Rachel Robinson

🤔 But why?

Being warm, light and fluid, the water spreads through the circulatory system increasing its functioning while dissolving toxins and flushing them out of the body.

✨ Pro Tip

I leave the lid off my flask for a few minutes so that the water isn’t scalding whenever needed.

⚡️ Bonus Points

Bring the water to a boil in a pan on the stove. Allow it to boil for another 10 minutes before storing it in your flask. Take a few sips every 30 minutes during the course of the day. By boiling it for longer, mineral deposits are reduced, leaving the water with a lighter quality which is more easily absorbed into the cells.

✋ Achtung Baby!

It’s not recommended to drink the 10-minute-boiled water every 30 minutes for longer than seven days. After a week you should decrease intake to every hour or two. Otherwise it could lead to excessive weight loss – imagine that!

⚡️ Bonus Points

Swap out your morning caffeinated cuppa for a lemon & honey drink to wake up your digestion. Add the juice of ¼ lemon and a teaspoon of honey to a mug of hot water.

✋ Achtung Baby!

Wait until the water is cool enough to drink before adding the honey, otherwise it becomes toxic.

✨ Pro Tip

A diet of deprivation is no fun. Instead of subtracting foods from your diet, make a healthier substitution.

⚡️ Bonus Points

If you overindulge at one meal, get back on track with the next one. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater and declare a junk food day.

✋ Achtung Baby!

If your diet is more junk than food, start small. Focus on having one healthy meal per day and take it from there.

🤔 But why?

About 50% of the body’s nitric oxide (NO) is produced in the tongue and sinus cavities. A healthy tongue creates more NO which improves metabolism and blood flow, reduces blood pressure, relaxes bronchi and better fights infection

✨ Pro Tip

Brush your teeth before scraping and don’t drink until after doing this. Otherwise you’ll reingest the toxins your body was trying to expel.

⚡️ Bonus Points

You’ll find tongue scrapers in different materials. Choose copper for Vata, silver for Pitta and copper or steel for Kapha.

✋ Achtung Baby!

Toothbrushes and spoons are not good substitutes for a real tongue scraper, especially as you need to be gentle to avoid damaging the taste buds.

🤔 But why?

15-30% of cell waste from cerebrospinal fluid is discharged through the lymphatic vessels of the sinuses. And the sinus cavity can hold up to two cups of mucus, potentially containing pollutants, dust, pollen, and whatever else you’ve come in contact with. Nasal oil helps to eliminate these fluids and ensure a clear head.

✨ Pro Tip

Use it in the morning to help you wake up. But cast a glance in the mirror before going out in case it dribbled out of the nostrils. Also, have a tissue handy as you may need to sneeze and/or blow your nose after using it. No worries – that’s just the bad stuff making its way out of your system. 

⚡️ Bonus Points

Already know your prominant Dosha? Use MP16 or ripened sesame oil for Vata and Kapha, or coconut oil for Pitta. All can be found at your local Maharishi Ayurveda retailer.

✋ Achtung Baby!

Best not to use it when experiencing an acute sinus infection, as it will draw toxins to the nose, which will add to congestion. Also, don’t use it before meals as the oil may find its way down your throat and you don’t want it interfering with your dinner. 

⚡️ Signs of Slow Metabolism

• fatigue
• weight gain
• bloating
• constipation
• dry skin
• cravings (the list goes on) 

⚡️ Coriander Cure

Soak a tablespoon of coriander seeds in a cup of drinking water overnight. In the morning, remove the seeds and drink the water. Voilà! Mega metabolism has been activated!

✋ Achtung Baby!

Leave the water on the counter overnight, not in the fridge. Why? Ayurveda considers cold water to be the culprit of countless digestive crimes! So give your digestion a helping hand and only drink water at room temperature or warmer. 

🍏 Fruit

In general Ayurveda recommends eating fruit as a separate meal, ideally as a snack. Not great news for lovers of banana bread or smoothies, I’m afraid. This is because fruits are usually acidic and are digested quickly. If combined with more complex foods, they are digested slower and can lead to bloating, fermentation, gas and disruption to the digestive fire. 

🥛 Dairy

Consider how a squeeze of lemon juice curdles fresh milk. Well, this is what happens inside the digestive tract when fruits and dairy are combined. As you can imagine, this creates some challenges for the digestive system. Regrettably, you might want to remove that fruit yogurt or mango lassi from your shopping basket. Milk with fish, vegetables or salt are also on the no fly list. 

🧀 Others

Ayurveda considers nightshades to be complex compounds which disrupt the Doshas and digestion. It’s recommended to eat them sparingly and not with heavy, for example, cheese. 

Eggs, yogurt and cheese are best only combined with grains and vegetables. 

Beans are best combined with grains, vegetables, nuts, seeds and other beans. 

General Guidelines

👉 Best taken alone: 
– banana, melon, milk
– allow 2-3 hours before and after 

👉 Exceptions: 
– assorted berries
– cooked apple with raisins/dates
– dates with warm milk

👉 Best avoided: 
– fruit with grains
– milk with fish, veg or salt
– cold and hot together eg. milk in coffee, salad with warm food  

🔥 Pitta Time, 10-2

Pitta time is time for action! And it’s great to run with that energy during the day but we need to be in bed by 10pm before Pitta time starts again. Otherwise, we get a second wind and suddenly feel the urge to clean the kitchen and answer emails. Equally important is the fact that the liver is a Pitta organ and from 10pm to 2am we should be sleeping so that cell rejuvenation and processing can take place. 

💨 Vata Time, 2-6

A Vata imbalance may be why you wake up at 3am with thoughts running through your mind that stop you from falling back to sleep. Looking for ways to remain more grounded during the day will help this. A meditation practice, such as Transcendental Meditation, is especially helpful. 

🌎 Kapha Time, 6-10

Kapha has the quality of being heavy, which is why if you sleep into Kapha time you may wake up feeling groggy instead of refreshed. It’s also recommended to exercise during Kapha time to balance that heavy quality. However, we can lean into evening Kapha time with relaxing activities. These will help us feel ready for bed so that our Pitta can focus on rejuvenation instead of reorganising kitchen cupboards.

✋ Achtung Baby!

If you’re more night owl than early bird but want to make some changes – easy does it. Focus on your evening routine and the morning will take care of itself. Gradually bring your bedtime forwards in 15-30 minute increments, a week at a time. Also consider introducing some relaxing evening activities such as nighttime yoga with lavender essential oil.