Making Ayurveda Accessible

My mornings, no matter where in the world I am, look basically like this:

Wake up (times vary depending on my schedule and jet lag). I wash my hands, then use my copper tongue scraper to get whatever white gooey stuff has accumulated on my tongue over night (yuck). Next I swish some coconut oil in my mouth while I wash my face (also known as oil pulling). Then it’s time to brush and floss my teeth. Finally I spray some liquid lotion on my face and and use a rose quartz face roller over my jawline, cheekbones, under eyes, and forehead, not forgetting to run it along the outer edges of my face towards my neck lymphs for drainage assistance. Usually my water is boiling while I am doing this so that I am ready to add my lemon, ginger slice (sometimes), triphela oil, prebiotic and collagen powder to sip on while I check emails and prepare for my day.  

This is Ayurveda! The order in which I do things is governed by the fact that I have a lot of Ether and Air in my constitution, also known as my Dosha. I wash my hands first to make sure that I have a clean starting point. I scrape my tongue with copper because in the US, this mineral gets filleted out of our water and leached out of our soil and food even though our bodies still benefit from it. Ether and Air are dry, cold  and can be chaotic or flighty, so I need ways to add warmth and grounding to my mornings. My liquid lotion assists with moisture on my face. The tongue scraping and prebiotic assists with my digestion as well as the lemon, ginger and warm water, keeping everything moving (yes constipation is a constant battle for me). The triphela oil is an overall beneficial addition. The collagen powder supports my cells.  

Each of these pieces of my routine are contributing to my quality of life, preventing disease, and, hopefully, keeping me young both inside and out. But this routine took a while for me to perfect and to embrace. Also, sometimes this routine shifts according to season or the weather. And I know it will shift as I age.  Ayurveda is a living, breathing practice. And it doesn’t have to be expensive or take up your entire day. Learning your constitution and where your imbalances are can offer disease prevention and symptom reduction through food, herbs, oils and lifestyle routines.

This ancient knowledge is accessible to all of us.