Uplift the Emotions and Create Inner Calm
Date Posted:3 February 2014
The power of the Ayurvedic approach is in its simplicity. The advice can be deceptively simple, but remarkably powerful. Any one of the following tips, practiced for a few days consistently, usually yields some results. Together, these lifestyle adjustments form a powerful package of support for emotional balance.
The 10 Secrets
1. Consistently go to bed before 10:00 p.m. Earlier is even better. Getting enough rest is essential for emotional health, and falling asleep during the Kapha time of night generates a deep, restful sleep that truly refreshes mind and body. This allows you to use the sleepy, heavier Kapha time of night to help you fall asleep faster.
2. Wake up with the rising sun. Waking up early is important to emotional health, because sleeping into Kapha time, which begins at 6:00 a.m., can cause a buildup of ama. This in turn affects the shrotas, or channels of communication, possibly clogging them, which can create dullness of mind and low moods.
3. Walk outdoors while breathing deeply. The ideal time to do this is when the sun is rising. Daily exercise is essential to combat low moods, because exercise helps move blocked emotions and hormones out of the body. It increases the power of agni (literally “digestive fire” which, in this sense, “cooks” emotions) and helps improve one’s ability to process emotions. Exercise also releases positive neurohormones, elevating your mood. The early morning sun adds an extra boost, because you become infused with the positive energy of the sun when it is most beneficial for all body types
4. Daily elimination is very important. Occasional constipation can cause headache, dullness, fatigue and low moods. Taking Triphala, available in Organic Digest Tone (Triphala Plus), is a great way to help with regularity. If your elimination is sluggish or blocked, start your day with cooked apples, prunes and figs. Take two Herbal Cleanse capsules at night before bed. Drink water throughout the day. Eat at the same time each day, with the main meal at noon and a lighter meal in the evening.
5. Eat intelligent foods. Foods that are organic, natural and unprocessed contain more of nature’s intelligence. They are digested quickly by the body and create ojas. Ojas is the by-product of good digestion that creates bliss, stable emotions and good health in the body. Intelligent foods include: organic milk; cloves; walnuts; pears; coconut; proteins such as soaked seeds and nuts with raisins and dates; panir (fresh cheese); and buttermilk rather than yogurt or lassi, as this lighter drink does not increase Kapha and is better for lightening emotions. To make buttermilk, follow the simple recipe below. (Please note that Ayurvedic buttermilk is not the same as the buttermilk you buy in the store.) This recipe helps restore the beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract, thus helping digestion and assimilation.
Ayurvedic Buttermilk Ingredients:
1/4 c. fresh cold yogurt (For best results, use freshly-made yogurt.
3/4 c. purified cold water (the temperature must be cold for this recipe to work)
1/4 t. cumin powder
1/4 t. cilantro
1 pinch of rock salt or sea salt
Directions: Place the freshly-made yogurt in the blender and blend for three to five minutes. Add the cold water, and blend again on low for three to five minutes. You will notice that a fatty foam has collected at the top of the yogurt. Skim it off with a spoon and discard. Repeat the blending and removing of the fatty foam if the yogurt remains thick, white and solid. When the yogurt has become watery but still cloudy in color, you have made buttermilk. Add the spices and stir by hand briefly to mix the spices evenly. Serve at room temperature.
6. Support digestion (the creation of ojas) – Organic Digest Tone (Triphala Plus) is a traditional herbal blend that helps to balance agni, the digestive fire. It is taken nightly, before sleep. The herbs in this formula are revered in Ayurveda for their ability to balance digestion (agni) and increase the production of ojas. Ojas is the master Ayurvedic biochemical associated with glowing skin, balanced emotions, even energy, happiness and inner calm.
7. Give yourself a daily abhyanga (Ayurvedic oil massage). Massage increases circulation, clears toxins from the tissues, invigorates the body, calms the mind and soothes the emotions. It is balancing to Vata dosha and, because of this, it calms anxious feelings and stress. For your massage, use Organic Vata Massage Oil. Follow your massage with a warm bath to flush out the toxins that have been pushed out from the cells with the massage.
8. Do moderate exercise such as yoga asanas. Yoga enhances digestion and stimulates the Sadhaka Agni, which cleanses toxins from the channels and cells of the body, improving overall balance and health. This is a time-tested tool for clearing away the toxins that lead to low moods.
9. Take Maharishi Ayurveda Rasayanas. Rasayanas are traditional formulations for bliss and rejuvenation. In Ayurveda they are considered the cream of the herbal kingdom, prepared according to traditional methods that take weeks. Maharishi Amrit Kalash Ambrosia and Nectar is considered the most powerful of all the Rasayanas, supporting bliss, contentment, and wellness.
10. Consider trying traditional Ayurvedic herbs for calmness and happiness
Worry Free – This combination of herbs helps you step up to the challenge of modern life. It simultaneously calms the nervous system (soothing to vata dosha) while supporting mental acuity. It helps you cope with situations that used to cause a meltdown. It changes the automatic and immediate emotional reaction you have to stress.
Deep Rest – The herbs in this formulation support sleeping deeply through the night, especially for those who have difficulty staying asleep, waking up in the middle of the night. It balances vata and pitta and is slightly calming to kapha dosha. It also helps those who have difficulty falling asleep and awaken early in the morning after less than six hours of sleep.
Blissful Sleep – The herbs in the Blissful Sleep are calming to vata and pitta doshas. The formula produces a calming, balancing effect on the body, mind and emotions. You’ll find sleep becoming deeper and more restful.
Slumber Time Tea – The herbs in this tea help relax the mind-body connection for a better quality of sleep (vata dosha). The herbs include Bacopa Monnieri, which helps balance the mind; Winter Cherry, which helps stabilize the mind and emotions; and Cardamom, Licorice Root and Spearmint.
Blissful Joy is excellent support for emotional balance. This combination supports Prana Vata, which governs energy, creativity, perception, growth of consciousness and self-realization. Blissful Joy supports Sadhaka Pitta, which is responsible for balanced emotions, self-confidence, healthy desires, motivation and a feeling of fulfillment.
Reprinted with permission from MAPI, USA.