LIFESTYLE AND HEALTH : FOOD FOR THOUGHT
/Why put off until tomorrow what we can start working on today? Tomorrow isn’t always exactly meant to be literally tomorrow but when it comes to health and setting an intention to start anew, per a reset of sorts, we can allow ourselves the permission to “get to it (health) later” but that all depends on where you are right now with regard to your health. This also suggests that if you are in a good state of health and want to take it to the next level, then you could start tomorrow or on the New Moon, the weekend, Sunday, or any closest event that can signify the new beginning. Yet, if your health isn’t the best, then maybe mentally preparing, and physically preparing your environment today can set you up for the new beginning of tomorrow, to ensure more success.
It is never too late to start working on health, though depending on how much time has passed, or how chronic something is, we may not have as much capability to regain it fully but at least make it more manageable. Is your body talking to you? How do you know if your body is speaking to you? Through symptoms and also through a sense of well-being, not just in the mind and thoughts. Ayurveda is a well-rounded system of holistic medicine that exists with the purpose of providing well-being and encouraging an optimal lifespan to achieve the goals of this life’s journey through the route of health.
It is understood in Ayurveda that certain measures must be put into place in order to create the foundation for health to re-establish itself, which is why Ayurveda offers extensive measures from daily practices, seasonal practices, herbs, and numerous treatments to do so. According to Ayurveda, two basic considerations around what forms good health and what creates ill-health are mainly rooted in Diet (Ahar) and Vihar (Lifestyle.) Diet should be appropriate and support us in creating consistent health through wholesomeness, known as Satmya in Ayurveda. That which produces the opposite is known as Asatmya. This includes eating per our prakruti, vikruti, state of agni (digestion), age (Vaya), and strength (bala). Vihar includes examples of lifestyle practices such as engaging with each day through sleep, thinking, planning, working, exercising, adapting to seasonal considerations appropriately and as harmoniously as possible. Vihar involves both Dinacharya (daily practices) and Ritucharya (seasonal practices) and everything in between. Diet matches up with both, mainly.
So ask yourself, “what are you doing to support your body-mind-spirit levels of health?” Often we find ourselves in busy times with life just happening and in some instances, there are circumstances that really require more of our attention than others. It is important to evaluate life and assess what truly deserves our attention? What will take us towards our health? What will take us away from our health? What stress/stressors are that demanding that require us to sacrifice ourselves? Do we notice when we start to get run down? Symptoms such as tiredness, anxiety, resentfulness, cravings, sleeplessness, anger, frustration, being uptight, distracted, overwhelmed, hypersensitive, depleted, fatigued, getting colds, digestive upset/indigestion, and low immunity which means increased sensitivity to much that may be circulating in the atmosphere. These are cues that the body will continue to gain momentum with should we not find resolve or homeostasis in “me time” to replenish.
Why wait until conditions start to develop in order to be more proactive in our health? Why is it often the case that some people wait until a health crisis grabs their attention before different choices are made? In Ayurveda, there are three primary causes of diseases that are called the TriAyatana Roga: 1-Prajnaparadha, 2-Asatmendriyartha samyoga, 3-Parinama. Prajnaparadha is defined as “misuse of intelligence” “crimes against wisdom” “intellectual blasphemy” and “intellectual defects”, all of this implies that most often we know what is the right thing to do but we choose to ignore or choose otherwise. Asatmendriyartha samyoga is generally defined as the misuse of the five senses where the five senses are overused, underused, or inappropriately used. Parinama, includes that aspect of time that has to do with seasonal, and linear time such as aging. The three main disease causes and categories are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha; this is when the dosas can be vitiated through improper dinacarya and ritucharya; which can be remediated when we are “back on track" and more aligned with such practices. Two other causes of disease formation include Nija (endogenous-internal causes) and Agantu (exogenous-external causes.)
When the ball is set into motion and inappropriate measures aren’t taken the disease process ensues. Like a faucet with a small leak that eventually builds up, spills over, and spreads, causing damage along the way landing in a particular location, the disease tends to start out with simples symptoms that get pushed passed or even ignored. They may become quiet after some immediate measures, or on their own, for whatever reason, we may not know at the moment, but that may not always be a good thing. In fact, in many cases, they just get redirected somewhere else and accumulate over time and develop into something else, many times with a vengeance. It is important to notice these little things but how can we when we are so busy? Most times these little things start out as basic digestive disturbances: gas, bloating, distention, diarrhea, constipation, sluggish digestion, unclear belching, sleep disturbances, and even energy disturbances. It progresses from here if corrections aren’t made, sometimes this even includes transitioning through the seasons where seasons can harmonize symptoms that may have developed during any particular peak of the season. Hence, the little things now become much bigger.
