In the quest of wanting to live forever, early humans made health and well-being an important part of their agenda. This is how Ayurveda and Yoga were born thousands of years ago. (Read here for more clarity on the connection between Ayurveda and Yoga.) They knew innately, that if we are not lucky to have good health, then no amount of money or wealth can help us, as we cannot enjoy them. Amidst all the Gods who held an important portfolio, to use the term, Lord Dhanvantri, a form of Lord Vishnu was attributed the entire spectrum related to health, medicine, well-being. If dis-ease was happening to someone, then they propitiated Lord Dhanvantari, with some incantations, called mantras, which are sounds which when we utter continuously in a specific way, will bring great results because of their vibrational power.
Yoga and Ayurveda have much in common – they both promise us a healthy and long life if we implement them in our lives regularly and consistently. For beginners, the best thing is to:
- use these spices: neem leaves, turmeric powder, oregano, cumin and fennel seeds, turmeric powder, garlic, ghee (clarified butter), tulsi (basil leaves), honey, lemon, ginger, dry ginger, black pepper.
- and practice these yoga poses: Anulom Vilom Pranayama, Hand stretches and wrist rotation, Ankle stretches and ankle rotations, Gomukhasana with the hands clasped at the back, Standing up – doing the Tadasana stretch, Supine- lying on the back, Pavanmuktasana- air releasing asana, with the knees tucked in, at the stomach, Sethu Bandhasana – the Bridge pose, Vajrasana and Ushtrasana
Read on for a detailed explanation of each Yoga pose, Ayurveda and more.
1. What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is the first ever system of medicine came into being more than 5000 years ago. It is an ancient Indian system of medicine, health care and holistic care, propounded by the ancient seers. (Ayuh= life, longevity and veda= science). Read more about it here.
It addresses the wellbeing of the mind, body and the spirit. It highlights the fact that we are what we eat. We have to eat right to become healthy.
The concept of exercising as a means to keep our body healthy has also been stated in the Ayurvedic texts. That is why there are instances to show that exercising the body is an integral part of every household in ancient times itself.
Charaka-samhita, also spelled Caraka-samhita or Caraka-saṃhitā, comprehensive text on ancient Indian medicine credited to Charaka, who was a practitioner of the traditional system of Indian medicine known as Ayurveda.
Charaka is thought to have flourished sometime between the 2nd century BCE and the 2nd century CE.
It emphasizes eating right to bring yourself back into balance, exercising, breathing fully, reducing stress, sleeping well, and other basic concepts to keep your body whole, balanced, and healthy. (Reference: Brittanica)
2. What is Yoga?
Yoga is essentially a spiritual discipline based on an extremely subtle science, which focuses on bringing harmony between mind and body. It also helps with modern day challenges, such as improving empathy.
Sage Patanjali, called the Father of Yoga, propounded it, on the skeleton of science and theory put forth by Sage Thirumoolar, a great Siddha.
For different types of yoga and seeing which might suit your temperament best, head here.
It is an art and science of healthy living. The word ‘Yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘Yuj’, meaning ‘to join’ or ‘to yoke’ or ‘to unite’.
As per Yogic scriptures, the practice of Yoga leads to the union of individual consciousness with that of the Universal Consciousness, indicating a perfect harmony between the mind and body, Man and Nature.
According to modern scientists, everything in the universe is just a manifestation of the same quantum firmament.
One who experiences this oneness of existence is said to be in yoga and is termed as a yogi, having attained a state of freedom referred to as mukti, nirvana or moksha.
Thus the aim of Yoga is Self-realization, to overcome all kinds of suffering leading to ‘the state of liberation (Moksha) or ‘freedom’ (Kaivalya). We need to add the Ayurveda factor to Yoga practices, to stay healthy.
“Living with freedom in all walks of life, health and harmony shall be the main objectives of Yoga practice” (Reference: Ministry Of External Affairs information point, India).
3. Why do they make a great combo?
When we integrate yoga and Ayurveda into our life, it is like embracing twins of goodness. One is dependent on the other for a holistic benefit, in multiple ways, that are inter-connected.
This article tells you how to take in the essentials and stay in the present times, with good physical and mental health.
In Ayurveda, food is medicine. When a person eats in a manner that is best for their unique needs, they can improve their health and live longer.
They also help build immunity, integrate the physical and the emotional into one unit, and protect themselves from disease.
Ayurvedic practices further support a strong mind-body constitution.
While all of the Ayurvedic practices help you to maintain good health, if you do get sick, the thought is that you can heal faster because your body is in better balance.
4. Who can benefit from Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is a versatile system of health care because it can be tailored to suit any person’s unique needs.
Following an Ayurvedic lifestyle can help people stay healthy, recover faster from illness, and hopefully set the stage for a long life.
There are austere food restrictions in Ayurveda, but if we follow the instructions with the restrictions, we stand to gain well.
It can also complement traditional medicine for those who are already unwell or on medications and become an integrative part of their health-care support system. Ayurveda can help whether or not you practice yoga alongside it.
5. For a layman, where do we even begin?
Ayurveda talks of using everyday spices and herbs into our daily system, and integrating them with yogic practices.
To begin with, we have to bring in certain practices. One of the first would be to wake up during the sunrise time of the place we are living in.
