How to reduce Joint pain in Winters as per Ayurveda

by with 3 Comments Ayurveda

It’s winter time and joint pain is most commonly aggravated during this time . Joint pain is a Vata (Air)  disorder . Vata is a bioenergy which is responsible for all kinds of movement in your body . Pain occurs when there is inflammation of nerves and lack of proper Nutrition . To balance Vata dosha in your body you must avoid things which are cool in nature such as cold wind , cold water and cold food . 

Here we are providing you various solutions to this problem. 
1. Warm Water – Start Consuming Warm water during winters, it helps to balance Vata dosha and thus reduces pain.

WARM WATER

2. Dry Ginger powder (Saunth) – A wonder herb to reduce pain and inflammation, take 1 tsp of dry ginger powder once or twice in a day with warm water.

DRY GINGER POWDER (SAUNTH)

.3. Flax Seeds – Flax seeds contain Omega 3, Omega 6 and Vitamin E , which is required to keep your joints lubricated.

Flax Seed

.4. Walnuts – Soak 1-2 walnuts overnight and take this empty stomach in the morning. Walnuts are rich source of Omega 3 ,6 fatty acids.

Walnuts

.5. Maha Narayan Oil – Apply warm Maha Narayan Oil gently on your joints for 3-5 min and then do hot water bottle fomentation, it immediately relieves the pain. Do not use Maha Narayan oil if you are suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis. For Rheumatoid Arthritis you can make a potali of Sand, warm it then gently do fomentation with the potali on your joints.

Maha Narayan Oil

6. Massage with herbal Potali – Make a Potali of herbal powder such as Rasna (Pluchea lanceolata), Dry ginger powder (Saunth) (Zingiber officinale), Nirgungi (Vitex negundo) and Erand (Ricinus communis). Dip this Potali in warm Maha Narayan Oil and do a gentle massage on the knee joint.

7. Avoid Food causing inflammation – Avoid food such as bread, biscuits, pasta, bakery goods and food containing preservatives, as these foods cause inflammation

.8. Avoid Caffeine – Caffeine is one of the major components which causes inflammation in your body, you can replace your regular tea with hot cinnamon infusion, Ginger and black pepper infusion or just hot water.

9. Maintain Ideal Body weight – Joint pain aggravates if you are not able to maintain your ideal body weight. Knee joints are the weight bearing joint, so the movement of your weight increases it increases pain in joints.

10. Sleep (7-8 hrs.) – Sleep is the time when your body rejuvenates itself. If you don’t take regular sleep of 7-8 hours, then it leads to water retention and inflammation in your body. 


Enjoy Winters! 

Makar Sankranti – Impact on Health 

by with 3 Comments Ayurveda

 

Colorful kites and snacks made up of sesame seeds, jaggery and peanuts, yes, it’s 14th January, Makar Sankranti. This festival is celebrated in the middle of winter. During this time bacterial and viral infections are very common. This is the beginning of harvest season in India. During this festival there is food that you can relish with a positive impact on your body. This is the time to protect your body from the cold wind and the changes in the environment. The food that we eat during this festival helps us to keep the body warm and energized. Preparations made from Sesame seeds, Dry Coconut, Groundnut and Jaggery are prepared during this festival which keeps our body warm.

Benefits of Makar Sankranti Food:

1. Sesame Seeds- Rich source of vitamin E and minerals like copper, Zinc and iron. Sesame seeds are also good for your bone health. Rich in antioxidants and improves immunity.

2. Groundnut – Rich in Omega 6, which supports cell function and provides lustre to the skin. It is also good for hair health.

3. Dry Coconut – It is good for your gut health; it is rich in fiber and helps to prevent skin infections during winter season.

4. Jaggery – Jaggery helps in lung detoxification, and it is also rich in iron and calcium. It helps in fighting infection and helps in curing cough and cold.

 Recipe: 
Yummy Til ka Ladoo

Ingredients : 

  • Roasted Sesame Seeds (1/2 cup)
  • Roasted and crushed Peanuts (1/4th cup) 
  • Roasted Desiccated Coconut ( 1/4th cup) 
  • Jaggery Syrup ( 1/2 cup + 4-5 tsp water) ( Use Organic Jaggery Powder) 
  • Green Cardamom Powder (1/4th tsp) 

Method

Steps :

  • Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and add jaggery syrup into it.
  • Add ¼ teaspoon green cardamom powder.
  • Mix the roasted mixture with the jaggery solution thoroughly.
  • When the mixture is still hot (tolerable), start making ladoos from it. 
  • Apply some oil in your palms to form the ladoos.
  • Once it gets cool, store in an air-tight container for a couple of weeks.

