By Erika Crotta, N.D., Ph.D.

Ayurveda is such a simple, common sense approach to health.  There are many tips Ayurveda suggests that cost us virtually nothing yet can have profound effects.  In the next two blogs I will discuss 14 items we all can do easily to reconnect us with the inner healer that Ayurveda seeks to awaken.

1. Schedule a walk with a friend or co-worker. Ayurveda considers walking an excellent exercise: it balances all three doshas (psycho-physiological principles) without putting excessive strain on your body. It calms the mind, nourishes the senses and restores “flow” to the body’s essential channels. The following claim about walking recently appeared on the AARP.org website – “If a daily fitness walk could be put in a pill, it would be one of the most popular prescriptions in the world. It has so many health benefits. Walking can reduce the risk of many diseases — from heart attack and stroke to hip fracture and glaucoma. These may sound like claims on a bottle of snake oil, but they’re backed by major research. Walking requires no prescription, the risk of side effects is very low, and the benefits are numerous.”

2. Create a fresh lunch. Foods that are processed, canned, frozen or packaged are harder to digest, and thus create toxins. Also, because they are old, denatured by processing, or include harmful ingredients such as chemical preservatives, they no longer contain nature’s intelligence. Rather, they create excessive waste and block nature’s intelligence from reaching the cells. Just for today, make the effort to eat a fresh, warm lunch. Eat in a settled, quiet atmosphere and focus on your food when you eat. Have your main meal at lunch. Two powerful forces are at their peak around lunch time: the energy of the sun and the fire of your digestion are strongest at midday.

3. Drink a glass of pure, preferably warm water first thing in the morning. This will support proper evacuation through kidneys and bowels. Water flushes out accumulated toxins, and keeps the digestion smooth. Sipped throughout the day, water is an excellent healer, especially warm water. Avoid ice cold water; it will restrict the flow in your body. Proper elimination first thing in the morning is one of the key secrets for good health.

4. Drink a glass of milk. At the end of a tiring day, when you cannot seem to close your eyes, don’t be frustrated: drink a glass of warm milk. Milk should be organic and free of additives, and boiled with a pinch of cardamom before it is drunk in order to make it easier to digest. Drink it alone, away from meals, to avoid indigestion. Warm milk has a very soothing effect on the nervous system.

5. Sit down and close your eyes. Take a “quiet-time” break right now, right here. Disconnect from the outer world and tune in to your own self. Even if you do this for a minute, you will feel healed. Practitioners of meditation say their daily 20-minute ‘self-referral practice’ helps conquer stress and increase positive energy and a sense of well-being.

6. Sip herb tea. All-natural, caffeine-free teas prepared from nature’s healing herbs are a perfect way to relax and recharge: choose from among Ayurveda’s wide range of beverages to pick the flavor and blend that suits your unique body type and your needs.

7. Massage your body. The skin thirsts for touch and attention. When warm herbalized oil is rubbed gently all over the skin, your body and your mind feel pampered and relaxed. Treat your skin to the magic of a daily massage. Use natural, organic, warm herbalized oils according to the season and body type. Containing powerful botanicals working synergistically, Ayurvedic massage oils are especially formulated to nourish, re-hydrate and heal the skin. For the ‘base’ oil, cold-pressed, chemical free, organic sesame oil works best.

8. Breathe deep. Mindful breathing improves the flow of oxygen and other vital nutrients to the tiniest channels of the body, giving you an instant sense of well-being.

Dr. Crotta is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor from Germany with a Ph.D. in Physiology and Ayurvedic Medicine from the United States. She has an Ayurvedic practice in Petaluma. www.AyurvedaND.com