Starting your Ayurvedic lifestyle

The best way to begin integrating an Ayurvedic lifestyle is to introduce it gradually; step by step. Start with things you know will be relatively easy for you to do without radically changing your existing habits or lifestyle.

Once you have introduced one or two changes, and found them beneficial, introduce a couple more. Try to be patient and refrain from introducing more changes until the ones you’ve already incorporated have become fully integrated into your daily lifestyle.

Don’t worries if you can’t follow them all of the time; just do as much as you could. In this way, the changes you’ve made will become second nature, and your friends and family will accept that this is the new you, and leave you to get on with it. Below is a suggested monthly plan.

Month One

• Retire to bed before 10pm (you can do this gradually by going to bed 10 minutes earlier than normal for one week. The following week, go to bed 10 minutes earlier again, and continue in a similar manner until you reach your target).

• Arise one hour before dawn (you can do this gradually by getting up 10 minutes earlier than normal for one week. The following week, get up 10 minutes earlier again, and continue in a similar manner until you reach your target).

• Meditate for 20 minutes after your morning shower and before your evening meal.

• Practice the ‘Sun Salute’ for 5 minutes before meditating.

• Scrape your tongue with a tongue-scraper before brushing your teeth.

• Aim to drink at least 2-3 pints of hot water each day (with lemon, ginger or peppermint).

Month Two

• Continue following the practices you have integrated into your life in month one and reflect on the benefits you have noticed so far.

• Eat your largest meal of the day at mid-day.

• Eat a light meal (ideally soup) before 7pm in the evening.

• Take ‘ginger pickle’ before your mid-day meal to increase appetite and help digestion.

• Choose the appropriate ‘spices’ for your body-type and/or season and use in your food to balance the tastes and increase assimilation of food.

• Cut down on (or eliminate) your consumption of one or two of the following addictions: tea, coffee, sugar, confectionary, sweets, chocolate, smoking, alcohol, watching television.

Month Three

• Continue following the practices you have integrated into your life in month one and two and reflect on the benefits you have noticed so far.

• Cut down on (or eliminate) your consumption of meat and/or dairy products.

• Choose foods that are appropriate for your body-type and season.

• Stop buying processed, micro-waved, low fat and refined foods.

• Drink no more than one cup of hot water with meals or immediately after meals.

• Avoid iced drinks and ice-cream (especially during or immediately after meals).

• Cut down further on (or eliminate) your consumption of one or two of the following addictions: tea, coffee, sugar, confectionary, sweets, chocolate, smoking, alcohol, watching television.

• Take a 10 minute walk in nature each day.

Month Four

• Continue following the practices you have integrated into your life in the previous three months and reflect on the benefits you have noticed so far.

• Massage your body with sesame oil before bathing or showering.

• Massage your hair and scalp with coconut oil before bed.

• Practice 5 minutes of pranayama before meditation.

• Practice 10 minutes of yoga before pranayama.

• Cut down further on (or eliminate) your consumption of one or two of the following addictions: tea, coffee, sugar, confectionary, sweets, chocolate, smoking, alcohol, watching television.

Month Five

• Continue following the practices you have integrated into your life in the previous four months and reflect on the benefits you have noticed so far.

• Exchange your cosmetic products and toiletries for less toxic ones

• Read some inspiring, motivation, personal development or spiritual literature each day.

• Increase your practice of yoga to 20 minutes each day.

• Aim to become less argumentative, judgemental and controlling of yourself and others.

• Have a day to yourself each week with plenty of rest and relaxation (and maybe a liquid fast).

• Take a 20-30 minute walk in nature each day.

• Cut down still further on (or eliminate) your consumption of one or two of the following addictions: tea, coffee, sugar, confectionary, sweets, chocolate, smoking, alcohol, watching television.

Month Six

• Continue following the practices you have integrated into your life in the previous five months and reflect on the benefits you have noticed so far.

• Eat a purely vegetarian diet most of the time.

• Take panchakarma detox treatment for 7-10 days to rejuvenate and revitalise the mind and body.

• Start taking Triphala and Chywanaprash daily(group of herbal remedies with antioxidant properties)

• Start drinking fresh, organic vegetable/fruit juices every day. Choose juices you like and are suitable for your body-type.

• Fast on soup for one day a week.

• Eat mainly organic produce and cook it fresh each day.

• Cut out tea, coffee, sugar, confectionary, sweets, chocolate, smoking and alcohol from your life.

During the following six-months slowly integrate more of these suggestions if you haven’t been able to already. Do not be too hard on yourself. Give yourself a reasonable time frame and accept that this may be much longer than is suggested here.

It may take years until you can fully integrate everything but at least follow the most important ones; meditation, early nights and early mornings, exercise, drinking hot water and having light meals in the evening.

It is worth noting that you may experience mild side effects such as headaches or loose bowels when you begin to cut back on toxic substances like alcohol or coffee. This is not a cause for concern; it is just your body beginning to detoxify.

However, drinking lots of hot water will help lessen these symptoms and you can always cut back less drastically on these substances to integrate the change more smoothly.

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