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By Karen Vasil Busch
No matter what your age, there are things you can do to look and feel younger, healthier, happier.
You hold the future of your health in your own hands.
The wonderful thing about ayurvedic healing is that it teaches both damage-prevention and damage-reversal; so following these few basic tips from The Council of Maharishi Ayurveda Physicians can make a big difference to that image you see in the mirror.
Recharge, restore, rejuvenate to feel young at any age
How much of a change in your way of eating do you have to make to start feeling younger? While no one has been able to quantify it, one thing is for sure. Even relatively small, painless changes in your diet — whatever your age — can make a big difference to the way you feel. It could possibly lengthen your life span, if you start listening to your body and its true nutrition needs.
As explained by the Ayurvedic Institute, “Ayurveda is considered by many scholars to be the oldest healing science. In Sanskrit, Ayurveda means “The Science of Life.” Ayurvedic knowledge originated in India more than 5,000 years ago and is often called the “Mother of All Healing.” It stems from the ancient Vedic culture and was taught for many thousands of years in an oral tradition from accomplished masters to their disciples. Some of this knowledge was set to print a few thousand years ago, but much of it is inaccessible. The principles of many of the natural healing systems now familiar in the West have their roots in Ayurveda, including Homeopathy and Polarity Therapy.”
Listening to your body begins with having a “vaidya” (ayurvedic expert) assess your “dosha-type,” (the three energies that define a person’s makeup), then following the basic food guidelines prescribes. The purpose in telling you to eat or avoid certain things is to return you to your state of natural balance. Once you arrive at and maintain that state of balance, your health will improve in every aspect — physical, mental and emotional.
Some basic ayurvedic nutrition guidelines work well for everyone, regardless of dosha-type. Cooking with ghee, for instance. Ghee is simply clarified butter — butter with all the milk solids removed. It’s a time-honored alternative to hydrogenated oils that clog arteries and promote free-radical damage.
In ayurveda, ghee is considered an effective “carrier” of the lipid-soluble portion of herbs and spices to the various parts of the body. It is a “Sattvic” food — one that nurtures the emotions and the spirit as it provides nourishment to the body.
Dieting tips for everyone
Make friends with herbs and spices. Shredded iceberg lettuce and French fries may be a convenient daily option for lunch, but if your diet incorporates few or no herbs and spices, you’re missing something. Not only in taste, but also nutrition-wise. Nature has endowed earth with a staggering variety of aromatic, colorful and healing ingredients waiting to be discovered.
Cumin helps digestion, freshly-crushed black pepper helps you assimilate food better, cilantro cools and nutmeg soothes. If you have never used these star healers before, it can be difficult to decide which ones to buy and how to combine them.
Maharishi Ayurveda’s precise, dosha-wise spice blends make your job simple. Bring home the Vata, Pitta and Kapha churnas; sauté them in ghee or simply sprinkle them on soups — and you will discover good health the delicious way.
If you are an erratic eater, reset your mealtimes. Eating lunch at an almost fixed-time daily will regulate your digestion and make you feel energetic and youthful within days. Nature has designed the human hunger to peak at noon and diminish at dinnertime. Listen to nature, and you’ll add life to your years.
Join the resistance movement
The commonly-held view is that age generally brings with it a lower resistance and weakened natural immunity, but the good news is lowered immunity need not be inevitable as you move through life.
Beat back time with one of many powerful weapons — regular exercise. Easy-paced walking or simple, no-stress yoga asanas can work wonders; they rev up circulation, help flush out unwanted toxins from the body and thus balance your doshas.
If you have so far led a sedentary life, don’t over-exert yourself in your quest for good health. Even if you are fairly active, exercise only as much as feels comfortable — using only about half of your total energy levels at any time. According to Maharishi Ayurveda, exercise should energize, not exhaust, the body. You should feel more vital and alive after exercise — not ready to collapse.
Some of us cannot seem to draw the line between working out and maxing out. For such people, Maharishi Ayurveda has formulated a special self-care system called the Sports & Fitness System. So if you’re one of those people who cannot resist a marathon gym session thrice a week, this self-care system will work as your best friend.
Get glowing
What’s the biggest giveaway of a person’s age? Those crow’s-feet and frown lines, the bags under the eyes, that pouch under the chin. As people age, they collect more Vata — and Vata is a dry dosha, which means skin loses moisture and begins to wrinkle and sag.
It is, however, quite easy to keep skin glowing right into the mature years with some not-so-time-intensive routine care. Drink water several times a day to help the body flush out toxins and keep skin moisturized. Sleep and wake up on time so your body feels rested, your eyes stay bright, and your mind feels active. Eat foods that suit your personal doshic combination and imbalances. Maintain good hygiene and grooming. Don’t forget to give yourself an all-body oil massage every morning before your daily bath.
Add to this some nourishment from herbs, and you can have skin that is supple, healthy and radiant. Maharishi Ayurveda has formulated some excellent skin-rejuvenating formulas that will infuse skin with a glow that lasts — without loading it with chemicals.
Rethink your attitude
Hitting 40 can make some people feel the journey downhill has begun. On the contrary, says a poet: “As infants we tumble, as toddlers we stumble, as teens we grumble at life. In our 20s we bumble, in our 30s we fumble, not until 40 do we start to get it right!”
Ayurveda also urges you to stay positive and optimistic at every stage of your life. Nursing a negative self-image is a “pragya aparadh — mistake of the intellect,” says an ayurvedic expert from The Council of Maharishi Ayurveda Physicians. “I see so many potentially good-looking men and women in their 40s, who look far older than their years simply because they suffer from low self-esteem. By paying more attention to personal hygiene, caring for your appearance, and tuning in to yourself through Transcendental Meditation(R), you can believe yourself beautiful — and young.”
Sent from Body Wise Therapeutic Massage & Ayurvedic Wellness; www.karenvasilbusch.com, office phone 207-336-2065.
This article is shared with permission of Karen Vasil Busch
