Ayurvedic Rituals by Chasca Summerville

Ayurvedic Rituals by Chasca Summerville

Author:Chasca Summerville
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hardie Grant Books
Published: 2021-07-23T00:00:00+00:00


As Agni is associated with the Fire element, which is responsible for transformation within the body, it works in alignment with the sun’s energy. Just as the day moves from dark to light, then back to dark, so too does our Agni, beginning with lightness in the morning, high intensity at midday and withdrawal back into darkness at night. This is a great tool for understanding your digestive power. Breakfast and especially dinner are not ideal times to consume heavy meals, as Agni is at its lowest. Lunch, in alignment with the midday sun, is the optimum time to have your biggest meal of the day so that your body has time to process and digest before stimulating foods can begin to interfere with your sleep.

The easiest way to decipher whether something is going to ignite or dampen Agni is by visualising a small burning fire within the stomach and asking yourself, ‘Will this stoke the fire or put it out?’ Obviously pouring a cold liquid onto a flame will instantly put out the fire; on the other hand, adding more heating elements like spices and cooked foods will help to keep the fire blazing.

Tools to support Agni:

Avoid cold or cooling foods/drinks in excess.

Favour cooked foods over raw.

Drink room-temperature or warm water.

Infuse herbal teas into your day such as ginger or CCF tea (also see Medicinal teas).

Spices increase Agni by stoking the fire. They also aid digestion and the absorption of healthy nutrients (see Pantry essentials).

Introduce an Agni-building aperitif prior to eating to stimulate digestion, as well as post-meal digestives.

Don’t overeat! Too much food in the stomach dampens Agni and turns into waste, causing gas and bloating. It also promotes excess acid in the stomach, which causes reflux and indigestion. Cup your two hands together with fingers touching; that’s how much food your body needs per meal.

Make lunch your largest meal of the day, with breakfast and dinner being the smallest/lightest.

Eat consciously. The best way to get the most out of your meal is to really sit with it and enjoy every mouthful. When we are preoccupied with conversation, TV, working etc. while we eat, our body is trying to focus on too many things at once and gets distracted from digesting properly. This habit prevents our brain from recognising how much food we’ve consumed, so it takes more to get that ‘satisfied’ feeling.

Movement, especially yoga and pranayama (breathing exercises), is very beneficial for circulating new energy and igniting Agni.

Release negative emotion, as feelings of stress, fear, anxiety and sadness largely inhibit the function of the stomach and gut.

Adopt lifestyle practices such as meditation, which can help restore the body’s homeostasis (natural state of balance), including the processes controlling digestion.

Try sitting down and just eating; the flavours will become so much more intense and the satisfaction will come quickly.



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