What if you decided to radiate health and vitality?

Without spending a cent or spending hours?

Yes it's possible !

I am passionate about yoga and Ayurveda and I share with you in this post 9 very simple Ayurvedic habits that I have adopted.

Little by little, they transformed my reflection in the mirror.

And boosted my vital energy level.

They say it takes 21 days to adopt a new habit, so is that tempting?

For those who first wish to review the basics and refresh their memory, we have put together an article 100% dedicated to the presentation of Ayurveda

And if not, it's here:

1. Jihva Sodhana – Scratching your tongue when you wake up

Yes, you read correctly !

Did you know that during the night, your body does a lot of cleaning.

The result ?

A small white deposit called a “clump” on the tongue when you wake up, concentrated in the toxins accumulated on a daily basis.

To eliminate bacteria, find fresh breath and rebalance your oral microbiota, improve your immunity and digestion, scrape your tongue when you get out of bed, even before drinking a glass of water.

And yes, you risk swallowing this deposit and asking your organization to redo the job unnecessarily.

You can use your toothbrush to scrape your tongue initially, to see if this ritual appeals to you and is realistic for you in the long term.

Perhaps you will no longer be able to do without it when brushing your teeth and will want to invest in a copper tongue scraper.

Language is the mirror of our vitality.

Now you understand why your doctor is asking you to pull it out to examine it more closely!

 

2. Gandush - Mouthwash with sesame oil

We continue on the theme of oral hygiene.

You will certainly agree that a pretty smile with clean teeth and fresh breath is the starting point for radiating health!

This is probably the strangest ritual on the list, well for me it was.

Every morning when you wake up, before scraping your tongue, take a tablespoon of sesame oil in your mouth.

Make it circulate well between your teeth, along the gums.

It is advisable to keep the sesame oil in your mouth for at least 5 minutes.

The oil will take on the toxins accumulated during the night and will turn into a white paste to be spit out into a tissue and put in the trash.

Be careful not to spit it into the sink so as not to block the pipes.

Gandush helps protect teeth and gums while helping to detoxify the body.

To the wise...

 

3. Dry brushing

Our skin is the largest of our organs and it alone eliminates a third of our toxins.

Needless to say, a little help doesn't hurt.

This is why in Ayurveda, we use a dry brush to scrub the skin of the body from head to toe to remove dead skin and toxins.

This invigorating ritual also helps stimulate the lymphatic system and blood microcirculation.

By brushing dry rather than with an oil, you avoid clogging pores.

To practice before or after the shower, depending on your motivation!

 

4. Abhyanga or oil massage

After dry brushing, it is important to nourish the skin to hydrate it and keep it supple and smooth.

It’s the ultimate relaxing ritual!

With your hands, spread the oil all over the body, kneading the skin well.

Perfect for fighting cellulite, draining the skin and toning the muscles.

Which oil to choose?

Depending on your dosha – your constitution in Ayurveda – prefer:

• virgin sesame oil for Vata (hot and heavy)
• Pitta coconut oil (refreshing and soothing)
• sweet almond oil for Kapha (neutral and invigorating)

Always depending on your constitution, adopt the right massage gestures:

• for Vata: a massage with slow, enveloping movements that reassure
• for Kapha: a massage with very little oil where the movements are energetic to activate the lymphatic system
• for Pitta: a massage with stimulating, rapid and deep movements. We use the oil sparingly.

5. Wake up your skin with fresh water

When you wake up, rinse your face several times with cool water.

This ritual will nourish your skin with oxygen.

Dry gently with a clean towel dedicated to the face, pressing with your fingertips.

No need to “strip” the skin in the morning because it has barely woken up, it is not “dirty”.

Once or twice a month, you can treat yourself to a steam bath or Svedana for the face by heating water (not too hot so as not to burn yourself) in a saucepan and covering your head with a cloth to keep steam.

It is one of the oldest methods for deeply cleansing the skin: the pores dilate, promoting the elimination of toxins and the softened skin exfoliates more easily.

 

6. Eat and sleep at regular times

This may seem trivial and yet how often do we disrupt our rhythm due to professional obligations, travel and other constraints?

Ayurveda is here to remind us of common sense.

And eating and going to bed at regular times is part of it.

In Ayurveda, we typically recommend leaving between 5 and 7 hours minimum between two meals, to give the digestive system time to complete its entire cycle. So, no snacking!

We are what we eat, but even more so what we digest!

The same goes for sleep.

According to Ayurveda, the best time to sleep is between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. during the “kapha” time with qualities conducive to falling asleep.

After 10 p.m., pitta time begins and people awake at this time can experience a second wind, hence the importance of sleeping before.

Sleeping at a fixed or at least regular time allows the body to synchronize with the rhythm of nature and to have optimal sleep-wake, digestive and hormonal cycles for more vitality.

 

7. Eat and drink hot rather than cold

Lovers of ice cream and cold drinks, this paragraph may make you grimace.

Oops yes, Ayurveda recommends eating and drinking hot rather than cold.

Quite simply so as not to stress the digestive system which is at 37 degrees.

This recommendation is all the more important to follow in winter to keep warm and facilitate digestion.

The rest of the time, an exception here or there won't upset anyone, except your stomach ;-)

 

8. Prefer smooth and nourishing foods

As we said above, we are what we eat.

Modern life makes it almost impossible to cook fresh food for every meal and we have to live with it.

But whenever you can, prefer to cook homemade dishes with quality ingredients that will provide nutrients to your body.

Microwaving, freezing, leftovers are all practices that alter the quality of ingredients and should therefore be moderated as much as possible, because we are well and truly in the 21st century.

 

9. Take time to relax regularly

 The effects of stress on health are devastating.

You could even say that stress is a terrible disease.

I am not going to list all the harmful consequences of stress on the body because you probably already know them.

Ensuring you keep stress levels low will do wonders for your health and vitality.

A simple way is to practice yoga and meditation regularly, have a calm life as much as possible and peaceful relationships.

 

 

In Ayurveda, prevention is preferred to cure. This is the reason why care rituals and their regularity are at the heart of this health system.

To live in good health and for a long time, a healthy lifestyle is essential.

Once you have created your ideal routine, you can also adapt it slightly to the seasons, to live to the rhythm of nature.

To do this, discover our other Ayurvedic routines:

• little ayurvedic winter routine
• little ayurvedic spring routine
• little ayurvedic summer routine
• little ayurvedic autumn routine

 

If you want to take care of yourself and age gracefully, you will surely like our article on facial yoga !