Ayurvedic Importance of Fragrance and Aroma

Fragrance plays an important role in determining your mood and mood swings are often controlled by sweet smelling odors in the field of Aromatherapy, which is an incredible part Ayurveda. A celebrated book on Aromatherapy states that fragrance can aid in alleviating pain and have a significant impact on your behavior and personality. We cannot disagree with the fact that ‘Odors vest deeply within our minds even after many years’. If you ask me about my memorable fragrances I would tell you the fresh, elite and the exquisite fragrance of red roses that reminds me about my favorite time in my aunt’s garden during my childhood days and the relishing smell of fried potatoes make me feel like being with my Mom. At this juncture, let’s have a look at the Ayurvedic importance of fragrance and aroma in healing mankind.

1. Aroma for complete care: Aromatherapy is one of the significant methods of Ayurveda, which is used to treat the individuals according to their Ayurvedic body types like vata, pitta and kapha. For this purpose, Ayurveda suggests the use of essential oils and the natural aroma of herbs. This is trusted to enhance the function of the brain and promote well-being from within.

Most of the times these Ayurvedic essential oils are applied to the skin or used in some form or the other in which the skin comes in contact with the aroma. Human skin is the effective channel through which the benefits of these aromatic oils pass through the bloodstream making the system hale and hearty. Many researchers have proved that the natural aroma augments the functionality, relieves pain, supports mood fluctuations and revives the human body, which is a part of nature.

2. The healing properties of Ayurvedic essential oils: Ayurveda trusts in nature and any form of healing using nature’s gifts falls under Ayurveda. According to this thought, essential oils are extracted from leaves, stem, flowers, roots, bark or from other parts of a plant and essential oils is the backbone of Aromatherapy that is used to boost physical and mental fitness. There have been instances in which Ayurvedic essential oils are used to treat innumerable conditions and the gentle aroma of a handful of essential oils is proven to enhance the function of heart and blood circulation.

3. Ayurvedic Tea: Nothing other than a refreshing cup of tea with an enriching aroma can give the right start to your day. The three types of Ayurvedic tea according to the individual body types are anti-strain tea, stimulating tea and balancing tea. These teas are caffeine-free and grant you the real freshness while maintaining the right metabolism of your body.

4. Expert Ayurvedic Massage therapy: An expert Ayurvedic massage therapy with the right essential oils can offer you plenty of health benefits. These essential oils are chosen in such a way that they are infused with a heartening and soothing aroma, which would help you chase out stress, depression, fear, anxiety, insomnia, nervous disorders and many more. An Ayurvedic massage aids in revitalizing your mind, reducing muscular pains, relaxing your nervous system, improving the texture of your skin and striking a perfect balance between your mind and body.

Ayurveda is a spiritual medicinal system that has been practiced for more than 5,000 years and if this historical healing art states that aroma has a greater impact on our health, how can we refute it?? Try using any of the above mentioned ways to experience the power of a natural fragrance.

Reference Links:

  1. Ayurveda and Aromatherapy: The Earth Essential Guide To Ancient Wisdom and Modern Healing by Dr. Bryan Miller and Dr. Light Miller
  2. Aromatherapy for the heart and Circulation by healthy.net
  3. Ayurvedic Teas by Tea Blossoms

12 Best Ayurvedic Tips To Remember On This Remarkable Day of the 21st Century

Ayurveda is an exemplary healing methodology that aims at granting complete health and harmony with nature. Every individual is considered as a unique part of nature and special care is taken before recommending natural remedies for treating any kind of illnesses. The best thing about this holistic science is that it focuses on prevention of diseases rather than just curing it after its occurrence. Purifying the human system by removing the toxic imbalances in the body and strengthening the immune system enables an individual to gain natural power for resisting harmful diseases and enjoy good health even after 50 years of age.

