News & Blog

Read the latest business news, blogs and thought leadership articles from our members, as well as updates on the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce's work in the city.

News & Blog

Ayurveda and the seasons

Posted: 20th April 2018

Living in Edinburgh, it’s quite hard to keep up with the weather and which season we’re actually in, but the transition from Winter into Spring is the ideal time to give the body a little detox, and this will in turn help to strengthen your immune system.

The shift in the seasons can often bring imbalance to our bodies, but by arming ourselves with the right foods and lifestyle choices we can sail on into the next one bursting with energy and an immune system worth bragging about.

Ayurveda is a holistic, or ‘whole body’ system of healing that has been around for thousands of years yet is still highly relevant today. It looks at each person as an individual, providing us with the right foods and lifestyle choices to suit our own unique body type, because it’s never a ‘one type fits all’ model of health, as more and more people are starting to realise. Ayurveda tells us that we are each born with our own unique constitution, or dosha, and by knowing our dosha we can make informed choices about what will suit us as individuals best. As Ayurveda is slowly becoming more and more mainstream, you have perhaps recently come across the words Vata, Pitta and Kapha. These are all examples of the different types of doshas or body types. Determining your own dosha is achieved through pulse diagnosis with an Ayurvedic consultant or doctor, but there are lots of online quizzes out there which can definitely point you in the right direction.

Ayurveda seeks to bring the body and mind into balance, which can so easily be put under strain with modern life and it’s high stress levels, and on top of that we have so many different diets and food fads coming at us left right and centre, it’s hard to know where to even begin these days! But Ayurveda can provide us with simple, natural and easy to follow tips for everyone to help maintain balance.

So on that note, here are a few things you can do for yourself in the coming weeks to give yourself a better chance of keeping strong and healthy:

1. Start the day with a cup of warm water. Anything too cold on an empty stomach will shock the digestive system and prevent it from working optimally – a healthy digestionis the number 1 key to health. Add in a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to help boost the digestion even further
2. Regular exercise is very important, but this can be something as simple as a15-minute walk after meals.
3. As the seasons are transitioning, try to steer away from cold meals and go for warm
soups, stews, dahls etc.
4. Take time every day for yourself, whether it is having a bath, meditating, going for a
walk, or journaling. Just remember to switch your phone off!
5. Write in a journal every day for 15 – 20 minutes. This releases excess emotions and
helps calm the nervous system
6. Regular daily hot oil massage helps to strengthen our muscles, nerves and bones.
7. Kitchari is a simple Ayurvedic detox meal that you can easily make at home. It helps
to clean out the digestive system while still providing great nutrition to the body. And
it tastes good too!

 

Business Comment

Business Comment is the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce’s bi-monthly magazine. It provides insight on Edinburgh’s vibrant business community, with features on the city’s key sectors, interviews with leading figures and news on new business developments in the capital.
Read more here