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Tips for Healthy Living
General tips of wellness for Vata
dosha
- One should put efforts to establish
regular daily routine to eating schedule; to sleep and to work at
regular times. It is very important to regulate vata dosha.
- Eat warm, moist, heavy texture food,
which is soothing and satisfying.
- The food with sweet, sour and salty taste
is good to balance vata dosha.
- Food such as warm milk, butter, cream,
warm soups, hot cereal, cream of rice or wheat is satisfying.
- Regular relaxing exercise, avoiding
strenuous exercise and meditation help
- Vata is cold and dry in nature so warm
nourishing food stabilizes vata. Cold salads, greens, raw
vegetables, iced drinks are not food for persons with vata
imbalance.
- Warm sesame oil whole body massage before
bath or head massage before sleep will help balance vata.
General tips of wellness for Pitta
dosha
- Eat cool/warm food; try to avoid too hot
food and drinks.
- Sweet, bitter and astringent tastes are
good to decrease pitta influence.
- Complex carbohydrates, milk, sweet
fruits, green leafy vegetables are good for pitta.
- A glass of warm milk with two teaspoons
of ghee will calm down pitta.
- Avoid processed foods, oily, spicy heavy
and salty foods.
General tips to balance Kapha
dosha
- Eat light meals with lightly cooked
vegetables, raw fruits and vegetables helps balance kapha
- Stimulating food, which is bitter,
pungent and astringent, are good tastes for kapha dosha.
- Kapha dominated person need to watch the
consumption of sweet, salty, and fatty food as they might gain
weight easily.
- Butter, dairy, ice cream, cheese, yogurt
aggravate kapha.
- Ginger, black pepper, fenugreek,
cumin’s turmeric these spices should be added to food.
- Use honey as sweetener than any other
form of sugar.
- Take honey ginger and hot water to pep up
the morning
- Exercise like aerobics, swimming, jogging
will help maintain kapha.
Hair care
Few tips for healthy hair:
- Do not wash hair often, as it creates
dryness of scalp.
- Do not go out with wet hair.
- Allow hair to dry naturally, use less of
hair dryer.
- Apply aloe Vera gel + coconut milk to
scalp before taking head shower
- Drink aloe vera juice ½ cup daily to
prevent hair loss
- Eat 1tsp of sesame seeds early morning to
promote hair growth.
- Fungal infection or other skin diseases
can cause dandruff. Many times, it happens when the scalp does not
get sufficient blood supply. Gently massage scalp with neem oil,
this improves the circulation. Apply egg white + lime juice to the
scalp and then take a head shower. Egg white provides the protein
to scalp and the dandruff will soon disappear.
Eye care
- Wash eyes daily twice- once in morning
and once before bedtime. There is a specific recommendation in
Ayurveda for washing eyes. Fill your mouth with cool water and
hold it there, then splash cool water over your open eyes this has
a double cooling effect both from inside (from oral cavity) and
outside. That will make your eyes feel fresh.
- To prevent dryness and itchy eyes soak
cotton swabs in 1/3rd bowl of cold milk + rose water squeeze it
and apply it on both the eyes and leave it for a while, it will
take away the excessive heat from the eyes, repeat this procedures
several times This will help reduce dryness, inflammation and
itchy eyes.
- Mince a potato in a bowl of water. Leave
it aside for couple of hours. At the base of the bowl, a white
colored paste gets accumulated. Remove the water and potato gently
and apply this white paste gently over the dark circles of eyes.
Repeat this process at least three to four times in a week, it
help to reduce the dark circles.
- To strengthen your eyes, gaze at the
flame of a ghee lamp. Set the ghee lamp 2-3 feet from you and gaze
at the flame for 2-3 minutes without blinking. This improves the
luster of your eyes.
Ear care
- Apply oil in the ears daily by your fingers,
this helps loosen the earwax and nurtures the ears.
- Always protect your ears in winter by
wearing ear muffs or scarf around the ears and neck
Dental care
- Brush your teeth daily twice with pastes
that have bitter and astringent taste. (Licorice root, neem,
lodhra, bilva etc.,)
- To keep the oral hygiene gargle with
sesame oil, water+ pinch of turmeric and pinch of salt
- Massage your gums regularly with sesame
oil, do not swallow the oil spit it out. It is the best preventive
measure for receding gums, and tooth cavities.
- Eating 3-4 figs once a day and chewing
them well strengthens the teeth.
- Most importantly, chew food well. This
will help in good digestion and also stimulates the gums.
Facial care
- Wash your face with cold tap water 3-4
times a day for pitta. And warm water for vata and kapha types.
- Massage your face regularly in winter and
fall with oil suitable for your skin. (Sesame for vata, coconut
for pitta and olive for kapha)\
- And simply smile – it makes you
feel happy about yourself and tones up the facial muscles too!
Skincare
Ayurveda provides many simple and powerful suggestions to keep your
skin healthy glowing and beautiful:
1.Oil Massages- Daily self-oils massage to whole body
is very effective for skin to remain healthy, nurtured, and glowing.
For Vata people use sesame oil, for pitta coconut oil and for kapha use
corn oil or olive oil.
2. Use herbs like sandalwood, turmeric + chickpea flour paste instead
of soap to exfoliate the skin.
3. Use neem soap or sandalwood soap for bathing once or twice a week.
4. Apply appropriate dosha oil and lie in sun for 10 –15 minutes.
This will improve circulation and skin tone. This sunbath should be
done before noon or after 4 pm when the rays are not direct.
General Tips-
- Do
not take shower after meals
- Do
not Massage after meals
- Do
not exercise after meals.
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