Building Health: Mind, Body and Spirit

We've been brought up understanding medicine, and going to the doctor, as something we turn to when we break down. The problem is that sometimes waiting for the breakdown takes us further down the disease path than is necessary. If we can catch the disease process earlier on, we can turn it around, and the breakdown may be pushed back or prevented entirely.

The beauty of Āyurvedic Medicine, Āyurveda, is that it's a complete medical system that is centered on building health and preventing disease first, and treating disease as it manifests, second. It's not just where we turn we get a cold or other diagnosis. We turn to its teachings daily to live into good health, immunity and vitality through right relationship to our daily diet and lifestyle practices.

Āyurveda describes those things which break down the body, mind and spirit, and those things which build up and strengthen them. Through our study and experience of tailoring the practices to our unique constitution, we can understand ourselves better and take our health into our own hands. Given the state or modern medicine, this seems both practical and wise.

Diet and Lifestyle practices are described in dinacharya: daily rhythm and seasonal shifts to stay healthy are described in rtucharya, seasonal rhythm. These are the daily, monthly and seasonal practices that support the health and longevity of our human organism.

The effectiveness of many of the practices of Āyurveda has been proven through research into circadian medicine. It turns out that living in sync with the sun is good for us. Aligning our sleep, wake up and meals with the solar cycle has positive impacts on sleep, digestion, weight management, energy levels and balanced blood sugar markers. Amazing.

How are your daily habits supporting your health?

How are your daily habits undermining it?

When I first began learning and practicing dinacharya, it felt like something I already knew how to do. It was a return to something innate, but which I had somehow forgotten. When I teach women dinacharya, and they start to feel better as they live in alignment with Natural rhythms and their own nature (prakriti), they often describe feeling like they're coming home to themselves.

We don't have to wait for a health crisis to design a life around the foundations of good health:

the way, amount, timing and particulars of what we consume, aka, diet

good quality sleep

pleasure, sexual energy and circulation

This week I've been courting good sleep again. Means, I've been remembering to schedule in meaningful downtime in the evenings to let my brain and emotional body unwind from all the things so I can fall asleep easily and well. I'm also remembering to drink a calming herbal tea I enjoy after supper. It doesn't take a lot more than that for me to sleep well, but it does take that. If I try to work into the evening, or overstimulate myself at night, sleep takes longer to come. I know this through experience, and so I understand that my organism needs ease and unwinding in the evening hours (from 6pm on) for me to fall asleep easily.

This week, I've had to remember this is one of the things I'm up to. I can't just have one mellow night and expect to sleep well all week. I have to design my life around mellow evenings to continue to get that result I want. There are always times to celebrate, to go to the concert, to have some indulgence! But for the most part, sticking with down time in the eves = reliable good sleep for me.

Tending our good health, body, mind and spirit  can be simple. As simple as walking into the garden and pulling a few weeds. If you do it daily, the weeds don't overtake the garden. You remember the garden, your love for it, the way it is part of the larger world, the beauty of it's cycles and seasons, and you take an action or two to support it's health each day.

And like all things of value it takes time and attention, to see results.

Dialing back the disease process and building and maintaining health is what I'm here to help you do. Through understanding your unique nature and designing a life around the essential building blocks to caring for the nature, you can enjoy the vitality you need to give your gifts in the world in the way only you can do.

Curious about how Āyurveda can support you? schedule a complimentary call/zoom to meet or check in about your life + an Āyurvedic approach.