Every person desires and aspires for good health. It is the foundation of our growth and evolution. At a daily and basic level, no one wishes to have aches and discomforts. We take our health for granted. However, the sooner we understand that we also need to ‘earn’ our health, the better our lives will be.
Ayurveda is a science of ‘living life’ and one of its main purposes is to maintain or protect your existing good health, so that whatever our duties towards family, society or even our own self or soul, we have the capacity to fulfil all these things properly.
Not only have we begun a new year, with new hopes and wishes and an attitude towards improvement, we are also in the middle of winter – a great time to take a few steps to improve our overall health.
Immunity is a subject that has become paramount in our lives. Even when we are not directly suffering from a virus or bacteria or any other disease, the body has to fight, repel and recover from bad influences on a continuous basis. Good immunity therefore plays a vital role, not only to avoid disease, but also remain at the peak of one’s health.
In Ayurveda, Immunity is called ‘Vyadhikshmatva’, which means, ‘the capacity to resist a disease’. Just like in a fight, the one who has greater strength and strategy, has a better chance at winning. Similarly, to resist a disease, or fight with bad influences, one needs more energy. Immunity is one such energy of the body. To achieve good immunity, the most important principles are, firstly – save energy, and secondly – earn more energy.
SAVING ENERGY
One of the easiest ways to save energy is to be in tune with nature. Like swimming against the flow of water is exhausting and very difficult, going against nature (the body’s nature as well as nature outside) always leads to spending more energy. Hence eating food that is suitable for one’s own constitution and also eating and sleeping at the right times are some of the ‘must do’ things in life.
At intervals of several years, every person needs to visit an Ayurvedic Vaidya to find out about their inherent constitution, and about what is suitable or not suitable for their food choices. Here are some overall approaches to daily food that are good for everyone.
- Make sure to have something hot and fresh for breakfast.
- Breakfast should be in a quantity such that by noon one is hungry and can enjoy a sumptuous lunch.
- Dinner needs to be taken soon after sunset and should be very easy to digest. This also gives the digestive system some time to work before going to bed.
- Bed time should at latest be by 11 – 11.30 pm.
All this will help save up a lot of energy for you every day!
EARNING ENERGY
Now let us look at how to earn more energy. Praan is the giver of all energies and therefore Yoga and Praanayam are one of the best ways to attract more energy. There are many different ways to do Praanayam. However, Anulom-Vilom is the easiest, while Aum singing is the most effective. These are very easy to incorporate into your day. Regular brisk walking and being in company of nature as much as possible is a must. Walking under the cover of trees, recommended since ancient times, is also called a ‘forest shower’ nowadays. This is great source of energy.
As a rasayan and daily need, Panchamrut is incomparable. It is a mixture of
- Homemade, pure ghee 1 tsp
- Genuine honey 1 tsp
- Homemade, curd or yogurt 1 tsp
- Stone sugar 1 tsp
- A2 milk 4-5 tsp
Eating almonds – 3-5 pieces, soaked overnight and peeled in the morning, is a boost for immunity too. Dried figs, black raisins, dates with ghee all help to increase iron and haemoglobin and nourish the Rakta Dhatu, which plays a very important role in keep immunity high. Gold cultured water (boil water with a small piece of 24 carat gold for 20 mins) as your daily drinking water is a great way to increase immunity easily.
Ayurveda has recommended Abhyanga (a massage with the application of a medicated oil) as a powerful practice to gain more energy (oils like Santulan Abhyanga are best for this purpose). An Abhyanga massage before going to bed helps to reduce fatigue, tiredness, body ache, and enables a ‘fresh’ start the next morning. Rasayan (ayurvedic health tonics) everyday morning is another effective ways to keep immunity high.
Rasayan for Children – Baal Amrut, Chaitanya, Chyvanprash
Rasayan for Men – Marrosan, Atmaprash
Rasayan for Women – San Rose, Dhatri Rasayan
San Amrut and Formula K2
A couple years ago, Shreeguru Dr. Balaji Tambe created two really special tea concoctions to boost overall immunity as a way to deal with new and unexpected attacks on the human system. The San Amrut herbal brew and decoction called Formula K2 were designed by Shreeguruji considering the pandemic in 2019/2020. San Amrut Tea and Formula K2 contain all the necessary herbs that have been proven to be effective in viral or bacterial infections. They can be prepared at home and are used by hundreds of people across the globe to experience better immunity.
It costs a lot of energy to fight a disease once you have caught it. A few steps that can help us maintain a disease-free state for long periods in life are worth your time investment. The dividends are fantastic, as one is then able to engage with the purpose of one’s life, family, business, and is in a comfortable state to offer attention to the Self.