Book Presentation

"Ayurvedic Principles for Daily Life"

by Dr. K. Parvathi Kumar

This booklet contains short, practical regulations and recommendations for everyday living. Some of the topics are: Morning regulations; the science of bathing, water temperature, hair, exercise guidelines; massage – massage principles, oil massage, head and foot massage, cleansing massage; sleep-guidelines, sunrise and sunset hours; diet – an understanding of diet, ayurvedic principles for eating.

Dhanishta, Visakapatnam, India 2021-2

Sample:

1. Morning Regulations (Extract)

Part 1

1. Wake up sufficiently early and remain in solitude for 30 - 60 minutes introspecting the present attitude to life.

2. Do not fail to: a) take shower after rising from sleep b) to put on fresh clothing.

3. Let there be self-imposed rhythm of work, food and rest. Ability to adhere to such rhythm helps growth.

4. Do not use chernicals upon your body for purpose of external beautification. Substitute them by natural products.

5. Let there be oil bath once in a week.

Part 2

1. About 90 minutes before the Sun appears over the Eastern horizon a great surge of energy comes on the planet (that part of the planet). Less than 30 minutes before the Sun appears a second surge of energy rushes through the atmosphere - this one is still more powerful.
This is the time when the body chemistry is set for all beings. The blood at this time is thinned and suffused with fresh chemicals, which are renewed once again the next morning.
The first and the most important step therefore is to get up at least 6o minutes before the dawn and be prepared for the reception of the morning energies, to harmonize oneself

2. Chemical reaction takes place best in clean vessels. If one is sleeping during the hours of dawn, the gases and the wastes (centralized in the bowels during sleep) will be present during the setting of the blood chemistry.
lf one is awake, the bowels and the bladder emptied, body cleansed and is receptive to the energy of the sunrise, the outcome is healthy.
Hence, get up early, clean up inside and outside the body, and be ready to receive the morning light.
This is the first ayurvedic tonic for the body vitality.

3. Do not take food or drink during the pre-dawn hours. It is a crime against the system.
Do not take food or drink even after the dawn until you have cleared the bowels and the bladder and washed the body.
No fresh intake is suggested in the morning until the previous day's intake is digested and the wastes are thrown out.
At best you may drink water lf found essential.

4. Keep the pace slow and easy in the first hour to 1 hour as you get up (this is possible if you get up sufficiently early, viz., go minutes before sunrise).
As you get up do not rush into activity. Inhale a few deep breaths for a few seconds while sitting on the bed, inhaling morning fresh air and sitting quietly. If you wish you can sit up to 5 minutes and tune up to the day quietly.
Step out of bed softly and move towards the morning calls with quiet pace.
When you get up late you leap out of the bed and jumble the mind and the movements to lose the beauty of the day offered to you.

5. Look to something beautiful as you move out of bed. A pure white swan, horse, elephant, bird or lotus are recommended in the Hindu scriptures.

6. Avoid speech in the fresh hours of the dawn.

7. It is also good to take a slow walk in the freshness of the morning, breathing deeply and slowly.

Part 3

1. Do not spend too much time in the toilet, Avoid reading in the toilet. This is a newly acquired vice of modern man. It causes conflict of forces. While the force moves downwards for clearing of the bowels, the reading reverses the direction of the force to the head.

2. The modern toilet systems aggravate the constipation problem and other allied bowel disorders. The European water closet system (the seating posture) makes the process of discharge unnatural. It demands greater energy push, causing many allied problems. The old posture (the one you use while at outing) is the most natural; this one helps pushing out the gases and the stool easily. This posture helps opening up of the anus without the use of force.

3. Sanitary paper is a base substitute to cold water for cleaning the anus. Use of cold water has healthier effects on the body. While paper causes irritation and chemical reaction, cold water applied to the anus stimulates positively the entire nervous system, including the brain.

4. Remember that proper defecation helps: a) eating and drinking, b) physical activity, c) psychic activity, and d) even enables good meditation.

5. Also remember that constipation is the worst enerny to all activity, be it spiritual or material.

6. Every urination and defecation should be followed by a thorough wash of hands and feet with cold water.

7. The above steps relating to the morning regulations should be concluded with a good shower that cleanses the body, electrifies and restores equilibrium.

II. Bath

The Science of Bathing

1. Bath purifies not only the body but also the mind. "Water purifies men and gods alike", is an occult statement.

2. Hence, daily a bath before activity is a must for spiritualists.

3. No true spiritualist engages in any life activity in the morning unless he bathes well.

4. A true spiritualist always bathes before sunrise and never eats and drinks anything before he has defecated and bathed.

5. A hurried bath is like a hurried food: It does not give positive results. Understand that we gain more vitality through bath than food.

6. More than two times bathing daily is not recommended.

7. Too cold water or too hot water is prohibitive, except for curative purposes.

Water Temperature

1. Luke-warm water is recommended for bath. It does not disturb the body temperature.

2. People with excessive heat in the body need to take water cooler than their body temperature for bathing.

3. People with cooler body touch need to take water hotter than their body temperature.

4. In hot summer months, or after exhaustion, or after games or exercise, or after sexual exhaustion, cool water bath invigorates.

5. Chronic headaches, laziness, drowsiness, dullness, dandruff, can be cured by adopting to cool-water bath during the early hours of the day.

6. Too cold water bath affects the body and develops cramps, kidney ailments and weakness.

7. The noble middle path relating to bathing water temperature has to be found through self-study, experience and analysis.

A good bathing habit is one that helps: a) gaining freshness, b) improving digestion, and c) cleaning bowel movement.

Bathing Regulations

1. Let the approach to bath be slow, with a mind oriented for a "good and complete" bath.

2. The hands and the feet should be washed first slowly, and
a) if it is a cool-water bath, the approach to washing has to be from head to toe,
b) if it is a hot-water bath, the approach has to be from toe to head. In any case, expose the body gradually to bathing.

3. Organic cleaning products are preferable to chemical/detergent soaps, cakes and shampoos. The skin absorbs chemicals through the skin pores. Hence, disagreeable chemicals to the body should never be used for bathing purposes.

4. Modest application of mustard, sesame or olive oil before or after bath, helps developing healthy and hygienic, shining skin, besides vitalizing and lubricating the muscular and nervous system.

5. Music while bathing is strongly recommended. Bathroom singers are blessed ones!

6. A conscious and rhythmic cleaning is also recommended. Let every part of the body be cleaned with love and affection.

7. Do not bath too long. Extremes lead to disorders.

Post-bath Regulations

1. Always use pure cotton cloth to dry up the body.

2. Drying up should be soon after the bath,

3. Always put on fresh clothing after every bath; at least the garments that are in touch with the skin (underwear) have to be fresh.