12-12-12 is a remarkable day in the 21st century and to come across such an excitement like this again, we have to wait for another hundred years when 12-12-2112 of the 22nd century would come to enthrall our forthcoming generation. Instead of building castles in the air, let’s empower ourselves with 12 simple and startling Ayurvedic tips on this worth remembering day in the history just to show that you are strong enough to fight more than 120 diseases.

12 Ayurvedic tips to remember:

1. Ayurvedic routine: The first thing that I would suggest is to take up an Ayurvedic routine also known as Dinacharya, which will bring in complete newness and revivify your lives. Everything in your day-to-day living will take up a firm change right from rising early till going to bed early.

2. Natural bowel movement: Drink a cup of warm water either with a teaspoon of raw honey or few drops of fresh lime juice as it fosters the natural bowel movement of your body, helping you to eliminate the toxins from your body.

3. Oral hygiene: Ayurvedic texts like Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita have talked about the importance of maintaining complete oral care. Dental health is known as Danta Swasthya in Sanskrit and it is said that the predominance of doshas and nature decides health care in Ayurveda and dental health also falls in this class. This natural science recommends the use of natural dental sticks especially from the Neem tree with astringent, acrid and bitter taste, supporting the health of the gums and preventing tooth problems. Brushing after every meal or at least twice daily a day is recommended.

Mentioned as Gandusha or Kavala in Charaka Samhita, oil pulling or swishing of vegetable oils like sesame oil, coconut oil or sunflower oil for about 20 minutes in the morning in empty stomach is said to treat about 30 systemic illnesses ranging from headache, migraine to asthma and diabetes. It is also proven to treat severe oral problems like plaque, gingivitis, toothache, oral cavities, halitosis, tooth decay etc, while effectively removing all the harmful toxins in the body. Ayurveda also suggests the scrapping or cleaning the tongue to remove the toxins or ama stored on it.

4. Yoga and physical exercises: Yoga is always a part of Ayurvedic healing and practicing simple physical exercises, breathing exercises like Pranayama and systematic Yoga is said to treat the imbalances in the body and help prevent harmful health disorders. Exercising and yoga practices on a regular basis for at least 15 minutes a day, especially in the early hours of the day relaxes the nerves, restores health, regenerates the body and rejuvenates your muscles.

5. Meditation: Meditation is an important part of Ayurveda as it helps to spend some quality time for self, supports self-realization, augments mental health and paves way for increased life span. Meditating regularly treats innumerable health disorders, gives a good start for the day and helps in calming the nerves and soothing the senses.

6. Prayer: Prayer is the best way to surrender yourselves to your Almighty, the Super Power above us. Spending few minutes in prayer before starting your day will grant you immense confidence and the real power to face your daily challenges. Ayurveda trusts that prayer strengthens your spiritual feelings and brings in real divinity.

7. Abhyanga or Ayurvedic oil massage: Ayurvedic texts suggest Ayurvedic oil massage for a supple, soft, strong and healthy body as it promotes blood circulation, fortifies the nervous system, relieves muscular pain, invigorates your mind, enhances the function of the lymphatic system and removes the toxins from the body. Ayurvedic essential oils like Lavender oil, Patchouli oil, Turmeric oil, Calamus oil, Tea tree oil, Ylang Ylang oil, Peppermint oil and many other essential oils have innumerable therapeutic properties to aid your well-being.

8. Regular eating habits: A regular eating habit in Ayurveda just indicates eating on time. Have a schedule for eating with a fixed time for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Instead of taking 2 or 3 full meals, you can take 4 or 5 small meals with regular gap in-between. By doing this you are reinforcing your digestive system and promoting easy digestion. Improper eating habits might end up in a dismantled metabolism, leading to health disorders like hypertension, ulcer, obesity, accumulation of fat etc.

9. Fresh fruits and vegetables: Fresh fruits along with green and leafy vegetables contain essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals. These natural items will improve your physical and psychological health by preventing your body from diseases occurring due to nutritional deficiencies.

