Alternative Medicine for natural health and healing - Fresh & Natural

Dincharya- Daily Health Routine

5/11/2013

According to Ayurveda, the ancient science of Life & Healing from India, each day we should start our morning by the following these daily routine steps (Dincharya)-

Wake up early in the morning, preferably between 4.30 am (for Kapha) to 6.00 am (for Vata).
Say a short prayer or take a moment to be conscious of your true essence before stepping out of the bed. Giving thanks for a wonderful night’s sleep and requesting guidance for the day is also a good way to start the day.
Brush your teeth, rinse your mouth very well and wash your face. Scrape your tongue. Splash some cool water on your eyes. Doing this is not only refreshing, but much of digestive toxins get settled in the mouth overnight (called Ama) and washing your mouth first thing is a great way to rid one’s body of these toxins and prevent any accumulation!

Drink atleast one glass of warm to room temperature water. Drinking from a copper glass where you have kept water overnight in it is the best way. But fresh spring water also works well. This helps with smooth bowel movements and gets elimination system to a good start. It gets the body ready to expel toxins and undigested materials from previous day.
Swish some sesame oil in your mouth and gargle with it. It is a great way to lubricate your mouth and also help strengthen gums, teeth and arrest/heal any mouth sores or ulcers.
Next chew on a handful of sesame seeds. This helps strengthen teeth and gums. Alternatively, one can chew on 3-5 dried dates and an inch of dried coconut meat. Chewing in the morning stimulates the liver and stomach and improves digestive fire. After chewing, brush your teeth again without using any toothpaste or powder.
Add 3 to 5 drops of sesame oil in your ear. This helps with maintaining good hearing and ear health. Adding 3 to 5 drops of sesame oil in each nostril helps with cleansing and lubricating the nasal cavity and helps with cleaning out sinuses; and improve voice, vision and mental clarity. Since our nose is the door to the brain, so nose drops nourish our overall prana and help with improved brain working (intelligence). Next massage your head and body with some good massage oil or plain sesame oil. This helps to lubricate the skin, bones and joint. Doing this before going to bed ensures sound sleep.

In addition to these daily, dincharya routine steps also conduct atleast one session of Pranayama and daily Meditation.

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Ayurveda: Incense and Aromatherapy- part 2

6/18/2012

One of the most important benefit of Masala incense is that they typically tend to be made from 100% pure natural ingredients and are also individually hand rolled.

This technique is thus nature and environment friendly and supports many small village industries.

Though the incense usage in Ayurveda is for therapeutic reasons, they are also used daily for religious and other personal rituals for their effect on mind and mental states. The aromas were long known for bringing about a sense of relaxation, well-being and piousness- which further aid in meditation and de-stressing/relaxation practices.

One special note needs to be mentioned about the ingredient Guggulu or Gugul contained in certain Ayurvedic Incense. Guggulu or Gugul is very similar in its properties to Frankincense and Myrrh and has traditional been used for it's spiritually cleansing action.

It not only has a very beneficial effect on the environment in the room, it is also supposed to make a person feel more calm and religious, helping tremendously in strenuous meditation practices. This ingredient is also sometimes found in Tibetan Incense.

Both Ayurvedic and Tibetan incenses are made from very similar ingredients by following the masala method mentioned above and are hand rolled and air dried for maximum purity and effectiveness.

They typically do not contain charcoal or other such toxic combustible substances and are supposed to be non-habit forming. They have been used for centuries during prayers, meditation, certain specific Tantric rituals and also to purify the home environment and benefit from their special healing aromas.

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Ayurveda: Incense and Aromatherapy- part 1

6/14/2012

Incense has long been the most predominant mode of administering aromatics in Ayurveda.

According to Ayurveda, the most ancient method of healing, literally translated to Science of Healing; people are classified according to three doshas- Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

People can be of pure individual dosha type or of mixed types, thus giving rise to total of seven body types. Pure Vata, Pure Pitta, Pure Kapha, Vata-Pitta combined type, Pitta-Kapha combined type, Vata-Kapha combined type and Vata-Pitta-Kapha combined type.

Choice of Incense aroma is made according to one's body type (called Prakriti in Ayurveda). If the incense is being used to bring about a therapeutic healing, then the current doshic imbalance (called Vikriti in Ayurveda) is also to be noted. After considering both the Prakriti and Vikriti, choice of appropriate aroma can be made.