One of the first simple things you should possess at home, if you want to include Ayurvedic prescriptions into your everyday schedule are things below:
STONE MORTAR/PESTLE
NEEM LEAVES
OREGANO SEEDS
CUMIN SEEDS
FENNEL SEEDS
TURMERIC POWDER
GARLIC
GHEE/ CLARIFIED BUTTER
TULSI/ BASIL LEAVES
HONEY
LEMON
GINGER
DRY GINGER
BLACK PEPPER
If we stock up the above ingredients in small quantities at home, and use them during the health issues we have, we have made it to good health.
Also remember, these are high-power, yet, very harmless ingredients. Most ailments get sorted out with these, as soon as they start. The reason these are harmless, means they do not have any contra- indicative effects.
6. What are the simple things that we can adopt?
With so many power-packed remedies sitting on our shelves, we should now decide how we integrate Ayurveda and Yoga into our lives:
Waking up early between 5 am and 6 am is probably the most wonderful way to start our day. Next, having a glass of lukewarm water with half a lemon and a teaspoon of honey with it is the second-best thing. This should become our habit.
After about an hour of drinking the lime and honey tepid water, and completing our ablutions. This will clean our stomach too.
Starting our day with yoga asanas is the third most important step we should do.
7. What are the asanas we can integrate with it?
Dedicating a fixed timeframe for the pursuit of our well-being, health and contented living requires that we follow a pattern for it. Keeping the framework of the core stretches constant, we can keep making interesting changes so that the interest element is there when we do the yoga practice (no one likes a boring sequence of asanas, that are the same everybody.)
i. Anulom Vilom Pranayama (ten, including both sides)
Inhale. Make your left hand into the Chin Mudra and the right hand into the Nasika Mudra, keep alternatively, closing each nostril. This will make you expel the toxins from the nose, lungs and the body. It will also help us to expand our lungs.
ii. Hand stretches and wrist rotation
Stretch out the left hand; With the fingers of the right, try to bend the fingers of the left hand behind. The result is a beautiful triceps and biceps integrated stretch. You will like the way, it is helping you to get the required warm-up for the entire day’s activities.
iii. Ankle stretches and ankle rotations
This is the most neglected part of the body. We never pay attention to the legs and the amount of support and the work they do. We take our legs for granted. So, it is important that the ankles, which bear the weight of the entire body,
v. Gomukhasana with the hands clasped at the back
If we want a good spinal stretch as well as the elasticity in our limbs, it is always wonderful to add this to the sequence of the asanas that we wish to practice.
First, sit in the cross legged position. Let the knees face the front. Take one hand from up behind, and the other from below, behind, and try to clasp. Then turn only the torso behind. The spinal twist is a good one for the back, and a panacea for all back-related ailments.
vi. Standing up – doing the Tadasana stretch
vii. Supine- lying on the back
Stand up straight, let the hands go up, with the palms facing the ceiling. Then, clasp the palms together and then as you take them up, upturn the clasp. Inhale and exhale normally.
viii. Pavanmuktasana- air releasing asana, with the knees tucked in, at the stomach
This asana helps to remove the unnecessary air and the gas that has gotten stuck inside the abdomen. When you bend and take the legs towards your chest, you will experience a great deal of emptiness in the abdomen.
ix. Sethu Bandhasana – the Bridge pose
This is a pose that will even out the anomalies of the spine. Lie down on your back. Then, slowly, as you inhale, raise your hips up. As you inhale and raise the hips, also raise the arms behind. When you exhale
x. Vajrasana and followed by Ushtrasana
The Vajrasana ensures good digestive health, and the Ushtrasana is an asana which means the Camel pose. By going into the Varasana and then doing the Ushtrasana from these, we can hope to get a physical state free of any disease related to digestion.
xi. Cat and Camel Asana
The Cat and Camel asana is a great asana to remove all the tight muscles around the back and the shoulders. If we do this asana everyday, we can hope to bring about a great improvement in our upper back, lower back and the shoulder areas.
xii. Butterfly
Doing the Butterfly asana, which is a coordination between the ability to steadily on the floor with the legs wide apart, and breathing is wonderful for the body.
xiii. Badha-konasana
The Badhakonasana, is a great muscle relaxer, and a tightness- easer. This asana is a variation of the Butterfly. Sit steadily, in the sukhasana and keep the undersoles touching each other.
Bring a gap between the groin area and the feet. Then, inhale and take your head behind; as you exhale, bend forward, and bend. When you bend, try to touch the feet with your forehead.
The series above is a simple sequence of asanas, which if we can adopt along with the super herbs of Ayurveda, we can achieve and hope to live up to an old age, if we follow what the great people advocate.
The above sequence is a great way to do repeatedly, to get the ease of movement.
Closing Words: Breathing is Fun Too!
Yoga and Ayurveda will not be completely effective, if we do not pay attention to our breath. Breathing is like second skin to living, or if we have the luxury of saying so, living is dependent on breathing.
A weekly dose of one leaf of neem, Basil and a little bit of ginger juice, mixed with a pinch of raw oregano, goes a long way in setting our AT- HOME pharmacy.
Ayurveda, Yoga, Pranayama and Mudras are something that are easily customizable for each one. For each one, according to his or her physical and the mental state, the customized prescription differs in some degree. And there’s one thing for sure- no harmful side effects!
Shanti Arunkumar, Senior Contributor At L’Aquila Active
Learn more about Shanti by reading her bio below.
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