Part Three & Four of Ten Natural remedies to Suffering: A Guide to Ayurvedic Diet Practices
Continuing on from yesterday as we began our journey inward, discovering the first two of our ten natural remedies to suffering:
- Nurture an internal environment of relaxation
- Cultivate heightened positive affect (energy in motion or emotions)
we continue today with remedies as based in Ayurvedic diet philosophies.
Three and Four of Ten natural remedies to depression and anxiety
3. Mindful, peace orientated eating
Though, once again, not a new notion, mindful eating is the process of paying attention at each and every meal. Though what we eat is vital, so too is how we eat. There are many times within our culture of busy that we choose to “eat on the run” or, we sit, scoff, and then leave. What if this mindless way of fueling our bodies is actually taking rather than giving to our energy stores? This is a primary consideration in Ayurvedic health.
Thich Nhat Hanh has a beautiful way of captivating mindful eating “… this is a piece of bread, and in this piece of bread is the sunshine, the clouds, the earth. It is really an ambassador sent to us by the cosmos…” something so simple yet so complex – you can enjoy Thich Nhat Hanh teaching mindful eating in the short video below.
The complexity of eating arises not only from the process of the creation of food, so too the functional complexities within our bodies, allowing optimal nutritional benefits for holistic health. Mindful eating has proven to aid in obesity, diabetes, heart conditions, eating behaviours (eating disorders), and psychological distress (emotional eating).
4. A focus on a balanced diet
As we have discussed before, looking at the foods we eat is imperative when promoting a healthy and holistic sense of well-being. A diet that reduces inflammation and follows your Ayurvedic constitution has the ability to both heal holistically and create mind, body, and spirit balance. This is through an understanding of the foods that enhance nutrition and your unique energy.
It is also important to remember that highly refined and processed foods lead to higher stores of fat, which store above normal quantities of cytokines – the family of proteins that cause the inflammatory response. Reiterating that we really are what we eat.
Consider looking in more detail at your constitutional make-up (this can be attained by booking a consultation with Celia Roberts), and if you are serious about holistic health, begin looking at a diet based on personalized anti-inflammatory nutrition.
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to join us in conversation, and as this is the first of five posts, we welcome you tomorrow for
- An increase in natural preventative anti-inflammatories rather than prescribed antidotes to pain
- Return to compassion and connection
Remember, it is okay if these practices seem overwhelming, and certainly, with ten remedies towards optimal wellbeing presented over a week, it can seem all too much. Why not consider joining Celia Roberts at a retreat? At Celia Roberts Retreat in Brookfield, Brisbane, Qld, we offer meditation and yoga retreats throughout the year, enabling you to experience and learn in the presence of a trained guide.
