VASUDHA RAI

MOON RITUAL
Daily Practices for Wellness, Beauty & Bliss

PENGUIN BOOKS
 CONTENTS

Introduction

MOON

PILLAR I: Nurture
1. Massage
★ Face Massage
★ The Basic Face Tone
★ Head Massage
★ Full Body Massage
★ Foot Massage
2. Ubtan
3. Nabhi Puran Chikitsa

PILLAR II: Heal

1. Sound Healing
2. The Art of Eating
3. Journalling

PILLAR III: Rest

1. Preparing for Rest
2. Beverages
3. Breathwork for Relaxation
4. Sleep Posture
5. Sleep and Circadian Rhythms

Bibliography
Acknowledgements
For Rishaan, the Buddha in my life
 Introduction

An Ode to the Night

Come twilight, the dusk begins to deepen and before you know it,
darkness falls like a comforting blanket on a scorching day. The
inky night frames the Moon and stars previously hidden. The
evening melts our resistance, making way for a sweeter surrender
to the darkness. As the outer world draws to a close, activity
slows down to make way for comfort. As weariness takes over,
there’s no reason to fight.

The passive, introspective energy of the Moon rules the depths of

our mind. Sense organs have little use after nightfall. Release the
need for control and submit to the placid moonlight. Introspect,
reflect, and find pleasure so that mind, body, and spirit can begin
to heal. Forget logic, sense, and reasoning, and learn to flow with
the tide. Our dreams give us direction, illuminating what we can’t
see with our eyes.

The Moon—feminine and ever changing, at times voluptuously

full and at others, blending into the night—dances in its phases,
symbolic of impermanence and the many faces of life. Its
accompanying darkness is magical, always hiding something in
plain sight.

The night can be melancholic, if you are lonesome. But fear not
weary traveller, La Luna stands alone too. Sometimes she shines
to her greatest potential sometimes, and hides herself at other
times. Fill your inner world with magic. Stay still and peel back
the layers one by one. The darkness makes the impossible come to
life, like discovering roses in the desert or water inside the Sun.

The celestial bodies around you and the silence of the night. Don’t
be afraid of the Dark—it is the other half of Light. In the day we
give ourselves to the world, but the nights are for receiving. The
Darkness says: Calm down, ease up, and open yourself up to
cosmic gifts.

Rest, renew, heal, and sleep deeply, like a baby. The morning will
come quickly, so release the pressure and let yourself unravel.
Become aware of your inner rhythm, your breath, heartbeat and
vibrations. Slow down, find quiet, melt into the dark. The
moonlight shines softly, as you glide among the stars.
In the darkness the moon comes out, bringing with it immense potential for
healing and rejuvenation. After the scorching sunshine of the day, the
silvery mist of the night acts like a soothing balm for tired souls. Unlike the
sun, a symbol of predictability, the moon changes on a daily basis, waxing
and waning with its gentle movements. In a physical sense, we can only see
just one side of our celestial neighbour. Its dark side, which faces away
from earth, is always out of view. It’s constantly changing shape—from
crescent to full—which makes the moon a source of mystery to humans.
Whether it’s magic or medicine, sexuality or fertility, lunar folklore is
popular across all cultures.
The Vedas considered the moon to be the vessel for the mysterious soma,
a drink that made the gods invincible. We still haven’t found the exact
source of soma, which is something to think about, especially since other
Vedic plants such as hemp and barley are found even today. Lunar deities
are both male and female, whether it’s Chandra in the Vedas or Ix Chel, the
Mayan moon goddess of love, fertility and medicine. In Buddhism, the full
moon is a symbol of enlightenment, its various phases depicting the ever-
changing nature of life. In Chinese mythology, Goddess Chang’e or Chang-
o stole the elixir of immortality. When she drank it, she became so light that
she floated up to the moon. Legend has it that she lives there even today
with only a rabbit for company.
The moon has also given us direction since the beginning of civilization.
In Arabia, tradesmen travelled in the desert during the night using the
position of the moon and stars as a reference. Even today, the moon is of
great significance in Islam, with the crescent shape representing progress
and the five-pointed star, light and knowledge. In the days of the lunar
calendar, which is eleven days shorter than the current solar calendar, it was
used to measure time and seasonality. The Mayans and Chinese used the
lunar calendar for agricultural purposes. Even today, the positions of the
moon are used to set dates for festivals and holidays—whether its Holi and
Diwali in India or the Chinese New Year between January and February
every year.
 The moon is a celestial body that frightens and inspires us in equal
measure. There isn’t any doubt that we have a natural affinity for its cycles.
Menstruation cycles in women are every twenty-eight days, which is the
exact number of days as the lunar cycle. Unlike the earth, which spins on its
axis every 24 hours, the moon takes twenty-seven and a half days for every
rotation.
Marine life, in fact, has finely tuned moon clocks. The light-sensitive
neutrons of corals absorb the energy of the moonlight and on a full-moon
night, go into a mating frenzy. Some species of fish and crabs gestate during
certain lunar phases, while plankton rise up from the seabed to feed once it
gets dark. The moon is so powerful that it generates a gravitational pull we
know as the tidal force that causes a bulge in the oceans that face towards it.
The moon’s ability to heal and nourish may not be directly proven by
scientific studies, but night-time activities of rest and sleep are the best
nourishers known to man. We are attuned on every level—mind, body and
emotion—to tap into this frequency of the night. The moment it gets dark,
our bodies begin to produce melatonin, the sleep hormone, getting us ready
for rest and recovery. Tuning ourselves to relax after dark is the best health
supplement. Tuning your sleep and wake cycles with the natural circadian
rhythms of sunrise and unwinding after sunset is the best medicine for
chronic ailments. Every species has its own biological clock—some stay
awake according to the solar cycles while others are wakeful during lunar
hours.
Humans in general stay awake during the day and rest at night. But
perhaps this is the hardest change to make, especially since there are two
types of humans—the early birds and the night owls. I don’t believe in
forcing the body to do something that doesn’t come naturally. So, if you’re
more awake during the night, it’s essential to get your 8 hours of sleep, even
if it’s later at night or day. Of course, use the sun and the moon rituals
interchangeably, depending on the need instead of tangible divisions of day
and night. If you need nourishment, healing or rest during the day, the
remedies presented in this part will help you get in touch with your
yin/moon side.
 Still, both science and tradition are on the side of the early risers.
Following the natural rhythms of sunrise and sunset have positive results on
health. This includes metabolism, weight loss, blood pressure, heart health
and hormones. While light acts as a stimulus for activity, darkness
encourages sleep. In the last couple of decades, a majority of the population
in the world has acquired at least one device that keeps us up at night. The
continuous scrolling is anxiety-inducing and the light from your device
inhibits melatonin production, thereby postponing sleep.
If you’ve twisted and turned late at night with forbidden thoughts eroding
your peace of mind, you’re not alone. Scientists have found that going to
bed later increases negative thoughts, while getting a good night’s rest helps
you solve problems better. Sleep strengthens the immune system, makes
you healthier and even makes you more satisfied with life. Just like work is
the big project in the day, sleep is the assignment of the night. Every
activity after sunset must therefore lead to the ultimate night-time goal of
rest.
A very wise man once told me that we must plan our sleep just like we
prepare for a holiday. This means that evening activities must be geared
towards rest, as opposed to acting as stimulants, which keep us up all night.
The cooling energy of the moon must be utilized correctly in order to
harmonize or cycles of activity and leisure. Like yin to the yang of the day,
the softness of night must be harnessed to its maximum potential, whether
to sleep, love or heal.
To match our energies with the moon’s placidity and calmness, activities
must be divided into the following, not only as a method to reach peak
health but also as a reward for a hard day’s work.

1) Nurture—to nourish mind, body, spirit

2) Heal—to recover from emotional and physical assaults
3) Rest—to prepare for sleep

Think of these as the three pillars of the moon—one leads to the other.
Whether it’s the food you eat, the beverages you drink, exercise or spiritual
practices, the focus must be turned inwards as opposed to the outward
direction of the day.
From 4 p.m. begins the cycle of night, which in a way mirrors the
morning. Just like 4–6 a.m. is ideal for meditation in the morning, 4–6 p.m.
is also ideal for a journey inwards. Ayurveda suggests that the lightweight
qualities of vata, dominated by the elements of air and space, are diffused
through the atmosphere during this. The environment is quiet and
environment provides clarity. You also find that late afternoon is the ideal
time for a break. Whether it’s a short spell of sound healing, guided
meditation or mantra practice, a small break during this time pulls you
through till the evening.
From 6–10 p.m. is kapha time, with its grounding earth energy, which is
perfect for healing, the second pillar of the moon. This period is ideal to
unwind with a walk, restorative yoga or self-massage. Since night-time is
also when our skin naturally regenerates, it is also the best time to beautify
and heal the skin with oils, massages, ubtans and masks.
After 10 p.m. begins pitta time, governed by fire, which explains why
you sometimes get a second wind when it’s time for bed. I find that sleep is
the soundest when you switch the lights off before the pitta period begins.
Personally, I find it impossible to sleep this early, but for most part I turn in
by 11 p.m. But before that I like to spend some time with either a kriya,
beverage, breathing exercises or journaling.
The energy of the moon is introspective, but must be driven by gratitude.
Fortunately or unfortunately, we all know that no matter how bad things
may be, they can always be worse. Just like the spirit of hope must be
cultivated for an active day, being thankful for something that went right
(because something always does) brings peace and rest in the night.
PILLAR I

Nurture
 ‘Touch comes before sight, before speech. It is the first language and the last, and it
always tells the truth.’
—Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin

When someone asks me to define wellness, I always say if you were your
own child, how would you treat yourself? Self-care is mothering yourself, a
treat at the end of a working day or cosseting on a off. It’s a small reward
for surviving in this world, it heals and holds you together. We can nurture
ourselves in many different ways. Food is the obvious choice. But in order
to enjoy this care, every sense organ must be indulged—whether it’s the
sense of smell, sound, or the healing power of touch.
In the modern world, where everything is divided into black and white,
it’s easy to forget that consumption happens via all our senses. Everything
gets absorbed by the mind and affects the body, be it food, visuals, sounds,
touch and smell that have the potential to build us up or break us down. If
you look at consumption as a full sensorial experience, it’s easy to see that
just following a prescriptive lifestyle isn’t key to health and happiness. You
could eat all the ‘toxins’ in the world and still feel great only because
you’re perhaps in a good place in life or a healthy relationship, free from
stress and worry. The positive effects of wellness reflect in better physical
health, but just like disease, healing begins in the mind, with the inputs we
receive from our senses.
Take the simple act of eating a meal. You can conjure the sight and smell
of food only in your mind and it will your make your mouth water. Taste,
fragrance, texture and sound all make meals a 360-degree affair. This
perception goes beyond food because all our senses have the potential to
excavate buried treasures. A whiff of perfume revives a long-dead memory;
a song can take you decades into the past. Everything we consume via our
senses gets programmed into our consciousness. Therefore, it is essential to
choose how we want to be stimulated, especially today, when unrestricted
stimuli invade us unchosen and unannounced via our tablets and
smartphones.
 As we age, our sense organs become weaker, which increases the
importance of nurturing. Our lifestyles have also become such that we
invariably burn the candle at both ends, working in the present and
worrying about what will happen next. It has been found that the act of
worrying about the future leads to significant cognitive decline and reduced
memory function. Additionally, emotional stress may increase the risk of
heart attack as much as smoking or high blood pressure. Even a longer
work week could lead to higher blood pressure; long-term exposure to
traffic noise may increase the risk of heart disease.
The life we’ve built is has disturbed us to the point of ill health. The
work hard/play harder mantra may have been relevant decades ago, but
today it’s fairly obsolete as we have collectively realized the value of
work/life balance. But though we understand the importance of self-care in
theory, we rarely put it into practice. Even today, every other activity takes
precedence over taking care of ourselves. We ignore pain, fatigue, trauma to
meet deadlines and finish projects. My coach in the gym says that people
word hard to make money till their forties and then spend the latter part of
their lives spending that money to regain their health. Hard work is
certainly essential, but so is rest and recovery. Even 10 minutes a day can
help revive and soothe frayed nerves.
Self-care doesn’t have to be a grand affair—just placing a warm palm on
a painful spot is taking care of yourself. Putting your phone away and
listening to your favourite song, eating a delicious meal without distraction,
holding the hand of someone you love—all help in small ways to make you
feel better. Any time you forget the outside world, directing your energy
and attention towards the present moment is healing and restorative. We’re
often so stimulated with information excess that we forget to hear our
innermost signals. But to listen, you have to connect, and make time to
receive. There are many ways to make this connection, but the most
important element is stillness.
Massage, in particular, is the perfect example of a nurturing ritual, which
helps us connect with mind and body. It’s looked upon as an occasional
treat but traditional sciences such as Ayurveda have always stressed on the
importance on making it daily self-practice. Not does massage help with
releasing stress and pain in the physical body, it helps reduce soothe the
mind.
The Sanskrit word for oil is sneha, which also means love. Therefore, the
act of oil massage is traditionally seen as an act of love, ideally performed
with attention and complete connection to the body. If you look at it from a
scientific lens, there’s enough evidence to prove that it works for a range of
conditions. From reducing pain and anxiety in cancer and fibromyalgia
patients, to weight gain in premature babies and improved sleep in
menopausal women, massage isn’t just a luxury but a necessity in modern-
day living.
Self-care for me is synonymous with self-love because you make time to
listen to your body’s signals and prioritize its needs. Whether it’s the
application of a face mask, rubbing down the body with a body brush or
shampooing your hair, beautification can lead to bliss. When it becomes a
regular part of your daily routine, it becomes a joyous activity to look
forward to every single day. At a subconscious level, it has been found that
just anticipating positive events provides exponential benefits for mental
and emotional health.
While self-care covers everything from diet and exercise to other kriyas,
this section will focus solely upon beauty rituals and their feel-good
potential. Beauty rituals are nourishing for many different reasons—they
can help you relax, stay connected to the moment or energize you for the
day. They can uplift your mood and soothe frazzled nerves. But most
importantly, in this world where nothing can be predicted, they provide you
a safe haven to come back to, over and over again.
 1
MASSAGE

