ROCKSIDE k h a d i Everything made with herbs
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Importance of Ayurveda in Modern Life
Ancient alternative medicine systems like Ayurveda often take a backseat especially in modern times. Allopathy and quick-fix remedies are common as they tend to offer fast solutions to health issues. With people busier than ever and fast lifestyles the norm, many of us don’t seem to want to put in the time and effort for holistic results.
Unfortunately, such quick solutions don’t address the root of problems, whereas systems like Ayurveda aim to provide well-rounded healing. Practiced since time immemorial, it’s now making a big comeback as people seek personalized remedies and slowly ditch chemical-based solutions in favor of natural ones.
Here are some of the ways to use Ayurveda in the modern world.
Ayurvedic Products
Herbs and spices are among the top ingredients used to make Ayurvedic items. These include ashwagandha for stress and sleep, triphala for flatulence and constipation, brahmi for attention and memory, and cardamom for lowering blood pressure.
Note: It’s important to remember that while many items are marketed as being natural, there are those that are adulterated with toxic metals. The best Ayurvedic products are organic and comply with safety standards, so always check the manufacturer’s certification and read the ingredients carefully – especially when buying Ayurveda products online.
Ayurvedic Health Assessment
If you’re ready to start discovering the importance of Ayurveda – and experience how it can change your life – you should begin with a health assessment by a reputable Ayurveda practitioner. This involves providing a detailed health and lifestyle history, an examination of your eyes, lips, skin, nails and tongue as well as pulse readings. These give the practitioner a detailed insight into your physical and mental health so they can create a natural healing treatment plan just for you.
Ayurvedic Treatment Plan
An Ayurvedic medicine treatment plan focuses on restoring your doshas through a combination of Ayurvedic diet plan, exercise, massage, Ayurvedic products, yoga, and meditation. This multi-pronged approach provides a greater opportunity for healing and overall wellness.
- Diet: Depending on which dosha/s is out of balance, the practitioner will chart out a specialized diet plan to reset your energy.
- Exercise: Modern medicine echoes that which Ayurveda has known for centuries: that exercise keeps excess weight off, develops muscle and strength, improves digestion, and improves sleep. However, exercise plans in Ayurveda are tailored according to your doshas.
- For instance, those who are vata types – slim individuals with fast movements – may be prescribed exercises that are slow and light to keep the body moving, such as walking, dancing, cycling and swimming.
- Those who are pitta types – moderate, athletic physiques – benefit from activities like climbing, swimming, ball sports, and skiing.
- Kapha types – solidly-built individuals – benefit from rowing, hot yoga, HIIT, mountain biking and rock climbing. As they’re prone to becoming sedentary and gaining weight, regular exercise is important.
- Yoga: Like diet, yoga should be customized to meet your requirements, keeping in mind any ailments you may have. Your Ayurvedic practitioner will prescribe a yoga plan that balances your doshas to regain your health.
- Body treatments: Ayurvedic body treatments include massages, swedana (steam therapy), gandharva (sound-based treatment), kati vasti (oil therapy) and other healing practices. They focus on not just relieving pain or stress but creating a balance between the mind, body and spirit.
- Herbal medicine: Depending on your health, your practitioner may prescribe Ayurvedic medicine for weight loss and other conditions. What’s great about Ayurveda is that it recommends exercising every day at half capacity for short durations – up to half an hour – instead of sweating it out for hours once or twice a week with vigorous exercise. It also recommends limiting exercises to winter, spring and autumn and reducing summer workouts, especially in the midday heat.
How to Lead an ‘Ayurvedic Life’
To really experience the importance of Ayurveda in modern life, try to adopt its practices beyond diet and exercise. This doesn’t mean doing away with modern medicine, meditating for hours on end, or consuming endless herbs. Rather, it means developing holistic habits that help you build mental clarity, physical strength, and rediscover nature.
Tips to add Ayurvedic practices to your daily life
- Rise and sleep early: Ayurveda recommends rising before sunrise, which is the freshest time of the day. It also recommends sleeping before 10:00 PM by which time your body is ready to retire. This habit does take time to form especially if you’re used to erratic sleep schedules. But, stick to it and you’ll notice how much more energized and rested you feel.
- Walk: Simple and effective, walking is gentle on the body, releases stress and gives your brain a boost. It also lowers resting blood pressure, controls blood sugar, and improves cognition.
- Hydrate: We all know the importance of drinking enough water but often forget to have enough. Ayurveda recommends starting your morning with water to flush out toxins and cleanse your intestines. However, instead of chugging liters at a time, sip it throughout the day. Fill your stomach with 25% water, 50% food and leave the other 25% empty.
- Meditate: Though easier said than done, meditation doesn’t have to be a tedious affair. Forget complicated meditative practices that leave you feeling frustrated. Instead, take the time to sit comfortably, close your eyes, and disconnect for 15 minutes each day. If you have the time, meditate twice or thrice a day. You’ll feel focused and calm – exactly what you need to beat the stresses of the day.
- Reconnect with nature: Set aside time as often as you can to bond with nature. If you can hike, do it. If you have access to a park, visit it. If all you have is a garden, that’s fine too. Being out in nature keeps you centered, kindles wonder and curiosity, and fosters gratitude for being alive.
FAQs
- Why is Ayurveda still used today?
Ayurveda remains a living tradition. Despite advances in conventional medicine, people seek treatments that are more natural, offer autonomy over their healthcare, and are more holistic. Ayurveda is one of them. It has stood the test of time, thanks in part to being based on a philosophy of health and wellness rather than a curative outlook.
- Is Ayurveda still relevant?
Yes, it is. Like modern medicine, it has its own strengths. The best way to make the most of it is to use it alongside conventional medicine. Understand where each of their capacities begin and end. An important point to note is to always opt for products from noted brands and consult swith trusted practitioners.