Say hello to a brand-new year and a brand new you this 2021! Let this be the year we continue to invest in our immunity and good health through preventive healthcare sciences like Ayurveda.
Dinacharya, also known as daily rituals in Ayurveda, lays down a few sets of rules and principles that you can follow on a daily basis to flush out toxins, rather than waiting for them to get accumulated in the body.
Here are some steps you can take to begin your Ayurvedic journey:
Circadian Rhythm
Oil Pulling
After exercising and eliminating waste from your body, you can begin the first ritual of oil pulling. Take one teaspoon of sesame oil and start swishing around in your mouth. This is an ancient Ayurvedic ritual, that allows you to remove all kinds of parasites and bacteria from your mouth, reduce cavities and caries, and also dislodge the mucus in the sinus region. Ensure to spit out the oil and not swallow it or let any enter your throat region, as the dislodged parasites may cause a throat infection. Oil pulling is an excellent method to calm the mind down and to protect your oral health.
Gargling
The next ritual is gargling of the throat with a concoction of hot water, turmeric and salt or a liquid called saptachadadi kashayam. Gargling allows you to cleanse the throat region and kill all sorts of parasites and bacteria that might cause throat infection, and this also allows you to boost your bronchial health, and protect against COVID-19 and all other kinds of viruses in the air.
Use A Bitter Toothpaste
The third step is to brush your teeth. Use a toothpaste that is bitter, astringent and pungent in taste to prevent an occurrence of cavities and root canal issues. I recommend kinds of toothpaste that have clove oil in them. After brushing your teeth ensure to scrape your tongue with a copper tongue cleaner. Copper helps sterilise the tongue, alkalises the mouth, and most importantly helps us flush out the toxins that get accumulated on the top of your tongue. This is a four-step ritual for oral dental healthcare.
Start With A Plain Glass Of Water
Remember, at night your body works hard to flush out toxins and they are already accumulated in the gut. Having plain water first thing in the morning helps flush the toxins out easily. You must consume is 200ml of warm water for a vaata and kapha prakruti, while pitta can have 200ml water at room temperature. You can also squeeze some lemon juice in it to alkalise the body and add grated ginger to aid digestion.
Following this, I recommend having something that alkalises your system. Tender coconut water and lemon squeezed in water are the two best alkalising agents available to us from mother nature.
Opt For Herbal Tea
The third cup of water or liquid that you consume should be a herbal tea or a spice tea cooked in order to boost your immunity, metabolism, and to stimulate the agni or the metabolic fire in your stomach. I recommend a series of ingredients like cumin seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, cardamom, a pinch of ajwain boiled together in one litre of water (brought down to 500ml). Drink this warm. The drink is carminative in nature, which allows your body to stimulate digestive juices and prevent issues like indigestion, gases, bloating, acid reflux, constipation, flatulence, etc.
If you have a tendency to put on weight easily and struggle to lose weight, you can also add cinnamon, clove, pepper, star anise, and grated ginger to this concoction. boil it well and drink. Sometimes, I also recommend to my clients adding a pinch of turmeric and squeezing a little lemon to this to boost their immunity against different kinds of viruses.
Be Careful Of Meals
The first meal that you have should be either raw or stewed bowl of fruits, with a little clove, cinnamon and honey to it. This is an excellent way to invest in your gut flora and the gut bacteria that are directly linked to your emotional and mental health. After this, you can have a portion of cooked breakfast. Remember to always have a small breakfast, a big lunch when the sun is at the peak, and a small dinner before sunset.
These are some Ayurvedic rituals that you can start practicing today to boost your immunity and metabolism, and to align your body with the circadian rhythm of the sun and most importantly, to nature.