Human beings are instinctively drawn to massage—when we hurt

ourselves, we naturally reach out to rub the pain away. When we’re
heartbroken, nothing feels as comforting as touch. In Ayurveda it is
believed that the masseuse gives her positive energy and absorbs the
negative energy in return from the patient. Whether we’re tired, anxious or
uneasy, the long, deep strokes of massage lull the mind into tranquillity. It
nurtures the mind and nourishes the skin. Because it increases circulation, it
brings fresh, oxygenated blood right under the surface, to directly feed the
skin. Massage unravels tight muscles, helps lubricate the joints and reduces
mental stress. It is backed by scientific data, where it has been shown to
clinically reduce levels of pain.
The Gate Control Theory proposes that the body’s sensations are carried
up the spine by neurological fibres to the brain. Smaller fibres carry
stimulation like pain, while larger ones carry harmless sensations like
rubbing or scratching. In theory, it is believed that the large fibre activity
can close off the channel or ‘gate’ for small fibre sensations to reach the
brain. This means that by rubbing or kneading an injury, you have sent
some stimulation that can block the sensation of pain, thereby reducing its
perception. Though the theory is still debated, it provides an explanation for
the comforting aspect of massage, especially as far as pain relief is
concerned.
One way or another, I find that massaging even a small part of my body
results in a sense of well-being. Whether it’s feeling lighter after a foot rub
or more grounded after a using facial tool, massage for me is a direct
connection to my body and a way for me to shower it with love. Naturally,
the biggest impediment to massage is making it a part of your daily ritual,
especially since we prefer activities with tangible benefits, such as work or
workouts. But daily massages also provide tangible benefits, whether it’s
elevating skin quality to nourishing the joints and connective tissue,
reducing pain and toning muscles. On the worst days, it is tempting to give
it up altogether, but massage helps settle my mind and ease my body.
For me, the biggest advantage is that it lulls the mind into a state of bliss.
It removes mental cobwebs so that good ideas can float to the surface. It’s a
little bit like meditation, actually. When I’m deep into massage, an idea
appears from the recesses of my mind, just like it does while I’m
meditating. Especially when I’m facing a mental block, stepping away from
the task and doing something meditative helps untangle confused thoughts.
Massage has a way of ironing out the kinks, giving clarity of thought at the
very least and a completely disconnected, empty mind at its best.

Face Massage

In terms of beautification, massage helps tone and sculpt the face if it is

done with the right technique. The friction causes circulation, which means
you’re oxygenating and feeding the skin with nutrients. It helps relieve
muscular tension, which is also a cause of sagging in the face. Small studies
have shown that daily massage with a device increases the level of proteins
in the skin, thereby giving an appearance of tightness. It also helps reduce
the appearance of raised scars, especially in burn rehabilitation. It has also
been found that massage causes morphological changes, including
tightening and lifting of the tissue at the jaw and thickening of the nasal
ring and lift on the lower cheeks.
The friction created by massage breaks down adhesions. Friction
massages are part of sports remedies used to mobilize tissue in the
ligaments, tendons and muscles, and prevent scars from forming. This
mobilization affects the lymphatic system too. Precise strokes move fluid
that surrounds the cells towards the lymph nodes to be purified. Therefore,
it is essential to get acquainted with the right techniques to tone the facial
structure and create a bespoke massage sequence for oneself.
 There is no doubt that daily massage boosts radiance, enhances the bone
structure and reduces the appearance of lines and wrinkles. The only
contraindication would be massage on an oily, acne prone complexion, as
over-stimulating the skin could lead to more breakouts. But as we grow
older, it does have its advantages for beautification. For me, it’s a ritual that
signals the beginning or the end of the day. When I do it in the morning, it
helps me consolidate my thoughts about work. At the end of the day, it
signals the end of screen time.

The Basic Face Tone

If you’re familiar with the methodology of massages, you’ll find that in the
face, there is a basic set of movements that work along the natural
musculature and the presence of the lymph nodes. Interestingly, unlike
blood that circulates all over the body, the lymph moves in an outward
direction. It travels via the main clavicular vein that runs down the side of
the ears to the shoulder blades and then out the shoulders. Most of the nodes
are situated in the hollows of the face (under the eyes, sides of the nose and
mouth, around the ears and jaw). Therefore, most massages focus on
movements that go from the centre of the face towards the sides and then
down the master drain behind the ears. These movements help mobilize the
interstitial fluid that surround the cells, towards the nodes to be purified.
If you look at the muscular structure of the face, you’ll find that most
muscles originate from the periphery and insert in the middle of the face.
Therefore, by massaging them in outward movements, we are reinforcing
and strengthening the ‘roots’ of these muscles. Long, smooth, firm strokes
also help massage the neck and jaw area that is overused because of
emotional and physical stress. In my practice, I’ve noticed that massage has
helped smooth wrinkles, define contours and increase the tightness and
glow of my face.

Kapala Randhra Dhauti

This is a technique which has been popularized by the Gherand Samhita, a
Sanskrit text and one of the most comprehensive treatises in yoga. Literally
translated, it means clearing the cavities of the head. Though this isn’t
mentioned in ancient Ayurvedic texts, it has been briefly referred to in the
Yogic Shatkriyas.
If done correctly, it removes the kapha dosha (responsible for nasal
congestion) from the upper part of the body.

1 Create a ‘V’ shape with your middle and forefingers to rub the area
in front and behind your ears.

2 Place your thumbs on the temples and use all four fingers to
horizontally massage the forehead from one end to the other,
alternating each hand.
3 Use your middle and ring fingers to massage the eye. Start from the
inner corner of the under the eye to the outer corners and then up
towards the temples, above the brow towards the centre.
4 Sweep your entire palm, pressing down from the sides of the nose
and lips, upwards towards the temples.
5 Create a ‘V’ shape with your fingers by placing one finger over and
under the lips horizontally. Sweep from the lips upwards closing the
V when you reach the temples, alternating the hands.
6 Massage the neck in upward strokes.
 7 If you want a defined jawline, then create a ‘V’ shape with your
fingers, and massage from the chin towards the temple, keeping one
finger on the jawline and the other one under. Or keep the thumb
under the jaw and the rest of the fingers above.

Head Massage

The brain is the most overworked part of the body, averaging (yogis say)
about 60,000 thoughts in a day. It’s no surprise then that the repeated
drumming of a head massage feels thoughts being demolished in the brain.
A 15-minute scalp rub reduces level of stress hormones and significantly
decreases blood pressure. The Indian head massage in particular increases
parasympathetic nerve activity (the rest and relax mode of the body),
relieves anxiety and refreshes the mind. The kneading and rubbing
movements of a massage eases tight muscles around the neck and
shoulders. Since the scalp is located at the top of the body, the increased
circulation may also lead to healthier hair follicles. Though it is a minuscule
study, there is some evidence to show that a daily 4-minute massage
increases hair thickness. This massage can be done with and without hair
oil.
Head massage in traditional systems is used to both calm the mind and
improve hair health. In Ayurveda, the head is considered to be the root of
the body, while the limbs are branches. Apt, since we now know that all
diseases begin in the mind. Our head is also the location of the
hypothalamus and pituitary gland. Together, they’re considered to be the
control centre for the endocrine system, producing several important
hormones such as FSH, TSH, prolactin, oxytocin and growth hormones, to
name a few. Of course, the head is the root of our internal heaven or hell.
It’s the origination of thought, the creation of an inner world.
The skull also holds several important marma points, which are healing
energy points that work as doorways into the body and consciousness when
stimulated. The head, most notably, has the adhipati, located eight fingers
from the brows in the centre of the skull, over which hovers the crown
chakra. Adhipati, when translated, means king, therefore it is considered to
be the master of all marma points in the body, increasing their performance
and efficiency.
Along with stimulating the adhipati, head massage also stimulates several
other important marma points. These include the simantaka point, twelve
fingers from the brows, and krikatika, that is two points on either side of the
cervical spine, where the skull joins the head. Then there are two vidhuram
points in the depression behind the earlobes and the shankha, which is the
depression on the temples, which is also rubbed and stimulated in Indian
head massage.
Typically, most marma points are in the hollows of the body. It is
believed that stimulating these points during a massage calms an overactive
mind, enhances sleep quality, improves vision, relaxes the muscles and
rejuvenates the entire nervous system.

How to Heat Oil for Massage

 Warming the oil, whether it’s for hair, body or navel massage, is highly
recommended as the heat helps it penetrate deeper. Never apply direct
heat to the oil as it can disturb its composition. Warm it indirectly by
immersing the required amount of oil in a bowl and immerse it in a larger
bowl of hot water. Or just place the bottle straight into the bowl of hot
water.

The Basic Scalp Massage

1. Oil massage must be done on a clean scalp. Massaging a dirty scalp

will make it even dirtier and prone to infections.
2. Choose an oil suited to your personal ayurvedic dosha and season. If
you are vata-dominant, characterized by a slight build, dry skin and a
running mind, choose warming oils like castor and sesame. If you’re
pitta-dominant, with reddish skin, medium build and a tendency
towards anger, select a cooling oil such as coconut. If you’re ruled by
kapha, characterized by a full build, glossy skin and calm mind,
choose a hot oil such as mustard. In terms of season, oils such as
coconut are suited to summer, whereas the usage of mustard oil must
be limited to winter. You can warm the oil or keep it at room
temperature depending on the season and your own personal prakriti.
3. If you’re comfortable with applying oil to your forehead, begin by
rubbing the oil in circular motions at the third eye, going along the
centre line towards the second marma point of the adhipati (eight-
finger widths from the brows) and simantaka (twelve-finger width
from the brows).
4. The oil must be poured first in the centre parting to stimulate the
main marma points and then worked outwards towards the temples,
earlobes and the nape of the neck.
5. Keep a medium pressure to prevent over-stimulating the scalp. The
idea is to gently relax the mind, therefore slow, deep, circular
movements work best.
6. Make sure you gently rub all the main marmas, not just in the centre
parting but also behind the earlobes, next to the cervical spine and
around the temples.
7. Keep the oil on for 30 minutes at least. If you’re using a medicated
oil prescribed by your ayurvedic doctor, then keeping it for longer
will provide more benefits.
8. Head massage is not advised for those with infections of the scalp
such as psoriasis, eczema, fungal infections or dermatitis.

How to Wash Off Hair Oil

Always dilute the shampoo with a little bit of water. By doing so, you
activate the foam and thin it out so it goes to every part of the scalp.
When I dilute the shampoo, I only need to wash my hair once to clean it
well.

Four-Ingredient Hair Oil

Ingredients:
1 cup aloe pulp
1 cup curry leaves
1 and a 1/2 cup fresh amla paste
1 cup coconut oil

Note: If you want multiple oils, then mix half a cup each of coconut and
sesame oils with a quarter cup of castor oil. You can also add a cup of
fresh paste of neem leaves for their anti-bacterial properties.
Method:

Heat all the ingredients in an iron wok on a low flame till the water
evaporates. You know that all the moisture has evaporated once bubbles
 stop forming in this infusion. Take care not to overheat.

Know Your Oil

Coconut: Cooling, promotes hair growth, enhances thickness. Must be

avoided by those prone to fungal infections and dandruff as it can feed
the microbes.

Almond: Conditions the hair shaft, strengthens the follicles, improves

scalp health and is cooling in nature.

Castor: Helps increase hair density and delays greying by removing

excess heat in the scalp. Its dense viscosity means that it must be used in
combination with another, lighter oil.

Black sesame: Enhances hair growth, relieves headaches, delays greying

and combats dryness.

Moringa: Anti-inflammatory and moisturizing, therefore works on

flakiness caused by excessive dryness on the scalp.

Mustard: Warming, therefore best suited to winter. Its warming quality

also deepens the colour of henna on the hair. Apply it the day after henna
application.

Desi ghee: Builds hair strength, deeply conditions damaged hair, cools
the scalp and makes strands incredibly soft.

Full Body Massage

While most massages focus on the muscles of the body, opening up tight
knots and activating pressure points, in abhayanga, the oil and its
formulation are of equal importance. Today we believe that the body
absorbs ingredients through our skin, which explains the renewed interest in
‘clean’ beauty products. However, ayurvedic physicians understood this
thousands of years ago, which is why they used oil not only as a skincare
product but also as medicine. There are oils to relax, energize, beautify and
detoxify the body, to name a few. In panchakarma, the great ayurvedic
detox, oils are used to soften the tissue from the outside with massage and
the inside as well with oil enemas and medicated ghee decoctions. The body
absorbs this internal and external oleation believed to loosen toxins
accumulated within.
Because of this reason, massage isn’t a beauty or wellness treatment but
also improves health and longevity. Even though you cannot do the full
panchakarma at home, you can incorporate the key element of abhayanga
into your routine. From an ayurvedic perspective, oil massages help calm an
overactive vata, which is one the three main doshas. Vata rules movement,
therefore without it there will be no circulation or elimination. Conversely,
when vata is malfunctioning, it can also lead to conditions such as
endometriosis by shifting the tissue. Vata imbalances are apparent in an
overactive mind, problems with elimination and dry skin.
From a traditional point of view, oiling the body balances vata, thereby
calming the mind, adding suppleness to skin and restoring bodily functions.
If you look at oil massage from a scientific lens, you’ll find that it has been
shown to improve growth and sleep in infants. Almond oil, particularly,
helps promote lactation, while clove oil helps reduce post-natal pain in
mothers.
Traditionally, an oil massage is done before a bath and not afterwards.
Since it is believed that the oils help loosen toxins, bathing after massage
helps eliminate them. Typically, during a bath, some dry flour (like besan,
powdered mung or jowar atta) is used to rub off the last remnants of
greasiness and also exfoliate the skin. Understandably, in these times, this
ritual is rather elaborate and time-consuming. So if you can’t practise this
on the daily, keep the self-abhayanga to a once-a-week treat, or rub the oil
vigorously into your skin every day either before or after a bath.
Self Abhayanga

• Warm up a small bottle of oil by placing it in a bowl of hot water.

