Morning Rituals for a happy heart and soul

How we start our day reflects the energy that we will be inviting in for the whole rest of our day ahead. Perhaps you can remember a time when you have woken up, checked your phone or emails straight away and became instantly stressed or agitated which then carried through for the whole rest of the day with many things going wrong. Whereas I’m sure you can remember a time where you woke up and had a beautiful and nourishing morning which then went on to lead you to having a beautiful and fulfilling day ahead. So as you can imagine, it is so important to begin our day with morning rituals which invite in the energy of calm, gratitude and flow in order to live each day in alignment with the expression of our Highest Self.

Things to avoid in your morning routine:

• Checking your phone/social media/emails

• Drinking stimulating substances (coffee/energy drinks)

• Eating sugary and processed foods

• Watching/consuming the news or other forms of media

• Leaving your bed unmade & leaving mess to deal with later

Morning Ritual Ideas:

Here are some morning ritual ideas which will help to nourish your heart and soul and allow your day to start off from a place of softness and alignment, which can be energetically carried through the rest of your day. You may not have time or even want to do everything on this list, but we can suggest choosing the ones that resonate with you best and then incorporating the into your daily morning routine.

1. Tongue Scraping

Tongue scraping is an ancient ayurvedic technique that has been used for thousands of years as a way to remove any toxins that have accumulated on the surface of your tongue. Overnight as you sleep, the body is working hard to remove these toxins which are then collected as a white coating over your tongue. In ayurveda they believe that it is very important to scrape away this toxic layer before you consume any liquids, so that you are not allowing the toxins to reenter into your system. You can do this through a method called ‘tongue scraping’, which is using a metal tongue scraper (or a teaspoon works just as well), to remove this coating. You can scrape your tongue and then wash away the white residue, and continue this process around 5-10 times until this layer has removed. 

There are a number of scientifically proven benefits associated with this practice, such as:

• Improves sense of taste

• Enhances oral hygiene

• Removes bacteria

• Reduces bad breath

• Improves overall health

• Prevents cavities

2. Warm Lemon Water

After you have removed any toxins from the mouth through the tongue scraping, now is the time to cleanse your digestive system for the day ahead with a warm and nourishing glass of lemon water. Drinking warm lemon water every morning helps the body to maintain its natural pH balance and helps to boost the immune system through its rich source of vitamin C. Other beautiful benefits include:

• Helps to fight infections with its powerful antibacterial properties

• Maintains digestive health

• Flushes toxins out of the liver

• Reduces joint and muscle pain

• Increases the metabolic rate

3. Gratitude Journaling

A bit of a fun way that you can incorporate gratitude into your daily life is to have a gratitude jar or box. You can find an empty jar or box and decorate it as you desire so that it looks pleasing to you. Once you have your gratitude container, the idea of this is to write down a gratitude statement on a piece of paper and add a new statement into the jar or box everyday. Then by the end of the week or the end of the month you can take out all of the statements and read out everything that you have been grateful for over that period. 

There has been an incredible amount of research on the healing benefits of regular gratitude practice. This can often take place in the form of gratitude journaling, where you can start your day with writing down three things you’re grateful for and why. When you allow yourself to tune into the resonance of gratitude, you will recognise more things that you are grateful for throughout your day. This attitude of gratitude shifts you away from a mentality of lack and fear, and into the vibration of love and appreciation.

4. Dream Journaling

Writing down your dreams when you wake up, is a beautiful way to boost your levels of creativity, and connect more to the messages of your unconscious mind. Writing down your dreams can also be a very therapeutic process, which can help you to process the experiences and emotions which you’ve had in your waking life which is often played out in the dream space. Research has also indicated that dream journaling helps to improve memory recall and strengthen the immune system.

5. Digital Detox

A digital detox is a complete break from technology and all media outlets. This includes checking your phone, social media, watching the news etc. Typically a digital detox may be for a prolonged period of time. However we understand that with the world that we live in, this usually isn’t possible. However it is definitely possible and attainable to have a digital detox every morning. This means waking up and not checking your phone or emails straight away. It would look something like waking up, practising a few of your nourishing morning rituals, having breakfast, having your shower and getting ready for your day. Only when you are ready and you have done everything you needed to and have established the right energy for the day, then you can consciously check your phone or emails when needs be. We would also very much recommend taking a digital detox before bedtime too so you can ease yourself into sleep without your stress response being triggered by the notifications and the blue light. 

