Meanwhile, the third week of the curfew has begun in India and thus also the third week of my self-designed Yoga and Ayurveda retreat is on in my “retreat cave”, as I affectionately call our apartment, in reference to Tenzin Palmo’s meditation cave in the Indian Himalayas.
Note : The book by the British Buddhist nun “The Cave in the Snow” is highly recommended. The cave is located above Keylongs in Lahaul (all who have already been on our Himalayas tours with us, know the place)
While I was studying Ayurveda online and even now, I have been trying to implement Ayurveda as much as possible watched some great lessons from the great Ayurvedic Doctor Vasant Lad online.
If you are familiar with Ayurveda, you know that a healthy Ayurvedic lifestyle is very much in line with a structured daily routine, with most of them happening already in the morning before breakfast.
The “Corona Time” is actually ideal to develop a daily routine, called Dinchariya. Not having time is not an excuse anymore for me, in addition, the routine gives exactly the structure that is needed during the week-long slock down and helps me a lot.
I have also found my own rhythm, fed from various sources and in combination with my yoga knowledge and developed a beautiful day structure.
It takes about 30 minutes for this morning routine with Tongue cleaning, nose shower, oil pulling, oiling with sesame oil and toilet aisle. Also, the glass of warm water must not be missed.
I was pleasantly surprised by the oil pulling (for 15 minutes sesame oil in my mouth back and forth). Contrary to what was announced in the books, I don’t consider the feel of the sesame oil in the Mouth as unpleasant.
By the way, I only oil the nose after the neti (salt water with Neti Pot alternately into one nostril and from the other out), the ears and the face. The full body massage, called Abhyanga, I only do every now and then in the evening. Because after the oil massage a shower is required and that I usually do only after the training session on the indoor bike.
So I go straight to my yoga class. Currently, I practice online with my teacher Vishva ji from Akhanda Yoga. This is how I not only practice myself but also take many interesting teaching ideas for me as a yoga teacher.
After yoga there is the Golden Milk waiting for me and my breakfast porridge. I have found a good solution fo my Fruit-milk grain combination problem. As it should be not combined according to Ayurveda. If the fruit is heated, it may be combined with cereals. So now I’m roasting fruits, nuts, seeds and oat flakes in ghee (clarified butter) add water and done!
Also, I encountered the Ayurvedic jam Chyawanprash It contains ghee, sesame oil, honey and the Indian gooseberry Amla, along with other medicinal herbs. Chyawanprash is said to promote the immune system and blood cleanse, is good for the liver, spleen and respiratory organs, helps with digestion and, and, and. My boyfriend also knows it from his childhood. Indian mothers give always a spoonful of it in the morning.
I mix a spoon of it in my porridge.
Then everyday life begins. I try to structure it according to the Ayurveda times. In the morning from 6 am to 10 am is Kapha time – a sluggish time, but also good to keep things in mind for a long time. So I try to study during that time. At noon from 10 am to 2 pm, Pitta is predominant. Now I can work more business-oriented. Pitta Dosha promotes discipline, structure and goal orientation. In the afternoon I swing myself on the bike in the moving Vata time from 2 pm to 6 pm and get into a good sweat – a great balance to the whole sitting!
Before dinner, I do pranayama, meditation and play some harmonium. when bedtime approaches, I drink my Triphala tea (now it tastes not so horrible anymore), massage the crown of the head, belly button and feet with Sesame oil and then fall into a deep sleep.
For meals, I try to follow a few rules, but I am not too strict, because our life is already very restricted during these days.
Since we already eat Indian food anyway with fresh vegetables and some spices, we eat very much ayurvedic. In addition, I am now trying to eat more varieties and at least adhere to the three rules:
No bananas and other fruit with milk
No leftovers with fresh food
No raw food with cooked food.
Before eating, I speak the mantra for meals:
I’m doing it to be a little more aware of the meal, but forget it every now and then.
I also chew some ginger with lemon and salt 15 minutes before eating to stimulate my digestion.
I drink almost exclusively warm tea all day long. Sometimes with Tulsi, then with ginger, another time with coriander, cumin, cardamom and fennel. Depending on what I want and what is available.
By the way, a few days ago I came across a new video by Dr. Vasant Lad in which he briefly commented on the Corona epidemic. I was fascinated that he made recommendations for this time, which I had already instinctively implemented. In the video, he explains that epidemics were already mentioned in the ancient Ayurvedic scriptures and were used as times for a personal retreat for oneself. He recommends a structured day with Ayurvedic cleansing, pranayama and yoga and lots of ginger tulsi-kardamon tea.
