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Being aware of
what you eat
Strengthening digestion
with yoga and Ayurveda
Digestion is one of three
processes by which food becomes part of
our body. Through digestion, the food we
eat is softened and broken down into a
form thats soluble. The most important
factor in proper digestion is whether or
not food has been properly alkalised
before it reaches the stomach. This can
be achieved partly through proper
chewing, which releases the appropriate
digestive juices in the stomach, duodenum
and small intestine, but also through
eating with awareness.
The ancient Indian science of Ayurveda
addresses the subject of food in great
depth. Fine details of how a meal is
prepared are of the utmost importance,
including not only the food but also the
people preparing the food as well as
where and how the food is made, served
and eaten. As these aspects have a
significant effect on our body and mind,
theyre approached with an attitude of
reverence.
Ayurvedically speaking, not just anyone
can enter or work in the kitchen. Those
who work in the kitchen are tested for
good behaviour. The manager of the
kitchen and the cook must have certain
virtuous qualities of character (for
example, compassion for others) and must
be thoroughly knowledgeable and trained
in the science and art of cooking. Its
believed that the cooks state of mind
while he or she is cooking becomes part
of the food. As the diner digests not
only the cooks food but their state of
consciousness, its important that cooks
are cheerful and uplifted.
Before food is served, a portion of it is
offered to the gods and blessed with
certain mantras and Sanskrit prayers.
People serving the food should not only
be clean and dressed neatly but should
also smell pleasant so that no bad smells
interfere with the good aromas of the
food.
Ayurveda suggests that healthy eating
means eating according to place, time and
your individual constitution:
Eating according to place
Climatic conditions and
geographical location should be taken
into consideration. The food you require
when in the mountains is different from
that which you need when near the sea or
in the desert. When we change locations,
we should change our diet accordingly.
When moving from a cold to a warm
country, less food is needed. In hot
weather, the body usually requires a more
liquid diet, lighter food, less cheese
and more fruits and salad.
Your individual
constitution
Ayurveda suggests we are made up of three
elements: pitta (fire), vata (air) and
kapha (water). Usually, were a
combination of two of these, with one
dominant element. Eating in harmony with
your individual constitution means you
will avoid over-eating certain foods,
avoid others altogether and increase the
intake of those foods that help to keep
the energy in your body balanced. If, for
example, you are predominantly pitta, you
would be advised to avoid
pitta-dominating foods, such as red meat,
hot spicy food, alcohol, tomatoes and raw
onions.
Where and how
Have you noticed the speed with which you
eat when you are in a quiet and peaceful
environment? Our environment affects the
depth of our awareness. Ayurveda suggests
food should be taken in a quiet and
peaceful environment, either in silence
or with soft background music. Food
should be eaten neither too quickly nor
too slowly. Eating slowly brings more
harmony into our lives, but be aware that
eating should not be a long, drawn-out
affair, either. Eating too quickly
creates restlessness in our body and
mind. If we can increase the quality of
awareness we give to eating, digestion
naturally becomes smoother and stronger.
Time
Many of us are conditioned to eat our
meals at set times of the day. While this
is not necessarily a bad thing, we could
deepen our awareness of the frequency and
amount of food we eat. Some meals take
longer to be digested than others but
were not always sensitive to this. Food
should be eaten only when previous food
has been fully digested, no sooner than
three hours after the previous meal, no
later than six. This is so the agni
(digestive fire) in the body will be at
its strongest during eating.
Researched & Compiled
by William Brien
How much should we eat?
Conscious awareness of the
quantity of food we ingest at any single
sitting is essential for the maintenance
of positive health. Food is not just
nourishment for the body; its medicine
for the body, mind and spirit and eating
too much destroys this healing
opportunity. Similarly, eating too little
affects our appetite adversely,
diminishing our agni and weakening our
digestive system. If you need to reduce
the amount of food you eat, do so
gradually, giving your body time to
adjust to the changes.
What
The food we eat affects not
only our digestion but also our state of
mind and emotions. Food thats heavy and
takes a long time to digest, such as
meat, makes the mind dull and heavy. Have
you noticed how you feel after eating a
large salad? Fresh foods contain more
energy than foods that are overcooked,
stale or processed, and leave you feeling
energised rather than dull and sleepy.
However, too much salad and not enough of
other types of foods can leave you
feeling lightheaded and may cause sleep
disturbance.
Some Ayurvedic guidelines to eating:
Dont eat before
sunrise or after sunset.
Meditate briefly
before eating.
Avoid drinks that
are too hot or cold.
Eat only when you
are hungry.
Avoid snacking
between meals.
Avoid reheated
foods.
Allow two hours
after eating before sleeping.
Wash your hands,
mouth and eyes after eating.
Do not drink
during a meal.
Yoga for digestion
If the food you eat is, for one reason or
another, not digesting well in your
system, what can you do apart from taking
laxatives? Here are some excellent yoga
asanas or poses for aiding the digestive
system. Remember, the asanas are not a
quick fix for digestive disorders, but
need to be practised regularly if the
benefits are to be felt.
Poorna Dhanurasana (Bow
pose)
Lie on your stomach. Bend
your knees and bring your feet towards
your buttocks until you can take hold of
your feet. Take a deep breath in as you
lift your head, looking forward. At the
same time, raise your feet as high as you
can, still keeping hold of them. Breathe
deeply through your nose for 20-30
seconds. Whenever you exhale, exhale
completely until there is no more air in
your lungs. This asana gives the internal
organs a chance to be massaged. Finally,
relax downwards as you breathe out. Rest
on your stomach with your legs straight
and your head to one side, arms by the
side of your body, palms facing towards
the sky.