If you want to find out more about starting a digital detox, check out our previous blog post: https://www.heartandsoulretreats.com.au/blog/digital-detox

6. Pranayama

Connecting to the power of your breath is a beautiful way to start the day, as it helps to connect you to your prana (your lifeforce energy), which can leave you feeling grounded throughout the rest of your day. Pranayama in sanskrit means to control your life force energy, which can be done through a variety of different breathing techniques which the ancient yogis have practised for thousands of years. There a number of amazing benefits associated with practising pranayama, such as:

• Decreased levels of stress

• Improved quality of sleep

• Increased levels of mindfulness

• Reduced high blood pressure

• Enhanced cognitive performance

• Improved lung capacity

• Regulates subtle energy in the body

• Helps to clear away stagnant energy and blockages

7. Yoga

A regular morning practice of yoga can help you to start your day with a positive flow of momentum. A yoga practice can help you to feel centered, calm and grounded so that you can move throughout your day within a more balanced state of mind. You are also allowing an increased level of prana (lifeforce energy) to flow within your energy field, which will help you to feel more connected to the wisdom of your Higher Self. Which will help you to respond instead of reacting to stressful situations that you may face throughout your day. Other wonderful benefits of a regular morning yoga practice includes:

• Helps to regulate your sleep rhythm and balance your hormones

• A great caffeine alternative to provide energy throughout the day

• Prevents injury and an achy body throughout the day

• A more dynamic practice will help to boost your metabolic rate

• Helps to build a healthy and consistent routine

We hope you have enjoyed these morning ritual ideas for a happy heart and soul. Let us know in the comments which rituals resonate with you best.

Staying in balance: The power of mindfulness

Mindfulness is the practice of cultivating more awareness and being conscious of the here and now. There are many benefits to developing your own mindfulness practice, including improved physical health, reduced stress levels, better sleep and overall greater wellbeing. Meditation can be a helpful tool to develop a more mindful lifestyle. But what do you do with the other 90% percent of your day? If your only mindfulness practice consists of 20 minutes on a meditation cushion, but stops the moment you get up, you will not notice much of a difference in your general sense of wellbeing. Luckily, there are many ways in which you can incorporate mindfulness in your daily life, and we have gathered 5 easy practices here for you.

1. Mindful Morning Routine

Starting your day off right can make a huge difference in the way you feel throughout the day. Begin your morning with some quality you time to set yourself up for an amazing day. Make your space sacred, burn some incense, light a candle, and make yourself a cup of tea. Get into a comfortable seated position and take 10 deep belly breaths. Scan your body up and down, feeling into every body part. How is your body feeling today? Can you notice any stiffness or stuck energy? Breathe into it and acknowledge how you feel. Once you have a good idea of how you are today and you feel grounded, it is time to set your intentions for the day. What do you want to achieve or cultivate today? It can be as simple as being present and calm throughout your day.

2. Mindful Eating

A big part of our daily routine is preparing and eating food. If we can cultivate more mindfulness into our relationship with food, we can create greater awareness of our eating habits and enjoy the process of preparing and eating food much more. One of the ways through which we can start a mindful eating practice is by taking more time for the whole process and including all the senses: seeing, smelling, feeling, hearing and tasting. Additionally, expressing gratitude for our meals and all the ingredients can inspire greater awareness. Do you want to know how to do this exactly? Read about mindful eating practices, tips and follow a guided mindful eating practice, all in our article on ‘Mindful Eating’.

3. Mindful Movement

One of the benefits of mindfulness is developing a better mind-body connection. Being in your body is grounding and makes you feel connected to yourself, to mother earth, and to other people. One way of incorporating this into your daily life is to ask yourself every couple of hours: ‘How is my body feeling?’, ‘What emotions am I experiencing?’. You can set a reminder on your phone to do a body check-in as often as is convenient for you. This way you will practice being in your body regularly. After a while, it will become natural for you to do this without any incentive to do so. Other ways of cultivating mindful movement is by:

•         Going on walking meditation,

•          Joining or doing your own ecstatic dances,

•          Practicing body-scan meditation.

