"This ancient art of healing has been practiced continuously for over 5,000 years. The principles of many natural healing systems now familiar in the West, such as Homeopathy and Polarity Therapy, have their roots in Ayurveda. Ayurvedic practices restore the balance and harmony of the individual, resulting in self-healing, good health and longevity."
It's a sister science to Yoga, and I studied it in college. I've been using its principles in treating my patients for years, but until recently, I haven't done any extensive, disciplined experimentation on myself.
When I put together my plan for the Winter Pagan Fitness Challenge, I included a goal of incorporating Ayurvedic practices. As a yogini and a pagan, this seemed like something that would accomplish two goals at once: increase health and give me a ritualistic framework for my self-care routine.
I've discovered a secret about myself: routine and daily maintenance seem less onerous to me when they are a holistic part of my spiritual practice.
Ayurveda is a complex system of healthcare. It has many components, one of which is the concept of dinacharya, or your daily routine in harmony with the cycles of nature.
Sidebar: See what I mean? Totally harmonious with a pagan outlook on life. Of course, it was designed by pagans, at least the textbook definition of pagans. Ancient Vedic physicians were likely the authors of this system, and Vedic philosophy gave rise to Hinduism. Pagan=country dweller or rustic=non-Christian. Ok, it amuses me in a geeky way, I admit it.
At any rate, the Ayurvedic daily routine is the subject of my experiment of the last two weeks. I'm not going to give all the details because I don't wish people to rush out and try things without good knowledge or guidance.
Disclaimer: Do not self-treat with Ayurveda. Seek the guidance of a qualified practitioner*, and consult your physican before making any large alterations to your lifestyle or healthcare practices.
The first thing to know is that setting a regular sleep schedule is very important. What schedule you choose is traditionally defined by your personal constitution, or dosha, in Ayurveda. In general, it is recommended to arise early. This is the first step in the routine: get a good night's sleep and get up at a regular time. I've been working on this for some time, so this didn't require additional effort.
The next step in the routine is to say a prayer to greet the day. This was another practice I was already performing, so I continued with my personal routine in this area.
The next steps focus on awakening the digestion. Ayurveda, like all systems of healthcare that I am familiar with believes that regular elimination is essential to good health. I have had some issues in this department in the past and once again, I was already focused on this. I really liked the Ayurvedic recommendation to drink a glass of water. Simple, easy and logical. Start your day with hydration, and stimulate peristalsis.
The next steps deal with cleansing your body and dressing. This is where the practices got a little weird, and I'm not going to incorporate all of them into my daily routine. One example is karana purana, or putting oil in the ears. This made me feel congested and creepy. It's possible I didn't perform it correctly. Either way, it was ooky and I didn't like it. On the good side, splashing cold water on my face felt surprisingly good. I will take a clue and do more of these things, but I'll revisit this point later in the post.
The next step is exercise, which of course would be Yoga, this being an Indian system. Again, I do this every morning, so that was no problem.
After exercise, Ayurveda recommends pranayama, or breathing exercises. I'm supposed to be doing these already - it's a goal in the Air category of my Winter Pagan Fitness Challenge. But for some reason, it's hard for me to focus on pranayama regularly. I didn't do very well with this goal, and I've got to get better. Pranayama is extremely important and transformative.
Real talk: even educators and professional inspirers like me say "I don't wanna" sometimes.
Next up is meditation. I don't meditate in the morning; I prefer to do so at night. Having said that, I do briefly meditate some mornings, but I am not going to add this to my official routine as it's the exception for me. As someone who teaches meditation, I think it best to meditate when it suits you, rather than trying to force yourself to follow someone's recommendation or something you read in a book. Meditation anytime is better than meditation none of the time. Ok, getting off the soapbox...
The last step is breakfast. Historically I have skipped a lot of breakfasts, so another reminder is a good thing. But again, I was working on this already. Preparing breakfast muffins or some other healthy food in advance is the key for me.
Results
I really love the way that many of these Ayurvedic practices meshed seamlessly with what I was already doing. It was a wonderful confirmation that my quest for greater health and peace is headed in the right direction.
Some of these practices are either too weird, too time consuming or not suited to my needs. I will revisit some of them with further research. I really would like to get more training in Ayurvedic Medicine. I'm considering a correspondence course right now, as I can't take time away from my practice to study with the Ayurvedic Institute in person. First step will be to get my textbooks back and review my college notes on my own.
The other thing that was really beautiful about this experiment was the extraordinary level of self-love that the bathing and dressing portions of the routine promote. For most of my life, I have not been into the mainstream routines of feminine personal care and beauty. I do not choose to use chemically-based personal care products and cosmetics. Through my years of study in the broad field of holistic and alternative health, I have developed a "less is more" approach to skin and hair care. But in a completely unsurprising turn of events, Ayurveda recommends simple, healthy practices for health and beauty.
Taking it all together, this has been a great way for me to put more structure and beauty into my routine of self care, and to integrate it with my spiritual practice. It's a profound thing, to care for oneself. As a priestess, it felt like I was truly preparing myself for a day of sacred work. What higher act of devotion can there be than to honor your earthly vessel by cleaning, exercising and anointing it each day? To consciously begin and end each day with a prayer? To take the time to protect and increase your health? After all, having some amount of good health and inner peace is necessary in order to help others.
And isn't that our job, all of us, in some way? Be healthy. Care for others. Contribute your gifts to the world. Be a good steward of the Earth.
As for me, those are words I can live by, and Ayurveda is helping me continue to evolve and improve my ability to do so.
*Please note that Ayurveda is not a licensed modality in the United States. As a result, it can be more challenging to find a qualified practitioner. I practice certain parts of the system, and can refer local people to professionals in the Raleigh, NC area. I've noticed a lot of one day or short trainings being offered to Yoga teachers, so be wary. Like Traditional Chinese Medicine, it's a complex art. It takes a lot of time to learn. I studied it for two years in college and still don't feel qualified to call myself an official Ayurvedic anything. The Ayurvedic Institute is the best resource in the USA at this time. Dr. Vasant Lad, the director, wrote the textbooks that I studied and his organization is top notch.