Ayurveda doesn’t recommend heating the oil directly as it can
damage the delicate composition of phytonutrients. Half a cup of oil
should be enough for the whole body—from the head to the toes—
though you may need extra for the scalp depending on the length of
your hair.
• The literal translation of abhayanga is ‘to rub against’ the limbs. Start
at the feet and rub the oil vigorously into the skin so the friction
produces heat, which in turn will help the oil get ‘digested’ by the
body. Pay attention to every inch of your body including your toes
and the space between the toes.
• Move up the legs in long, firm strokes, towards the pelvis and the
hips. Remember the marma or pressure points lie within the hollows
of the bone structure, so rub the oil into every nook and crevice, such
as the joints of the body.
• Massage your stomach in circular motions along the direction of the
intestines. So upwards towards the right, circle to the other side and
downwards from the left, circling again towards the right.
• Rub the breasts in circular motions. Also rub the oil into the insides
of the arms, armpits and shoulders.
• Massage the oil into your back, taking extra time on the lower back
as we tend to hold a lot of stress in the lumbar area.
• Spend more time on the joints of the body. Massage the knees and
elbows in circular motions to keep them supple.
• Coconut and olive oils are cooling, and therefore best for the warmer
months or for those who have excess heat in the body. Sesame and
almond are warming and are better for cooler months and better for
those who feel excessively cold.

Foot Massage
If you look at the diagrams of the foot in TCM or Ayurveda, you’ll find
them to be very similar—the lower organs on the lower areas of the foot
and the upper organs on the toes. The brain, eyes and ears are on the toes;
the spleen, kidneys and intestines in the middle of the feet; the spine
running along the arch of the foot and the sciatica on the heel. Traditional
sciences believe that all organs are connected to the feet and perhaps there
may be an element of truth in this. Each foot has a quarter of the bones in
the body and around 7,000 nerve endings each. They also have a network of
over 100 ligaments, muscles and tendons that connect them to the rest of
the body. Therefore, any problem with the feet can spread to the spine and
the rest of the body.
Though they’re the most utilized organ, they’re also the most ignored
part of the body. On a good day, we will apply a quick swipe of moisturizer
or get a pedicure. But they’re never cared for like the head, scalp or face. In
traditional sciences, feet have an exalted position. Washing them before bed
is essential as it releases excess heat, cools the entire body and also removes
the negative energies of the day. In fact, the ancient scriptures claim that
washing the feet before bed gives better sleep and sweeter dreams.
Incidentally, the practice of padabhayanga (foot massage) is
recommended in Ayurveda for eye strain. The feet and eyes are the two
opposite poles in the body that are connected with nerves. Traditionally, the
ayurvedic foot massage is believed to have a direct impact on eye health. It
is believed that the act of massaging the feet improves the circulation of the
eyes as two main nerves travel from the left and right foot to the left and
right eye. There is small amount of evidence to show that this could
actually work. In a small sample group, it was found that regularly
practising padabhayanga with sesame seed oil indeed reduced strain in the
eyes.
It has also been found that massaging the soles reduces the alpha and beta
activity of the brain and induces sleep—a delta and theta wave activity.
Additionally, there is some evidence to show that padabhayanga increases
the levels of serotonin in the blood, meaning that its benefits go beyond just
eye health.
Step-by-Step Foot Massage

• Start by warming sesame seed oil by immersing the container in hot

water. If your eyes burn, you could also warm cow’s ghee for its
cooling properties. The oil/ghee must be at around 40 degrees
Celsius, which is slightly warmer than body temperature.
• Massage should be done in anulom or upward direction. You could
massage your feet with your hands or use an upside-down kansa
bowl. Using kansa helps draw out excess heat and impurities from
the body, resulting in dark grey soot that can be wiped away easily
with a towel.
• The heel and bottom part of the feet represent the lower part of the
body, the middle part of the feet is for the organs in the centre of the
trunk, while the toes and pads of the feet represent the topmost
organs such as the lungs and eyes.
• Perform the massage on clean feet. Apply the oil liberally not just on
the soles but also on the top of the feet, the ankles and between each
toe.
• Start by massaging the top of your foot from the ankle joint to the
toes. Then do the same action on the sole from the ankle to the heels
to the toes, making sure you massage the Achilles tendon.
• Make a fist and massage the soles with the knuckles, ensuring you
get every part of the foot including the arch, the space under and
between each toe.
• Go back to the top of the foot and rub the thumb from the ankle till
the big toe and repeat the movement for each toe.
• Finish by rubbing, punching and pulling each toe between your
fingers.
• As the last step, you could also soak your feet in warm, salted water
for complete relaxation, but this is optional.

Note: You can practice padabhayanga at any time though I prefer to do it

before bed. Avoid it right after a meal. Do it either an hour before or 2 hours
after a meal.

SOS Knee Massage

If you have achy knees, massage them with warm sesame oil for 15
minutes on each knee. If you’re older than thirty, do this once a week; if
you’re older than forty, do this twice a week; if you’re older than fifty, do
it every alternate day; and those over sixty should do it every day for
supple joints.
 2
UBTAN

I love the romance and versatility of an ubtan. It is a natural powder made

with flowers, herbs and lentils, which changes function depending on the
binding agent to create a hybrid mask/exfoliator. It can be mixed with milk,
rosewater, honey, aloe vera or a fruit such as overripe papaya, which also
bring their own qualities to the ubtan paste.
In older times, a paste of herbs and lentils was used on the daily. Though
some people still follow this practice, it has become laborious for those with
a busy lifestyle. Whether it is to reduce the fuzz around the face, exfoliate
dead cells or add glow, the magic of an ubtan is that it is inexpensive and
effective.

The Making of an Ubtan

Legumes and grains form the base of an ubtan. They have a gummy texture
that binds with the liquid onto light, fuzzy hair and dead skin to remove
them from the skin. This is what differentiates a traditional ubtan from a
clay mask—clays have a tendency to fall off the skin when rubbed, whereas
something like besan becomes sticky.
Several herbs are added to this base of lentils and grain, the most
common being turmeric (to disinfect, heal and brighten) and sandalwood (to
soothe and clarify). In fact, the most common recipe for an ubtan is besan
with a bit of turmeric and sandalwood, which has been found to have potent
free radical-scavenging capacity, protecting and healing the skin. The
beauty of the ubtan, however, is that you can make your own recipe
according to the season and your skin type. So, if your skin is dry, you can
use almond meal as a base; if you’re sensitive, use a combination of milk
and colloidal oatmeal; and those with oily complexions can enjoy herbs
mixed with aloe vera gel.
Though there many traditional formulations, the best recipes are made by
combining modern and old-world ingredients. For instance, I like to add
raw cacao powder to an ubtan because it gives it a creaminess that is very
beneficial in winter. When my skin breaks out, I like to stir in a bit of
spirulina powder and apple cider vinegar to reduce redness and shrink acne.
Part of what makes ubtan a ritual is the fact that we mix the proportions
with our own hands, choosing what is good for us and putting in our own
energy. It’s like massage, in that sense, because there is human touch
involved.
You could make it as basic or complicated as you wish, though I like to
keep it simple, only because it’s easier to observe what works and what
doesn’t. Keep it to four ingredients at a time: one that like an ‘active’,
another to complement the main ingredient and boost its healing powers,
plus a supporting ingredient either as a soothing agent or to boost the
powers of the main active ingredient. The last ingredient is a binder, which
could be either water, milk, yoghurt, honey, aloe or fruit pulp.
To understand this, let’s take the example of one of my favourite ubtan
recipes made with equal parts kasturi manjal (wild turmeric), sandalwood
powder (either red or white) and orange peel or mulethi powder. The main
active ingredient in this is the kasturi manjal, which helps brighten the skin
and reduce pigmentation. I add cooling sandalwood to this because the
turmeric is heating in nature and may cause a burning sensation. The last
ingredient is either orange peel or mulethi because both also work to
brighten the skin. However, since mulethi is a sweet herb it is gentler on the
skin than orange peel. If I want to make this mask even more gentle, I will
add rose petal powder, which is also very cooling. To bind, I choose honey
instead of water because I want the mask to stick to my skin longer. I prefer
not to use lentil powders in this because I sometimes use AHAs on my face
and don’t want the extra exfoliation. If I were to use it on my body, I would
add lentil powder to it.
 If you’re making an ubtan for beauty, be creative and don’t hesitate to
modernize the recipe. That’s not to say that traditional recipes aren’t
relevant. In fact, in several instances tradition is the way to go, especially
when it comes to utilizing the knowledge for mind-body benefits.

Brightening Ubtan

1 tsp kasturi manjal powder

1 tsp red sandalwood powder
1 tsp orange peel/mulethi powder
Raw honey/milk/yoghurt to bind
A dash of rose water to loosen the paste

Method:
• Mix all the ingredients to a smooth paste
• Apply over face and neck
• Leave on for 15 minutes to an hour
• Wash off or use as a gentle exfoliator, but gently rub it off in
circular motions

Calming Ubtan

1 tsp rose petal powder

1 tsp white sandalwood
1 tsp jatamansi powder
1 tbsp colloidal oats
1 tbsp aloe vera gel
Milk/yoghurt to bind
(If you’re vegan use coconut milk)

Method:
 • Mix the ingredients
• Pat on to the skin
• Wash off without rubbing the skin after 15 to 30 minutes

Moisturizing Ubtan
I tbsp raw cacao
Half an overripe banana
1/4 tsp gotu kola powder (skip this if your skin is sensitive)
A few drops of almond oil
Honey/milk/aloe vera gel, or all, to bind

Method:
• Mix the ingredients (you could also add a few drops of your
favourite face oil)
• Smooth over face and neck
• Rub gently or wash off after 30 minutes to an hour

Full Body Exfoliation

Ayurveda has its own variation called the udvarthana, that is prescribed by
ayurvedic doctors for a range of conditions. The practice involves rubbing
the body with dry herbs to stimulate and heat it. The practice is commonly
used in panchakarma for conditions such as diabetes and obesity. It can be
done as a second step after body massage as the oil acts as a lubricant over
the skin, which makes the exfoliation less abrasive. In people who have
very dry skin, the powder is mixed with a little bit of oil which is hot in
potency, such as mustard or sesame. The ultimate aim of udvarthana is to
break down the fatty tissue, activate lymphatic drainage and increase
circulation. By creating friction on the skin, it is said to balance the doshas,
especially kapha (characterized by a heavier build) and vata (dry skin, frail
build).
 The powders used for this are hot in potency to help stimulate the skin,
thereby helping liquify and mobilize stagnant adipose tissue. To ensure
efficacy, the correct method must be followed. The best time to do this is in
the morning on an empty stomach, after the elimination. Exercise before
udvarthana and not after. Aftercare is as important—once you’re done, rest
for about 15 minutes and bathe with lukewarm water after an hour.
You don’t need expensive powders for this practice. Even simple
triphala, haritaki or reetha powder works well. If your aim is to beautify the
complexion, you can also choose musta or anantmool powder, which helps
enhance the complexion, whether rubbed topically or consumed with hot
water as a tea. In traditional texts, there is also talk of brick powder being
used for this method, but of course its best avoided. This practice isn’t
suitable for those with rosacea, as the extra rubbing inflames the skin even
more. Additionally, those who have cuts, scrapes, psoriasis or eczema
should not do this until their skin has recovered.

To do:

• Dust powder all over the body, avoiding the eyes, mouth and face.
You could also dust powder part by part as you progress from the
feet towards the face.
• Rub the soles and the top of the feet in a back-and-forth motion.
• The legs need to be rubbed in straight, vertical strokes against the
direction of the hair. You know you’re doing the correct movements
when the hair stands up because of the opposing strokes.
• Rub the stomach and groin with both straight and circular strokes—
clockwise and anti-clockwise. However, don’t apply too much
pressure on spots that feel tender.
• The chest must be rubbed with straight strokes towards the
collarbone and circular strokes (both clockwise and anticlockwise)
on the breasts.
• The sides of the body, back and arms to be rubbed in straight strokes
aimed towards the heart.
• Udvarthana should not be done on the face and neck.

Detoxifying Powder
50 per cent horse gram (chana dal) powder
50 per cent triphala powder

Method:

Replace horse gram with barley powder if you have delicate, sensitive
skin. You can use dry powders after an oil massage, or mix the them in a
bit of oil. For detoxification, a warm oil such as mustard or sesame
works best.

Beautifying Powder

50 per cent nargarmotha powder

30 per cent anantmool (sarsaparilla) powder
15 per cent rose petal powder
15 per cent mulethi (liquorice) powder

Method:

If you want to mix this with a fat, use a cooling oil like sweet almond or
coconut, which is more suitable for beautifying the skin.
 3
NABHI PURAN CHIKITSA

A fairly controversial concept, one that isn’t really backed by science. But
in our homes, we’ve reaped the benefits of rubbing herbs and spices over
the belly as a common remedy for stomach discomfort, whether it’s dry
ginger or asafoetida for pain or bloating, or ghee in the navel to soften the
skin. We know now that the skin has the ability to absorb nutrients. This
ability has been utilised in Ayurveda, where oils that are prescribed as
medicine are administered by massaging/pooling them within the navel.
The practice of nabhi chikitsa using the navel as a channel to disperse
oils, herbs or/and essential oils. I like to do this every night before I sleep. It
gives me a feeling of stability and has helped improve the quality of my
skin and hair. Though it’s debatable whether the technique works, as there
isn’t enough scientific evidence, there is anecdotal evidence to show that
may help. It’s also an immensely comforting evening ritual that can be done
in the comfort of your bed.
Because the nabhi or navel lies right in the centre of the body, it is
believed to have the ability to nurture you in all directions, whether it’s up
towards the head or down the legs. This central location is important as it is
believed that if we nourish the centre, it will balance the rest of the body.
We know that the navel is strategic during pregnancy and is key to the
development of the foetus. The umbilical cord provides fresh, oxygenated
blood to the infant and transfers the nutrient-depleted blood back to the
placenta. The umbilical region also consists of the stomach and intestines,
an area where food is converted into waste and energy. Even when we’re
stressed, we breathe into the navel to relax and breathe out the heaviness we
don’t need. This exchange happens naturally, so perhaps it’s safe to assume
that in both the physical and spiritual sense, our navel is a source of
transformation.

