Sometimes the environmental threats that our beautiful planet is facing can feel overwhelming. You might read about the current state of affairs and reach a point where you go: “where do I even start?”
Starting with your own personal health and well-being is a great place to begin! Now, more than ever, it is so important to practice holistic self-care and love. Ayurvedic living allows us to re-establish a loving connection with not only our health but the natural world as well.
1. Self Care = Collective Care
When we take care of ourselves and are mindful of what we choose to put in or on the outside of our bodies, we avoid buying into a system that is ravaging the health of animals, humanity, and our planet.
By choosing to love, nourish, and take care of our bodies through the wisdom of Ayurveda, we are sending out a ripple effect of collective care into the universe. Learning, living, and sharing the wonderful benefits of Ayurvedic wisdom creates a healthier planet for us all.
2. Ayurveda Is The Science Of Life
Ayurvedic wisdom tells us that in order to have harmony within our own bodies, we need to also be in harmony with the 5 elements of nature: earth, water, air, space, and fire. This means that a strong and healthy connection to the natural world is quite necessary for living an Ayurvedic lifestyle.
How can you live in a more harmonious relationship with nature?
Try to incorporate taking a daily nature walk into your schedule. No screens, no phones–just your body wandering through the trees. A journal could be lovely for finding a quiet spot to release some of your thoughts into and if you love writing it could give you more motivation to get outside every day. There is something so soothing and peaceful about being alone in nature without any distractions from our commitments or to-do list, and it really allows us to fully connect with the five elements.
Ayurveda involves incorporating habits into our lives that align us with nature’s rhythm and cycles.
Our sleeping patterns have an immense effect on the wellbeing of our physical and mental health. Ayurvedic living recommends being asleep in the hours before midnight because it is more restorative. From the hours of 2:00 AM – 6:00 AM, the Vata dosha begins to stir, causing a lighter, more dream-filled, and less restorative sleep.
Ayurveda recommends putting away technology and staying away from any artificial light an hour or so before bedtime. This helps to align your body with the cycle of the sun so that it settles down for a deep and restorative sleep.
Read more: Bindi shares 7 Ayurvedic practices for space clearing. Discover how to remove “tamas” in a room that might make you feel lethargic and heavy.
3. Ayurveda Is A Completely Natural Way Of Living
The three doshas in Ayurveda align with the Earth’s elements. Vata is a constitution of air and ether, pitta is fire and water, and kapha is earth and water.
Our bodies are made up of these three biological energies. Learning about your own personal dosha illuminates the pathway towards health and vitality by providing a blueprint for creating balance within our mind, body, and spirit. When we are out of touch with nature, it’s difficult to foster a healthy balance with our doshas.
An Ayurvedic lifestyle includes eating whole or minimally processed foods, meaning that the amount of waste produced from eating is little to none and can generally be composted back into the ground. This makes it easy to avoid buying food wrapped in unnecessary packaging that goes into a landfill.
Ayurveda also recommends using natural medicines from plants and healing herbs instead of prescription medication filled with chemicals toxic to the body. For example, turmeric is known for it’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Ashwagandha is another completely natural herb well known for its anti-anxiety and calming effects on the body.
It is so important to be mindful of where our food came from and to ask questions.
Who produced it? What effects did it’s production have on our planet? Was it grown organically to preserve its nutrients or with toxic pesticides?
One of the best ways to avoid asking those questions is by connecting with the land and creating an organic garden to grow your own fruits and vegetables. By doing so, there is virtually no waste or greenhouse gases produced. And best of all, you get to create and nurture a loving connection between you and the Earth as you tend to and take care of it.
If you care about the environment and want to invest in not only your physical well-being but the planet’s as well, Ayurvedic wisdom will allow you to live in harmony with nature and with yourself.
- Self-Love Meditation Bindi Stables 12:35