4. Mindful Reflection

When you become more present in your daily life, you will notice more of your habits and thought patterns that you might find to be confronting. The challenge is to not judge yourself or get stuck in the loop of the ego, but rather observe without judgment and attachment. Before you can change anything, you must accept it to be true. You can never change anything you do not accept to be true. That is like trying to move an object that isn’t there. How will you pick it up and where will you put it if you don’t know where it is, to begin with? Therefore, a daily reflection practice can be a valuable addition to your daily mindfulness practice, so you can work through whatever you become aware of. One way of doing this is by journaling. If you feel resistant towards journaling, maybe you can let go of your expectations of what journaling is or should be. Here are just a couple examples of unconventional journaling:

•          Daily emotions: write down the 3 main emotions you felt during the day,

•          Drawing: draw yourself, anything from your day or anything that comes up,

•          Gratitude journaling: read our full article here for more information.

Article Source: https://www.heartandsoulretreats.com.au/blog/5-easy-mindfulness-practices-for-daily-life

Pranayama for the Root Chakra

Pranayama is a very powerful and focused breathing technique that directs your energy flow for self-realisation and healing. In her study of the human bio-field, Dr. Valerie Hunt found this out. She established that people who felt ungrounded and lacked vitality often missed a certain energy frequency that’s associated with that of the Root Chakra.

Ungrounded states, where you don’t necessarily feel within your body lack physical vivacity and represent an imbalance in your energy spectrum. If your Root Chakra power is low, it’s a signal that you may be drawing less of it from the Earth. This often results in forms of numbness and dissociation. 

Hypo states like hypoglycemia, hypotension, and hypothyroidism show that you’re likely to be having insufficient subtle energy in your body’s grounding realm. The same applies to depression, fatigue, weakness, and general body under-functioning. 

Pranayama is the Answer

While many think of Pranayama as breath work, it has to do a lot also with the breathing, attunement, and direction of energy. Your intention in practice is to draw in power to replace the missing frequency in your biofield. In the case of being unground, the colour red misses from the energy biofield’s spectrum. 

Steps:

• Find a disturbance-free spot

• Adopt a sitting or standing position. It’s preferable to get the soles of the feet on the floor

• Relax, turn inward to your inner stillness, and set your attention on your breath. You can utilise Ujjayi for a more in-depth focus and generation of heat

• Follow your breath for a few moments, inhaling through the nose and allowing the breath to expand the belly, lungs, and ribcage.

• Exhale through the nose

Continue with the breathing pattern above before using the following visualisation technique:

• Imagine that roots are spreading down from the soles of your feet to the Earth’s centre anchoring you to the ground.

• During the inhale, imagine you’re inhaling red life-sustaining energy from the Earth, up to the roots and through the soles of your feet.

• Continue breathing in this energy upward through the legs and into the pelvic floor and the Root Chakra’s revolving, rich red cortex. This is where you’ll feel the absorption and distribution of the power through your body.

• If you wish, hold the breath for a short natural pause at the end of your exhale

• From the Root Chakra, exhale down the legs, through the feet, and down your roots back to the Earth’s centre

• Repeat this exercise several times, focusing on how grounded your hips and legs feel with the flow of energy

As an optional exercise, you can breathe the red energy of the Earth further up your body and into the rest of the chakras. You can also do so into any of the areas that are associated with hypo-functioning to feel the energy’s stimulating effects upon it. Exhale down back to the Earth’s centre. Repeat this cycle of breaths a few times. 

Start Today

Pranayama is the best exercise when it comes to directing your flow of energy for healing and self-realisation. It helps you draw the power that’s necessary for the replacement of the missing frequency in anyone’s biofield. Try Pranayama today to get these benefits.

The Art Of Allowing: Why You Need To Stretch More

The benefits of stretching go beyond the physical side. Explore why allowing the body and mind to loosen and melt can also become an emotional and spiritual practice on its own.

We Are Our Bodies

Perhaps one of the most pervasive modern beliefs is that we merely inhabit our bodies, rather than being them, as though our physical forms were mere vehicles to carry our more important souls, minds or personalities. A consequence is that we treat our bodies like any other material object in the world—something to be manipulated, changed or handled in just the same way as a car or kitchen appliance.

And so we find ourselves with the “no pain no gain” mantra—or more generally, a relationship to our bodies that’s based on force. We assume that the body needs to be whipped into shape, controlled, or molded into the correct form through discipline and effort. We prize the mental toughness needed to foster strength and physical fitness, associating active vigor with goodness, and relaxation and release with being weak or lazy.