Ayurvedic incense are made from various herbs, wooden parts of certain aromatic trees and certain special resins. More than 100 such aromatic substances may be used to make one type of incense. The other terms typically mentioned in Ayurvedic Incense is Masala Incense.

This is a way of making incense where in all the ingredient herbs, wooden parts, resins etc. are crushed and made into a fine paste and then the sticks are hand rolled in the paste.

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Determining your Ayurvedic Body Type- part 2

6/13/2012

Doshas are helpful in defining the physical attributes of an individual but the psychological behaviour and mind set of individual is explained by gunas only.

Sattva guna defines the purity of thoughts. On physical level its expression is in the form of calm and composed behaviour and a tranquil mind set. Due to its purity sattva is always referred to as guna. It is never spoiled and hence never called as a dosha.

On the other hand, rajas and tamas are called as ‘maanas’ doshas. They are considered to be the triggering factors that cause mental illness, hence have been termed as doshas.

Physiology is interlinked with psychology. The deviation in one will affect the other. In simple terms, these are mind and body coordination.

The diseased body affects the mind which is a cause of feeling irritated and fatigued when one suffers from an ailment. Vice versa occurs when a person is not mentally fit, he tends to feel fatigued and may complain of other symptoms which are related to thought process only.

This is the main tool in ayurveda while making a diagnosis. Exploring the cause is done on the basis of doshas but elaboration of the extent of the disease is made possible by defining gunas only. Rajas guna dominant individual shows aggression in behaviour and is leads an active life. On the other hand a tamas guna individual is generally depressed and has a negative feeling about everything around.

During treatment both of these aspects are considered and applied. Physical well being is affected by mind-set and vice versa. Holistic health which is a combination of healthy mind and body can only be attained when doshas and gunas are in sync with each other and in harmony with the external environment.

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Determining your Ayurvedic Body Type- part 1

6/12/2012

There are numerous factors which decide the prakriti of an individual. Prakriti is the expression of dominant doshas. But it is not the sole factor responsible for carving the whole personality of an individual.

Gunas are equivalent contributors. Though, they are subtle in expression and are generally exhibited by their properties or qualities.

Doshas explain the physical attributes and vulnerability to various probable diseases of an individual. A regime to avoid these diseases and lead a healthy and contented life is also mentioned in the ayurvedic texts. But this is the half aspect of a wider view.

The other aspect, the mind which governs all the physiological and psychological processes is comprehensively explained by gunas only. There are certain attributes of doshas that tend to define the probable mind set of the individual but gunas provide a detailed illustration of the same.

Doshas are made up of panchmahabhootas, the five basic elements of the nature: aakash (ether), vaayu (air), agni (fire), jal (water) and prithvi (earth). These panchmahabhootas further comprises of three gunas: sattva, rajas and tamas.

Aakash/ ether is dominant in sattva guna.
Vaayu/ air is dominant in rajas guna.
Agni/ fire is dominant in sattva and rajas gunas.
Jal/ water is dominant in sattva and tamas gunas.
Prithvi/ earth is dominant in tamas guna.

This illustration clearly depicts the interaction and dependence of doshas and gunas.

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Aromas for the various Ayurvedic Body Types

6/1/2012

Some typical aromas for Vata types are-

Warming and pleasant aromas are best for Vata types. Care should be taken that the fragrances are not over-stimulating, since that would have an adverse effect on the already nervous Vata mental state.

Fragrances such as Sandalwood, Lotus, Cinnamon, Camphor and Basil are best for Vata types.

Some typical aromas for Pitta are-

Cooling and pleasant aromas are best for Pitta types.

Fragrances such as Sandalwood, Rose, Lemongrass, Lotus, Lavender, Lily, Gardenia and Iris are best for Pitta types.

Some typical aromas for Kapha are-

Spicy and Resinous aromas are best for the Kapha types.

Fragrances such as Clove, Sage, Cedar, Frankincense and Myrrh are best for Kapha types.

The mixed types could use aromas from either of the dosha types category, depending on which dosha is more predominant at a given time or for whose imbalance therapeutic healing is sought.

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Ayurveda and Aromatherapy

5/28/2012

Aromatherapy was used in ancient Vedic science of healing called "Ayurveda" or literally the "Science of Life". The typical mode of it's usage was using incense and other methods of inhalation or fumigation.

