Autumn Lifestyle - What's best now?
Author: Linda Sinden Date Posted:16 March 2020
What lifestyle choices are best now?
For over 3000 years Ayurveda has known about the importance of timing and has outlined ideal times to sleep, wake, exercise, meditate or pray, eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, work, play and de-stress for optimal balance.
Recent research has shown that the body has a ‘master clock’ and every organ has its own ‘clock cells’ that synchronise your bodily rhythms. Ayurveda takes his understanding one step further by suggesting that there are best times of the day to do certain activities. The ‘best times’ are guided by the dosha that is most active at a particular time of the day. This has been integrated into what is called in Ayurveda the ideal daily routine.
Best Lifestyle Choices for Autumn
The daily routine emphasis changes a little as the season changes. As Autumn is the time when Vata dosha increases in nature and within us too, it is good to move in the direction of a Vata balancing Daily Routine.
Early to bed and early to rise.
Going to bed before 10 p.m. provides the best quality of sleep. Waking up before 6 a.m., allows one to catch the fresh energy of the morning and people comment that they feel more energetic than if they sleep in. Studies show that early rising helps people with depression have more energy.
Kick-start your metabolism with a large glass of luke-warm water.
Spike it with fresh-squeezed lemon or lime and a spoonful of raw honey to help eliminate toxins from the night's metabolism and stimulate a morning bowel movement.
Prepare your system for a fresh day's intake by cultivating a healthy, regular bowel habit.
If your bowels are irregular, try to train them to move by just sitting on the toilet for five minutes every morning.
Pay utmost attention to your oral health.
The white coating you see on your tongue every morning is ama or built-up toxic matter that causes decay and bad breath. Use a silver or stainless steel tongue scraper to clean this out. You can use a silver spoon until you get a tongue scraper. This also gives your digestive tract a reflexive cleaning.
Enjoy a head and body massage (abhyanga) with Vata Massage Oil.
Emphasize the ears and the soles of your feet, which contain reflex points for the whole body. Self-massage increases the coordination of mind and body stimulates the muscles, loosens impurities, pacifies the nervous system and lubricates and protects the skin. Then bathe or shower.
Stretch.
Sun salutations and yoga asanas, done slowly and with your attention on the body, infuse consciousness into the physiology.
Practice pranayama - alternate nose breathing for 5-10 minutes.
This simple breathing exercise helps to bring calm to the nervous system and clarity to the mind.
Meditate.
Transcendental Meditation allows the mind to settle effortlessly into its simplest form of pure awareness, eliminating "noise" in the nervous system.
Exercise according to individual preference.
Easy walking, biking or swimming in heated pools or whatever you enjoy—with your mind or full attention on the physical activity, not on the TV or music. Exercise to only 50 percent of your capacity while breathing comfortably through your nose. To support stamina and strength take 2-4 tablets of Premium Amla Berry before exercising.
Wear clean and comfortable clothes suitable for the season and your activity level.
Eat a light, nutritious breakfast.
Digestive power is reduced in the morning so make it light according to your appetite. Take 2 Herbal Digest tablets before breakfast and 1 Digest Plus after breakfast.
Work or study according to your dharma.
This means engaging in an activity that is enjoyable and life-supporting for you.
Eat your largest quantity of food at lunch because your digestion is strongest at midday.
Take 2 Herbal Digest tablets prior to lunch and 1 Digest Plus tablet after lunch to support optimal digestion and nourishment.
Favour Vata balancing foods> It's important to eat sitting down and pay attention to the food with all your senses because this helps the body know how to digest what is eaten most efficiently. Pleasant conversation is fine, but eating when you are watching TV, reading, upset, angry or trying to forge a business deal keeps your body's energy divided and disturbs digestion. It is good to have a moment of quiet contemplation before eating and to sit for 10 minutes or so after lunch, enjoying pleasant conversation.
Work or study in the afternoon according to your dharma.
Practice yoga asanas (light stretches), pranayama and meditation before the evening meal.
Take a light evening meal
Take 2 Herbal Digest tablets before your evening meal and 1-2 Digest Plus tablets after your evening meal.
As your digestive power goes down as the sun goes down, it is important to eat lightly for your evening meal. This also allows your body to completely digest what is eaten before you go to bed, supporting a good night’s sleep.
Enjoy some pleasant relaxing activity, and then go to bed early — no later than 10 p.m.
Take 1-2 tablets of Digest Tone at bedtime to help keep your bowels regular and to eliminate any impurities that accumulate. During Autumn -Vata season your nervous system is more sensitive to change and to stress. Taking 2 tablets of Stress Relief at bedtime helps one have a peaceful sleep and also helps to balance your body’s cortisol response when under pressure.
Wishing you a lifestyle that creates peace, joy, energy and resilience this Autumn.
Linda Sinden and the Get Balance Team
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Linda Sinden has been a practising Maharishi Ayurveda Consultant since 1990 and is a regular contributor to our weekly Insights. She has a practice in Auckland, New Zealand and also provides phone or Skype sessions for those who need assistance, but don’t have a consultant in their vicinity. Email: lindasinden@orbislife.co.nz Skype: Linda.Sinden |
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