The Folklore

From a metaphysical point of view, all 72,000 nadis or energy channels are
connected to the navel. Therefore it is believed that nourishing it with
certain oils can transfer the benefits all over the body. In meditation, the
navel is considered to be the centre of consciousness—if the brain takes the
attention outwards, focusing on the nabhi takes the attention inwards. Many
meditation practices ask you to focus on the navel, which is considered to
be the second brain. In acupuncture, the navel is called the Shenque point,
CV8 or the spirit gate, which has connections with all the twelve principal
meridians and internal organs.
In Japanese Zen meditation and martial arts, the hara, located just below
the navel, is of great importance. In Zen meditation, practitioners are asked
to breathe in and out of the hara (figuratively, of course), which bestows a
sense of calmness. Not only is it considered to be the centre of energy for
the body, it is also believed to have significant effects on mental, emotional
and spiritual health. Even in oriental medicine, the navel is treated with
moxibustion, a technique that applies heat by burning a candle of powdered
mugwort herb to improve bodily functions.
In Ayurveda, an important marma point is situated behind the navel. It is
called the siras marma—siras meaning blood vessels. It is believed that the
blood vessels originate from this point, though anatomically it isn’t so. The
belly button is also the location of agni, which controls digestion and
metabolism. It is believed that stimulating this point not only improves
digestion but also helps detoxify the body. Additionally, it is the location of
the solar plexus or the manipura chakra, that rules self-esteem and
confidence.

Modern Revival
While there has been talk of a Pechoti gland believed to be behind the
navel, supposedly connected to 70 million nerves. This elusive gland has
regained popularity with CBD oil that many administer into the navel.
While we don’t know whether this Pechoti really exists, but it has been
found that there are endocannabinoid receptors in the gut, which interact
with nerves to aid digestion. Interestingly, an old study testing testosterone
absorption suggests that absorption via the navel is almost as effective as an
intravenous dose. So can we perhaps assume that there would be some
amount of bioavailability via the navel, even though there isn’t enough
scientific evidence to support the practice of nabhi chikitsa?

My Experience

I started this practice with a healthy amount of scepticism. While I’d warm
some oil or ghee to massage my feet, I’d dab a few drops into my belly
button and give my abdomen a comforting rub during bedtime. In about a
week or so, I noticed that my perpetually chapped lips (which required
multiple applications of balm) weren’t chapped anymore. The inside of my
mouth felt smooth and my skin felt less dry than usual.
I use A2 cow’s ghee for this ritual, which is supposed to calm the fiery
pitta side of me, responsible for my greying hair and poor eyesight. Though
I haven’t noticed any changes to either yet, I live in the hope that ultimately
this ritual may preserve my overall health. Though I choose ghee, different
oils can be used for various purposes. It is believed that neem oil helps heal
acne, castor oil reduces stomach problems, mustard oil detoxifies the body,
almond oil beautifies the skin, sesame oil reduces joint pain and coconut oil
reduces burning sensations and inflammation.

How to:

• Begin by warming your chosen oil. I like to transfer some ghee or oil
into a small glass bottle which I place in a hot bowl of water to
indirectly heat the fluid.
 Lie down in bed, pour 2-3 drops of the oil into your navel and hold it
• there for about a minute.
• Then gently massage it around the belly in circles, using gentle
pressure.
• If you want to or have the time, repeat this a few more times, pouring
warm oil every time and massaging it around.
• Alternatively, you can pour the oil into your navel and hold it there
for about 25 minutes. You can even listen to a guided meditation at
the same time.
• If you find holding the oil in your navel a bit messy, dip a ball of
cotton into the oil and place it in your navel, especially if you’re
holding it for a longer duration.
• Use the same cotton wool or your fingers to spread the oil around the
abdomen.
• Massage the abdomen gently with fingers and, if possible, either
steam or place a hot-water bottle on the navel. This is useful to
reduce bloating, as the main site of vata (the dosha of air and space,
which causes bloating) is the large intestines.
• Your belly should feel warm by the end of the ritual. The best time to
practise this is at night before bed.
• Do not practise this ritual if you have bacterial or fungal infection in
the umbilical region.
PILLAR II

Heal
 ‘We are healed of a suffering only by experiencing it to the full.’
—Marcel Proust, In Search of Lost Time

Healing begins with the acceptance that we are broken in the first place.
We think of disease in black and white, but the reality is that ailments don’t
just appear out of a vacuum. Any condition is the ultimate manifestation of
several internal breakdowns. It begins in the mind, increasing stress,
elevating inflammation and eventually leading to chronic disease. The
creation of disease and healing from it are both fairly nuanced activities.
The diagnosis of a condition is its last sign, not the first. The body sends us
several signals—chronic pain, tiredness, poor digestion, skin, hair and nail
troubles—which are often ignored.
Compare the years of neglect that built up the disease to the amount of
time you tried to get rid of it. If it took years to build, then it will take time
to heal. You may take a pill to get rid of a symptom but that is only
temporary. True recovery happens slowly, at various levels—mental,
physical and emotional. Because the creation of disease happens due to
multiple reasons, recovery too must be multipronged. People give up a
remedy very soon because they think it didn’t work.
Healing for me began with rituals—their stability, discipline, rigour and
magic. Whether it was guided mediation, sound healing, journalling or
massage, the stillness they provided helped me become aware of my inner
dialogue. Just designating a certain amount of time was a signal for my
subconscious that I was serious about getting better. And that’s the thing
with rituals—when you peel away the superstition and religion, they’re just
tools to refine, pacify, stimulate or heal the mind, body and spirit.
There is no doubt that traditional and modern medicine are both key to
getting better and feeling great. There is no one practice that is the ultimate
cure. Every healing protocol must be personalized to suit each individual’s
lifestyle, preferences and habits. Rituals make the process of healing very
enjoyable. But for that, only choose what you like and what fits into your
schedule.
 Many ancient remedies were not grounded in science until recently but
we knew they made us feel better. And it’s not limited to just traditional
practices. Solving the crossword, making your cup of coffee, applying
skincare are all rituals when they’re done with care. The rituals we have
with animal companions, whether it’s feeding them or taking them for a
walk make us feel good. Now we also have proof that animal companions
indeed reduce risk of mortality. In heart attack survivors who lived alone,
the risk of death was reduced by 33 per cent if they kept a pet as compared
to others who lived solitary lives. Another feel-good ritual is a hot bath
before bed because it soothes the mind and helps us sleep better. Now
studies explain exactly why: because our body temperatures peak in the
afternoon and cool down as we approach bedtime, a warm bath brings out
the heat towards the extremities, cooling the body and supporting the
natural circadian rhythms.
We know that the things that make us feel good help us get better. So, is
how we feel key to when we heal?
Our sense organs are very much involved in this process of healing.
Watching a great movie, listening to music, eating a delicious meal and the
human touch, all have the potential to transport us into a better, brighter
space
Think about sound and its ability to change your mood. When the tempo
is high, it makes us energetic, when low, more relaxed. In horror movies,
sounds can be more terrifying than visuals. If it can scare you, it may also
hold the potential to relax and heal you. Vibroacoustic therapy is when the
vibration of sound is directly in touch with the body to work on a cellular
level. It is believed by some practitioners that tuning forks held to the body
can increase nitric oxide (a vasodilator also found in beetroot), which is
excellent for cardiac health.
Then there is taste—it isn’t just what you eat but how you eat it that
determines how food affects your body. Taste, timing, posture and thorough
mastication help it get broken down and digested by the body. Meals are
also rituals. Eating with care and attention can maximize the impact of food
on your body. Studies have shown that just the simple act of chewing food
properly works like an ‘oral meter’ that helps us realize when we are
actually satiated, thereby reducing the need to overeat.
The connection between feeling and healing becomes even more
apparent in restorative practices including yin yoga, the Nishi Health
System exercises and the Alexander Technique. Breath, alignment and slow,
restorative techniques are as valuable as high-intensity exercises. Slower
workouts help us connect deeply to our body and also work at a much
deeper level in terms of stretching the fascia and connective tissue. Longer
holds without tensing the muscles in yin yoga ensure that poses increase
flexibility deeply and gently.
To begin healing, stillness is important. The mind has the ability to both
feed and starve disease, therefore it makes sense to sever mental and
emotional ties to what made us unwell in the first place. But to peel away
mental layers to finally recognize the real cause of suffering takes time.
And even when you finally reach that last recognition, then what?
Sometimes I find that you can try everything but still not get better. In
times like these, I found great value in acceptance and letting go. I know
that things are bad and can become much worse. Instead of hoping for the
best, I prepare for the worst. Sometimes our worst fears can materialize and
at other times, they don’t. But no matter what happens, we always find the
strength to make it through. That is the beauty of human existence—we are
born, we hope, we get hurt and no matter how bad it may be, eventually we
all get through it.
 1
SOUND HEALING

Everyone has different coping mechanisms. Some choose to sleep, others

like to exercise and there are those (like me) who like to submerge
themselves in work. But no matter how you rest and recover, it is safe to
assume that everyone loves music. Sound has the ability to uplift the mood,
it acts as a distraction and helps disconnect from stress. Music can make us
feel energetic, melancholic, nostalgic, romantic or even gleeful. Sound, be it
words or music, can be used as a weapon or a warm blanket. But our inner
conversations matter much more than external sounds. Sound is both
tangible and intangible. In fact, in yogic science the internal sounds of the
body are of utmost importance to raise consciousness and connect with the
energy of the universe.

The Origin of Sound

In the Indian context, music therapy comes from the school of nada yoga,
which traces the origin of sound. According to this school of thought, sound
is of two types—ahata, the struck sound and anahata, the unstruck sound.
Most sounds we listen to are struck sounds, made by striking two objects,
like the tongue and the mouth, the fingers and the guitar or drums etc.
Indeed, these sounds are crucial as they can change our mood. However, for
spiritual work, the most important sound is the unstruck sound, for instance,
silent japa or mantra meditation, where we repeat the mantra mentally,
feeling its vibrations without moving the mouth of the tongue.
Nada yoga literally means ‘union through sound’, as it is believed that
the universe was first made of sound vibrations. One example of the
universal sound is ‘Om’. When we connect to the unstruck sound, whether
it is through silent chanting of mantras or just focusing on the internal
sounds of the body, it brings us closer to our own energetic frequencies.
According to this ancient science, everything in the universe hums with its
own rhythm. By connecting to these subtle sounds and frequencies, nada
yogis become one with the universal energies. If you close your ears with
your fingers, you will be able to listen to your own internal frequency, just
like the sounds of waves in seashells.

Tuning Inwards

To tune into these subtle, inner sounds, nada experts suggest you listen to a
piece of relaxing music like the sitar and iktara for about 10-15 minutes,
then close your eyes and try to listen to the echo of these sounds. Do it daily
if you have the inclination. The nada school also suggests that our bodies
are made with five elements—earth, water, fire, air and space. Out of these,
the spatial element is the most primal because before everything took form,
there was only space. Ancient texts suggest that this element is directly
related to our sense of hearing. In fact, many years back, my healer told me
that our sense of hearing, which incidentally is ruled by the space element,
is the closest to the divine.
Interestingly, an old study found that listening to Mozart’s ‘Sonata for
two pianos (K448)’ led to better spatial reasoning. The Mozart effect is a
term that was coined as a direct result of this study, where it was believed
that listening to Mozart can boost brain power, even though the study only
talks about boosting spatial reasoning and that too for a period of 15
minutes. Still, whether it’s boosting creativity or soothing the mind, the
therapeutic effects of sound cannot be denied. All cultures around the world
have their own variation of sound healing. Tibetans have their singing
bowls, the Japanese have their sahari orin (Buddhist bells) that are said to
purify the environment with sound, and we have our own set of Hindustani
classical instruments.
Ayurveda has several theories based on sound and its impact on the
doshas. For instance, a sturdy, kapha-dominant person can listen to ‘hard’
music, which could mix several types of instruments, tempos and
frequencies. Compare that to a more delicate, easily disturbed vata
personality, who can get drained by the same sounds and will find music
that is softer, smoother and unidimensional more healing. It’s worth noting
that as we age, the vata element increases in the body, which, among other
things, also makes the body drier. Therefore, the type of music that we
found energizing in youth becomes draining as we advance in years.

Rooted in Tradition

Ragas are a great example of sounds to suit the mood. For instance, the
optimistic tempo of raga bhatiyar is perfect for dawn as compared to the
solemn raga marwah, which is suited for dusk. Then there is raga chikitsa,
used for its therapeutic effects on the body. A paper exploring the effect of
ragas by capturing EEG signals in the brain lists the ten parent ragas and
their usage: bhairav and bhairavi are both morning ragas, the former played
at daybreak. Asavari is a romantic morning raga, while bilawal, played at
the same time, conveys joy. If meditation is part of your a.m. ritual, then
raga todi bestows a meditative atmosphere. Kafi can be played at any time
for its shringar/romantic mood, while purvi is an afternoon raga for
serenity. Among evening ragas, there’s the aforementioned marwah for its
ascetic mood, bilawal for joy, kalyan and khamaj for peace and happiness.
There are also ragas with very specific effects on the brain. For instance,
raga nilambari can aid sleep while raga bhupali serves as an invitation to
wake up. Bilahari helps alleviate melancholy and sama raga is said to
reduce anxiety. However, alternative therapies must be treated as part of the
whole line of treatment, which includes consulting a mental health
professional.
Mantras are another example of healing with sounds. It is believed that
when mantras are chanted verbally, they purify the environment. When
chanted silently, they work from within, healing the individual or the inner,
etheric body. But the science of mantras must be studied and practised
under an experienced teacher. Typically, a mantra is highly individualized
and recommended by a teacher.
Still, within the sphere of sound healing, I have found guided mantra
meditations that bestow a sense of peace. For instance, there’s chakra
meditation, with repetitions of various a syllables assigned to every chakra
—‘lam’ for the root, ‘vam’ for the sacral, ‘ram’ for the solar plexus, ‘yam’
for the heart, ‘ham’ for the heart and ‘om’ for both the third eye and the
crown.