Relaxing deeply after doing the bow pose
is essential if the benefits are to be
fully absorbed into the body. Poorna
Dhanurasana is said to affect most of the
endocrine glands, stimulating the
thyroid, thymus, liver, kidneys, spleen
and pancreas. The pose effectively
releases blockages in the abdominal area,
pressing acupressure points near the
stomach. It has been used for thousands
of years as a constipation-relieving
pose.
Vajrasana (Thunderbolt
pose)
Kneel on the floor with your
buttocks resting on your heels. Keep your
big toes together and move your heels as
far apart as you can. Rest your hands on
your knees, palms facing upwards. Keep
your head level and your spine straight
but relaxed. Make sure theres minimal
arching in your lower back. Close your
eyes and relax your body. Allow your
breath to be normal. Keep your attention
on your breath, observing the inhalation
and exhalation as they come and go. Sit
in this position for at least five
minutes, or for as long as you can,
progressively increasing the time during
each practice. If your knees become sore,
shake your legs out in front of you and
then move back into the posture. For
extra comfort, place a small blanket or
towel between your buttocks and your
heels.
Sitting in Vajrasana for a few minutes
after a meal promotes strong digestion.
This asana activates various acupressure
points on the tops of the feet that
promote strong digestion. Meridians of
various digestive organs including the
stomach, spleen-pancreas, liver and gall
bladder all pass through this area.
Supta Vajrasana
(Reclining Thunderbolt pose)
Stage one: From Vajrasana,
you can either keep your heels under your
buttocks or move them to the side of your
body so your buttocks are on the ground.
Slowly start to walk your hands behind
and away from your body, gradually
lowering your torso towards the ground.
Find that space in which you can feel the
stretch and then hold the position,
supporting your body with either your
hands or elbows. If your elbows dont
reach the ground, place your hands on the
floor with your fingers pointing away
from your body. Then gently take your
head backwards, relaxing your neck
completely.
Stage two: If possible, relax your body
all the way down to the ground so your
back is flat against the ground and your
head relaxed. If its more comfortable,
separate your knees slightly. You can
either relax your hands with your palms
facing downwards on your thighs or you
can stretch your arms above your head and
interlock your fingers. Finally, close
your eyes and breathe deeply and slowly.
Start with practising Supta Vajrasana for
up to one minute, building up gradually
at your own pace. When you move out of
Supta Vajrasana, use your elbows and
hands to lift yourself up and then unfold
your legs. Once you are back in
Vajrasana, relax forwards into the Childs
pose, with your forehead resting on the
ground. Supta Vajrasana allows your
abdominal organs to be deeply massaged
and can provide great relief for
constipation.
Supta Pawanmuktasana
(Wind-Relieving pose)
Lie on your back and bring your knees up
towards your chest. Take hold of one
wrist with the other hand and wrap your
arms around your legs. Slowly lift your
head off the ground, taking your nose
between your knees. Place your nose
between your knees. Hold this position
for five deep breaths, breathing deeply
and slowly. Before lowering your head,
take a deep breath in and then relax down
on the exhalation. Repeat three times.
This pose helps to open up the rectum so
that excess gas in the body can be
expelled. It also activates pressure
points on the stomach and the large
intestine, helping to improve overall
digestion. Supta Pawanmuktasana is
especially recommended for constipation.
Dont practise this asana if you have a
slipped disc.
Fasting
Fasting is an ancient
practice to ease the burden on the
gastrointestinal tract so the available
energy can be used to eliminate waste
from deep within the cells and rekindle
the digestive fire. When food is not
given to the body, despite the strong
digestive fire that is burning, toxins
that have been in the body for a long
time are slowly burnt away.
As were accustomed to feeding our bodies
two or three times a day, often more than
it needs, we tend to think of fasting for
a day as starvation, but the body can go
days without food. Fasting also gets rid
of the uneliminated faeces in the bowel,
which otherwise poisons the entire system
and can lead to health problems.
Fasting has been referred to as a key to
mental and spiritual evolution. Clarity
of mind, expansion of consciousness and
acute extrasensory instinct become more
intense during a period of fasting,
attuning us to nature and increasing
energy.
Initially, a prolonged fast should not be
undertaken without skilled supervision.
First, you need to understand how to fast
sensibly. Many people decide to fast
without first looking at their individual
constitution. People who fast for 10 to
20 days can sometimes be doing more harm
than good to themselves if they havent
considered their constitution.
Ayurveda recommends that a person who is
predominantly vata (air) should not fast
for more than three days, otherwise they
may increase the air in their body,
creating an imbalance and provoking
emotions such as fear, anxiety and
weakness. A person of pitta (fire)
constitution should abide by the same
restriction. As pitta people have a high
element of fire in their bodies, too long
a fast increases the fire element and can
cause psychological and physical
reactions such as dizziness and emotions
of anger and hatred. Someone of kapha
(water and earth) constitution, however,
can fast for a long period of time and
will experience increased lightness,
greater awareness and clarity.
Its important when fasting to observe
yourself closely. If your body is
becoming weak and your stamina is
decreasing significantly, the fast should
be stopped. Fasting is highly recommended
as a monthly practice, even for just one
day, but is especially beneficial if you
have fever, constipation or arthritic
pain.
Spices
Spices to include in cooking
to increase the digestive fire include
cumin and ginger. Cumin not only promotes
digestion but is rich in various vitamins
and minerals and great for curing
weakness and fatigue. Ginger is wonderful
for promoting digestive power.
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