Knowledge for life

Ayurvedic Dietary advice:

In Ayurveda foods are classified into six tastes: Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter, Pungent and Astringent. All plantscontains one or more of the basic six tastes. Each ‘taste’ known as ‘Rasa’ in Sanskrit produces biological action within the human body. These specific qualities of ‘Rasa’ helps to balance your constitution or in turn, even aggravate a healthy body.

Ayurvedic dietary advice is also based on factors such as age and gender. It is important to know the food you need to take for an effective digestive process. One can either weaken or strengthen your digestive fire according to your food habits. The proper digestion always depends upon bodily strength and the strength of the body also depends on digestion. When one break down, the other also likely to have become weak. If you are experiencing burping, bloating, gas, belching etc. your digestion is likely to need some assistance.

The Ayurvedic practitioner will assess your condition and will recommend foods and herbs to balance your condition. Ayurveda medicine and diet are complimentary to one another rather than separate.Herbs are used as a vital support to foods and to stimulate digestion and enhance absorption.


Life style / Daily routine (Din Charya)

Ayurveda recommends following a life style according to Ayurvedic principles to prevent diseases and to promote good physical and mental health. In Ayurveda, each individual is unique and the diet, life style, exercise and herbs needed are unique to each individual.

People with Vatha Predominant have an irregular appetite and quite often tend to forget to eat at regular times. Persons with Pitha predominant have a strong appetite and tend to eat several times throughout the day. Kapha dominants have meals on fixed times whether they are hungry or not. Ayurveda suggests you to follow a diet, exercise and a lifestyle suitable to your body type to bring balance to your individual constitution.

According to Ayurveda each dosha is dominant at particular times of the day.

	First cycle	Second cycle
Kapha	6.00am -10.00am	6.00pm -10.00pm
Pitha	10.00am-2.00pm	10.00pm -2.00pm
Vatha	2.00pm-6.00pm	2.00pm -6.00pm

Day begins with the kapha cycle when body feels slow, heavy, calm and relaxed. The most physically active time begins in the afternoon with the pitha cycle .In the evening during vatha cycle your mental function can be high. In the same way when the second cycle begins at sun set, body will go through the kapha cycle by bringing the body back into a stable relaxing position. At sleep, the second cycle of pitha will help to keep the body warm while rebuilding tissues. Second cycle of vatha will take the mind into an active dream sleep.

Ayurvedic ‘dina charya’ is designed to balance your doshas according to these cycles. This includes a life style which comprises of diet, sleep, exercise (yoga) according to your body type. Yoga practice is also similar to having a balanced meal because there is some yoga positions that are more beneficial for some doshas. However, this does not mean that some yoga postures should be avoided. The important thing is to find out the yoga postures that are more beneficial for your constitution. Before starting yoga, your teacher will find out Ayurvedic body type, imbalances, physical conditions /structural abnormalities, medical conditions, your age etc. To follow an Ayurvedic life style, you will need to add new elements to your present daily schedule. The benefit is not only to help balance your body type but it will also help to prevent disease and prolong life.

Seasonal variations/Ritu Charya

According to Ayurveda, seasonal variations can have an impact on the elements of your body. Each dosha has an active season and by listening to the rhythm of the nature and making changes in your life style, it will help you to balance your constitution accordingly.

Ayurveda divides the year into three seasons instead of the usual four seasons.

Kapha – Season falls in Spring
Pitha –   Season falls in summer and early Autumn
Vatha-    Season falls in late Autumn and Winter

Ayurveda recommends that everyone should follow a seasonal routine (Ritu Charya) to balance the seasonal changes. Primarily you will need to follow your Ayurvedic daily routine with the diet that balances your constitution. Only variations need to blend into the season when the environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, wind, rain and sunlight have an impact on your dosha. For example, in winter, there is an increase in mucus and in summer, cold foods need adding to your diet to counteract the effect of the hot season. It is important to get advice from an Ayurvedic practitioner before following daily or seasonal routines since factors such as age, sex, physical strength, digestive power and mental state needs to be assessed to get the maximum benefits.

Ayurvedic herbs/Home remedies

Common name –Aloe
Ayurvdic name-Kumari
Name-Aloe spp;Liliaceae

Aloe gel is a wonderful tonic for the liver and spleen. In Ayurveda, Aloe is used as a rejuvenate for pitha and for the uterus.

Uses:
The fresh juice can be applied externally for mild burns, sores, herpes etc. Two tea spoons of Aloe juice can be taken with a pinch of turmeric as a general tonic.

Common name-Coriander
Ayurvedic name- Dhannyaka
Name-Allium sativum Liliaceae

In Ayurveda, coriander seeds are used for many pitha disorders, particularly for the digestive tract and the urinary system. It is an effective digestive agent.

Uses:
Mildly roasted coriander seeds and fresh ginger root can be boiled together to make an Ayurvedic tea for colds and flu. Pain and aches can also be relived by adding a few cloves of garlic to the tea. If needed, a little amount of sugar can be added.

Common Name-Ginger
Ayurvedic Name- Nagar
Nmae-zingiber offiinale;Zingiberaceae

Ginger has stimulant expectorant qualities which help to reduce kapha and increasing agni (digestive fire). In Ayurveda, ginger is commonly used for respiratory and digestive tract disorders.

Uses:
Crush a piece of ginger to extract the juice (make about 2 table spoons of Juice). Then, mix with lime juice (2 table spoons) and honey (1 table spoon) and sip
3-4 times a day for coughs.

Common Name-Licorice
Ayurvedic Name-
Nmae-Glycyrrhiza glubra ;leguminosae   

Liquorice is an effective expectorant which helps to liquefy mucus and facilitate its discharge from the body. In Ayurveda, liquorice is used for cleansing the lungs and stomach of kapha and it also calms the mind and nourishes the brain.

Uses:
Liquorice can be taken with fresh ginger and cardamom as a tonic to the
teeth.

Common Name- Tumeric
Ayurvedic Name- Nisha
Nmae-Cucuma longa;zingiberaceae

Tumeric is an excellent natural antibiotic, and it strengthens digestion. In Ayurveda, turmeric is used for purifying channels of the subtle body. Turmeric promotes metabolism and increase energy.                                        

Uses:
Turmeric can be used with honey for sprains, strains bruises and itching.Turmeric can be mixed with milk and be taken as a skin tonic.