Why Ayurveda is the perfect lifestyle for you
In my last blog, I talked about the power of positive intentions, and how important they are for keeping us concentrated on our good habits and goals. But the very best way to stay concentrated on your goals, and stick to them, is by making that goal as easy, effortless and rewarding as possibl
And that’s exactly what Ayurveda is. Once you begin an Ayurvedic lifestyle, it isn’t challenging to follow and it won’t take over your life the way other ‘healthy lifestyles’ do.
Let’s take healthier eating and losing weight as an example.
This is the time of year when a lot of us make the resolution to eat more healthily, lose weight and get fit. But when you look at what most diet plans and healthy eating regimes demand of their followers, it’s no wonder why so many people give up after a short time, or why the few who do persevere generally feel so miserable.
An Ayurvedic diet has guidelines you should follow, but once those guidelines are established and become part of the way you naturally live your life, adhering to them won’t be a chore. That’s because Ayurveda is something you live and becomes part of you, you don’t just bolt it on for a few months in the hope you’ll feel good and look better on the beach next summer. By living Ayurveda, you’ll feel good and look better all the time.
In Ayurveda, you don’t have to weigh yourself religiously every morning, calorie-count your food to the exact number of grams and feel no joy in the meals you’re eating. Quite the opposite. Ayurveda is as simple as knowing your dosha type, eating the foods that support your dosha type, and avoiding the foods that don’t. You’ll quickly become accustomed to eating the way your body wants to eat. You’ll only eat when you’re hungry, you’ll only eat as much food as it takes to fill you up (so you won’t feel hungry or crave unhealthy snacks afterwards), and you’ll take more pleasure from your food because you’ll be more mindful of its taste, texture and aroma. You won’t be eating something bland or drinking an unpleasant vitamin shake just because your regime tells you to.
Because Ayurveda is a holistic lifestyle, and not something you’re forcing yourself to do and you’ll feel guilty about if you don’t, it won’t feel difficult. It may take some getting used to, as everything new does when you start it, but not in an inconvenient way. You won’t have to set your watch to remind yourself to eat your lettuce leaf at midday and then speed-walk five laps around your house at 2pm. Instead, you’ll be building and maintaining a strong and healthy body by working in flow with your system’s natural rhythms. It isn’t just your diet that will improve. You’ll enjoy better quality sleep, feel sustained energy throughout the day, and exercise in the way that benefits your body most.
How an Ayurvedic diet works
What sets Ayurveda apart from every other health system in the world is that it is tailored around your dominant energy (dosha.) There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution where Ayurveda is concerned because what works for you won’t necessarily work for somebody else and vice versa. You’re a unique individual, and Ayurveda uses your uniqueness to your advantage.
There are three different dosha types derived from the five elements of space, air, fire, water, and earth: Vata, Pitta and Kapha.
If your dominant dosha is Vata, you have the elements of space and air. Some of the attributes of space and air are light, dry and cold.
If your dominant dosha is Pitta, you have the elements of fire and water. Some of the attributes of fire and water are hot, sharp and liquid.
If your dominant dosha is Kapha, you have the elements of earth and water. Some of the attributes of earth and water are moist, soft and heavy.
Although we each embody all three doshas, and many of us have two especially strong doshas, we always have one dosha which is most prominent. Once you know what your prominent dosha is, you can build your diet around the foods that support it while still keeping your other two doshas in balance.
For example, if your dominant dosha is Vata, you should eat foods that counteract the attributes of space and air and avoid foods that increase them. Your diet should be warm, grounding and hydrating, and include foods like cooked vegetables, grains, fish, soups and stews. On the other hand, you should avoid foods like dried or raw fruit and vegetables, turkey and lamb, buckwheat, barley, and chocolate.
If your dominant dosha is Pitta, you should eat foods that counteract fire and water and avoid foods that increase them. Your diet should be cooling, astringent and mild, and include foods like cucumber, peppermint, beans, raisins, sweet or bitter vegetables and dry cereal. On the other hand, you should avoid foods like sour fruits, corn, garlic and radishes, and oils and fats like almond oil, and treacle.
If your dominant dosha is Kapha, you should eat foods that counteract earth and water and avoid foods that increase them. Your diet should be light, warm and dry and include foods like carrots, celery, turkey, granola and cottage cheese. On the other hand, you should avoid foods like juicy vegetables, pasta, sweet and sour fruits, cooked oats, and sugar.
See what I mean? Ayurveda doesn’t handcuff you to rules that prevent you from eating any of the foods you enjoy. Whatever your prominent dosha is, I guarantee your diet will include plenty of foods you’ll like and enough varieties of food that your meals won’t become boring.
But it’s not just about the foods you eat, it’s about the way you eat them.
Each meal should include foods with six different tastes (or ‘rasas’, in Ayurveda.) That means combining foods that are sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent and astringent.
If that sounds like it’s going to be tricky, it really won’t. After you’ve prepared and enjoyed your first few meals, thinking in terms of rasas will become second nature. After all, savouring the taste is what every good meal should be about; a fantastic mix of flavours which, when they’re combined, complement each other perfectly.
Eat mindfully, avoiding distractions, and appreciating the nourishment and comfort each bite gives you.
Eat slowly to enjoy the rasas of the food.
When you feel full (you’ll notice the signals your body is sending you) stop eating. Don’t eat or snack within three hours of your previous meal (although, once you’re used to eating the proper quantity of food during each meal, you won’t want to) and don’t go without food for longer than six hours.
Eat three balanced meals at the same time each day, focusing especially on breakfast and lunch and then eating dinner based on how hungry you feel.
Make peace with your body
Ayurveda isn’t a diet plan or weight-loss program, and it shouldn’t be approached like one. Ayurveda is a science that will help you achieve optimal health in body and mind by successfully balancing every level of your being. As a result, when you lose weight by following an Ayurvedic lifestyle, the weight will stay off because you’ll have replaced all your old harmful eating and living habits with new, positive, healthy ones. You won’t only look and feel better, your moods will be brighter, your mental focus and productivity will improve, and your relationship with yourself and the rest of the world will be renewed.
As I mentioned at the beginning, the key to it all lies in your dominant dosha.
If you’d like to know what your dominant dosha is, my Dosha Consultation can tell you. During our Dosha Consultation, I’ll identify your dosha type, diagnose any health problems you may be experiencing, and then design a bespoke lifestyle and diet programme to match your unique dosha requirements.
It is a clinical consultation that lasts approximately one hour and provides everything you need to confidently begin your Ayurvedic lifestyle and achieve and maintain physical and mental health in the most successful way possible.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’d like to find out more.
Until next time, to your enduring health and happiness in Ayurveda.
