Ayurveda Article - Seven Ways For All To Stay Calm

[Guest guest]

You have permission to publish this article in your print or

electronic publication, as long as the piece is used in its entirety

including the resource box, all links and references and copyright

info. If you decide to use this article please send me an email at

drmishra

----

 

 

7 WAYS TO STAY CALM IN TOUGH TIMES

 

There is an inspiring chain mail circulating on the internet these

days. It tells you to follow the 90-10 rule for a happier life. The

90-10 equation is as follows:

 

90% is what happens to you-it's out of your control.

10% is how you react to what happens to you-that is totally in your

control.

 

What can be better advice than this in times that are truly

uncertain, and fraught with situations that seem beyond control?

 

Through Transcendental Meditation®, yoga, diet and good rest,

Maharishi Ayurveda advises you to do just this: control how you react

to life and its ever-changing situations.

 

Here are some specific ayurvedic stress-management tips to help you

cope better in troubled times:

 

Reach Out: Loneliness aggravates anxiety. Be in the company of those

you love. But instead of merely spending time with family and

friends, take steps to rejuvenate your relationships. The best way to

do this is to give more of yourself in terms of time, energy and

attention.

 

Take control of your responses: An instant way to calm jittery nerves

is to start breathing slow and deep. This brings down the heart rate,

blood pressure and muscle tension, sending a relaxation response

throughout your body and mind. Inhale so that you can feel the air

right reach into your abdomen. Take care not to breathe too fast-

because if your vata vahi srotas or air circulating channels are not

clear, the oxygen will be distributed unequally in your body; and

that can do more harm than good. Therefore, keep the pace easy and

the rhythm steady. The use of an aromatherapeutic essential oil at

this time-lavender, rose, jasmine or the Vata or Worry Free blend are

good choices-will support your deep breathing activity. Do this at

least twice a day for 10 minutes each, and you will experience a new

sense of bliss.

 

 

Eat Right: Ayurveda believes that you really are what you eat. And if

that is true, then eat foods that help you relax. Choose foods that

help beat back stress-generating free radicals. All fresh and

seasonal fruits, lightly cooked and spiced vegetables and whole

grains will repair your tired mind and body, carrying the goodness

down to the tiniest tissues. Antioxidant herbs replete with nature's

own intelligence know how to combat this potent enemy, and can help

you fight it too. Maharishi Amrit Kalash, called the healing hero of

ayurveda, is made from some of the rarest herbs and fruits to

supplement your healthful diet and make you feel bright and sunny no

matter how gray things look around you.

 

 

Drink Up: At least 8 glasses of water a day are essential for

efficient flushing out of disease-causing toxic matter from your

system. When the urge for a hot drink hits, try Raja's Cup, a

delicious herbal beverage that calms without the side-effects of

coffee. What's more, it tastes just like coffee!

 

Exercise: Moderate exercise is a great way to de-stress. Yoga, which

is an integral part of ayurvedic healing, is a way to exercise all

parts of your body, while also soothing nerves and balancing the

mind. Here is one simple yoga asana you can try when feeling less

than cheerful:

 

Child's Pose (Balasana)

 

How You Do It: Kneel on your shins, buttocks resting on your heels,

knees together. With your arms at your sides, palms up, bend from the

hips and extend your upper body over your knees. Resting on your

thighs, bring your forehead to the floor. Breathe deeply, hold for as

long as is comfortable. Then slowly sit up.

 

If you have trouble kneeling, placing a pillow between your thighs

and calves will help.

 

What it Does For You: This simple asana floods every cell of the body

with both oxygen and prana (life force energy) helping eliminate

physical and emotional toxins. The constriction on your legs

increases blood supply to the upper body, making respiration more

efficient, and energizing the blood, which in turn begins to remove

waste gases more efficiently. The pressure from the diaphragm in this

posture creates a deep, slow, rhythmic massage of the vital organs,

energizing them. Both the quality and the quantity of the blood

circulation to these vital organs improve when you are in Child's

Pose.

 

If you hold the pose more than 5 minutes, deeper benefits occur. The

asana has a regulatory effect on the endocrine system. It gets more

blood to the head and to the pituitary gland-the master gland that

regulates hormonal balance. This makes the Child's Pose an extremely

relaxing asana.

 

Sleep Well: Recognize the sleep robbers around you. Life these days

is filled with more worries than just bill-paying and house-cleaning.

They can steal the sleep away from your eyes, leaving you feeling

unhappy and unwell the next morning. Ayurveda has some excellent tips

on how to get quality rest. Vaidya Ramakant Mishra, MAPI's Director

of Product Research and Development, recommends these sleep-friendly

steps:

 

* Try to go to bed early -- between 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. This period is

ruled by the Kapha dosha, which is associated with calm and

restfulness.

* Give yourself a massage every day with an ayurvedic oil-it soothes

the joints and nerves, bringing good sleep.

* Poppy seeds have a pleasant sedative effect-add them to your diet.

* Favor peaceful, calming activities before bed.

* Before going to bed, sip Vata Tea in warm milk. Or try the Slumber

Time Tea. Both the Blissful Sleep herbal supplement and the Worry

Free herbal supplement nourish Prana Vata, which regulates mental

activity.

 

Meditate: The daily practice of Transcendental Meditation can not

only drive stress out of your mind, but also change your life in

dramatic ways. Extensive research on this meditation technique has

established that just 20 minutes, twice a day of TM® are a great

way to balance mind and body, increase productivity, enhance personal

relations and indeed one's entire approach to life.

 

 

Note : This ayurvedic information is educational and is not intended

to replace standard medical care or advice.

Copyright MAPI, 2002.

 

For more information on Ayurveda or to to free newsletters,

plaese visit <http://www.mapi.com>