#REDISCOVERING AYURVEDA

Rediscovering Ayurveda is Amrutam’s series of articles which will include various men and women and their ideas about Ayurveda. Even though, India is the birthplace of Ayurveda, with passing time it has lost its original importance as a school of life amongst Indians and many a times have been limited to be referred as a school of medicine. Ayurveda is surely much more than that.

So, we at Amrutam decided to go out and find what Ayurveda means to people in the present day.
This is the sixth article in Amrutam’s series of articles called Rediscovering Ayurveda, which aims to understand the idea or perception that modern-day men and women carry about Ayurveda.

REDISCOVERING AYURVEDA WITH ANANDI AKULA

Anandi is an Ayurveda and Yoga enthusiast from Nasik. She has been associated with ayurveda, yoga and natural ways of living since her school days.

Let’s read what Anandi has to say about her journey with Ayurveda.

WHAT IS YOUR IDEA OF AYURVEDA?

For Anandi, Ayurveda is a way to maintain an enlightened state of balance between the spirit, the mind and emotions.

Read Anandi’s idea about ayurveda in her own words-

“Just like how modern science/biology gives us an understanding of the human body and its functioning by breaking it down into nine independent yet interconnected systems, Ayurveda is an ancient science which understands, explains and enhances the human anatomy and physiology based on parameters like the tridoshas, various agnis, seven types of dhatus (elements) and cleansing kriyas. For me, Ayurveda’s main aim of adjusting these parameters in order to attain an enlightened state of balance between the Atma (the spirit), the mind (mann) and emotions, and our sense organs is what holds utmost importance.”

WHAT ARE YOUR TWO FAVORITE HEALTHY HABITS?

To wake up early, before sunrise is the best form of meditation one can practice.

One of Anandi’s favorite healthy habits is to wake up before sunrise.
She says

“Two of my favorite health habits are, firstly, waking up at 4.30am. I have struggled waking up early in the morning for many years. But, when I wake up before sunrise now, the calmness, freshness, and focus of the early morning hours are beautiful.
My second favorite habit is to drink water as soon as I get up in the morning. With the summers here, drinking Chaach (buttermilk) in the afternoon mellows the digestive fire and a cup of milk with a small amount of pure ghee at night guarantees a good night’s sleep.”

Interesting Fact:

Drinking a warm glass of milk with a spoonful of ghee before going to bed enhances your digestive power and cleans the stomach in morning.

HOW DID YOUR JOURNEY WITH AYURVEDA BEGIN?

“My journey with Ayurveda began with my mother becoming a yoga teacher. when I was in school, she made sure that my brother and I had these certain habits like having dinner before 8 pm and using only locally grown produce to prepare food as per the principles of Ayurveda. I feel truly blessed to have been introduced to the Ayurvedic lifestyle at a very early age.”

To see Anandi practicing yoga, check her Instagram profile (@happyakula)

WHAT IS YOUR DAILY HEALTH ROUTINE?

Anandi makes sure she synchronizes her day with nature and tries to two wholesome meals in a day. Here is how her daily routine goes..

“As I mentioned before, I wake up at 4.30am, carry out the Shuddhikriyas like Danta dhouti (Brushing my teeth. Haha!), Jeevhamoola shodhana, Snehan (oil massage), bathing and Jala neti. After which I practice Yogasanas and pranayama for an hour and a half. This helps me to explore the maximum potential of the day that lies ahead.
I am not a huge fan of small meals. So, I eat well-balanced and wholesome food twice a day.
When it comes to Acchar (Routine) I appreciate balance in my daily activities.

I try to stay in tune and aware of both my body and mind. I listen to my body’s need for food and water (which of course is subject to change) and not force myself to drink a certain amount of water or obsess over counting the calories in my meals. Same applies to my physical, mental and spiritual activities. I try my best to maintain a balanced state in everything that I invest my time, energy and effort which includes giving sufficient rest to my body and mind.”

HOW DO YOU THINK AWARENESS REGARDING AYURVEDA CAN BE INCREASED?

These days, the essence of words like “natural”, “ayurvedic”, “organic” is misrepresented and wrongly promoted. Ayurveda, for instance is a way of living but many just think of it as a system of medicine. Anandi holds similar believes and tells us that

“the most effective way to increase the awareness of Ayurveda is by making people aware of the principles mentioned in the Ayurvedic texts. These days words like “organic”, ” Prakrurti ke guno se bana hua”, “Ayurvedic” have abused by the beauty and health industries. This has, in turn, created a lot of misconceptions and misinformation about Ayurveda and its likes. So, the first step would be to make efforts to educate oneself with facts based on research and understanding of the sacred texts. The second step would be to initiate discussions and spaces to spread the word and knowledge the wonderful science.”

WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE FOR ALL AYURVEDA, SPIRITUAL, YOGA AND HEALTHY LIVING ENTHUSIASTS?

Here is Anandi’s message for you all-

“We have come to this changed way of lifestyle for a reason. It is important to develop a sense of deep compassion for yourself and the world. This would help you to understand your body, mind, and spirit which will provide us the answers to the questions that got us here in the first place.”

We are happy to have Anandi as a  part of Amrutam family!

Are you an Ayurveda enthusiast as well?

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