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AYURVEDA— An Introduction

What Is Ayurveda? Well, you must have come across or heard this word, while you are taking your YOGA classes.

Ayurveda

YOGA OR YOGA SADHANA (Deep Meditation)

Sadhana is a regular practice with utmost dedication/devotion in what you do. Hindu spiritual and aesthetic discipline

The deeper meaning of “YOGA” is Connection, it’s connecting yourself with the supreme power within you. Yoga means the practice of meditation by using controlled breathing techniques.

It involves practicing specific exercise patterns, ensuring your breathing is controlled and in a specific rhythmic pattern. (inhalation/exhalation techniques, like Pran- life, Ayam- exercise)

Yoga is a special therapy used to relax your revolving thoughts, calm your stress and look deeper into yourself in a specific pattern and rhythm. Physical exercise means “Asana” which involves stretching that helps to maintain your muscular strength and flexibility. This “YOGA” (SADHANA) is a part of “AYURVEDA”

Yoga Sadhana is an important exercise and practice used and carried out by holy saints, sacred people, sages. This Yoga Sadhana has made them connected to THE ALMIGHTY i.e. their inner soul which made them known as  “ENLIGHTEN PERSON”.

In short, we can say,

The health of the mind is related to ‘Yoga Shastra’ (Science) and Health of the physical body is lies in ‘Ayurved Shastra’ (Science of Body). Ayurved together is Body-Mind-Spiritual well being that helps you to stay healthy and achieve a state of well being.

Why See A Nutritionist?

 

When it comes to health, it comes to FOOD! ‘Hippocrates’, the father of western medicine, has stated, “Let Thy Food Be Thy Medicine”. In today’s world, I guess whenever you see a doctor practicing, they just tell you to eat right and write down a bunch of supplements to support your deficiencies. But what is that right and how much difference it makes after choosing to eat right is very well understood when you start experiencing these dramatic changes in your body.

The primary role of a Nutritionist is Food Science Education and its importance in maintaining a healthy body.  These guidelines and recommendations are based on scientific research and studies. Consultations are based on the client’s present concerns, lifestyle, food habits, detailed history of events and body-mind connection. The body-mind connection gives a holistic approach to healing. A nutritionist helps you to overall improve your wellness and heal you mindfully by making the right choice of food according to one’s personal needs and concerns. “Treating the root cause and not the symptoms if the foundation practice of a NUTRITION PRACTITIONER.

  • To maintain a healthy lifestyle and achieve your health-related goal.
  • Assess client’s needs and ailments with a detailed history of eating habits and lifestyle
  • Helps you with making proper food combination and selection of food according to your concerns
  • Plan your meal according to one’s requirement and concerns
  • They do not cure you, they educate you to make a proper and healthy choice of food through informative group talks and/or one on one sessions.
  • Tailored with research-based scientific knowledge with nutrition science connected to body science
  • Promotes wellness when you are experiencing the signs and symptoms before you fall victim to any disease or illness.
  • Advocates you to heal from within and not just symptomatically
  • Opens your vision to walk into your own body and helps to understand a better “YOU”

FOOD! The leader of your body

 

And finally, one day I said to my body softly, “I want to be your friend forever”. It sighed happily and said,” I have been waiting from a long time to hear. And we said to each other, “Together we can do it”

Food, is the powerful tool for changing your life. Our whole day revolves around the energy required by our body Vs energy spend by our body, which in short is associated with food. It’s the primary source of body where it gets nourished. Food is your friend. It’s an “Art of Living” which connects our body to the earth, our mother nature. It is said, “You are what you eat”.

Just like you put all your, passion, determination, dedication and hard work to achieve what you want in life, same respect and justice should be done with your body, mind and FOOD! Respect what you eat as it makes up your cells, organs and systems to work.  When they function properly with what you serve them through your plate, your mind and body will coordinate and work well. It will help you do things what you want to achieve and aim for!

Your mind and body are interlinked to each other. Thoughts reflect from the food you put. If you put good food, (wholesome, real food tuned to earth) it is easier for the Gut to digest. Your gut is connected to your brain. It makes most of great nutrients like tryptophan, tyrosine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin K. It is because of these bacterial flora (helpful bacteria) digestive enzymes, digestive secretions your food is broken down in to necessary and nourishing nutrients necessary for body to keep working healthy. Your gut ecology also is necessary to make these happy hormones like serotonin, dopamine adrenaline, nor adrenaline and rest of the hormones that make a healthy mind and positive thoughts. Food is a powerful resource. It can uplift a battle in your body for discomfort and disease and also help you to replenish and repair your cells, tissues and systems.

So now where does food do wrong!!  I just explained you the normal process of how it really happens when you eat the right food, make healthy choices, and tune to yourself. That means understand the signals of your body it gives you throughout.

Food, now a day has been adulterated by processing, intoxicated by lots of preservatives, additives, chemicals, and contamination. Well fancy marketing policies, and advertising add more gist to it. But we have a freedom to make a right choice, and I think we should rather always think in terms of healthy and meaningful eating. Believe me its not hard, its simple. Your body needs simple and natural food to stay healthy. Doesn’t demand fancy items. Train your body to stay simple

Eat Live and Natural food
Closest to nature.
Helps to increase your energy, vitality, feel alive
Seasonal foods
Eating foods that are grown in that season and locally grown. It supports natural food, get muddy in soil to tune to earth to grow your own food, free from additives and chemicals
Fresh food, or Freshly prepared food
Its alive and rich in enzymes that helps your digestion. It increases nutritional value, reduces waste (not thrown) and rancidity.
Nutritious foods and Healthy food
Eating food that is dense in vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.
It improves health, and combat against invaders like parasites, bacteria
Clean food and Hygienic food
Avoid chemical, preservative ie precooked, processed food as they contain additives that enhance flavor and smell.
Non-GMO, stored and prepared in clean environment using clean tools. They protect against immune system which is primary fighting system of your body
Tasty and appealing
Food should look, taste and smell good and healthy.
It should reflect on your body, should rejuvenate, make you feel happy and digest well. This will help to improve appetite, satisfy your taste buds and nourish your thoughts.
Variety and rotation
Provides variety of nutrients to your body and fills up the deficiencies.
Different food has different nutritional properties. Eating same type of food can give rise to food sensitivities and allergies.
Change to taste buds, provides you with rich nourishing nutrients to support your immunity
Food combination
Combining the food in right order.
Proteins/ carbohydrates should not be eaten together, they should be combined with vegetables / fiber.
Should not drink plenty of water, cold drinks before and after meals and its shuts down the digestion
Know what you’re eating
Helps you know where the food is processed and educates on ingredients in it.
If you can’t read the names on the labels don’t buy that food as it may contain ingredients not suited for your body to digest. Unknowingly you may land into food sensitivities / allergies. Lesser the ingredients, healthier the source and easier to digest.

Be gentle on your body. Don’t punish it unnecessary but putting foods its not meant to or doesn’t know how to digest. Always remember” Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food”. Be compassionate, grateful and thankful to your body. Love it and respect it!