5 Ayurvedic New Year’s Resolutions that Everyone CAN Keep

New Year’s Resolutions are tough to keep. We all know that!

Ayurveda recognizes that small changes to our daily habits can be the catalyst for huge improvements in health, state of mind, and overall wellbeing.

We welcome in the new energy and experiences that 2015 will bring. Using these 5 best practices recommended in Ayurveda, you can achieve a greater sense of balance in 2015.

Try these 5 recommendations that you CAN do!

1 – Practice the “Staying in Bed” meditation!

I love this one! It’s so easy! Instead of jumping out of bed as soon as you open your eyes in the morning, make it a personal practice to take a moment, maybe 5 or 10 minutes, to cultivate presence first thing in the morning. As soon as you wake up, close your eyes, draw your awareness to your breath, feel the air, notice the sounds of the morning, feel the warmth inside you, embrace the silence, and give thanks. Take a few minutes to do this simple and easy “Staying in Bed” meditation every morning.

2 – Drink a tall glass of warm water

It’s a common recommendation in Ayurvedic medicine that everyone drink warm water in the morning. Some people will recommend with lemon, some without. Weather you prefer with or without citrus, drinking a warm glass of water before anything else has numerous benefits to your overall health. Some of these include improved digestion, metabolism and elimination. Each of these processes, when in balance are paramount to achieving perfect health.

3 – Scrape that funky morning tongue

It’s easy, it takes seconds, and you already brush your teeth anyways…. If you don’t have an official Tongue Scraper, a spoon works just fine. After you brush your teeth, pull the spoon along the coating (often yellow or white in color) of your tongue, and marvel at the sludge that comes off on the spoon. This “Yuck” is referred to in Ayurveda as “Ama” or undigested food matter…. Yuck is right. You’ll be able to notice how this changes day to day depending on your state of “toxicity” or health.

4 – Fall in Love…. With Oil!

Coconut Oil, Almond Oil, Sesame Oil are all used in Ayurveda for their medicinal purposes. By bringing these popular cooking oils out of the kitchen and into the bathroom you can experience a whole new dimension of hydration. Using oil, on your body before you shower promotes healthy skin, reduces wrinkles, hydrates, promotes healthy circulation and is 100% non-toxic. It is also useful as a mouthwash and gargle to whiten teeth, strengthen the muscles of the face (less wrinkles), reduces bad breath and cavities among other things. Try mixing Turmeric with Coconut oil as an “Oil Pulling” mouth wash for amazing results!

5 – Spend time with those you Love.

This needs no explanation. Turn off your iPhone, close your laptop, shut off the screens, and spend more time with those you love.

That’s Simple. Stay in Bed, Drink, Scrape, Massage and Love…
Happy New Year!