The Modern Relevance of Sound

Music can transport us wherever we want, we don’t need need research to

prove this. It can make us energetic, relaxed, joyful or melancholic.
Lullabies put babies to sleep. Celebrations are incomplete without dance
and music. Sounds, words, melodies have the ability to build or destroy the
mood. Today we’re living in an age where our senses are heavy with
overstimulation—be it the eyes, tired with never-ending visuals, or ears
loaded with sounds of traffic, airplanes, loudspeakers, sirens, and chatter. In
fact, noise annoyance is now recognized as an important environment
stressor, linked to depression and anxiety. On the contrary, natural sounds
have been proven to increase focus and feelings of relaxation. It’s no
surprise then that most of us who live in the city and spend time connected
to our mobiles and tablets are anxious.
One way or another, our brain is always working, primarily with four
main frequencies. The first is the beta wave, at 15 to 40 cycles a second.
This is when our mind is highly engaged. If you’re making a speech, you’re
in high beta. Then come the alpha waves at 9 to 14 cycles a second. This is
when we take a break from work, sip a cup of tea or go for a walk. The
third is the theta wave with 5 to 8 cycles a second. We’re in theta state when
we’re daydreaming, running, painting or meditating. Sometimes when
we’re in the shower we get a brilliant idea. This happens when the mind is
in the theta frequency. The last is delta at 1 1/2 to 4 cycles a second. This
happens when we sleep.
 Music is known to increase alpha and decrease beta activity over time.
For instance, a popular modality for sound healing are binaural beats. These
are supposed to create an auditory illusion with two different frequencies in
each ear, giving the impression of a third rhythmic beat. For instance, if two
different beats of close frequencies are presented at the same time, say 400
hz to the left ear and 440 hz to the right, the difference between the two (in
this case 40 hz) is the frequency perceived by the brain. When this happens,
it is believed that the neurons start sending signals at the same rhythm as
this beat, increasing feelings of relaxation.
Scientific reports on this are mixed, even though many people report
feeling relaxed after listening to binaural beats. For every study that refutes
sound healing, there’s another that supports it. These findings aren’t just
limited to binaural beats. There is a report that claims the sound of drums
helps reduce substance abuse as part of the complementary therapy.
Another says that the sound of Tibetan bowls helps reduce tension, anger
and fatigue. But can we only listen to sound and eliminate anger and worry?
Alternative therapies are best used as supportive remedies that are part of a
whole line of treatment. However, they can always be used just to take a
quick break and destress the mind. Of course, becoming a nada yogi
requires years of practice and learning. And any type of deep meditation
must always be learnt in person with a teacher.
But that isn’t to say there are no benefits. Sound can and must be utilized
to feel better. Listening to a favourite song always makes us feel good. But
just as favourite songs differ from one person to another, so does sound
healing. Some may enjoy an evening raga, while others prefer delta
meditation before going to bed. Some chant silent mantras, while others
enjoy the sound of rain.
I like sound healing because it is also the easiest meditative activity. Most
forms of meditation have a technique which can be mentally exhausting for
some. But sound healing is never exhausting. All you need is a sound you
like; then just sit or lie back and listen to it.
Sound healing in daily life:
 Use it to take a break. Listen to your choice of music/nature
1.
sound/binaural beat to energize yourself during a late afternoon
slump.
2. Use it to go to sleep. If you feel a little out of sorts, you could listen
to the chakra mantras before you go to bed.
3. Use it to energize yourself in the morning. Listen to up-tempo music
or a morning raga.
4. You can listen to sound in any manner. If you want something
relaxing and meditative, listen to it in bed. Lie on your back with
arms and legs spread apart, and listen to a healing meditation or even
your favourite piece of music.
5. Sound healing as passive meditation can help you disconnect from
thought without putting in too much effort.
6. We know that music is personal, therefore healing with sound is also
highly individualized. Make a choice based on your preferences, not
your friend’s or family member’s. What they find soothing could be
disturbing for you and vice versa.
 2
THE ART OF EATING

We’re living at a time when the word ‘superfood’ is part of everyday

language. We’re reasonably knowledgeable about herbs that boost
immunity, we have recipes for detoxifying smoothies and understand how
to count our macros in a meal. But despite all the knowledge, herbs and
superfoods at hand, we’re still not getting better. For some, especially those
with chronic disease, it feels like our bodies reject the nutrition that we so
carefully plan and consume. Could it be that we stop looking at food as
something that needs to be weighed, measured and counted? Is the
definition of nutrition only limited to the food we eat or does it go far
beyond what’s on the plate?
The truth is that it’s not just what’s on our plate, but how we eat, the
timing, posture and our relationship with food, that must all be considered
as a part of nutrition. We all have a million things on our to-do lists, which
is why we’re always rushed. Mealtimes are regularly sacrificed in a hurry:
we skip meals, eat quickly, at the wrong time, because work takes
precedence over well-being. But sacrificing meals and staying disconnected
to food decreases its positive impact. Because how we eat is as important as
what we eat.

1. Chew Well

Ayurveda recommends chewing each morsel 30 to 50 times, but most of us

don’t chew our food thoroughly. We know now that chewing thoroughly
prevents overeating and helps release gut hormones that signal secretion of
enzymes leading to better digestion and absorption of nutrients. From a
spiritual point of view, it helps us connect better with food, therefore our
bodies accept the nourishment provided.

2. Sit Straight

How we sit while we eat and what we do after meals also affects digestion.
Slouching over during and after meals leads to poor gut health—just think
of how you’re compressing your organs. When we hunch, slouch or lie
down after a meal, it can increase bloating and stomach distress. When the
spine is curved forward it contracts the abdomen, which means there’s less
space for the food to move around. This contracted abdomen also sends
stomach acid in the wrong direction.

3. Walk After a Meal

Poor posture during and after meals also affects how the food passes
through the digestive tract. We don’t even need evidence for this. Just eat a
meal and lie down for a nap. See how that feels versus when you eat a meal
and walk for 10 minutes. Ayurveda recommends we walk at least 100 steps
after meals for better digestion. Try walking those steps and you’ll find that
the difference in bloating and digestion is remarkable.

4. Don’t Eat Till You’re Full

Another simple food rule suggested by traditional sciences is to stop eating

when the stomach is two thirds full. In Japan, the phrase ‘hara hachi bu’
meaning eat till you’re 80 per cent full, originated in Okinawa, an island,
known to have a high percentage of centenarians. It takes time for the brain
to register that the stomach is full. Eat slowly and only till where you’re just
about satisfied. This helps prevent the bloated feeling after a meal, which
often leads to abdominal discomfort.

5. Look Beyond Nutrition

If you look at the food habits of people who live in blue zones (areas where
people live the longest), you’ll find that it’s all balancing daily practices.
They primarily eat a plant-based diet with vegetables, legumes, oils and
grains that grow naturally in their region. The diet is low in processed food
but contains bits of fish and meat that are used mostly as condiments to
flavour the food. They walk a lot as part of their daily routine, and not like
us city folk, who limit it to just an hour in the evening. They fast weekly,
take daily naps (shorter than 30 minutes), and have healthy social and
familial connections. Therefore, it isn’t just about the amount of nutrients in
food but also balancing the various aspects of wellness—physical,
emotional and spiritual.

Food and Circadian Rhythms

In 2020, the world shut down. The lockdown either perfected your daily
routine, or destroyed it. I’ve always had a changing relationship with
wellness—either I’m in my sattvic phase, sleeping before 10 p.m., waking
up at dawn—or going to bed and waking up late. I went through both
phases in the lockdown. When I felt emotionally settled, I was disciplined.
Of course, it’s difficult to follow a strict routine when the mind is disturbed.
But going to bed later disturbed my sleep quality making me feel lethargic
later in the day. Being disciplined requires and provides mental stability so
it’s a bit of a catch-22 situation. Still, it’s a no-brainer that by just following
the circadian rhythms improves sleep quality, energy levels and digestion.

Traditional Body Clock

In TCM, the health of the liver is connected to the health of the rest of the
organs. When it functions well, it regulates chi (the life force within the
body), facilitates the process of digestion and absorption, regulates the flow
of blood and manages emotions. The peak time for the liver to work
according to the Chinese clock is between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. TCM
textbooks, such as Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford,
recommend that meals be taken as further away from this time of the liver.
Because for it to work properly all digestion must be complete.
A simple meal of grains and legumes takes 3 hours in the stomach and
another 3 hours in the intestines. In Ayurveda, it is advised that meats and
fish be eaten in the day because of their long digestion time—red meat
takes up to 8 hours to be digested, chicken 6 hours and fish 4 hours. This is
why our traditional system of do waqt ki roti instead of three meals in the
day works better for smooth functioning of the internal organs. The last
meal of the day must always be the lightest, so that it can get adequately
digested before ‘liver time’.
Ayurvedic practitioners also recommend eating grains at lunch because
around noon, the metabolic fire or agni is at its peak. From the TCM
perspective, if the meal is eaten with an hour of noon, it falls during the
heart/mind time. This means that our intuition is better, what and how much
to eat is clearer, therefore food decisions are wiser.
But the biggest rule for eating intuitively is to eat simply, and only when
hungry. Overstimulating food such as a bag of chips or a juicy burger are
designed to make the mouth water even when you’re not hungry. This is
why partaking in simple meals is very important, because they help change
your palate.

Eat right:

• Sit straight when you eat.

• Walk 100 steps after a meal.
• Drink water sparingly during a meal.
• Do not drink cold water/chilled drinks with a meal as it can make
saturated fats congeal.
• Stay connected to your food, avoid scrolling on the phone or
watching television.
• Eat your biggest meal at noon.
• Synchronize mealtimes with circadian rhythms.
• Keep dinner light.
 Ayurveda recommends you eat sweets at the beginning of the meal to
•
feel satiated. Or keep dessert to be eaten in between meals as a
snack.
• Ideal mealtimes are: breakfast between 7 and 9 a.m., lunch between
11 a.m. and 1 p.m., dinner between 4 and 7 p.m.
• According to TCM, if you’re eating high protein foods, keep them at
the beginning of the meal so that they get broken down with the
stomach acids that haven’t yet been used.
• Keep meals simple. This means one type of grain and one protein.
Mixing too many grains and proteins in a meal makes it harder to
digest.
• Sprouting grains, legumes and seeds makes them more digestible,
and increases their nutritional content.
• Both TCM and Ayurveda recommend cooked foods for those with
weak digestion.
• Practising gratitude towards food, either by praying before a meal or
being attentive towards it, improves our relationship with what we
eat.
 3
JOURNALLING

Writing is therapeutic for me, whether it’s work or writing in my diary,

especially when there’s something that I need to unravel about myself.
Journalling is extremely relaxing for me, because I don’t need to be
prolific. I write whatever comes to my mind, the words flow easily, without
judgement, because they are for my eyes only. It is one way to see myself
clearly and think freely.
Journalling gives me clarity of thought. We always advise people to look
at a situation through a third person’s perspective. Writing is one way to do
that because it takes the thoughts out of your mind and on to paper. When
thoughts are written in black and white, it provides more clarity than when
they’re just floating in your mind. Sometimes it’s like letting go and at
others, it provides you the material to resolve something methodically.
When you journal regularly, it’s interesting to go back a couple of years
to see how far you’ve come. You may have not even come very far, or the
written words don’t matter to you anymore, but they could bring closure
and a sense of moving on. Also, the words remind what you must never go
back to again. We psyche our minds to shut out painful memories and
choose the ones that we want to remember. This is a coping mechanism, but
the goal of journalling is not just to resist painful memories and grasp at
positive ones, but to acknowledge all memories and their accompanying
emotions.
When journalling is done in this manner, then neuroplasticity, which is
the ability of our brains to change in both form and function, can happen as
the synapses (the connection between neurons) get more sensitive, and new
neurons grow when used repeatedly, for instance, when we recall a memory.
But the thing with our mind is that it adds a subjective tint to our memories,
by subconsciously factoring who we are, and what we feel and believe at
the time of recollection. So every time we recall something, it is changed
and more charged.
Because of this, journalling also serves as a reality check. Whether it’s an
incident or your feelings, there’s no denying that something or someone
made you feel a certain way when it’s been documented on paper.
Therefore, journalling helps to track our patterns of thinking, its
improvements and changes over time.

How to Begin

Writing our most intimate thoughts can be intimidating, even for the most
seasoned writer. So how does one write the truth and can it be easy? Like
anything else, writing also improves with practice. Those who haven’t
exercised this muscle may feel a little stuck but when this happens, you
may want to introspect for a few moments beforehand. There’s no need to
rush into it. Explore what or who made you happy/sad, what exactly
happened, what is it that you wanted to do differently. If you feel
particularly stuck, then doodling, drawing or watercolours can take the
place of words.
You could also pick one affirmation and write it down every day. One of
my favourite affirmations is ‘Every day in every way I get better and
better.’ I like this because this applies to getting better in any aspect of your
life, be it health, work, confidence or your spiritual journey. As you write,
imagine yourself healing and improving. This too is therapeutic.
Another way to look at journaling is a way to explore yourself.
Sometimes other people know more about us than we do. It could be
because we’re always thinking of what others are thinking, which is why
we’re afraid to express ourselves and put our needs last that causes a
disconnect with our true nature. In this case, journaling is a way to get to
know yourself better. ‘What are the qualities that I like in people?’ ‘What
will I never tolerate?’ ‘What do boundaries mean for me?’ ‘Why do I find it
difficult to say no?’ It’s easy to become more cognizant about your likes
and dislikes when they’re listed down clearly.
The good thing about writing therapy is that it is comes with minimal
side effects, and over time, can give insights about patterns that could go
unnoticed when thoughts remain in the mind. However, in rare cases, it
could be detrimental for those who have no support. If writing about
traumatic events causes severe distress, it is advisable to contact a mental
health professional. For therapeutic benefits, it is recommended to write
15–20 minutes a day. However, if you intend to cultivate writing as a ritual
for a lifetime, start slow by writing for a few minutes and slowly build up
every day.
Writing has always helped me release something—be it mental clutter
thrown on papers as a to-do list or writing about a deeply emotional
experience and deleting the file immediately to erase any record of dark
thoughts. I write on my laptop, make bullet points on my phone, I have a
special silk-lined journal for my experiences. It’s this journal that I turn to
when I want guidance. Just flipping back a few pages reminds me of
previous experiences that I’d forgotten. Sometimes they’re a reminder of a
dark past and at other times, they’re a reminder to show how much I’ve
progressed.
Sometimes, when I have nothing to write, I’ll write about how I envision
my future or how I want to transform as a person. When I was younger, we
were told that too much reading and writing would run our eyesight. But
today, as we stare with rapt fascination at our screens, doom-scrolling and
unable to stop, journaling provides a safe shelter. It’s immensely private,
healing, thought-provoking and transformative. If you’re the kind of person
who doesn’t want the spiritual mumbo-jumbo of a yogic practice, but still
wants to calm an overactive mind, try writing in a journal to unburden
yourself.

