ayurveda, blissful living, health and wellness, healthy living, stress reduction, Uncategorized

Preventative Medicine: Adopt A Morning Routine

Creating a morning routine is a very important aspect in Ayurveda to help the body maintain balance and manage stress. Clearly, our daily activities have a profound impact on our general health, and Ayurveda addresses this by stating guidelines for creating a daily routine that is actually considered a form of preventative medicine.

Depending on your dosha (vata, pitta or kapha) there will be variances in your routine, but for the most part the routine is intended to keep all doshas in a state of health, equilibrium and balance. It is a great way to have a stabilized behavior pattern so that we don’t get too overwhelmed and stressed through the day.

Create Your Routine

First, make a list of all the things you like or need to do in your day. Place all the activities in a specific order that will give you a sense of predictability and release you from having to figure out what’s coming next. Within your routine, your body will learn to relax as you complete the same tasks and activities at the same time each day.

Keep in mind the different stages of the day. Between the hours of 2 and 6 am is what we call the Vata time when everything is free-floating and all over the place. In the early morning, between 6 and 10 am, we have the cool, heavy energy of Kapha that can make us feel sluggish if we stay in bed. At midday, when the sun is at its peak, Pitta, the fire dosha, is dominant.

With this information, you can arrange your routine so you make the most of what you do on a daily basis. You’ll know at which times of day you feel sluggish, so you can plan to do activities that will remove some sluggishness.

Healthy Morning Routine

Here is an example of a healthy morning routine.

Generally, it’s best to arise with the sun or just before the sun, between the hours of 6 and 7 am. Just before sunrise is a good time to drink a nice warm glass of water with a drop of lemon essential oil to get your digestive fire going and get your metabolism on track. This is also the best time to empty your bowels.

Next, brush your teeth. Then you want to take care of your face and eyes. Gently wash your face, paying special attention to removing any sleep or cruddy stuff around your eyes. This is also a good time to blow your nose if you have mucus that has built up. Take a warm towel and place it on your face to allow the warmth to be absorbed.

Gargle with warm water that has a drop of lemon or peppermint essential oil to loosen up your vocal chords.

After this, give yourself a body massage with organic oil such as coconut, sesame or sunflower oil. It’s a good idea to massage before you step in the shower because it will help increase your circulation, help remove any toxic materials that have been sitting in your muscles over night, and help moisturize your skin. Be very careful not to get any oil on the bottom of your feet so you don’t slip in the shower!

Finally, if you have time after you’ve gotten your shower, do a little yoga or yoga asana postures to help balance your system.

Get dressed, have something to eat, and if you didn’t do your meditation or prayer before all of this, it’s a good time to do that. Now you’re ready to get started with your day.

This routine will set a precedent of calmness and tranquility as you go about your day. You will be able to handle any stressful situation that arises much more easily. What does your morning routine look like? Leave a comment below to join the conversation.

Wishing you much health and wellness!

Namaste,

Rochel Marie Lawson, RN,AHP,CMS

The Queen of Feeling Fabulous

http://www.rochelelawson.com

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ayurveda, blissful living, healthy living, stress reduction, Uncategorized

Beginner’s Guide to Aromatherapy – Part 2: How to Use Essential Oils

In the last blog [https://ayurvedahealing.org/2014/05/20/beginners-guid…essential-oils], we talked about what essential oils are and how they can be used to support the body and mind. Today, we’re exploring some common essential oils, how you can use them, and where to get them.

Where To Buy Essential Oil

It’s important that you purchase the most highly therapeutic grade of essential oil available. When you go to the grocery store, it’s possible that you will see essential oil on the shelf for sale, but that’s not the grade you want and it shouldn’t be taken internally or diffused into the air. Generally, grocery store grade oil also contains fillers in addition to the pure oil and those fillers are not conducive to promoting health and wellness.

My favorite companies that specialize in essential oils are Young Living and doTERRA. Mountain Rose and Banyan Botanicals are also good options; these two companies specialize in herbs but they do offer highly therapeutic grades of oil. You can order oils online with any of these four companies.

Common Essential Oils and How To Use Them

Lavender essential oil is fabulous for enhancing relaxation. If you’re feeling stressed, lavender is a great essential oil to diffuse in the air or put on yourself topically.

Lavender can also be ingested internally, so you can put a drop of oil in your water to feel the effects that way. Often you will smell lavender in a spa setting because it is so relaxing to the mind, body and spirit.

Lavender is also used to cleanse and sooth minor cuts, burns and skin irritations. If you have a bug bite or itchy skin, you can put a drop of lavender oil on it and the itching will stop. It is also healing for acne.

Lemon essential oil is an excellent source of something called D-Limonene, which is helpful in boosting the body’s natural defenses. It has a wonderful fresh citrusy smell, and it’s great for promoting energy and mental clarity.

Lemon essential oil is a great jump-start for detoxifying your liver. Place a drop of pure lemon essential oil in warm water in the morning before you drink anything else to awaken your immune system.

When you go to the gym, put a drop of lemon essential oil in your water bottle to get natural, sustained energy. It also helps prevent that dry, cottonmouth and stinky breath that often accompanies exercise!

Peppermint essential oil is used to ease tension and promote a healthy respiratory system. It also combats mental fatigue and physical fatigue.

Peppermint essential oil is oil that you can take internally. Keep your palate cleansed by putting a drop of peppermint essential oil in a glass of water. To relieve a tension headache, you can place a drop of essential oil on your temples and on the back of your neck to get instant relief. If you have muscle pain, rubbing a drop of peppermint oil on the area will instantly relieve the tightness and the discomfort.

Peppermint oil is very awakening and refreshing, so if you find yourself on a long drive, just take a sniff to awaken your senses and bring back mental clarity.

Essential oils are a great way to enhance your quality of health and wellness. I like to carry around tiny sample vials of lavender, peppermint, lemon, rosemary and basil for those times when I need a little boost through the day.

Which essential oils do you use, or are you interested in trying out? Leave a comment below to share your thoughts.