Ayurveda Article - Keep Your Heart Healthy

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Seven Common Sense Ayurvedic Ways to Keep Your Heart Healthy

 

The statistics are frightening:

• Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women

in the United States.

• Every 20 seconds, someone in the United States has a heart

attack.

• One in four Americans has some form of heart disease.

• Every 34 seconds someone in the United States dies of heart

disease.

• Heart disease takes more lives than the next seven leading

causes of death combined.

Yet, both modern medicine and ayurveda concur that there are things

you can do every day to keep your heart healthy. Here we offer some

suggestions to get you started. Pick one or two and start with those

if you like, then add a couple more every few weeks until you are

naturally living a heart-healthy lifestyle. Bonus: Not just your

heart, your entire physiology will thank you.

 

Soothe away stress

According to ayurveda, a holistic approach to heart health requires

you to nourish the emotional heart as well as the physical heart. The

heart is not just a pump-it's the fountainhead of all emotions,

whether it's joy and exhilaration or sadness and frustration. Mental

and emotional stress can disrupt the emotional heart. Practicing the

Transcendental Meditation® technique twice daily has been shown in

research studies to help in lowering blood pressure, reversing

arterial blockage and enhancing resistance to all types of stress.

Herbal supplements that contain herbs like Brahmi, Ashwagandha and

Arjuna, are renowned for their positive influence on the mind and

emotional heart.

 

Cultivate the positive

While warding off excess stress is essential to prevent the emotional

heart from wasting away, actively seeking mental and emotional well-

being can help the emotional heart flourish. Ayurveda talks about

ojas, the substance that maintains life. The finest by-product of

digestion and the master coordinator of all activities of mind and

body, ojas leads to bliss, contentment, vitality and longevity. Inner

strength and poise and the cultivation of positive attitudes and

emotions increase ojas. Spend time everyday on those activities that

give you this contentment and happiness. Listen to soothing or

uplifting music, enjoy serene natural beauty, practice uplifting

aromatherapy and sip relaxing herbal teas. Maintain a positive

attitude and walk away from situations that distress or anger you.

 

Eat right

Arguably the most critical step you can take towards heart health is

to eat a heart-friendly diet. For a society used to fast food and

eating-on-the-go, this is also arguably the most difficult step to

take and maintain. But there are small things you can do to make your

diet more heart-healthy-eat more servings of fresh fruits and

vegetables, start your day with stewed apples or pears, include

soaked blanched almonds in your diet, dress your veggies with fresh

lime juice and eat heart-friendly spices such as fresh-ground black

pepper and the antioxidant power-spice turmeric. Choose fresh foods

over processed foods or leftovers, light foods over rich, deep-fried

ones and warm cooked foods over cold, heavy foods.

 

 

Eat mindfully

How you eat is as important for heart health (and overall health) as

what you eat. Eat moderately-the ideal ayurvedic "portion" is what

fits in your two cupped palms. Don't skip meals, because eating three

meals at regular times each day "trains" your digestion to anticipate

and digest your food. Stimulate a sluggish digestion with ginger,

salt and lime. Have lassi, made by blending one part fresh yogurt

with three parts cool water, with lunch. Spike it with roasted ground

cumin and fresh cilantro for flavor. Don't tax your digestion by

eating late at night or eating a heavy meal at dinner.

 

Cleanse ama from the physiology

Arterial plaque is ama-toxic matter that builds up in your blood

vessels because your physiology cannot get rid of it efficiently.

Ayurveda recommends a program of internal cleansing with every change

of season to help your body flush out ama. Other things you can do to

clear out ama-drink lots of warm water through the day, go to bed by

10 p.m. to help the body cleanse itself during the natural

purification time, eat a lighter diet high in fiber and antioxidants

from fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts. Avoid drugs, alcohol

and smoking.

 

Exercise moderately and regularly

You don't have to do a strenuous workout five times a week. The key

is regularity. If you follow the ayurvedic principle of balaardh-

exercising to half your capacity-you can exercise every single day

without straining your muscles. Walking is excellent exercise for

everyone and excellent therapy as well. The early morning is ideal

for taking a 30-minute walk. It will not only help your heart, it

will prepare you for the day by charging up your circulation and your

metabolism.

 

Get your zzzs

Research studies have linked sleep deprivation to blood pressure

problems, depression and other factors that increase the risk of

heart disease. Ayurveda considers sleep just as important as diet in

maintaining health. Practice good bedtime habits-favor restful,

calming activities as bedtime draws near to help disconnect the mind

from the senses. Keep your bedroom clear of distractions-television,

computers, other work-related material. Maintain a temperature that's

comfortable. Stay away from stimulants in the evening. Go to bed by

10 p.m.-early to bed and early to rise still work to keep you healthy

and energetic through the day.

 

Balance the ayurvedic factors

>From the ayurvedic perspective, the heart is the seat of prana-life

energy-which is maintained by a delicate balance of agni (the solar

energy element) and soma (the lunar energy element). Excess mental

and emotional stress wastes away soma in the heart. The heart, as we

said earlier, is also the seat of ojas, the substance within us that

maintains life and promotes bliss and longevity. To protect and

nourish the physical heart and the emotional heart, it is essential

to promote both soma and ojas. Heart health is governed also by three

sub-doshas: Sadhaka Pitta (emotional balance), Avalambaka Kapha

(stability and strength) and Vyana Vata (blood flow and beat), which,

though present everywhere in the body, has its seat in the heart.

Make sure your herbal preparation includes the following three star

health herbs: Arjuna, renowned in ayurveda for its ability to pacify

Sadhaka Pitta and to nourish both the physical and the emotional

heart, Ashwagandha, which helps enhance natural resistance to stress

and promote better sleep and Guggul, which has been shown in research

to help lower cholesterol.

 

 

 

Note : This ayurvedic information is educational and is not intended

to replace standard medical care or advice.

Copyright MAPI, 2002.

 

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