Nobody can deny the beauty of a strong, resilient physique. And physical prowess is an undeniably wonderful thing. But what about the other side of the coin? The silences are as important to music as the played notes; in the same way, the passive, still and yielding body is as important to our wellbeing as active effort—maybe even more so.

The Benefits Of Stretching

Rather than simply tacking on a random stretch before or after a workout, the patient and deliberate relaxing of the body can be art all on its own. To balance an overly active, forceful attitude to the body, we can make room for a completely different approach: one of complete allowing.

Instead of tightening, the body is loosened to let go of tension. Instead of focused, effortful action towards a goal, the body is allowed to melt, to simply be what it is. Sadly, many health-conscious people deplore the idea of softness in the body—we want to be toned and controlled. Even when we stretch we might be tempted to rush the process and yank and pull ourselves through it, competing with the person on the yoga mat beside us to see who’s winning the flexibility competition!

But the benefits of stretching are not limited to the physical. Rather, stretching encourages a fuller, more balanced relationship with the body based on awareness and receptivity. Stretching can be a gentle emotional and even spiritual practice, right in the here and now.

Why Stretching Is So Good For You

In the following, we will be delving into the diverse benefits of stretching for body, mind and soul.

1. Stretching encourages you to listen to your body

Unless you’re in pain or ill, how often do you pay your body careful, compassionate attention? Are you tuned into all the little flutters of your senses, your heartbeat and breath, your posture? In an abstract, mechanised world, it’s easy to dismiss the body, taking for granted that it will tick along regardless of the punishment we throw its way, or the demands we place on it despite its fatigue.

One of the benefits of stretching, however, is that you start a conversation with your body. No longer just commanding it, you consciously listen, respecting what your physical being is asking for. Stretching fosters more masterful bodily awareness and integrity, alerting you to small problems before they become big ones.

2. Stretching reminds you to take joy in your physical form

How much of the day is spent lugging the body to and fro, pushing it into one activity after the other, like it’s nothing more than a pack mule meant to serve? But the body is an exquisite gift—and you’re meant to enjoy being alive in it! It’s easy: when you stretch, you feel good.

Doesn’t it feel marvellous to release and let go? Isn’t it delicious to fully own your arms and legs, to savour a stretch right from the base of your spine to the tips of your fingers? We are not machines. Stretching reminds us to enjoy the sensation of life, relishing every living, breathing inch of our physical experience.

3. Stretching releases blocks and tensions

The next time you’re in a bad mood, notice whether you’re unconsciously holding your breath. Are you also clenching some other parts of your body?

Deliberately loosening and inviting yourself to open has the remarkable ability of letting a negative mood flow on. Many of us are chronically tight and anxious, clinging to resentments and worries just as we hold onto stiffness and rigidity in the shoulders, neck and back. You could talk about trauma, anxiety or sadness in therapy for years—but physically stretching out permits your body to process these emotions, too.

Stretching Is Always Available To You

Unfortunately, the body sometimes gets a raw deal, being demoted to the last place on life’s priority list. Even those who cherish their health and wellness may nevertheless take a harsh and punishing stance to their physical form, only engaging in order to contain, constrict or control the body.

Thankfully, stretching is an antidote. And it’s available to you right now and in every moment. To have a body is beautiful—be calm, accepting and maybe even celebratory of this fact! Practice the art of allowing. Gracefully let the body be. You are always invited to open up and let suppleness and ease take the focus for a while.

Daily stretching can be a profound spiritual practice that teaches us to let go, to loosen up (physically and figuratively!) and humbly soften to our experience, without force and without expectation.

Article Author: Isabelle Pikörn

Article Source: https://insighttimer.com/blog/benefits-of-stretching/

3 simple ways to stay in the present moment

The age of distraction

Writing in the Guardian, James Williams, a former google advertising strategist and Oxford-trained philosopher said, “I now believe the liberation of human attention may be the defining moral and political struggle of our time.”

It’s a bold and thought-provoking statement but one which, in the age of the internet, social media, fake news, false realities, and the omnipresent mobile phone, is hard to dispute. As I wrote this, I noted how other things I deemed ‘necessary’ to do before writing the first paragraph. Researching quotes, looking up scientific studies, reading other articles on the topic, searching for relevant yoga classes to recommend… I notice how many tabs I have open on my laptop (21), how many times I’ve paused to check my work messages or emails in the past hour… (way too many).

There is no doubt we live in the age of distraction. But why is it so important to try and combat the seemingly ever-increasing tussle for our attention?

