5 Simple Ayurvedic Practices for a Healthier Life This Summer

5 Easy Ayurvedic Tips for Your Summer Wellness

5 Quick Tips for Incorporating Balance and Harmony into Your Daily Routine - By Margaret Young

Reading time: 3 minutes

Ayurveda is an ancient way of keeping your body healthy. It comes from India and has been around for a very long time, as long as yoga, in fact it is a "sister science" to yoga. It's about diet and lifestyle to keep your body and mind in good balance. It works on the principle that we are all made up, in different proportions, of the five elements, fire, water, air, ether an earth. When these elements are in balance, you stay healthy and vibrant.

To get started with Ayurveda*, here are 5 really quick wins, simple ways you can incorporate Ayurveda into your life as accessibly as possible.

Protein with every meal. If you have a personal trainer they will love you for this, but actually it’s a principle of Ayurveda to plan each meal around your protein. An even more simple option is to make sure each meal includes a protein even if you’re not actually planning the rest of the meal around it. For example, I like to add peanut butter to my breakfast, tofu to my lunch and maybe a soy bean-based meat alternative to my dinner.
Plants as medicine. Choose your herbal teas not just based on habit or taste but on their benefits. For example, I like to have peppermint tea after a meal to help with digestion and camomile tea in the evening to help with sleep. If I feel a cold coming on I reach for lemon and ginger tea.

Choose your spices. Just like in the point above, choose your seasonings, herbs and spices, for their benefits as well as their taste, and keep in tune with the time of year. In Winter reach for ginger, turmeric and cloves, in Summer try cooling coriander, mint and Tulsi.
Try an Indian head massage. Instead of your usual hot stone or Swedish massage, try an Indian head massage. As well as the usual massage benefits you get possible hair growth stimulation. Who doesn’t want that? I am lucky enough to have a great massage therapist on my doorstep, but I am sure there are options in your locality, ask your neighbours for a recommendations to find a hidden gem in your own community.
Self Massage. In Ayurveda, it’s called Abhyanga, and Summer is the PERFECT time of year to introduce it, with so much skin on show, soft skin is a great confidence boost. If a daily full body self-massage is too time consuming, how about weekly after a bath while the skin is still warm and damp? And into the PJs? Bliss. Knowing your “dosha” , your unique constitution and elements, will inform your decision on which oil to use. To find out your dosha, take a quiz online or better yet, book in with with an Ayurvedic Nutritionist or Doctor to learn even more.

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