Mr. Ayush Aggarwal, founder and director of Rasayanam
Did you know that the art of self-care is defined as everyday customs that are practiced in a state of harmony with the rhythms of seasonality, according to Ayurveda? It’s a symbol or expression of self-love for your soul, mind, as well as body that helps accomplish great well-being and a longer life span.
Our body is trained in a way that it naturally rejuvenates itself, but we usually tend to take it for granted. Amid hectic workdays, chasing deadlines, and household responsibilities, we somewhere neglect what a miracle our body is. It does infinite functions all day long, which we don’t even realize as they are entirely below the level of our conscious awareness. Just imagine if we had to remember it all that our body does for us and carry out every task ourselves, right from breathing, pumping the blood, digesting the food, eliminating toxins, creating new cells to fighting diseases and regulating temperature, et al, we wouldn’t have survived for more than a few moments, isn’t it?
Our body is, indeed, a marvel of self-regulation. But if we nurture it with love and attention every now and then, making choices that nourish our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, we are much more likely to enjoy good health and happiness. In the practice of self-care, the recuperating tradition, known as Ayurveda, offers viable methods and guidance that will assist you with connecting to your body’s wisdom as you expand your experience of well-being, self-empathy, and true serenity.
Here are a few self-care techniques from Ayurveda that will help rejuvenate you, if properly adopted.
Wake up with the sunrise
You must have heard it from your elders in the family or seen them waking up with the sunrise or at times even before that. Did it ever occur to you why? Well, according to Ayurveda, it is believed that one should wake up in the Brahma Muhurta, which is the last quarter of the night because there are numerous benefits of it. Not only do you get more time on your hands to complete the day-to-day activities but it can make you feel more energetic and in tune with nature’s cycle.
The nature of the planets’ relationship with the sun and moon is such that certain physiological changes happen in our bodies during this time. It’s basically the time when you can create yourself as Brahma Muhurta literally translates to “the time of the creator.” The late writer and practitioner of Ayurveda, Andreas Moritz used to encourage people to do sun gazing at its first light when it’s the softest. This helps to produce melatonin in the body which is involved in your sleep-wake cycle.
Meditate along with a good night’s sleep
You would have experienced at some point or the other in your life that meditation takes you from the mind’s bustling traffic to the quietness and tranquility. Meditation lets you encounter a significant feeling of unwinding that disintegrates fatigue and stress. Truth be told, not just Ayurveda but many scientific pieces of research have tracked down that everyday meditation practice can bring down blood pressure and cholesterol levels, decline anxiety and depression, and surprisingly invert a portion of the natural markers of aging.
In addition to the rejuvenation provided by meditation, getting a good night’s sleep is very important. Our body detoxifies and mends itself from the burdens of the day when sleep peacefully. And when that process gets disturbed and we don’t get sufficient rest, our digestion and immune function are bound to be compromised and the aging process speeds up.
It’s simple if you don’t feel revived and rejuvenated when you wake up at the beginning of the day, you’re not getting sufficient sound rest. Make sure that you give your body as well as mind proper rest by following a proper sleep schedule and regularly practicing meditation even it is for 15-20 minutes if you wish you relax and unwind yourself.
Self-massage
As per Ayurveda, massage melts away tension and stress from the muscles, leaving you charged up. Its benefits are further enhanced with the addition of Ayurvedic massage oil. Self-massage, as the name proposes, is the simple act of massaging yourself. It is important to note that performing massage (abhyanga in Ayurveda) on yourself is a much more elaborate process than simply slathering some oil on your body. Ayurveda recommends spending at least 15-120 minutes on self-massage each time you practice it, dedicating all the love and regard for every one of the tissue layers as you nourish them with oil. It is a form of self-appreciation. While massaging each part of your body, acknowledge how it serves you every day. Send gratitude to every cell in your body.
Self-massage oil with crushed herbs is what you need
Now that you know what “self-abhyanga” does to your body, let’s take the notch a bit higher by adding bolus bags (it’s a hot herbal pouch). It’s leaves you rejuvenated even more than just a mere massage. You can make your own bolus bags with kitchen ingredients. The process involves wrapping certain herbs, spices, and flowers in muslin cloth, shaping it like a dumpling, and then, heating it to the point where it is bearable for your skin.
Use the herbs that are easily available in your surroundings. For instance, mix crushed neem leaves, turmeric, marigold, camphor granules, rock salt, and let them infuse inside a muslin bag for approximately 30 to 45 minutes. Warm up your massage oil as it opens up the pores that allow the herbs to penetrate the skin. Using long strokes, gently press the bag on your body, preferably in the direction of your hair growth.
Summing up
At the initial stage of your Ayurveda self-care journey of rejuvenation, remember that it’s smarter to take baby steps, and pick just one practice at a time. If you try to transform your entire lifestyle in one go, you are bound to feel overwhelmed, which will, in turn, make you adopt your old disturbing routine. Be gentle with yourself and focus on what your body needs!