The powerful fragrant scent of incense is supposed to purify the mind, body and spirit. During religious rituals and other ceremonies the scent rising upwards is supposed to take our prayers, requests and gratitude towards heaven.

We find a very important and surprisingly similar correlation to lighting incense and religious ceremonies all across the world across various religions and faiths.

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Concept of Gunas in Ayurveda

5/22/2012

Guna is a Sanskrit word which has different meanings. Here, guna refers to strands of a cord. Three gunas mean the three strands of a cord. This name has been attributed due to the fact that these three guna are intertwined with one another in a form which gives rise to strong cord.

In the present context it can be translated that these gunas are different entities but their existence is in such a harmony that it collectively gives an expression to prakriti. Guna is a tendency to perform action and not an action in itself. It is the underlying expression behind the actions of an individual.

Guna are three in number as described by ‘samkhya darshan’. These are sattva, rajas and tamas...

Sattva guna: - sattva guna is buoyant, lightened and depicts contentment. It fastens any action and therefore is also termed as accelerator in nature. It aids in realisation of knowledge and physical senses. Mind, wisdom, enlightenment are its attributes only. Buoyancy is its main characteristic. It leads to a feeling of free flowing and raises one above the worldly chores. As a result, all forms of contentment, happiness, fulfilment and pleasure are abundant in sattva guna. It is mainly expressed by white colour.

Rajas guna: - rajas guna symbolises the motion. It is the main factor behind creation of any and all actions. Sattva and tamas guna are themselves unable to execute their functions without the help of rajas guna. All kinds of actions in nature are considered to be due to rajas guna only. That is why; it is also called as the initiator in nature. Rajas guna is responsible behind all the feelings of suffering, misery and all other kinds of physical and mental tension. Rajas guna is expressed in red colour.

Tamas guna: - tamas guna symbolises the obstruction and is heavy in nature. It drags everything down wards only, which can be termed as gravity. This characteristic is an absolute opposite to the buoyant trait of sattva guna. It obstructs the light and can also be defined as inertia. Due to this factor it tends to stop everything in motion, from the very tiny cell to gross cosmic creation. It envelops wisdom and thence hinders knowledge. It leads to darkness and is represented by black colour.

The relevance of these three gunas is comprehensible and applicable in medical science. As, these gunas are present in individuals and are expressed in the dominant form only. A sattva guna individual will have a calm, tranquil and meditative mindset. Rajas guna individual will be active but very much encored in worldly pleasures and may show aggression in behaviour. Tamas guna dominant individual may exhibit traits like lethargy, depression, and a basic inactivity in behaviour.

These three guna are characteristically different from each other but they work in unison. They are the basics of human existence as well as the whole universe and lifecycle in a larger perspective.

To simplify, Sattva guna is accelerator, rajas guna is the initiator, and tamas guna is the obstructer or destructor. All of the three functions are important and necessary to strike a balance in nature.

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Three Doshas in Ayurveda- part 2

5/21/2012

The main properties or qualities of three doshas are enumerated below:

Vatta as defined by the name circulates in the whole body. It is also defined as the initiating power of all the functions of the body. It is the main transporter in the body. Vatta is most crucial of all the three doshas and treating it is considered as half of the complete regime.

Other two doshas- pitta and kapha are dependent on vatta only for their movement. Vatta controls all the organ systems of the body and help in smooth functioning. Ingestion of food, speech, respiration, digestion and expulsion of waste material in the form of faeces is facilitated by vatta only. Nervous system is also governed by vatta dosha.

Pitta is a fire element and thence is responsible for digestive functions and various other functions which dissipate heat like comprising complexion of the body, etc. Pitta can be defined as controlling the functions those results in exothermic reactions, viz. Digestion, pigmentation, regulation of body temperature, formation of erythroblasts, maintaining vision etc.

Kapha comprises predominantly of water and earth elements. It helps in smooth execution of various functions in the body, viz. Production of digestive juices, lubricating various joints and membranes in the body in the form of synovial fluid and cerebrospinal fluid etc.

Doshas are the principle metabolic forces and they control the physiological processes and psychological behaviour of an individual.

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Three Doshas in Ayurveda- part 1

5/18/2012

Doshas are the basic constituents of a human body. They are three in number and are classified as: Vatta (air), pitta (bile) and kapha (phlegm).