All of this is part of our lifestyle. What we do, when we do it, when we don’t do it, how we do it, why we do it, why we don’t do it, affect the bigger picture from the smallest unit of time which is now. Can we have the discipline to rein in the senses and focus them? Can we be more committed to what they are exposed to? Can we put practices in place that help strengthen and direct the mind? Are we able to be more observant of daily cycles, seasonal cycles, and the cycles of our life (for instance, childhood, adolescence, adulthood)? Keywords are discipline and commitment. Yes, we all want to enjoy life and at times in order to stabilize our health certain sacrifices must be considered and implemented to do so. Can we really wait for this? This answer depends on how many small or big conditions exist on the list that verifies where we are at with health (svastha) or ill-health (asvastha). We aren’t meant to always be on and responding to crisis, being any manifestation of life stressors that can take a toll on us. If we don’t prioritize ourselves more often with regard to our self-care, life will move on as it is designed to do so, with or without us. Finding balance is key. Getting support along the way is essential. Not letting our own needs go unmet because if we fall apart in our own personal worlds then how can we be of further service to the rest of the world or simply our immediate world that requires or has required our attention?
Therefore, when was the last time you saw your doctor, your healthcare provider, your support around well-being? When was the last time you prioritized yourself? Are you still acting within an emergency state or has the situation calmed down but now you’re revved up as in the sympathetic nervous system response? When was the last time you ate a home-cooked healthy meal? When was the last time you had a full night’s rest? When was the last time you felt peace in your body, mind, and environment? What choices are you making in favor of you? This can also be a way to pay it forward to others that are open to receiving. When others see you balancing your life and taking care of yourself even with the many demands and duties this can be an opportunity to witness how it is possible? Are you acting with discipline and staying focused on your goal of you when you are in a less demanding state of being?
Consider all this as a meditation upon yourself and your own life.
Here are some simple suggestions you can put in place that involve the daily cycle. It can be applied in many cases and for many people whose lifestyle lends itself to it. For those of you that may not be aligned as easily such as law representatives, medical practitioners, and even certain artists, do your best and get the sense of what is being shared. Consistency is key. The body requires consistency for health. Dedication and discipline are required. Creating pillars throughout the day is essential to well-being, and holding to these pillars is an essential key to health regulation and maintenance.
Bedtime should be the same time every day. Sleeping around the same time every day, ideally 10.
Wake up around the same time every day. By 6 or a bit earlier. It is more important to focus on the time of going to sleep as this will naturally allow you to wake up in the morning after the body has decided what was enough. If you’re earlier than 6/7 hours, this is another issue to look at.
Eat your 2 or 3 meals around the same time every day. If breakfast is had, before 7/8. Lunch, around 10-2, Dinner between 5-6/7. Two meals a day can be either breakfast or dinner, or breakfast and lunch, or mid-morning (11-12) and dinner 5-6. Then no meals after that until the next day. Incidentally, this is the natural “intermittent fasting” Ayurveda has been encouraged and discussed for thousands of years. Improper meal times are between 2 pm and 4 pm, generally. Mealtimes after 8 pm are improper as well.
Exercise around the same time every day. Ideally, before 10 am or before sundown.
No exercising right after a meal.
No sleeping right after a meal.
Bathing mainly in the morning time, maybe a second time before bed if you feel the day weighs on you. Bathing after exercise in the morning or any sweating that is done. Bathing after meals.
Generally, conditions can worsen the later past 10 pm you are up.
For a general template on how to structure the day you can view this link HERE. Creating a stable and consistent daily practice and following through each season accordingly can definitely increase the chances of maintaing health and or re-establishing it. Your investment into yourself is worth it. The more you put into it the more you’ll get out of it, and this is not just for now but for the long haul. What we do today, what we don’t do today, will affect our tomorrow, either in our favor or against it. Aren’t you worth it? I know you are. I know I am. We can experience life more joyfully when we are thriving in our health, body-mind-spirit.
REFERENCES
RITUCHARYA (SEASONAL PRACTICES)
THREE PRIMARY CAUSES OF DISEASE FORMATION
DISCLAIMER: This information is meant for educational purposes only and is not considered medical advice. Any changes in lifestyle should be reviewed with a qualified practitioner and/or primary care physician if you are currently under their care for specific conditions.