin finally kicks in. We are telling our body that there is unrest, uncontrol and that we need to be on high alert for whatever might happen next.
The third pillar of Ayurvedic health is sex.
When we enter into a state of rhythm and routine, we allow ourselves to soften and ease up a bit and that sense of ease and pleasure for the present moment leads to the third pillar of health… Sex. I am talking about a connection to our bodies that is soulful, present, heart expanding and expands to all that is beyond your body as well.
Ayurveda sees sexual energy as creative energy so whether you're excited about the big O or the big project you are immersed in, that vitality and excitement is seen as the same energy. The only way to become open to the intimacy of our heart’s desires is to reach a place in which we are able to connect with ourselves deeply and we are able to experience pure pleasure only when we are digesting all of life fully and allowing ourselves time to rest and reflect.
Ayurveda for all its rituals and rules is quite simple when we distill it down to the basics. Make your life a beautiful ritual. Tell your body what to expect and you can in return expect great things from it.
