A lot of you are sitting at home right now with more free time than you asked for. Well, you might as well use it boost your health! Ayurveda, the ancient Indian ‘Knowledge of Life’ offers numerous ways to improve your health and boost your immunity without fancy supplements and weird procedures. You might have to experiment with some herbs and roots you haven’t tried before, but that’s what makes it so much fun. Now is the time to take care of yourself and find new ways to become healthy. Here are 7 sure-proof ways to boost your immunity according to Ayurveda.
Eat light
Diet is very important. According to Ayurveda, different foods create different energies in your body. Tamasic food is heavy, it makes you feel slow and depressed. This is oily, processed foods, most meats, wheat, and stale food in general. Rajasic foods can be irritating, but also stimulating. This type of food is hot, spicy, and salty. Rajasic foods are: shrimp, fish, spinach, potato, cauliflower, buckwheat, banana, and more. Sattvic food is the lightest, it promotes health and overall wellbeing, calms your nerves and relaxes the body. Sattvic foods are: sweet potato, mung beans, yoghurt, organic milk, coconut, mango, fresh greens, etc. Eat a balanced diet, but focus on Sattvic foods to promote calmness and relaxation.
Drink warm water
It goes without saying that drinking water is good for your health. Drinking warm water is even better, according to Ayurveda. It keeps you hydrated, helps flush out toxins, and keeps that digestive fire of yours burning, which naturally boosts your immunity and metabolism. Avoid consuming any cold drinks. If you get tired of drinking warm water, mix it up with light herbal teas. Make sure you drink something regularly.
Scrape your tongue
You don’t want any unwelcome microorganisms hanging out in your system. Ayurveda promotes cleanliness on all levels, inside out. Cleaning your mouth and throat is a must, so make sure you scrape your tongue every morning. It is also a good idea to gargle your throat with some ginger-infused water or a mix of water and turmeric that has anti-bacterial properties.
Use herbs
Herbs are amazing, but they have a very slow effect. It may take months to see some results, but taking herbs is one of the most natural ways to improve your health and boost immunity. Ayurveda knows hundreds of immunity-boosting plants, herbs, and roots. Here are some you can start with: ginger root for improving digestion, metabolism, blood circulation, and for overall cleansing; guduchi has fever-reducing properties and is a well-known immunity-booster; tulsi promotes lung health, longevity, brain health, and reduces stress; liquorice root cleanses the respiratory system, soothes stomach, and has anti-inflammatory properties.
Keep your lungs healthy
Steam inhalation is one of the easiest techniques to keep your respiratory system healthy. Whether you’ve already caught a cold or simply want to improve your immunity, regular steam inhalations will do the trick. Add some essential oils with cleansing properties that improve breathing. Echinacea, eucalyptus, tea tree, and thyme are your go-to ‘respiratory’ oils. You can also fry some ajwain seeds under the lid and inhale the steam from the baking pan.
Exercise
Movement is life, so if you want to keep your body healthy you have to start moving. Go out for long hikes out in the nature, use your bicycle instead of a car to get to the shop, and start that yoga course you’ve wanted to try for so long. You can even put on some music and simply dance – it’s a great exercise and it will also greatly improve your mood. Moving is essential for your immunity as it improves blood circulation, reduces stress, flushes out toxins from your body, and builds overall body strength.
Be positive
Keeping a positive mind-set is just as important as paying direct attention to your body. It all starts from the mind! If you are under constant stress and can’t relax, your body will not be healthy no matter how many herbs you take. Keep calm, do the things that bring you joy, listen to relaxing music, do yoga or light exercise to feel your body, and make it a habit to do some meditation in the morning when you start your day and in the evening before you go to bed. When your mind is healthy, the body is healthy, too!