10. Drinking hot water: Drinking hot water is indeed a classical recommendation of Ayurveda as it augments the digestive power, lessens the accumulation of metabolic waste, balances kapha and vata doshas and regulates your entire digestive system.

11. Detoxification: Detoxification or cleansing is a vital part of Ayurvedic Panchakarma treatment that aims at removing the toxins in your body and restores balance and youthfulness. Healthy Ayurvedic practices include gentle cleansing of the system mainly during the spring season and at the start of every season. This can be done efficaciously with the help of your Ayurvedic practitioner.

12. Soothing and peaceful sleep: Rest is essential to rise up with energy and buoyancy for a refreshing start of a new day. To stay active tomorrow, you need to sleep well today especially during the night time. Ayurvedic scripts suggest taking warm baths with few drops of Ayurvedic essential oils before going to bed, recollecting the pleasant things in your life, eating light and easy to digest food for dinner, listening to pleasing music, using aromatic Ayurvedic essential oils for regular massaging and in your bed room either as room diffuser or as air freshener etc.

Everything is doable and why can’t you give it a try? For the best things in life can come to you only out of practice and determination. For an inspirational living, think again!

Thought for the day:

Nature is a good name for an effect whose cause is God

-William Cowper

Suggested Reading:

  1. Ayurveda Wisdom: A Simple Wisdom Book By Cybéle Tomlinson, Cybele Tomlinson
  2. Freedom in Your Relationship with Food: An Everyday Guide By Myra Lewin
  3. Ayurveda: The Science of Self Healing – A Practical Guide By Vasant Lad

Reference Links:

  1. Tooth brushing, oil pulling and tissue regeneration: A review of holistic approaches to oral health by NCBI
  2. Overview of Meditation by National center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
  3. Ayurvedic Panchakarma Restores Your Youth by Wikinut

Ayurvedic Treatment For Insomnia

‘Ouch! My days appear dragged…My nights are making me an owl…..Even my simple breakfast takes much time to digest…..I’ve started developing dark circles around my eyes…..I always feel exhausted and worn-out. What’s happening to me?’ I often hear these lifeless statements from many of my friends and colleagues. If you are experiencing any one of the indications listed above, then listen you are suffering from insomnia.

According to Ayurveda, insomnia is the basis for angst, nervousness, gloominess, depression, obesity, hypersensitivity, stress, deprived immune system and constant worrying. These symptoms can also be called as the siblings of insomnia. If left unnoticed you’ll more or less be encircled by a shadowy atmosphere where even your bright white dress might look completely black to your eyes??? Only a spiritual healing of an Ayurvedic treatment can perfectly save your head from insomnia and its siblings.

What is insomnia? Insomnia simply means sleepless nights when you are still lying on your bed waiting for a profound sleep to knock your night. People suffering from insomnia experience difficulty in falling asleep and slog to enjoy the comfort of a lasting sleep.  There’s nothing as dreadful as insomniac nights. By the time you are struggling, striving, tossing and turning on your bed, you’d quickly realize that the Sun has come up to serve its purpose. Oh My God! What a kind of irritation it is? How worse it is to stay awake while the entire home sleeps peacefully?

Reasons behind insomnia: What causes insomnia? Is the biggest question in this context. Ayurveda states that insomnia branches out from vata predominant emotions in people who have a medical history of constipation, unbalanced eating habits, improper digestion, regular dehydration and few other health disorders. Sleep is completely natural in Ayurvedic terms and this common sense science recommends human beings to sleep before 10:00 PM at night and wake up before 6:00 AM. This is because our body naturally influences the secretion of melatonin hormone from the pineal gland, when the natural light starts fading and induces sleep. Intake of caffeine-based drinks, hectic routine, siesta, intake of excess alcohol, late night meals and other in the wrong lifestyle changes alters the natural secretion of melatonin and ends up in insomnia.