Doshas have a capability of affecting other constituents of the body which are termed as ‘dhatu’ and ‘mala’. Due to this capability and property of affecting/ spoiling healthy tissues the term ‘dosha’ is assigned to them.

According to Ayurveda, the whole mortal creation is standing on the foundation of five basic elements which are called as ‘panchmahabhootas’.

These five elements are: ether, air, fire, water and earth. Doshas are no exception and are made up of a combination of these panchmahabhootas only. Vatta is combination of ether and air, pitta is comprised by fire and kapha is a constitution of earth and water. Though, all the five elements are present in differing proportions but the dominant ones are characteristically expressed.

A balance between these three constituents of body results in health whereas any deviation from the normalcy leads to development of disease. In balanced form, doshas carry out the normal functioning of the various metabolic processes in body like normal nervous system functioning, carrying out digestion and lubricating various parts and joints to facilitate free and easy movement of the limbs.

These three doshas are invisible with naked eyes. But they can be defined as the principles of the metabolism which are responsible for carrying out the basic functions of body.

Doshas define the prakriti of an individual right from the time of conception. Prakriti is the individual’s constitution of body. It is different and distinguished for every individual. Prakriti also helps to explain the vulnerability of an individual to various diseases and explains the reason behind several so called idiopathic factors in modern science.

An individual can enjoy a disease free and healthy life by knowing his doshaj prakriti. By inculcating defined measures and precautions one can lead a healthy life and can keep the diseases at a bay.

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Basics of Ayurveda- part 2

5/16/2012

Ayurveda is categorised into eight different speciality domains: kaya chikitsa (medicine), shalya chikitsa (surgery), shalakya chikitsa (eye and ENT), kaumar bhritya (paediatrics and gynaecology), agad tantra (toxicology), graha chikitsa (psychiatric ailments), rasayan (fortification) and baajikaran (rejuvenation).

This is an example of the detail orientation and the level of specialisation reached in those ancient times.

Not only this, Sushruta, the father of surgery, who has compiled the shalya tantra made the most valuable contribution of plastic surgery in form of rhinoplasty, labioplasty and suturing deformed ear pinna. Minute and detailed explanations of the layers of skin and several other aspects were also explained by Sushruta.

The concepts and contexts of ayurveda are as relevant today, as they were in yester years. By following an ayurvedic regime an individual can attain and maintain health.

Ayurveda is not just a complementary and alternative system of medicine but it is a way of life. It is the oldest science of medicine which has a lineage as old as 5000 years. It was passed to the generations through vocal communication only, which eventually lead to gradual loss of valuable information and distortion in the original contents.

But facing all adversaries, it has managed not only to survive through the rages of time but also maintained its accuracy and efficacy in providing healthy lives to individuals.

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Basics of Ayurveda- part 1

5/15/2012

Ayurveda is an ancient medical science which has originated from Indian subcontinent. The term ayurveda comprises of ‘ayur’ which means life and ‘veda’ which means science. Collectively it is comprehended as ‘science of life’.

It is evident from the main description that ayurveda is far more vast than to limit it into the boundaries of medical science. The main principle of ayurveda is attaining and preserving the healthy status and curing the ailment of an individual. Ayurveda is a health-centric science which considers maintaining health as important as treatment of the ailment.

Health is a balanced combination of physique, mind and spirit. Healthy physique is attained through eating proper diet (aahar) and leading an active life in sync with the external environment (vihaar). The description is carried ahead by citing various regimes to be inculcated in diurnal and seasonal variations.

Healthy mind is keeping one’s thought process stress free and lively. This can be attained through various breathing techniques which have been defined in context of asanas. These two- the healthy body and mind are then merged into supreme legacy- the spirit. The final step is facilitated by meditation.

Disease is a result of faulty equilibrium in metabolic processes of the body. Whenever, there is an imbalance between the three basic components of the body- the vatta (air/ ether), pitta (bile) and kapha (the phlegm); disease will occur.

Treatment in ayurveda is based on individual’s body type and traits. Medicine is prescribed primarily focussing on patient and his body type. This explains the concept of prakriti. It defines the main traits of an individual and his vulnerability to various ailments.

The main aim is to eradicate or cure the cause of the disease which supersedes the symptomatic relief. This requires patience and an active participation from the diseased individual. The treatment followed is classified as: shodhan (purification), shaman (eradication of the cause), rasayan (fortifying process) and satavajaya (harmony of mind).

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