Ayurvedic Remedies

Tongue Scraping

Use a stainless steel scraper, (most hygienic material). Do this practice daily in the morning.

• scrape tongue from the base in the back towards the front medium pressure

• repeat until the coating of the tongue is removed.

• clean the scraper under running water

Benefits:

• removes bad bacteria

• removes toxins released during the night

• awakens vital organs ( tongue is a map of the body, think reflexology )

Observe your tongue and see how it constantly changes. In Ayurveda, the tongue is read as a diagnostic tool.

Oil Pulling: (can be done upon rising in the morning)

• swish 1-2 tbsp coconut oil in your mouth for 5-20 min

• make sure not to swallow it

• when ready to spit it out, use a throw away container - do not expel this into your sink as it will clog your pipes

• rinse mouth with warm water

• follow with teeth brushing

• recommended toothpastes: neem ayurvedic or Weleda salt tooth paste or Dr. Bonners (cinnamon or other flavor)

Dry Brushing: (can be done daily alone or followed by self massage) - dry brushing is a practice where we use a ‘dry brush’ on our bodies to exfoliate dead skin cells and stimulate both lymphatic drainage and circulation throughout the body. You can use a brush with or without a handle on it. The ones with the handle make it easier to reach your back. You can find these at health food stores like Whole Foods or order this one I got at Banyan.

How to Dry Brush

• start at extremities brushing from feet to hips , hands to shoulders

• long brisk strokes along the bones and circles on the joints

• brush along the back moving upwards

• think of bringing all of the lymph up your back and and over the shoulder, down to heart like a waterfall coming over the front of your body

• brush along the front towards the heart

• finish in circular motion at the belly and into the stomach

Benefits of Dry Brushing

• stimulates, moves and drains lymph & releases toxins

• increases blood flow & circulation

• exfoliates skin & reduces appearance of cellulite

• improves immune system

After dry brushing, I like to use Welleda Skin Food Body Butter on my feet and cover my feet in socks. If I dry brush in the morning before yoga, then I might do this at night to simply clean hydrate my feet before bed.

Dry brushing can also be an invigorating practice in the morning. It has helped me a lot since getting off of caffeine!

Self Abhyanga/warm oil massage: (stand alone ritual or done after dry brushing. Shower after massage)

• warm up your oil in a pot of hot water

• warm up your bathroom and lay out a towel on the floor

• massage warm oil abundantly into the body following the same directions as the dry brushing. the intention is to bring in as much oil into the body through the skin

• with the oil on sit on your towel in meditation for about 10 min

• turn on shower to steam it up then step in and only use soap where you need to clean.

• rub in the oil some more under the running shower to emulsify it

• pad dry with towel

Benefits of Self Abhyanga

• helps blood flow to nerve endings and calms the nervous system

• lubricates joints

• improves removal of toxins

• tones muscles & softens the skin

• improves sleep

Netipot

Buy at Whole Foods or try this nasal rinse kit.

You can use himalayan salt or look online for Netisalt packages.

• dissolve salt in warm filtered water and fill the netipot.

• tilt head forward over your sink

• keeping your mouth open, bring the spout of the netipot to left nostril and slowly tilt the head over to the right so the liquid can flow up your nose and exit through the right nostril

• repeat on other side

You might want to have a tissue handy to clear any mucous that will be released. follow up with a dab of sesame or coconut oil on your pinky finger and swirl around inside your nostril to lubricate the membranes inside the nose.

Product Resources

Dry Brush:

www.sparitual.com $18 vegan dry brush

They also have amazing vegan organic body products and the brand’s DNA is all about self care. I worked out a 20% for our group on all products

use code : 20SELFCARE

Oil:

My favorite body oil to use daily is the Refined Sesame Oil by Banyan. Next time, I plan to get the 34 ounce along with the pump as I don’t love how the 16 ounce pours. What I love about the refined one is that it feels more shear and I don’t smell like sesame. Getting a larger size for refills is great if you would like to establish a regular self massage practice.

www.banyanbotanicals.com

Banyan also has beautiful herbal-infused oils and dosha specific oils as well as plain sesame and coconut oils. You can always use your choice of essential oils to scent your personal massage oil, too.

Foot Cream:

Welleda Skin Food Body Butter $18 

This is an excellent cream for moisturizing hands and feet.  It is not marketed as a foot cream, however it is Alex’s favorite one.  At night, wash and exfoliate feet, dry them and massage this into your feet.  Put on socks and let your feet heal.

Books & Sites

Books:

Ayurveda Secrets of Healing by Maya Tiwari - a complete guide to ayurvedic nutrition, body types with recipes .

Sites:

Dr. Lad’s Ayurvedic Institute: www.ayurveda.com - so much info here. He is the real deal and was one of Andrea’s teachers.

Lifespa by Dr, Doulliard: www.lifespa.com - an Ayurveda imperium including products, education and wonderful, free talks on video, too. 

Skin Care & Oral Care

Skin Care Cleansing

• Read the labels. Use products that are paraban free from companies that don’t do animal testing.

• Wash face and neck with warm water. Always splash with cold water several times when you are finished.

• Do a mask once a week. #facialfridays for the win!

• Dry brush before showering. This can feel as good as a morning cup of coffee and helps the body’s lymphatic system to clear toxins in our body.

• Body Hydration: do a self massage or abyanga with oil either before or after your shower.

• Clean your feet at the end of the day and hydrate them with Welleda Skin Food.

• Support small businesses when possible.

Oral Care Cleansing

• If you wake up with a dry mouth in the morning, try taping your mouth at night. You are probably sleeping with your mouth open which can aggravate gums and cause plaque to build up.

• Try water flossing. For added support to strengthen your gums and remove bacteria between teeth.

• Floss twice/day. My preferred floss is Cocofloss.

• Tongue scrape in the morning.

• Try oil pulling. You can use the daily swish by Banyan or simply use coconut oil. Swish for 5-10 minutes. Do not swallow or spit down the drain. Simply spit it out using a dixie cup or something you can throw in the trash.