Writing Pointers

• Don’t write for anyone else, only write for yourself.

 If the task overwhelms you, answer a question: what feelings do I
•
have that I want to recognize today? What do I hate today? What do I
love today? Where do I want to be in a year? What’s bothering me?
The pros and cons of a job or a relationship.
• It could just be a factual record, such as what you ate in a day.
• Just like any other ritual, writing is all about practice. The more you
do it, the easier it flows.
• Write for as long as you want to; for therapeutic benefits, 15-20
minutes are recommended.
• Always mark the dates on a fresh note in your journal. This helps
you track your progress and keep records.
PILLAR III

Rest
 ‘We are going to the moon that is not very far. Man has so much farther to go within
himself.’
—Anaïs Nin, The Diary of Anaïs Nin

The problem with sleep is that we expect it to be instantaneous—close

your eyes and it will come. But we cannot switch from active to rest mode
in one fell swoop. Our minds, emotions and body all need to be prepared
during the evening for relaxation, just like we prepare in the morning for
activity. Some people avoid caffeine during in the afternoon, others skip an
afternoon nap to ensure they feel sleepy at night. Either way, it is up to you
to find a personalized routine that will help you get a good night’s rest.
Because we cannot expect sleep to come just because we want it to. If you
want to rest well, you have to prioritize and prepare for it.
Perhaps it is considered futile in the modern world because we don’t
really ‘do’ anything when asleep. Tangible results from productivity are of
high value, therefore activities such as exercising, working, researching,
studying or even scrolling on social media take precedence. But the reality
is that qualitative hours of sleep enhance the body’s function, priming it to
be more productive during the day.
Sleep converts short-term memory into long-term memories. It erases
superfluous information that may clutter the nervous system and cause
undue stress, thereby providing emotional stability. Quality sleep regulates
glucose levels and boosts immunity.
Interestingly, the inner world of your body is working hard to detoxify
and repair itself, even though you may be immobile while you sleep. The
brain is active when you’re at rest, storing memories and getting rid of toxic
waste. The body releases various hormones during the different stages of
sleep, therefore a lack of it poorly effects the endocrine system. When
you’re active, the body needs to support all outward functions such as
movement and digestion. It’s only when you’re completely at rest does it
get the chance to work inwards.
High energy levels, better cognitive ability, heart health, immunity and
reduced inflammation are just a few among the multitude of benefits that
are bestowed by sleep. People who sleep well lead healthier, happier and
longer lives. If you’re a doer, you can enhance the quality of every activity
just by replenishing the body’s reserves at night. Sleep is the best anti-
depressant, the best supplement, the magic brew that makes everything
better. It isn’t an occasional booster shot, but must be prioritized and
planned for every single day.
Wellness is all about balancing the opposites—to eat and fast, work and
play, activity and rest. We work so we can earn the means to live our
aspired lives. But when you have a high-stress job, there is a chance you
spend a substantial chunk of those earnings on health. Rest reduces stress
and inflammation, which means that even if it can’t completely prevent
disease, it can certainly reduce its severity.
If you want qualitative sleep, you must begin preparation a couple of
hours before bed. During this time, every mental and physical activity must
be intended towards rest. This means minimal stimulation, be it books,
movies or podcasts. Enjoy winding down the day, soothe yourself with
healing spices and herbs infused into a tea. Practise breathwork that helps
you disconnect from the day so that the mind is calm before bed.
Sometimes, even (or especially) when the body is exhausted, the mind
can keep us up at night. I find that the worst, most fatalistic thoughts come
through after dark. Ordinary worries about unfinished assignments, or
imaginative fantasies about disease and disaster, are all projected by a
fertile mind. It’s difficult to rein in the disturbing chain of thoughts. I try to
distract myself by reading a book or a phone call, but when I feel inclined, I
like to observe these thoughts—where they come from and where they’re
leading. To do this, I find that using a technique always results in a calmer
mind, as opposed to a freestyle dip into my mind, which ends up entangling
my thoughts even more.
Evenings are a wonderful time to unwind by tuning into the esoteric
world of mantras, guided meditation and breathwork. The breath is in fact
the best tool for mind control. Just like it can be used to energize the body
in the morning, it can also be channelized to calm the mind at the end of the
day. Breathwork helps the body switch from the sympathetic to the
parasympathetic nervous system—the former rules activity, while the latter
rules rest and restoration. Because of this calming effect, pranayama has
been proven to reduce blood pressure and improve sleep. Whether it’s via
longer exhalations or breathing into the abdomen, pranayama offers several
practices that help you rest better.
Bedtime rituals are of utmost importance because they send signals to the
body and mind that it is time to relax. Relaxing massages, soothing
beverages or calming meditative techniques work in a synchronistic
manner, taking you one step after another into a state of complete rest. For
me, my nightly face massage marks the cut-off time for activity. After I’ve
worked my skin with the energy and intention to relax, it seems
unnecessary to let anything come into my sacred space, least of all social
media.
A friend once told me that the beginning of the day is about hope, while
the end of the day must be about gratitude. When we begin, we must always
do so with the expectation that things will go well and when we end, for our
own peace of mind, it is prudent to appreciate what went right. While it is
essential to critically assess what went wrong during the day, your bed isn’t
the place to do it. Because even on the worst day, there is always something
that went right.
 1
PREPARING FOR REST

Sleep, like love, happens naturally, when it’s least expected. It’s never
forced, which is why overthinking makes it all the more elusive. Therefore,
it is critical to ensure that the body and mind are completely relaxed by the
time you go to bed. Planning and preparing may sound complicated, but it
merely implies that you need to make relaxation a priority.
There’s no point reading a thriller, scrolling on social media or watching
a highly stimulating mini-series before bed, because they energize and
engage the mind instead of relaxing it. In addition to screen time being
upsetting/exciting, the light from your phone or tablet also suppresses
melatonin, a hormone that becomes activated after dark and signals to the
body that it’s time to rest.
Of course, not everyone has the privilege to avoid high-energy
conversations before bed, but we do have a choice to keep the phone away.
Because the chatter of thousands of people on social media is infinitely
more disturbing than engaging with family at home. For many of us, the
phone has become an escape, a distraction or something to do. Let’s not
forget that for most of us, our screen time is a few hours every day. So, we
all have the time to squeeze out several minutes to practise a ritual that—
mentally and physically—removes the baggage that may clog the mind.

Elevate Your Feet

Putting your feet up after a long day is more than just an idiom. In both
traditional and modern sciences, lifting your feet helps aid relaxation. Most
of us have sedentary jobs, because of which the circulation becomes
sluggish. As we are seated for hours at a time, it can lead to problems such
as blood clots, swollen feet and ankles. Therefore, by elevating the feet
above the chest level, we can direct all that blood back towards the heart
and brain, releasing pressure from the lower limbs.
When we reverse the gravitational pull, the veins have to work less to
push the blood towards the heart. But being upside down has myriad
benefits, especially in yoga. The practice of inversions, for instance, is said
to convert sexual energy into spiritual energy. When we’re inverted, the
breathing becomes slower and the mind is more relaxed and therefore, less
excited. Inversions also help improve meditative practices, but they must
only be learnt from a teacher. A seasoned guru will teach you how not to
put pressure on your neck and shift it towards the shoulders. However,
gentler variations of inversions can be practised safely at home and will
help you feel relaxed and comforted after a long day.

Supported Vipritkarni

The gentler variation of the full shoulder stand, the vipritkarni is restorative
for the body. To make it even more relaxing, you can use the wall for
support. This is a wonderful pose after a stressful day or an especially hard
workout. While shoulder stands always require a warm-up, you can get into
this supported version without one and it is guaranteed to make you feel
good. The legs above the wall give you a sense of balance as the blood and
lymphatic fluids start flowing in the opposite direction, which bestows a
restful feeling.
While you can do this towards the end of the day, you can also get into
this pose during the afternoon during an energy slump. The only caveat is
that you must have eaten lunch about 2 hours prior, a fruit about an hour to
45 minutes beforehand or juice/water 20 minutes earlier.
• Roll out a yoga mat, a thick sheet, a carpet or a dhurrie close to the
wall.
• Bring your hips as close to the wall as possible and then gently swing
your legs up. You will need to wiggle your hips forward to bring
them in contact with the wall, so that the body can be in an ‘L’ shape
with your back on the mat and legs up the wall.
• If you feel a strain on your hamstrings, keep a little bit of distance
between your hips and the wall. If you find there to be some strain on
your lower back, place a cushion or bolster (horizontally) underneath
your back, right under your tailbone. You could also keep a small
cushion underneath your neck to support your head, if you feel the
need.
• Keep your legs and knees straight if your hamstrings are flexible; if
not, keep the legs apart and knees gently bent—the latter variation is
more relaxing.
• If you want to open your hamstrings and feel more grounded, place a
bolster on the soles of your feet for a few minutes.
• You could also keep your legs wide apart and let them slowly stretch
sideways to open the hips.
 Another variation is to join the soles of the feet with the knees apart,
• like you do in the butterfly pose, and keep your palms against the
inner thighs to slowly increase flexibility and get a deep stretch.
• Stay in the pose for between 5 and 10 minutes and while you’re here,
breathe deeply. Focus on a minimum of 25 deep breaths, tracing the
movement of your breath from the nostrils to the throat, down the
chest and stomach till the pelvic floor. Then trace the movement of
the exhale in the same manner from the pelvis till the nostril.
• You can even do this pose in your bed with the feet up the wall.
 2
BEVERAGES

There’s nothing more comforting than a pre-bed beverage. Whether it’s

warm milk with cocoa or a steaming cup of herbal tea, this ritual is
immensely relaxing and underlines the end of the day. I enjoy the feeling of
warmth in my belly and also find that certain beverages like triphala tea
give me a feeling of lightness before bed. Other times, when I’ve had a
particularly exhausting day, I choose a more restorative drink such as
turmeric milk that gives me a feeling of replenishment before I sleep. The
ritual remains the same but I tweak it regularly, changing it according to the
seasons and my body’s needs.
I usually go to bed with a mug of hot herbal tea in one hand and a small
cup of hot water in another. In this cup of hot water, I immerse a small
bottle of ghee to warm up, which takes barely a few moments. Then I put a
few drops of the warm, melted ghee into my navel and rub some on the
soles of my feet. By then, my tea has cooled down to a drinkable
temperature. I sip this tea slowly, usually reading something non-
stimulating, like a book on health/wellness/spirituality. In fact, reading a
book on sleep makes me feel most sleepy. By the time the tea is finished,
my eyes are rolling back into their sockets, and I’m ready for a good night’s
rest.
My favourite book to read before bed is Why We Sleep by Matthew
Walker. In his book—which I have extensively consulted to write these
chapters—Walker says that humans are the only animals who forcefully
keep themselves awake. Whether it’s to watch a mini-series, go for a party,
wait for a call, but mostly for no good reason, we always delay sleep. Even
though most activities can be postponed till the next day, we force ourselves
into a state of wakefulness. This is why bedtime hygiene is important. Daily
rituals help streamline your evening instead of getting pulled into a vortex
of stimulation.

Milk Instead of Caffeine

Coffee must be avoided the afternoon onwards as it can take up to 7 hours

for it to be metabolized by the body. Evening beverages must be taken
either for better sleep, digestion or to calm the mind. Whether you opt for a
nostalgia-inducing a mug of hot cocoa or a new-age moon milk, if they’re
made with good quality dairy, they will enhance sleep. Milk contains
tryptophan, an amino acid that gets metabolized into niacin, serotonin and
melatonin, which collectively help you sleep better. Other sources of
tryptophan include tuna, chicken, turkey, oats, nuts, seeds and chocolate.

Restorative Teas

The second amino acid to aid sleep is L-Theanine, which promotes

relaxation at night and attentiveness during the day. Animal studies show
that it increases the production of serotonin and dopamine along with
GABA (gamma amino butyric acid), all of which are calming
neurotransmitters. It has been found that a combination of L-theanine and
GABA decreases the time it takes to go to sleep and increases its duration.
Both L-Theanine and GABA are found in green and black tea, which is
why (despite the caffeine content) drinking a cup of tea is infinitely more
calming than coffee. However, if you choose to drink tea before bedtime,
choose the decaffeinated variety. You can also drink teas with mulethi
(yashti madhu) or tulsi as they help calm the mind (for directions see pg.
100 in SUN).

Ayurvedic Herbs

Traditional medicines prescribe several herbs for better sleep. Among these,
tagara, jatamansi, ashwagandha, brahmi and tulsi are the most calming for
the mind. Tagara and jatamansi both come from the valerian family and are
used specifically for sleep. While both bestow a sense of calm, tagara may
be better than jatamansi in initiation of sleep, its quality and duration. This
is because tagara contains a higher percentage of valepotriates, which are
the active ingredient in valerian, that make it a potent sedative. They work
by preventing the breakdown of GABA (a neurotransmitter mentioned
above). Consult your doctor before you take any ayurvedic herbs if you’re
pregnant. In fact, both jatamansi and tagara must be taken in consultation
with an ayurvedic physician, who can help you with the correct dosage.
Let’s also not forget the ever-popular ashwagandha, which helps
strengthen the nerves and reduce cortisol, the stress hormone, in the body.
This root is prized because at one end, it helps increase mental and physical
stamina and on the other, it also helps improve sleep quality and reduce
insomnia. It can, however, be drying, therefore I prefer to take it with a bit
of animal fat, i.e., either a teaspoon with a cup of milk or with another
teaspoon of ghee. If you’re vegan, take it with a cup of hot water.
 3
BREATHWORK FOR RELAXATION

When we’re stressed, we often forget to breathe. We all know that breathing
deeply leads to a calmer mind, but do you know why that happens? A
recently discovered neural pathway in the brain, was found to adjust various
levels of emotions depending on how we breathe. In our physical body,
slow, deep breathing lowers blood pressure, reduces free radical load and
strengthens the respiratory muscles. If you’ve practised pranayama, you
don’t need a scientific study to tell you that it helps lighten the mind—you
know it by experience.
Before going to bed, when the brain is buzzing and heavy with the
happenings of the day, breathwork can help release excessive thoughts to a
certain degree. Of course, breathwork for the evening is entirely different
from what we practise in the morning. If sunrise practices are done after
sunset, it would lead to an increase in energy, which is best avoided if you
wish to sleep at night. The ground rules remain the same—the spine must
be straight, and the stomach must be empty as you practise. This means 2
hours after a full meal and 1 hour after a snack.
You could also choose to do the evening pranayama between the hours of
3 and 5 p.m. According to Ayurveda, this is vata time, governed by the
energies of air and space, the same dosha that dominates the early morning
hours (3-5 a.m.), making these hours perfect for meditative work. But if you
wish to practise it before bed, do it, because it will help you release your
thoughts. I sometimes like to meditate just before bedtime. This isn’t
recommended because meditation is never perfect when one is sleepy. In
fact, depending on your practice, some types of meditation can even
energize you before bed. But I sometimes do it as it puts me in the mood to
sleep. Sure, my meditation may not be attentive or perfect, but at least I rest
well.

