By Vaidya Ahana
Summer is around the corner, getting us excited for the holiday season. Each of us can’t wait to take a Break! be it from school, work, college, etc. From partying the entire night to consuming whatever we desire, we let our minds and bodies go haphazard in the name of fun and happiness. However, we fail to pause for a moment and think about the kind of imbalance this lifestyle might be causing to our bodies and minds.
This imbalance paves way for the formation of toxins in the body and mind. Toxins lead to the formation of ama (waste material accumulation in the gut) when consuming junk food and toxic habits like smoking and drinking are adopted simultaneously. These toxins also affect your mental state of mind - mood swings, cranky, hangovers, headaches the list goes on.
Once the holiday season ends, we will be forced to get back to our normal day-to-day routine after a long period of overindulgence. Here we forget to heal or detoxify our bodies from all the impulsive activities and dietary practices that we would have followed, which would show its aftereffects shortly. Some may even experience post-holiday blues.
To prevent this, Ayurveda proposes different treatment modalities - through lifestyle and diet changes for a brief period, rejuvenating your body and mind by bringing back a state of balance in your doshas. Along with bonuses like better digestive capacity, a feeling of lightness, a healthy way to lose some extra pounds, a sense of peace and calmness and helps build an overall healthy relationship with yourself.
Planning
Plan your vacation. For example, if you have been granted four weeks off, keep the first two weeks for recreational purposes and the next two weeks to detoxify and replenish your body and mind. This way, you are helping yourself perform better at your job or school since your mind and body feel calm and composed.
Choose your detox plan
The next step would be understanding and choosing what your body needs. Be it losing weight or gaining weight, or just a regular detox or an intense detox. You can even choose to detox at home or join any Ayurvedic Rejuvenation retreat camps.
The holiday season- your activities and how they impact your body
As most of us would be engrossed in a bit of holiday cheer- consumption of alcohol, staying up all night, irregular eating timings or habits, dancing, socializing, etc., - all of these contribute to an increase of vata dosha. This will create an imbalance in our dosha prakriti, as vata dosha will be the predominant dosha, causing trouble.
Staying up all night and sleeping during the day (divaswapna), eating high amounts of dry or junk food (laghu ruksha ahara atisevana), smoking/vaping and drinking, excessive consumption of cold drinks or food items (atisheeta sevana), imprudent physical activities (ati-vyayama), or any type of movement which is performed more than necessary are some of the causative factors for an abnormal increase in vata dosha. In the meantime, excessive consumption of alcohol or meat tends to increase the pitta dosha, or consumption of too much sugar, pastries or desserts tends to increase the Kapha dosha. Hence there will be a positive imbalance in the dosha prakritis.
Post-Holiday Recovery
The main aim of this phase is to restore your health to normalcy or to improvise your current health. This can be achieved by either staying a little conscious during your vacations about your activities and diet, or by taking some time post-vacations to heal and restore your body and mind.
Begin your detox process by isolating yourself in a calmer environment. This could either be your home or a farmhouse, or even an Ayurvedic rejuvenation retreat camp. The purpose is to prepare your mind and body for the upcoming detox or healing procedures.
Here are some tips:
Be an early riser and finish off your daily regimen (dinacharya) (brushing your teeth, eliminating wastes, oil pulling, showering, etc)
Practice yoga. Yoga is a combination of physical and mental disciplines which makes the body stronger and healthier and the mind calmer and more controlled. This can be achieved by adopting a few yogic postures (asanas), which will enhance one's mind-body spirit.
Asanas like
trikonasana, gomukhasana - help relieve stress, anxiety, depression
pavanamukthasana, padahastasana- improves digestion and relieves constipation and other gastrointestinal disorders
shashankasana, siddasana - alleviate insomnia
Once you are done practicing yogic postures, sit down for meditation for at least 30 minutes. Performing some breathing exercises like pranayama (proper regulation of inhaling, holding the breath, and exhaling) while listening to some binaural beats would be advised. Meditating helps you fight your toxic urges and simultaneously heals your respiratory system. This allows you to enter a state of complete relaxa
Adopt a new detox drink. For starters - lukewarm lemon water, wheatgrass juice, and beet juice would be great. I know you would rather prefer caffeinated beverages or some sugary protein smoothies as your morning drink, but you have to trust the process and step out of your comfort zone for the sake of your mind, body and soul. Your body demands this detox. Believe me, it's worth it. These drinks help achieve ultimate health. From improving your digestive capacity (agni), acting as an immune booster, removing toxins, and purifying your body (shodhana) - you name it.
Comprehend this - Toxins from the body need an outlet to let themselves pass through, so the major outlets in our bodies would be the oral cavity, the rectum and urethral orifice. There are other minor outlets like the pores present on our skin or our nostrils etc., which also help eliminate wastes. Ayurveda reiterates these concepts through Panchakarma (pancha - five; karma - detox procedures) where the toxins are being eliminated through these outlets simultaneously not hampering the normal functions and doshas of the body and mind. There is always an option of healthily detoxifying yourself through panchakarma at home or by consulting an ayurvedic physician. Besides, there are multiple Ayurvedic Rejuvenation retreat camps set up for this sole purpose.
Get your heart rate up. Go for a brisk walk or a run or even workout at home. Nevertheless, keep moving! Keep yourself hydrated at all times - improve electrolyte intake, chug coconut water often, mind the number of steps you are taking each day, ride a bicycle, choose the stairs instead of the elevator. Sweat the toxins out.
What you feed your body is extremely important during these times because hey, as Barbara Cartland said 'You become what you think. YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT'. Keep yourself fed whenever you feel hungry. Practice eating less junk and more fresh healthy foods that keep your body full and satisfied for a longer period - fruits, veggies, lentils, beans, whole grains etc., Avoid foods that are heavy and hard to digest (guru ahara), spicy foods (katu teekshna ahara) high fat and cholesterol, high in sugar etc., and include drinking warm water instead of cold or normal water.
Give yourself a good oil massage, if possible, or consult a masseuse. Focus on the palms, feet, ears and head. This will promote good sleep, a sense of peace and tranquility, improves skin texture and adds an overall glow to your body.
A good night's sleep is unavoidable. It might be a little hard to fall asleep after all those late-night parties and vacations however, you have to get a solid 6 to 8 hour sleep everyday and bring your biological clock back to its balanced state. There are remedies if you are finding it difficult to fall asleep - physical exercise, oil massage, reading a book etc.,
Conclusion:
Holidays are super fun. Be it lying on your bed binge-watching shows all day or hiking, or partying – the sense of joy and happiness it gives and that break the mind gets, to depart from its timetable to do whatever you want. Vacations get your adrenaline pumping and make you crave for the next one! But when reality hits, we are supposed to clear our minds, get back on track and resume with our lives. However we forget to take a moment, pause and appreciate everything that we have ever had. Just as the nature finds a way to heal and cleanse itself, we should also do the same given the amount of toxins present inside of us. Cleansing your soul, mind and body gives you the perspective to continue your journey with a healthy dose of self love, tranquility and gratefulness. Ayurveda helps you achieve this. No matter how loose you let yourself be, do not forget to thank yourself for everything and treat your body and mind like the holy place it is.
Note: The information in this article is intended for your educational use only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition and before undertaking any diet, supplement, fitness, or other health programs.