Ayurvedic treatment for insomnia: According to Ayurveda, good sleep and rest known as ‘Nidra’ is one among the three vital pillars of human health. Taking up an Ayurvedic routine and following it right in your daily lives will gradually make your system complete and your life meaningful. Ayurveda, the natural wisdom has a bunch of fruitful remedies for treating insomnia and few other serious health conditions caused by acute and chronic insomnia.

  1. Healthy and nutritious diet: Ayurveda always insists on the intake of a healthy, nutritious and balanced diet with fresh fruits and green leafy vegetables. After your first Ayurvedic consultation, your Ayurvedic practitioner will help you in identifying your predominant dosha and guide you with a healthy diet containing the food items that would suit your inherited constitution in a hale and hearty manner.
  2. Abhyanga or the Ayurvedic massage: An enlivening Ayurvedic massage can give you all that you need for a calm and composed living. It has proven benefits and is in practice for more than 5000 years. A relieving massage with Ayurvedic essential oils and other medicated oils aids in reducing pain, muscular tension, nervousness, stress, enhances your blood circulation, soothes your nervous system, rejuvenates your mind and helps in alleviating anxiety, fatigue, stress, depression and other mood fluctuations paving way for an entirely new system that will certainly help you in getting a good night’s sleep.
  3. Shirodhara: It can be called as a revivifying treatment useful in treating mental exhaustion, neurological disorders, sinusitis, loss of memory, tension and insomnia. It stimulates relaxation of muscles and increases the concentration power. This therapy engages gentle pouring of oils or other medicated liquids on the forehead for a specific time from a specific distance.
  4. Use of Ayurvedic essential oils: Ayurvedic essential oils have a natural fragrance that calm the senses and soothe the mind gradually. The mesmerizing aroma along with the therapeutic properties like anti-depressant, calmative, soothing, sedative, relaxing and revitalizing help considerably in treating insomnia. You can either add few drops to your bath tub for a warm refreshing bath before going to bed or add two to three drops of essential oil to your pillows to bring in calmness or place a cotton ball near your pillow with few drops of mild essential oils that can help through the entire night in inculcating warming thoughts. The best and most effective Ayurvedic essential oils for insomnia are Lavender essential oil, Clary sage essential oil, Ylang Ylang essential oil, Sandalwood oil, Neroli oil, Roman Chamomile oil, Bergamot essential oil, Marjoram essential oil, Rose essential oil and Basil essential oil.
  5. Soothing physical exercises, yoga and meditation: Regular physical exercises, yoga and meditation are vital for your harmonized living. Everything should be done methodically, preferably in the early hours of the day that has a greater impact on your positive thinking, dynamism, clarity of mind and improves your self-confidence.

Always end up your day with a small prayer before going to bed. This really helps a lot. There is no use in worrying or staring at the ceiling when the complete city sleeps in silence. Come on! The gift of sleeping right and tight at night just demands these simple and startling steps. Enjoy your sleep and all I have to say you is ‘Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite’. Bye! Bye!

Thought for the day:

Insomnia is a gross feeder. It will nourish itself on any kind of thinking, including thinking about not thinking.    -By Clifton Fadiman.

Suggested reading:

  1. NATURAL INSOMNIA TREATMENT Best Essential Oils to Use for Chronic Insomnia, Sleep Disturbances, Night Fears & to Restore Natural Sleep Cycles
    By KG Stiles
  2. Beat Insomnia Quickly (Bullet Guides) By Sara Kirkham
  3. Overcoming Sleep Disorders Naturally By Laurel Vukovic
  4. Sleep Tight: Sleep well tonight and every night By James M Brunton

Reference Links:

  1. Insomnia by Wikipedia
  2. What Is Insomnia? What Causes Insomnia? by Medical News Today
  3. Ayurvedic Cure for Insomnia by Onlymyhealth
  4. Melatonin by University of Maryland Medical Center