Brahmari

Translated literally, brahmari means humming bee, which is the sound you
hear when you practise this pranayama. The internalized buzzing sound
reverberates through the body and helps break the tempo of a running mind.
It helps reduce heart rate, blood pressure and stress levels, thereby making
the mind calmer. If you’re feeling anxious, practise this for 5 minutes to
break the chain of disturbing thoughts. This is best practised early morning
or late at night, though it can also be done at any time whenever you’re
anxious, overthinking or stressed.

1. Sit either in a comfortable cross-legged position or on a chair with

both feet on the floor. Do not cross your legs if seated on the chair.
Also, never practise this lying down.
2. Close both ears with your thumbs. Makes sure all the muscles in
your face are soft and loose. You front teeth should be slightly apart.
3. Inhale all the way into your belly and exhale making an extended
‘hum’ sound. Don’t over-exhale—the sound should be even and
continuous. Also, you shouldn’t need to gulp the next inhale.
4. If you can, keeping your eyes closed, focus on the point between
your brows.
5. If you want a variation, you can also replace the ‘hum’ with an ‘om’
sound, keeping your lips lightly closed.
6. Repeat 5 to 7 times.
7. Avoid if you have an ear infection.

Did you know?

Long, sharp exhales calm the nervous system. Therefore, focusing on

longer exhales is a great practice to prepare the body for rest.
Belly Breathing

When we’re stressed, our natural instincts guide us to breathe deeply.

Inhaling and exhaling into the belly is a more relaxed state of breathing.
This is how children breathe but as we grow older, our breaths become
shallower. It’s only when we consciously try to relax ourselves that we
breathe deep into the belly. When I used to teach yoga, I’d ask students to
breathe not just into the belly but deep into the pelvic floor. When we’re
always in a state of stress, I find that we tighten and clench the entire pelvis,
including the glutes. Breathing as deeply as possible helps release the
tightness in the abdomen and pelvis.
Sometimes I’d also add visualization along with deep abdominal
beathing right in the beginning of class. I would ask students to imagine
their breath to be a large fishing net that would shore up negative emotions
with an inhale and throw them out with an exhale. This would work as a
temporary release to help them focus on the class. You could try this
visualization to help eliminate stressful thoughts.
However, with deep-seated anxiety, depression and/or sleep problems, it
is essential to consult a mental health professional or a somnologist. But
even then, deep breathing can work as a complementary therapy to aid
relaxation as it helps reduce levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) and
could help you sleep better.

• Lie down on your back with a thin pillow under your head, keeping
your legs apart, your left hand on your chest and right hand on your
belly.
• Inhale slowly and deeply, first into your chest, then upper and lower
belly, and last into your pelvis. If you’re clenching your glutes,
unclench them.
• Breathe out from your pelvis, lower and upper abdomen, chest and
exhale through the mouth.
• Feel the rise and fall of your belly.
 Breathe only as deeply as you’re comfortable. Both the inhale and
•
exhale should be smooth and not laboured.
• Start with 10 deep breaths and move up to 25.
Like any other pranayama, this too must be practised on an empty
•
stomach.
• You can add a visualization if you like—either utilizing the breath as
a giant fishnet or imagining it as a source of golden light filling up
the body. You can also do this along with sound healing, using one of
the Solfeggio frequencies.

4-7-8 Breath

This is another technique, which helps reduce levels of cortisol. In fact, the
three pranayamas mentioned in this chapter can be practised one after
another—brahmari while seated, belly breathing lying down, and finally
this breath right at the end. Dr Andrew Weil, integrative medicine
practitioner and teacher, devised this ratio of breath to be practised
regularly, which (over time) relaxes the mind and helps you ease into sleep.

• Lie down or sit straight. Keep your facial features and mouth
relaxed.
• Place the tip of the tongue gently behind the upper front teeth
without tightening the mouth, tongue or jaw.
• Inhale to the count of 1-4.
• Hold the breath to the count of 1-7.
• Exhale slowly to the count of 1-8.
• Do 4 cycles to begin and then increase the number. Practise this
twice a day to feel more relaxed over time.

Physiological Sighs

The pattern of two inhales through the nose followed by a long exhale
through the mouth, similar to when we cry. Sighing helps relieve tension
in those undergoing stress, therefore this technique may help relax the
body and offload tension.
 4
SLEEP POSTURE

If you’re lucky, you spend a third of your life sleeping. Unfortunately, most
of our attention is diverted to our waking hours, even though most of us are
severely sleep-deprived. A good night’s rest isn’t time wasted. To say that
sleep is a little death would only be accurate in the sense that when you do
sleep deeply, it is like being born again. But, sleep is far from death because
it feeds the brain. When well-rested, the brain is able to retain new
learnings, boost memory while at the same time increasing emotional
intelligence and creativity. It may seem like you can’t get any work done
while you’re asleep but the fact is that sleep enhances each and every
function in your body, whether it’s memory, immunity, appearance or
functionality.
Among primates, only humans sleep flat on the ground or on the bed.
This is because we have the highest proportion of REM sleep when the
muscles go completely slack, at 20–25 per cent, as compared to primates,
who have only 9 per cent and therefore are able to sleep arboreally (on
trees). Scientists believe that it’s this higher proportion of REM sleep that
helped sharpen our minds and made us the leading species of our time.
To mine the innumerable benefits of deep slumber, it is important to
ensure you’re comfortable and also in a reasonably decent posture given
that in the deepest stages, our body goes completely slack. Going to bed in
the right posture has innumerable benefits, whether it’s to sleep well or
preserve spinal health. All of us have woken up to a sprain in the neck that
takes days to fade away. Seema Sondhi, my yoga guru, would sleep with a
tightly rolled hand towel placed under the thoracic region of her spine to
open her chest and improve her standing posture. Indeed, it requires
enormous discipline to utilize sleep to enhance the posture. But even if you
don’t want to make this time productive, ensuring you lie down correctly
will, at the very least, improve the quality of your slumber.

1. Before you sleep, lie down for 10 minutes on your left side. In
Ayurveda, this is called the vamkukshi position, considered the best
to sleep as it is believed to aid digestion, detoxification and
elimination. When you feel heavy or bloated, try to sleep on both
sides and you’ll find that the left side will help you feel lighter.
2. However, if you find that your mind is cluttered with overthinking,
turn towards your right. Turning towards your right will open the left
nostril. If you remember from the earlier chapters, one nostril is
always more open, which governs our thoughts and bodily functions.
The right nostril (pingala), ruled by the sun, is more active, while the
left nostril (ida), ruled by the moon, is more passive.
3. Keep your head supported with a thin pillow. It shouldn’t be so high
as to throw your neck out of alignment with the rest of your body.
4. Keep your legs slightly bent if you’re sleeping on the side. Tuck a
small cushion or pillow between your knees so that the hips don’t go
out of alignment and you’re comfortable during the night.
5. If you sleep on your back, place a pillow under your knees so that the
spine stays in a neutral position.
6. If you’ve been on your feet all day, slide a pillow under your feet to
elevate them a little, so they de-bloat and feel rested by the morning.
7. If you sleep on your stomach, keep a pillow under the pelvis to keep
your spine from dipping.
 5
SLEEP AND CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS

In traditional sciences, living according to the circadian rhythms—going to

bed and rising early—are key to a healthful life. In traditional medicine, be
it Ayurveda or TCM, the body is governed by an internal clock. According
to this ayurvedic clock, time is divided into four periods, each governed by
one of the three doshas. The best time to sleep is before 10 p.m. because 6-
10 p.m. belongs to the heavy kapha dosha, with slow and heavy elements of
earth and water. If you notice, you may feel tired and sleepy during this
time, an instinct that’s usually ignored because it is too early to sleep. After
10 p.m., the fiery pitta dosha takes over, giving you a second wind. This
boost of energy may be good for those who like to burn the midnight oil.
For others (like me, who are most productive in the morning), it would do
better to sleep before 10 p.m.
In the TCM organ clock, 24 hours are divided into 2-hour time slots, each
corresponding to a particular organ. The period between 9 and 11 p.m.
corresponds with the san jiao or the mysterious ‘triple burner’, which has
no Western anatomical equal. Roughly translated, the san jiao is the
meridian that influences the three ‘burners’ or ‘energizers’ in the body. The
first is on the lungs and chest, the second between the diaphragm and navel
and the third on the lower organs. Therefore, the san jiao corresponds with
the overall rejuvenation and restoration of all the organs in the upper,
middle and lower bodies. If you follow the TCM organ clock, then 9-11
p.m. is believed to be the right time to sleep as it triggers the internal repair
and restoration of the body. Additionally, if you sleep during this period,
you conserve energy required for internal bodily functions.

The Science of Sleep

Scientific studies show mixed results of synchronizing your sleep timings
with natural circadian rhythms. But to understand sleep, we need to look at
the two main stages of sleep NREM (non-rapid eye movement) and REM
(rapid eye movement), which happen cyclically through the night. The
former is a deep, dreamless sleep, which prevails in the first half of the
night, while the latter is when you dream, that happens more during the
second half on the night. Both stages of sleep are equally important—
NREM helps regenerate the body, repair tissue and boost immunity, while
REM sleep improves memory and learning.
Because REM sleep happens usually close to the morning, the ideal sleep
hygiene would be to go to bed without setting an alarm, so that you’re not
jolted out of bed, thereby starving the mind of the REM sleep it deserves.
To ensure you sleep without an alarm, you need to develop a disciplined
daily routine. In an ideal world, you’d be asleep by 11 p.m., sleep for over 7
hours and wake up without an alarm. Even if you can’t go to bed early,
being a night owl (those who are predisposed to sleeping late), it is essential
to cultivate a daily rhythm, so that the body can work with your sleeping
habits instead of having to readjust on a daily basis.
It’s not just the duration but consistency of sleep habits that counts.
Irregular sleep schedules are associated with increased risk of health
problems, such as obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. You
could make up the loss of sleep with an afternoon nap, but according to
Ayurveda, napping is recommended more for older adults and in warm
climates. Also, if you’re an insomniac, it may prevent you from sleeping
well at night.
Having said that, napping, when done right and for a short period, can
help catch up on lost sleep. The ideal duration to feel refreshed is about 30
minutes. It’s also essential to nap at the same time every day. If you can, do
it sitting in an armchair so that the upper body stays elevated, because
Ayurveda claims that lying down completely in the afternoon increases
toxins in the bloodstream.
Ultimately, whether your sleep is monophasic (only at night) or biphasic
(night and a nap in the day), a schedule is important so that the body knows
when to begin the wind-down. This is why rituals are important, as they
bring a sense of regularity in life.

The Sleep Mindset

If you’ve ever tried to give up smoking, you know that more than the actual
process, it is the determination that helps you kick the habit. The same is
with sleep. Today, we’re addicted to our tablets and smartphones. Because
there are a variety of options to keep us entertained the entire night, why
would anyone ever want to sleep? To get a good night’s rest, we have to
want and prioritize it more than anything else. There’s no podcast, series or
conversation that cannot be postponed till the morning. Sleep has to be
number one priority because it helps every function in our bodes—it’s an
anti-ageing pill, a memory enhancer, immunity booster all rolled into one.
But nobody can spoon-feed you that motivation; you need to find it from
within.

Easing out Stimulation

When we sleep well, we perform better the next day, our interpersonal
relationships are better, we’re inspired to work out, eat healthy and make
the right choices. On the contrary, when we don’t get enough sleep, we’re
not inspired to do anything at all. The first step of sleep hygiene then is to
put away your phone, which will only happen when you are determined.
Try replacing your smartphone or tablet with a book (especially one that is
mildly academic/slow-paced). It may not be as stimulating as social media,
but that is the whole point.
If you’re an overthinker, it may be a good idea to write down a list of
things to do the next day, lest you forget. In Ayurveda, this is especially
recommended for the ambitious pitta type. Vata types do well with a warm
oil foot massage that works to ground their flighty, anxious energy. Kapha
types usually don’t have a problem falling asleep—for them the problem is
oversleeping. But whether it’s journaling, meditation, massage or sound
healing, the idea is to wind down and destress. The mind cannot run at a
breakneck speed and then be expected to calm down and help you
fall asleep.
Someone like me, who gets stimulated easily, prefers to either read a
non-fiction/knowledge book or indulge in a sound bath before bed.
Personally, I find that sometimes even reading on my phone is okay as long
as I’m looking up information about beauty, health and wellness. For me,
these are comforting areas of interest. For you, it could be language,
astronomy or art history. If I get involved in an engaging conversation, I
stay awake longer. So even if I’m on my phone, I avoid social media
because I don’t want to be faced with excitement, fear, revulsion,
admiration or any other stimulating emotion right before bed.
The big worry is if we will be able to sleep at all. Often, the inability to
fall asleep is what keeps us up all night. I remember reading an article about
sleep management a while back on a particular night that I spent tossing and
turning. It was almost 4 a.m. and I couldn’t bear the thought of listening to
the birdsong in the morning after a night I had laid awake. So I picked up
my phone and looked up ‘what can you do when you can’t sleep all night’.
Among the various tips the author had given, one line stood out so
beautifully that I remember it to this day. A somnologist said something on
the lines of ‘ultimately you will go to sleep at some point, it may not come
soon enough but it will come for sure’. I felt comforted by that and have
worried a little bit less since then.
The paradox is that the moment we want to stay up is when we fall asleep
the soonest. So if I’m wakeful in the middle of the night I like to do
something, instead of just tossing in bed. I keep a heavy academic book,
with difficult concepts, on my bedside table. It could also be an old, classic
novel. Something heavy and verbose always makes me feel drowsy. But
that’s just me—we are all different and have different needs. Think about it
like this—we feel the sleepiest when we’re trying to stay awake. So instead
of tossing and turning waiting for it to come, engage yourself in something
boring. You could step out of the room for a few minutes, lie down and
listen to a guided meditation, journal your thoughts. If you wake up in the
middle of the night and aren’t able to go to sleep, try one of these, or
anything else that does not involve a screen.
Keep in mind that if sleep is a recurring problem, you may have a serious
sleep disorder, for which you must contact a somnologist. There are about
80 different types of sleep disorders and if you have one, it’s urgent you get
the correct diagnosis. Alternative medicine protocols when combined with
modern science work beautifully. Remember that sleep helps every other
function in the body. So, if you suffer from a sleep disorder, the best self-
care you can do is to visit the doctor and improve the quality of your life.
Think of sleep as nutrition. All of us have different needs when it comes
to hours and timings of rest, just like we do in food. But making it a priority
is essential for everyone. It’s only when we sleep that we can enjoy the day.
And it’s only when we live the day to the fullest that we can sleep at night.
 Bibliography