Coming back to the present moment

If you practice meditation and yoga, you’re probably familiar with being urged to live in the present moment:
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” said the Buddha. “Happiness lies not in finding what is missing, but in finding what is present”, says Tara Brach. “Realise deeply the present moment is all you’ll ever have”, urges Eckhart Tolle.

One of the key ways to be present is by practising mindfulness. The simplest definition of mindfulness I’ve found is from Dipa Ma, an Indian meditation teacher and Buddhist master in Asia. She said: “Whatever you are doing, be aware of it.”

We cannot be aware of something that we’re doing (or feeling or seeing or experiencing) unless we are right there, in that moment. In essence, mindfulness could be described as the gateway to presence.

Benefits of mindfulness

There are many studies that attest to the efficacy of mindfulness but the fact is scientists still don’t have a full understanding of what actually happens in the brain when we practice it. Though the practice was founded in Buddhism around 2,600 years ago, studies on mindfulness really only began in the 1970s. In other words, we’re really at the tip of the iceberg in our understanding. Practice of mindfulness has been shown to:

• Reduce levels of anxiety and depression

• Improve focus and attention

• Reduce stress

• Decrease emotional reactivity

• Promote empathy and compassion

And though these longer-term benefits are worth pursuing the practice for, to instantly get a ‘feel’ for how you could benefit from being more present, you might ask yourself:

• How does my mind feel when I’m trying to juggle lots of things at the same time?

• What’s my general mood when I’ve spent an hour (or three) scrolling Instagram?

• What feedback is my body giving me? Have I noticed my breath at all?

Why do we avoid the present moment?

In Virginia Woolf’s novel, Orlando, the narrator wonders, “For what more terrifying revelation can there be than that it is the present moment? That we survive the shock at all is only possible because the past shelters us on one side and the future on another.”

Whilst this article is written to highlight the power of presence, I would be naive not to acknowledge how astoundingly difficult it is much of the time. Think of times when we’re at work, but dreaming of the weekend or being on holiday (holidays – remember those?!)…. Yet when we are lying on that beach or sipping those cocktails we’re worrying about the barrage of work awaiting us.

Right now at the time of writing (early 2021), you may also argue that the present moment isn’t exactly appealing some of the time. And you’d be right. Sometimes it’s just much easier to numb ourselves to the reality of the present moment.

Where life happens

According to the writer and professor of economics at the Hebrew University, Eyal Winter, ‘human psychology is evolutionarily hard-wired to live in the past and the future. Other species have instincts and reflexes to help with their survival, but human survival relies very much on learning and planning. You can’t learn without living in the past, and you can’t plan without living in the future.’

That being said, learning and planning are all very well but what about life? Does the warmth of the sun on your face, or the burst of birdsong in the trees, or soft purr of your cat as it greets you, or the crunch of the Autumn leaves under your feet teach you anything other than how delightful it is to experience them?

And does experiencing them demand anything of you other than just to BE? 

Indeed, for me, this is the most powerful reason of all. There’s a pure simplicity in being truly present, a kind of ‘leaning in’ to what life is offering us, be it ‘good’ or bad’. It’s a deep, undefended, uncomplicated trust that asks nothing of us but to pay attention. 

If you are feeling overwhelmed and out of touch with your body, here are three, really simple tips to guide you back into the here and now.

1. Close the tabs: Do one thing at a time

When life speeds up, we have a tendency to go faster too, in the (mis)belief that we’ll ‘achieve’ more if we double the number of plates we’re spinning. Even in our so-called downtime, we watch Netflix or a movie whilst having half an eye on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook feed.

In fact, what is known as ‘multitasking’ is actually more accurately ‘task-switching’ because our brains aren’t actually capable of focusing on two serious tasks at the same time.

So the next time you find yourself ‘multitasking’, try to focus on doing one thing at a time and do only that. Close the extra tabs on your laptop when you’re working on something, resist the urge to google the name of that actor in the film you’re watching. If you’re waiting in line for something, try and keep your phone in your pocket. And if are scrolling Instagram, fully give yourself over to it – scroll like you mean it! To paraphrase Thich Nhat Hanh’s verse, ‘Breathing in, I know that I am breathing in…’ Scrolling mindlessly, I know that I am scrolling mindlessly.’

