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Lifestyle: Swasthavritta

How we live each day is the crux of Ayurvedic living. Ayurveda is really is the art of moment to moment living. The awareness of how we need to live to be optimally healthy needs constant adjustment. This is very difficult because of our routines, commitments, desires and attachments. All of the constitutional information that I have introduced is only relevant when applied to a real world. Ayurveda recommends different lifestyles according to age, sex, climate, time of day and time of year.

Here are some Ayurvedic recommendations for optimum health:

Daily activities: Dinacharya

Rise in accordance with the seasons i.e. when the sun rises early get up early and when it rises late get up late. This depends on how far you live from the equator.

Clean your teeth - astringent/bitter/pungent flavours - gargle water or oil and scrape your tongue with a tongue scraper.

Wash your body - especially the eyes and excretory orfices.

Oil your ears, nose, head - this prevents dryness and keeps the passages clear.

Massage is a central feature of many Ayurvedic treatments - it regulates the humours:

Vata - feet, lower back, colon area, neck, shoulders and head - Sesame oil

Pitta - chest, region on back opposite heart and head - Coconut or Brahmi oil

Kapha - lower abdomen, chest, throat, sinus- Canola or mustard oil

Apply pleasant aromatic scents-essential oils - Lavender, Sandalwood, Jasmine.

Chew cardamom, fennel, anise to freshen breath between and after meals.

Do not restrain any of the 13 natural urges (thirst, hunger, sneezing, yawning, crying, urinating, defecating, farting, burping, ejaculating, sleep, waking and breathing due to over exertion) as this causes the natural movement of vata to be aggravated. Ayurveda considers that restraining these urges leads to numerous diseases. British decorum may consider otherwise!

Eat your main meal in the middle of day when the internal digestive fire is at its highest.

Follow a wholesome occupation that accrues good karma. This allows you to fulfil the 4 aims of life: Fulfilling your birth right and duty, obtaining pleasure, wealth and spiritual enlightenment. (Dharma, Kama, Artha, Moksha).

Exercise (vyayama) according to constitution:

Vata - light, slow, not beyond sweating grounding, grounding yoga.

Pitta - team sports, up to point of sweating, relaxation afterwards, calming yoga.

Kapha - vigorous exerecise, beyond sweating, regular, vigorous yoga.

Observe your local geographical terrain and climate - adapt your daily life-style.

Persue health, wealth, desires and spiritual realisation.

Live according to your stage of life:

Age 0-16 is considered to be a kapha stage of life. This is a time of structural growth, softness and love. The problems that children acquire are often kapha problems including mucusy coughs, glue ear, diarrhoea and digestive troubles. Living according to this stage of life means following an anti-kapha diet, especially around times of imbalance: less sugar, wheat and dairy if kapha becomes aggravated.

From 16-50 is considered to be a pitta stage of life. It is a time of becoming organised, having a family and earning and living. The problems that people acquire between these ages are often pitta problems such as heartburn, acidity, acne and heart problems to name a few.

From 50 onwards is considered to be a vata time. It is a stage of wisdom and insight when the body can thin and the skin dry a bit. The problems that people acquire are often vata in nature with arthritis, grying hair, body pain, weight loss and strokes predominating during this stage of life.

I will write more about the appropriate life styles for these stages in later updates.