The Power of Healthy Habits

Ayurveda, which includes yoga, is a science that has endured for over 5,000 years. One of the reasons for its great longevity is that Ayurveda educates and empowers you to take responsibility for your own healing. Since you know your body better than anyone else, you can make health promoting decisions to bring your body back into balance with diet and lifestyle modifications tailored to your specific constitution, age and condition. As Ayurvedic practices become daily routines, they become second nature to you and your new normal. You no longer have to keep remembering to do something that improves your health.

As you walk the path of Ayurvedic healing, you will gain immense benefit by paying close attention to your body and how it reacts and adapts to changes in diet and lifestyle. Keep a journal to record these if you’d like and use the weekly worksheets to trouble shoot obstacles and document your progress.

You can also witness how Ayurvedic protocols promote detoxification and rejuvenation. The longer that you engage in Ayurvedic practices, the more adept you will become in understanding what your body requires. While it is helpful to have the guidance of an Ayurvedic practitioner to get you on the right track, you can free yourself from seeking outside advice for even the smallest of health issues.

One of the reasons for its great longevity is that Ayurveda educates and empowers you to take responsibility for your own healing.

Another factor contributing to the longevity of Ayurveda is that Ayurvedic practices are cumulative. Daily habits are composed of timely rituals, where each thing you do creates a ripple effect; from scraping your tongue to abhyanga massage, to drinking warm lemon water, to eating a lighter, earlier dinner, to waking up and going to bed earlier. So once the daily rhythm is established, even if you miss something for a day or two, the historical efficacy of the practice still remains in your system. If you are only able to do self-massage twice a week rather than daily, you still derive a benefit. There is no “all or nothing” phenomenon to concern yourself with and over time, you witness how the power of your healthy habits has transformed your body and mind. 

The doshas are also benefited from creating daily healing routines and rituals. Of the three doshas, vata is the most resistant to stability. Vata craves change and stimulation but has difficulty sticking to a routine. The mobile quality of vata makes it quite erratic. So if you have a vata imbalance, you may have to work a little harder and it’s even more important for you to get into the swing of a routine. Vata dominated people often wake up at different times daily, don’t eat on a regular schedule, and are constantly multi-tasking. The more you participate in a regular routine, the healthier and more grounded your body will feel. It literally will make a world of difference for your personal and professional life. You will feel greater focus and clarity as you move throughout your day. You can accomplish more and feel a greater sense of ease knowing that you have control over your circumstances.

Start cultivating your daily habits slowly and in small, measureable increments. Don’t try to do everything at once. For example, if you are moving towards eating an Ayurvedic diet, don’t attempt to change your entire diet overnight. Take one food group (e.g., fruit) or one meal at a time, and slowly incorporate the changes over a few weeks. Then move to the next group (e.g., vegetables) or meal for a few weeks. These adjustments to your diet will become habitual over the course of a couple of months.

Start cultivating your daily habits slowly and in small, measurable increments.

As far as daily habits go, select one habit to start with. You may begin with drinking warm lemon water, and a short breathing practice in the morning. If you forget one morning, just make it your intention to do so the next day until it becomes a habit. You can gradually increase the amount and type of breathing until you’ve created a comfortable and sustainable routine. Then move on to the next habit, such as doing some yoga postures, using Nasya (nose drops) oil massage (abhyanga) or having warm cereal for breakfast. What will automatically happen is that you will feel both the subtle and physical impacts of these practices and their benefit, leading you to become empowered to cultivate healthy habits.

Our Ayurvedic Consultation and health coaching, and community classes are an integrative program designed to help you create and sustain healthy habits to find freedom and live purpose by unlocking your healing and creative potential.