Almost all of us have said this at some point in time. Our parents were way healthier than us at our age. Our parents and theirs too said this, and so will our children! Most of us had healthy grandparents. Some were even lucky to see their great-grandparents. They lived long, with fewer health issues and hospital visits. Diabetes and high blood pressure were unheard of. Heart attacks were rare. Cancer was uncommon. But all that changed in a span of a few generations.
There was something that our ancestors were doing right – from diet, exercise, well-being practices, and more. A significant part of it may be Ayurvedic practices that got internalised as a lifestyle. It reflected in everything they did. Eating seasonal foods, preserving extra produce for the off-season, changing the nature of work or attire to suit seasons, detoxification routines, and so on were a part of life. Many home remedies made up for the constant clinic visits we undertake now. Ayurvedic medicines were also not the mass-produced varieties we see now, with all chances of adulteration or false cure claims. That’s why our ancestors aged better, and we can take a leaf out of their book to follow some best practices. Enough scientific evidence suggests Ayurveda, our ancient well-being framework, offers time-tested remedies and therapies to age well.
Remember, the key is to age healthily and not beat or reverse age. We cannot fight the obvious and the inevitable! Here are three practices that can aid you.
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Rasayana (The science of slowing down ageing!)
Ayurveda is a holistic science. Hence, if you adopt it, you have to do so wholly. Adopting only aspects of it may not help the cause. While geriatric care is still evolving in allopathy, Sushruta Samhita, the erstwhile Ayurvedic journal dating between 1200 BCE and 600 BCE, mentions Jara Chikitsa, referring to special elderly care modes.
It describes rasayana to slow ageing through herbal therapies for the mind and the body. These therapies boost the cellular and bimolecular functions of our body. Thus, it helps slow cell death, rejuvenate our cognitive functions, prevents age-related issues, and lends longevity. Panchakarma treatment, a detoxification and rejuvenating therapy, helps in this objective. It involves diet, exercise, detoxifying the body through various medicines and therapies, and ingesting special Rasayana preparations.
Dinacharya (The Daily routine)
A daily routine is essential to balance your body and the various aspects that make it up. It helps sustain the circadian clock or rhythm, and the body and mind settle into a pattern that makes things work smoothly. Simple things like getting up, having meals and going to bed at the same time every day can help settle your circadian rhythm. Pay attention to diet, do not overeat, eat more fresh fruits and veggies and healthy home-cooked food, find time for some exercise, pay attention to the season and eat and dress accordingly, throw in some anti-stress regimes like meditation, chanting, Tai Chi, yoga, etc. If you can sustain this genuinely, a lot will fall in place.
But during weekends, we either sleep late or get up late, eat out, order unhealthy food, etc. And we skip meals or drink more beverages to suppress the hunger pangs. Slowly, that becomes the routine. It weakens our minds and bodies in various ways. So, let’s start with the routine.
Breathe right. Breath is life!
Ayurveda believes that breathing right can work wonders for our longevity and sustain health. Practice breathing techniques or Pranayama to sustain the Prana or life. We can practise Pranayama in many ways best learned from a certified person. It helps build your lung capacity. Strangely, it’s not from the inhalation but from the retention and exhalation of breath that your body gains a lot! Have you noticed our breathing changes when upset, angry, or stressed? Indeed, if we can control our breathing, we can control our minds.
P.S.: This is only an informative article and not a recommendation. It is essential to approach the right practitioners in any form of medicine. The Government of India has a ministry dedicated to ancient alternate therapies- Ayush, an acronym for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Homoeopathy.