My Favorite Ayurvedic Tools
I love my daily rituals, especially those that keep my body feeling good. In Ayurveda, it’s important to have rituals that both help the body get rid of ama (toxins) as well as replenish and stimulate ojas (essence, vitality). Aside from a balanced diet, mindfulness practices, and an exercise regimen, here are some tools that I always have in self-care arsenal.
Warm or hot water
I start my day with this, even before I brush my teeth. The reason why is we actually build helpful bacteria in our mouths while we sleep - think of them as natural probiotics. Get those guys in your bellies by washing them down with some warm or hot water. Why warm or hot? Because it’s a great way to wake up and stimulate our agni (digestive fire) in the morning. While we sleep, our agni is weak because it’s resting and is not digesting any food. So when we wake up in the morning, the fire is still dim. The warm or hot water acts as fuel that jumpstarts our agni while cold water acts as sand that puts out our fire.
Tongue Scraper
I use this after I brush my teeth to scrape off any ama that has accumulated on my tongue. I recommend getting a stainless steel version rather than copper because copper can cause heavy metal toxicity.
A Shot of Sesame Oil
Oil pulling is like gargling with mouthwash, but better because it doesn’t kill the helpful bacteria in your mouth. Its function is to remove any excess ama that you may have left behind from brushing your teeth and scraping your tongue. As a vata-kapha constitution, I like to use a shot of organic sesame oil because it is naturally antibacterial and has a warming, cooling and nourishing effect that won’t aggravate vata. Sesame oil can also work for all constitutions. If you are Pitta dominant and it’s the summertime, coconut oil may also be a great option because of its cooling effect. Plus it’s naturally antimicrobial. Swish the oil in your mouth, as you would mouth wash, for 10-20 minutes. You can do this while you shower, wash your face, or make breakfast. Then spit out the oil and you’ll see a white bubbly residue. That’s the leftover ama from your teeth and tongue that you don’t want in your body.
Herbs
Herbs can offer many healing benefits, especially when taken routinely. You can choose to make your own concoctions, which I do from time to time. But I also enjoy the convenience that herbs in the pill form offer. For that, I choose Banyan Botanicals as my source because of their organic, ethical and sustainable process of growing and producing their herbal supplements. I take the following formulations:
Triphala - the word literally translates to the “three fruits”, amalaki, bibhitaki, and haritaki that are all native to India. They are known to positively impact the 3 doshas (kapha, pitta, and vata) because they support bowel health and aid digestion. As an antioxidant, triphala also detoxifies the body and support the immune system. I take it because it keeps me regular since I have a history of constipation because of my dominant vata constitution.
Healthy Vata - this helps balance vata so that I can remain grounded and focused. It contains ashwaganda root, which is a natural adaptogen, making it amazing at giving my body what it needs to achieve balance. When I have excess vata, I tend to lose weight and feel anxious. I like to take 1 tablet everyday and 2 tablets during very dry seasons, when Vata increases in nature.
Women’s Support - this promotes vitality, strength & proper function of the female reproductive system. Having had a history of irregular periods, chronic candida, and low libido, I like this formulation to help keep my shakti in balance. This is also beneficial for women going through transitions like menopause.
Oil for Abhyangha
One of the most restorative, loving, luxurious practices in Ayurveda is oil massage, or abhyanga. This is when you massage herbal oils all over your body, typically before you hop in the shower or bath. The gentle massage stimulate the skin so that the oils can get absorbed. Any excess oil will be washed away in the shower or bath. Typically, an Ayurvedic practitioner will do this for you but you can also do this yourself. I include this in my routine once a week and the rest of the days, I apply the oil after I shower in place of lotion. In terms of the oil, I use Tejus Tailum from Pantanjali, an Ayurvedic brand from India.
Scalp & Hair Oil
Don’t neglect your scalp and hair. They need oil love too! Because Vata is drying, oiling my scalp helps keep dandruff at bay. Scalp oil massages also help with headaches and from someone who used to get tension headaches that lasted hours and even days, this ritual is helpful for me. I like to alternate between the formulation from Banyan Botanicals and 7th.
Dry Brush
Your face isn’t the only part of your skin that needs exfoliation. The rest of your skin does too and you can do that with a dry brush. This not only exfoliates, but it also stimulates blood flow and circulation, which is great for anti-aging because it helps brighten the skin and promote cell renewal. Do this before hopping in the shower or before abhyangha.
What are some of your favorite Ayurvedic tools?
