It’s the time of year when we all need a little help with our mood and energy levels. As temperatures drop and the weather gets moodier, it’s key to seek out ways to make facing the darker mornings a little easier. If you’re not already familiar with it, it’s time to acquaint yourself with Ayurveda.
The ancient Indian medical system has been around for thousands of years, but searches for “what is Ayurveda” have rocketed by 300 per cent on Google over the past 30 days, suggesting the modern appetite for this holistic approach to health is huge. It’s still around because it works.
What is Ayurveda?
“Ayurveda is a 5,000-year-old body of holistic medicinal knowledge from India – the word ‘Ayurveda’ is derived from Sanskrit, with Ayu meaning life and Veda meaning knowledge, which translates into the ‘knowledge of life’,” explains Vivek Sahni, founder and chairman at Kama Ayurveda, whose first bricks-and-mortar store opens in London’s Westbourne Grove in November. “Ayurveda focuses on the balance between mind, body and soul. Maintaining this balance is the ancient secret to preserving health, wellbeing and true beauty.”
While Western medicine focuses on treating symptoms, Ayurvedic medicine seeks to understand the root cause of a health issue and then treat it holistically with science-backed and proven methods. It also puts an emphasis on preventing disease and illness before it takes hold.
While Ayurvedic methods date back thousands of years, it makes sense that many of us in the Western world are now growing increasingly interested. Covid and the post-pandemic years have seen many people gain a much greater understanding of their health and wellbeing, and subsequently take a deeper interest in holistic ways to live.
“Many of the practices we have come to know here in the West actually originate from – or have links to – Ayurveda,” agrees Ayurveda fanatic, Jasmine Hemsley. “Think yoga, meditation, fermented foods, herbs and spices, massage, breathwork and the importance of digestion and gut health. Many concepts, such as circadian rhythm and intermittent fasting, are also found in Ayurvedic wisdom, with guidelines for your individual needs. Ayurveda reminds us that we are nature and we are of nature – it helps us find the delicate balance of mind, body and spirit.”
5 Ayurvedic rituals to try now
If the mind and body are completely connected, that means our stress levels, the food we eat and our overall health all impacts our quality of life. Ayurvedic tradition contains many rituals and habits that can help to improve our health. Read on for an introduction.
Don’t knock tongue scraping until you’ve tried it. This Ayurvedic ritual doesn’t just make your mouth feel infinitely cleaner, it also reminds you to check in with yourself. “You can see first hand what your tongue is telling you about your latest lifestyle habits,” explains Hemsley. “Is it puffy, bright red or sore? It serves as great feedback on what’s affecting you day to day.” As with the feet in reflexology, in Ayurvedic medicine the tongue is a key diagnostic tool for bodily maladies, because it’s connected to our internal organs.
During sleep, our body clears out metabolic waste (called Ama in Sanskrit), some of which coats the tongue in a grey, dark white or yellow residue. Tongue scraping helps to clear Ama, as well as “activating the salivary glands, which then improves digestion and the ability to taste”, explains Hemsley. “This can help you feel more in touch with what your body needs, and means you’re less likely to overeat in search of flavour.” It also helps with sore throats, sinus infections and blocked noses, as well as removing excess mucus and minor infections.
Run a copper tongue scraper (try the East by West Tongue Tingler or RW Perio’s Tongue Scraper) over the tongue, then wash with hot water. Sahni recommends following up with a glass of lukewarm water to help detox and stimulate your system as you start your day.
“Most people don’t know that Ayurveda and yoga are sister sciences and complement each other,” says Sahni. “Yoga balances the mind, body and soul so start the day with light stretches, yoga and pranayama (or meditation).” Hemsley says this doesn’t have to be an hour-long practice in a studio, but could simply be a combination of fast and slow movements, breathwork, mantra chants and total stillness. The aim should always be mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing, and deepening the connection between the three. “Sometimes it’s just five minutes of rolling around on the floor before bed to get back into my body and out of my head,” she adds.
Pranayama is the practice of regulating the breath using specific techniques. “Breathwork – or the conscious regulation of the breath through various exercises – can help calm the nervous system, help us sleep, strengthen the immune system, sharpen your focus, boost creativity, and so many more,” Hemsley points out.
Oils have been used for centuries in Ayurveda and are “known for their ability to provide a powerful delivery system, allowing for optimal bioavailability of active ingredients”, says Sahni. You might have heard of Indian hair oiling and the traditional massage that mothers use on their children’s scalps – this is called shiro abhyanga (which is “head massage” in Sanskrit). It doesn’t have to be the scalp, either, just concentrate on easing any aches and pains. “Self-massage can help bring you back into balance, whatever you’re experiencing,” says Hemsley. “It increases circulation, stimulates organ function, helps your body detox and improves sleep – it’s one of the most effective ways to calm modern, life-induced anxiety.”
“Incorporate nature’s medicine cabinet, also known as herbs and spices, into your cooking,” suggests Hemsley. “Each spice has its own unique health benefits. Turmeric is proven to help lower blood sugar and flush sinuses, cinnamon boosts circulation, and cardamom is known to combat mucus.” She also name-checks fennel and coriander seeds, cumin and ground ginger as some of her go-tos.
It’s easy to get waylaid from a routine by the busy-ness of life. To remedy this, why not try a seasonal reset? “I like to recharge by focusing on my Ayurvedic practices for a long-weekend, which is especially good if I’ve had a busy time and gotten out of sync,” says Hemsley. “I follow my (free) three-day Cleanse + Reset programme, which is all about slowing down, eating nourishing, homemade foods, getting into nature and nurturing practices that counter the mad rush of modern living.” Rather than depriving yourself, it’s about tuning into the body’s natural rhythms and treating it with kindness.
