Ayurvedic Lifestyle
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Ayurvedic Healing
Ayurveda believes that each person has their own innate healing abilities. We must make changes in our own lives to create lasting changes to our health. Many of the prescribed methods in Ayurveda involve ways we need to alter the way we are living our lives, our daily routines to bring balance to our dosha, dhatu (tissue systems), srotamsi (bodily channels), manas (mind) and jiva (soul). Ayurveda is unlike western medicine in that it treats the whole person, our bodies, minds and spirits or from the Ayurvedic framework our physical, astral and causal bodies. An Ayurvedic healer rarely gives a person an herb to take and send them on their way. There will be an outline list of recommendations on how to live your life in a balancing way to your unique constitution and doshic imbalances. We want to live in harmony with our doshic constitution as well as with the seasons of the year and of life.
“The basic rule is - whatever we can do for ourselves to improve our own health is more effective in the long run than what another person can do for us.”
This also means that we must put in the work ourselves. No one can do it for us. We must be willing to make changes to our lives and our lifestyles in order to make changes to how we feel and how we think. For many this can feel overwhelming, but for others this can feel empowering. We want this to feel empowering. You have the power to heal yourself. That gives us control over our own health and wellbeing.
The important thing to know is that these changes take time and they take effort. Healing doesn’t happen overnight. It takes dedication, determination, perseverance and most of all time. It is best to implement changes gradually and with care. This helps to create lasting changes rather than “quick fixes.” It also helps when modifying our lifestyle to make additions slowly and give them time to take root. When we try to overhaul our whole routine overnight, we often lose steam and give up after a short time. Trying to change everything at once, isn’t sustainable. It’s too much of a jolt or shock to our system. This is why making changes gradually will allow us to incorporate new regimes to our lifestyle and make them a lasting part of our daily routine.
“As is a man’s will, so is his action, as is his action, so he becomes.”
Ayurvedic Lifestyle
The most important aspect of adopting an Ayurvedic lifestyle is to live in rhythm with the earth. This includes the rhythm of the day, the seasons of the year and the stages of our life. Each part of the day, each season of the year and each stage of our life is associated with a particular dosha. We need to life in harmony and balance with these cyclical changes in our lives. We also need to live in a peaceful and ethical way that honors our divine self, divine consciousness, all living things including gaia, mother earth. The 3 main aspects of an Ayurvedic lifestyle are:
Dinacharya - the Ayurvedic daily routine
Ritucharya - the Ayurvedic seasonal routine
Sadvritta - one’s ethical outlook and behavior
Times of Day
2:00am-6:00am & 2:00pm-6:00pm - Vata time of day
6:00am-10:00am & 6:00pm-10:00pm - Kapha time of day
10:00am-2:00pm & 10:00pm-2:00am - Pitta time of day
Seasons of the Year
fall and early winter - Vata time of year
winter and early spring - Kapha time of year
late spring and summer - Pitta time of year
Stage of Life
born to 15 years old - Kapha stage of life
15-65 years old - Pitta stage of life
65+ - Vata stage of life
“As oil in sesame seeds, as butter in cream, as water in the riverbeds, as fire in the parched kindling, so is the Indwelling Spirit grasped in one’s own self when one is dedicated to seek out Consciousness.”
Balanced Living
One of the most important aspects of the Ayurvedic lifestyle is living in a sattvic or peaceful and balancing way. We want bring peace and balance into every aspect of our life. This includes our diet, our work, our yoga & meditation practice, herbs & spices we take, skincare & aromatherapy, and even colors, gems, mantras, mandalas and yantras. We want to not only think about the food we ingest but also the impressions, media, sights and sounds we ingest. It’s not only about bringing balance, peace and harmony to our bodies, but also our minds and spirits. This includes our thoughts and our actions. We want to bring peace to ourselves and also the people around us. And on a macro level, to the people and living things of the earth as a whole.
The Three Pillars of Life
In Ayurveda there are three pillars of life:
food
sleep
sex
These three pillars represent our human fundamental basic needs. Each prakruti or doshic type has outlined recommendations for how to live in a balancing way according to these three pillars. At Five Prana, we expand on these three pillars to include Ayurvedic lifestyle recommendations on yoga, meditation, pranayama, mudra, mantra, skincare, aromatherapy, essential oils, colors, gems and more. If you are interested in learning the most balancing Ayurvedic lifestyle for your unique constitution, schedule an Ayurvedic Consultation with us.