2. Ask yourself: Are my mind and body in the same place?

Have you ever had the experience of driving somewhere and realised when you’ve got there you have no recollection of the route? Or you’re out with your dog and spent the whole walk ruminating about work? Even – and often – the briefest of activities such as cleaning our teeth, washing the dishes, or folding the laundry test our ability to be fully present. It’s little wonder Eckhart Tolle defined the human race as “lost in thought”! 

I’ve found the question above one of the simplest and most effective ways to bring myself back into the present moment. If the answer is “no” then you could follow it up with asking yourself, ‘what is here now?’ If we consider that it’s estimated the average person has up to 60,000 thoughts a day and 90% of those are exactly the same thoughts as the day before, then perhaps it’s fair to say our external or internal landscape is usually far richer and more interesting!

3. Take one breath

It’s not for nothing that many meditation teachers ask us to take a couple of deep breaths at the start of our sitting practice – it’s one of simplest and most instant ways to come into the present, into our bodies. Paying attention to our breath is a fundamental way to connect to ourselves because the breath is the invisible bridge between the body and the mind. As long as we’re alive, it’s readily available and our one constant. 

See if you can follow your breath for one full cycle. Pay attention from the moment the wave of breath comes into your body. Notice your belly soften and inflate, your ribs widen, your chest rise. See if you can follow its gentle journey all the way up to its apex. Notice the slight pause before the inhale turns into an exhale… what happens in that gap? ….and then follow the breath all the way back out again.

Article Author: Kirsty Tomlinson

Article Source: https://www.ekhartyoga.com/articles/practice/3-simple-ways-to-stay-in-the-present-moment

Ayurvedic practices to enhance your health & digestion

Overall health and well-being is so much more than just the absence of disease or illness. It should include the state of our mental health, our senses, and what we are actively doing to nurture and care for our bodies to prevent negative disruptions - illness or otherwise. Ayurveda takes a very holistic approach to wellness, the article below discusses in more detail what we can do to support a healthy and happy life..

‘The healing tradition of Ayurveda teaches that health and wellbeing depends upon our ability to digest everything we take in from the environment. This includes not only tangible substances like food and drink, but also our experiences, emotions, and the impressions we take in via our sensory portals, namely our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin.

Agni is the Sanskrit term for the “digestive fire” that breaks down the food and other things we ingest from the environment, assimilating what is useful, and eliminating the rest.

When our digestive ability, or agni, is strong, we create healthy tissues, eliminate waste products efficiently, and produce a subtle essence called ojas. Ojas, which is a Sanskrit word that means strength, can be envisioned as the innermost vital essence. According to Ayurveda, ojas is the basis for clarity of perception, physical strength, and immunity. On the other hand, if our agni is weakened through improper eating, lack of activity, negative emotional energy or unhealthy daily routine, our digestion will be hampered and we produce toxins that get stored in the body. According to Ayurveda, this toxic residue, known as ama, is the root cause of disease.

Uncovering the Root Causes of Digestive Issues

Whether we are coping with weight issues or uncomfortable GI symptoms such as bloating, gas, or indigestion, often the underlying root problem is weak agni, or poor digestion. Unfortunately, in Western medicine, we aren’t trained to ask the key question “How strong is my digestive fire?” Instead, we concentrate solely on the foods going in. When a patient goes to a health care provider trained in conventional allopathic medicine, the treatment options for digestive issues are typically medications, which serve to control symptoms, but do not treat the underlying cause.

Even when a provider’s approach includes testing and the elimination of offending foods, this is still only addressing part of the problem. While this treatment addresses the agent (or food) being ingested, it doesn’t look at why it is not being digested properly. Although eliminating foods that are bothersome can often alleviate symptoms, it is often difficult for patients to continually avoid those foods. It can often begin to disrupt their quality of life. The Ayurvedic concept of agni allows us to expand the conversation into answering the most important questions: “Why did the body begin to improperly digest, or not tolerate, this food?” and “How can we both eliminate the offending agent and concurrently increase agni or digestive power?” This approach opens up the possibility of re-introducing the food at a future time, allowing the person to fully experience foods again.

Getting Practical

Ayurveda recommends a variety of practical techniques for keeping our digestive fire strong. Incorporating these practices into your daily life can strengthen agni and, in turn, facilitate weight loss, improve the metabolism of food, and minimise uncomfortable GI symptoms.