In Makar Sankranti  it is advisable to eat freshly harvested grains . As per Ayurveda one should eat Khichdi ( a preparation made from  pulses/ dal + Rice). Khichdi is very light to digest . As this is the time when the season is going to change, eating light and easy to digest food  is good for your health. It not only provides you essential nutrients but also keeps your gut healthy. You can use freshly harvested rice , lentils ( dal) , spices such as black pepper, ginger , cumin seeds etc. 

Wish you all A very Happy Makar Sankranti! 

 

What is Ayurveda?

by with 6 Comments Ayurveda

Introduction

Apart from saying that Ayurveda is only the science or knowledge of life , we must understand the practical aspect of Ayurveda and how the same can be incorporated in your life and daily routine .Most of the time when you hear of the term Ayurveda , the first thing that comes to your mind is some medicine in the form of powder(Churna), tablet(vati) , decoction (Kadha) or syrup.In this blog we are going to talk about how you can use Ayurveda practices to increase your lifespan . Yes you heard it right ! When we seek a consultation from an Ayurveda practitioner they always suggest some herbal preparation along with a list of do’s and dont’s . In Ayurveda Do’s and dont’s which we call Pathya apathya plays a very crucial role . 

Principles of Ayurveda : 

There are 2 main principles of Ayurveda 

The First Principal of Ayurveda is focussed on Preventive health care or how one can live a longer and healthy life .

The Second Principle of Ayurveda deals with the curative aspect, which means in case due an imbalance if any disease occurs then how to use various herbal preparations to manage the disease.

Before understanding HOW THIS SCIENCE WORKS , we must understand basic physiology of the human body . Each human body has a unique bio ( Doshas)  – energy – Vata (Air) , Pitta (Fire) and Kapha (Water) .  As per Ayurveda science balance of Tridosha means health and imbalance of Tridosha means ill health. 

To understand how these bioenergies come into existence one must understand the concept of Five basic elements ( Panch Mahabhuta ) i.e, Air , Water, Fire, Earth and Space .

Each dosha consists of Panch-mahabhutas in different proportions .

Vata –   Air + Space 

Pitta –   Fire + Water 

Kapha –  Water + Earth 

Concept of Prakriti ( Body type) 

Prakrit means “Nature ” . Prakriti of a person is decided at the time of conception, whichever dosha is predominant at the time of conception ,decides the prakriti of an individual .

Prakriti remains the same throughout life and is responsible for physical and psychological traits of an individual . 

7 Types of Prakriti as per Tridosha :

  1. Vata Prakriti
  2. Pitta Prakriti
  3. Kapha Prakriti
  4. Vata-Pitta Prakriti
  5. Pitta – Kapha Prakriti 
  6. Kapha -Vata Prakriti
  7. Samdodhaj Prakriti ( Vata-Pitta-Kapha) 

Brief Description of Prakriti 

Body frame Vata  Prakriti Pitta Prakriti Kapha Prakriti 
Built / Body frame Lean and Thin Medium body frame Broad Built 
Skin Thin , dry and cracked Oily and Prone to acne Thick , smooth and fair 
Hair Dry and thin Oily , Premature greying of hair Thick, smooth and wavy 
Bowel Movement Chronic Constipation 2-3 Times in a day Sluggish , once a day 
Appetite Irregular appetite  Strong appetite Low appetite 
Physical activity Excessive Moderate Less mobile 
Immunity or resistance to diseases Low Moderate Good 
Prone to diseases such as Anxiety, Insomnia Acidity, Acne , digestive disorders Obesity, diabetes , dyslipidemia 
Memory Grasp Quickly , Forget quickly Moderate grasping and retention Slow grasping and good retention 

Above description helps you to understand the basic concept of ayurveda and how to understand your body type. As per ayurveda each individual is unique and has to follow a certain dietary and lifestyle guideline based on their unique body type .