Here are six powerful ways to strengthen your agni:

1. Meditate on a regular basis. Studies are increasingly confirming the genetic changes that occur with regular meditation, which can help restore the body’s homeostasis, including the processes controlling digestion. To achieve maximum benefit, meditate for 20 to 30 minutes, twice daily, once in the morning and once in the evening. To get started with meditation or to deepen your meditation practice, please visit the Chopra Center’s Meditation Resource Library.

2. Do some form of daily movement. Whether it is a little yoga every morning, or a daily walk, a recent study published in Diabetes Care showed that a short 15-minute walk after each meal helped to control sugar spikes after eating. These short post-meal walks were more effective than taking a longer, 45-minute walk once daily.

3. Don’t overeat. When we eat more food than our stomach can accommodate, we cannot properly break it down. We also tend to produce more acid, thus causing reflux and indigestion. In addition, the amount of digestive enzymes produced may not be able to completely break down the volume of food ingested, which leads to more gas formation, discomfort, or bloating. Ayurveda recommends that we leave one-third to one-quarter of our stomach empty to allow space for our body to easily digest our meal.

   Here is a simple way to gauge an ideal portion of food for a meal based on your body size: Cup your hands together with your fingertips touching, forming the shape of a bowl. The recommended amount of food for a meal is the equivalent of two of these handfuls of food. Of course, you can eat less than two handfuls if your appetite is smaller.

4. Sip on ginger tea throughout the day, and with meals. Ginger is known in Ayurveda as the “universal remedy” due to its many benefits for the body, and it has been used for more than 2,000 years to treat digestive issues. Ginger can relax the smooth muscle of the intestines, thereby relieving symptoms of gas and cramping.

   A recent study in the European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology found that ginger stimulates digestion by speeding up the movement of food from the stomach into the small intestine, and helps eliminates digestive discomfort after eating. In addition, ginger can stimulate saliva, bile, and gastric enzymes to aid in digestion of the food that has been ingested. The researchers concluded that these beneficial effects are a result of phenolic compounds, primarily gingerol and shogaol, and various other volatile oils that are present in ginger.

   Ginger Tea Recipe: Ginger tea is refreshing and easy to make. Just add one teaspoon of grated or sliced fresh ginger root to a cup of hot water. You can prepare a larger batch and keep it with you in a thermos bottle to sip throughout the day.

5. Eat your largest meal at lunchtime. Our bodies are most able to digest food at midday, when we are active. As studies have found, our digestive system secretes the highest concentration of “digestive juices” around noon, making this the best time to eat our largest meal. In the evening, our bodies are slowing down and preparing for sleep. If we eat our biggest meal at dinner, when our digestive fire is weaker, we will feel heavy and bloated and will be more likely to have difficulty falling asleep.

6. Focus on releasing negative emotions. You’ve no doubt noticed that your emotions influence your digestion. You may get heartburn when you’re under stress, lose your appetite when you feel sad, or become nauseated or even throw up before a big exam or presentation. A growing body of research is finding that the stress associated with unprocessed negative emotions can inhibit the natural digestive process and lead to chronic digestive issues.

   As we now know, a complex, independent nervous system called the enteric nervous system (ENS) lines the gastrointestinal tract. Dubbed “the second brain” by Dr. Michael Gershon, a researcher and physician at Columbia University Medical Center, the ENS contains many of the major neurotransmitters that are found in the brain, including serotonin, dopamine, glutamate, norepinephrine, and nitric oxide. In fact, about 95 percent of the serotonin contained in the body at any given time is in the ENS.

   This second brain controls our digestion and can work both independently and in conjunction with the brain in our head. Without getting bogged down in the details of this intricate system, we can briefly state that there is an intimate relationship between our brain and our gut, and our digestion responds to the thoughts and emotions. When we experience a situation that we interpret as stressful, signals from the brain can alter nerve function between the stomach and oesophagus, resulting in heartburn. With extreme stress, the brain sends signals to the gut immune cells that release chemicals leading to inflammation. This inflammation can then lead to malabsorption, and even food sensitivities if the stress becomes chronic. By learning how to manage stress and release emotional turbulence, we help our digestive tract to work naturally and efficiently.

Proper digestion, with a strong agni, plays a central role in our physical and emotional wellbeing. As Ayurveda recognises, we are not what we eat, but “we are what we digest.” By making choices that strengthen our digestive ability, we form the foundation for good health and vitality.’

Article Source: https://www.deepakchopra.com/articles/six-ayurvedic-practices-to-improve-your-digestion/
Article author: Deepak Chopra

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