Introduction
Besedovsky L and Lange T, Born J. ‘Sleep and immune function’. Pflugers
Arch. 463(1) (January 2012):121-37. doi: 10.1007/s00424-011-1044-0.
Kinouchi, K., Sassone-Corsi, P. ‘Metabolic rivalry: circadian homeostasis
and tumorigenesis’. Nat Rev Cancer. 20, (2020): 645–661.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41568-020-0291-9.
Nota, J.A., Coles, M.E. Duration and Timing of Sleep are Associated with
Repetitive Negative Thinking. Cogn Ther Res 39, 253–261 (2015).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-014-9651-7.
Paddock, Catharine, Ph.D. ‘REM Sleep Helps Solve Problems’.
MedicalNewsToday. 9 June
2009.https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153189#1.
Serin Y, Acar. ‘Effect of Circadian Rhythm on Metabolic Processes and the
Regulation of Energy Balance’. Ann Nutr Metab. 74 (2019):322-330. doi:
10.1159/000500071.
Shin JE and Kim JK. ‘How a Good Sleep Predicts Life Satisfaction: The
Role of Zero-Sum Beliefs About Happiness’. Front Psychol. 28;9
(August 2018):1589. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01589.

Nurture
FACE MASSAGE— Cho, Yoon Soo, et al. ‘The effect of burn
rehabilitation massage therapy on hypertrophic scar after burn: A
randomized controlled trial’. Burns. Volume 40, Issue 8 (2014):1513-
1520.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305417914000655.
BODY MASSAGE—Agarwal, Kailash and Gupta, A & Pushkarna, R &
Bhargava, Krishnakant & Faridi, Mma & Prabhu, M. ‘Effects of massage
& use of oil on growth, blood flow & sleep pattern in infants’. The Indian
journal of medical research. 112. (2010): 212-7.
BODY MASSAGE—Vanitha, N., Prof. Annie Annal, M. and Dr. Renuka
K. ‘An experimental study to evaluate the effectiveness of application of
almond oil massage on breast feeding among postnatal mothers
undergone lscs at MGMCRI Puducherry’. Internation Journal of Current
Research. http://www.journalcra.com/article/experimental-study-
evaluate-effectiveness-application-almond-oil-massage-breast-feeding.
BODY MASSAGE—Nethravathi V and Vijaitha V. ‘Effectiveness of Clove
oil massage on Lower Back Pain among Post Natal Mothers at Selected
Hospitals, Bangalore’. Asian J. Nur. Edu. and Research 5(4) (October-
December 2015): 467-470. https://ajner.com/AbstractView.aspx?
PID=2015-5-4-5.
FACE MASSAGE—H. Nishimura, I. et al. ‘Amano Analysis of
morphological changes after facial massage by a novel approach using
three-dimensional computed tomography’. Skin Research & Technology,
Volume 23, issue 3 (22 November 2016).
https://doi.org/10.1111/srt.12345.
FACE MASSAGE—Caberlotto E, et al. ‘Effects of a skin-massaging
device on the ex-vivo expression of human dermis proteins and in-vivo
facial wrinkles’. PLoS One. 1;12(3) (March 2017):e0172624. doi:
10.1371/journal.pone.0172624.
FACE MASSAGE—Vinacci, John. ‘Human Physiology and Muscle
Anatomy for Massage Therapists’.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/EliteCME_WebSite_2013/f/pdf/MIL04HPI14.
pdf.
FACE MASSAGE—Chamberlain, Gail J. ‘Cyriax’s Friction Massage: A
Review’. The Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy.
https://www.jospt.org/doi/pdf/10.2519/jospt.1982.4.1.16.
FOOT MASSAGE— Sarmah, Jyoti Manab, et al. ‘A Conceptual Study on
Dristiprasadana of Padabhyagana’. International Ayurvedic Medical
 Journal. http://www.iamj.in/posts/2019/images/upload/1572_1575.pdf.
FOOT MASSAGE—Joshi, Nitesh and Ujwale, Ramesh. ‘A CLINICAL
STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF TILA TAILA PADABHYANGA ON
EYE STRAIN’. International Journal of Research in Ayurveda &
Pharmacy. 7. (2016):29-35. 10.7897/2277-4343.07250.
HEAD MASSAGE—Kim IH, et al. ‘The effect of a scalp massage on stress
hormone, blood pressure, and heart rate of healthy female’. J Phys Ther
Sci. 28(10) (October 2016):2703-2707. doi: 10.1589/jpts.28.2703.
HEAD MASSAGE—Koyama T, et al. ‘Standardized Scalp Massage
Results in Increased Hair Thickness by Inducing Stretching Forces to
Dermal Papilla Cells in the Subcutaneous Tissue’. Eplasty. 25;16
(January 2016):e8. PMID: 26904154.
HEAD MASSAGE—Murota M, et al. ‘Physical and Psychological Effects
of Head Treatment in the Supine Position Using Specialized Ayurveda-
Based Techniques’. J Altern Complement Med. 22(7) (July 2016):526-32.
doi: 10.1089/acm.2015.0388.
HEAL STUDY— Miquel-Kergoat, Sophie, et al. ‘Effects of chewing on
appetite, food intake and gut hormones: A systematic review and meta-
analysis’. Physiology & Behavior. Volume 151 (2015):88-96.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031938415300317.
HEAL STUDY—American Heart Association. ‘Dog ownership associated
with longer life, especially among heart attack and stroke survivors’.
ScienceDaily.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191008083121.htm.
HEAL STUDY— Beaulieu, Johnhttp. ‘BioSonics, Stress Science, and
Nitric Oxide Literature Review’.
http//www.biosonics.com/uploads2011/BioSonicsStressScienceandNO.p
df.
HEAL STUDY—The Healthline Editorial Team. ‘Having Trouble
Sleeping? Try a Hot Bath Before Bed’. Healthline. (25 July 2019).
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/having-trouble-sleeping-try-a-
hot-bath-before-bed.
Luo Y, Chen X, Qi S, You X and Huang X. ‘Well-being and Anticipation
for Future Positive Events: Evidences from an fMRI Study’. Front
Psychol. 9;8 (2018):2199. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02199.
PRANAYAMA—Ankad RB, et al. ‘Effect of short-term pranayama and
meditation on cardiovascular functions in healthy individuals’. Heart
Views. 12(2) (April 2011):58-62. doi: 10.4103/1995-705X.86016.
NABHI PURAN—Chien Y. W. ‘Long-term controlled navel administration
of testosterone’. Journal of pharmaceutical sciences, 73(8) (1984):
1064–1067. https://doi.org/10.1002/jps.2600730811.
NABHI PURAN—DiPatrizio NV. ‘Endocannabinoids in the Gut’.
Cannabis Cannabinoid Res. 1(1) (February 2016):67-77. doi:
10.1089/can.2016.0001.
NABHI PURAN— Kalekar, Dr Vishnupriya. ‘A New Approach in
Management of Amenorrhoea wsr to Mrutthika Basti Chikitsa and in
Katigraha wsr to Vacuum Therapy: A Case Study’. Ayurved Darpan
Journal of Indian Medicine.
http://www.ayurveddarpan.com/AyurVed/journal/99_1.pdf.
NABHI PURAN—Liu, Zhe, et al. ‘Acupoint herbal patching at Shenque
(CV8) as an adjunctive therapy for acute diarrhea in children: A
systematic review and meta-analysis’. European Journal of Integrative
Medicine. Volume 10 (2017): 25-37.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876382017300094.
UBTAN—Biswas, Rajarshi et al. ‘Evaluation of Ubtan- A Traditional
Indian Skin Care Formulation’. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. (2016).
192. 10.1016/j.jep.2016.07.034.
UDVARTHANA—Verma, Jatinder et al. ‘Udvartana (Ayurveda Powder
Massage): A Review Article’. (2019).
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333866630_Udvartana_Ayurve
da_Powder_Massage_A_Review_Article#:~:text=It%20is%20a%20simp
le%20and,vitiated%20Kapha%20and%20Meda)%20properties.

Heal
FOOD HABITS—Miquel-Kergoat, Sophie, et al. ‘Effects of chewing on
appetite, food intake and gut hormones: A systematic review and meta-
analysis’. Physiology & Behavior Volume 151 (2015):88-96.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031938415300317.
JOURNALLING—Koopman C, et al. 'The effects of expressive writing on
pain, depression and post traumatic stress disorder symptoms in survivors
of intimate partner violence'. Health Psychol. 10(2)(March 2005):211-21.
doi: 10.1177/1359105305049769.
JOURNALLING—Mugerwa S, Holden JD. ‘Writing therapy: a new tool
for general practice?’ Br J Gen Pract. 62(605) (December 2012):661-3.
doi: 10.3399/bjgp12X659457.
JOURNALLING—Pennebaker JW. ‘Traumatic experience and
psychosomatic disease: Exploring the roles of behavioural inhibition,
obsession, and confiding’. Can Psychol. 1985;26:82–95.
JOURNALLING—Petrie, K. J., et al. ‘Effect of written emotional
expression on immune function in patients with human
immunodeficiency virus infection: a randomized trial’. Psychosomatic
medicine, 66(2), (2004): 272–275.
https://doi.org/10.1097/01.psy.0000116782.49850.d3.
SOUND HEALING—Beutel ME, et al. ‘Noise Annoyance Is Associated
with Depression and Anxiety in the General Population-The Contribution
of Aircraft Noise’. PLoS One.11(5) (19 May 2016):e0155357. doi:
10.1371/journal.pone.0155357.
SOUND HEALING—Chaieb L, Wilpert, et al. ‘Auditory beat stimulation
and its effects on cognition and mood States’. Front Psychiatry. 6:70 (12
May 2015). doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00070.
SOUND HEALING— Bardekar, A.A. and Gurjar, Ajay.A. ‘Empirical
Study of Indian Classical Ragas Structure and its Emotional Influence on
Human Body For Music Therapy’. Journal of Management Engineering
and Information Technology. (August 2016).
http://www.jmeit.com/JMEIT_Vol_3_Issue_4_Aug_2016/JMEIT030400
1.pdf
SOUND HEALING—Jenkins JS. ‘The Mozart effect’. J R Soc Med.94(4)
(April 2001):170-2. doi: 10.1177/014107680109400404.
SOUND HEALING—Kučikienė D and Praninskienė R. ‘The impact of
music on the bioelectrical oscillations of the brain’. Acta Med Litu. 25(2)
(2018):101-106. doi: 10.6001/actamedica.v25i2.3763.
SOUND HEALING—Kumar, Kamakhya. ‘Effect of Learning Music as a
Practice of Nada Yoga on EEG Alpha and General Well Being’. Yoga
Mimamsa. 43 (2011): 215-20.
SOUND HEALING—Sanivarapu SL. ‘India’s rich musical heritage has a
lot to offer to modern psychiatry’. Indian J Psychiatry.57(2) (April-June-
2015):210-3. doi: 10.4103/0019-5545.158201. PMID: 26124532;
PMCID: PMC4462795.
SOUND HEALING—Winkelman M. ‘Complementary therapy for
addiction: “drumming out drugs”’. Am J Public Health. 93(4) (April
2003):647-51. doi: 10.2105/ajph.93.4.647.

Rest
BELLY BREATHING—Ma X, et al. ‘The Effect of Diaphragmatic
Breathing on Attention, Negative Affect and Stress in Healthy Adults’.
Front Psychol. 8:874 (6 June 2017). doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00874.
BRAHMARI— Kuppusamy M, et al. ‘Effects of Bhramari Pranayama on
health - A systematic review’. J Tradit Complement Med. 8(1) (18 March
2017):11-16. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcme.2017.02.003.
BREATHE DEEPLY— Joseph, Chacko N., et al. ‘Slow Breathing Improves
Arterial Baroreflex Sensitivity and Decreases Blood Pressure in Essential
Hypertension’. Hypertension V 46, N 4(2005): 714-718.
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/01.HYP.0000179581.68566
.7d.
BREATHE DEEPLY— Saoji AA, et al. ‘Effects of yogic breath regulation:
A narrative review of scientific evidence’. Ayurveda Integr Med. 10(1)
(2019):50-58. doi: 10.1016/j.jaim.2017.07.008.
BREATHE DEEPLY—Yackle, Kevin, et al. ‘Breathing control center
neurons that promote arousal in mice’. Science. V 355, number 6332
(2017): 1411-1415. doi: 10.1126/science.aai7984.
PREPARING FOR REST—West, Kathleen E., et al. ‘Blue light from light-
emitting diodes elicits a dose-dependent suppression of melatonin in
humans’. Journal of Applied Physiology. volume 110, issue 3 (1 March
2011). https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.01413.2009.
PHYSIOLOGICAL SIGHS—Elke Vlemincx, et al. ‘A sigh of relief or a
sigh to relieve: The psychological and physio.logical relief effect of deep
breaths’. Physiology & Behavior, Volume 165(2016): 127-135,
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031938416305121.
SLEEP AND CIRCADIAN RHYTHM—Science Direct.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/triple-
energizer.
SLEEP AND CIRCADIAN RHYTHM—Chaput JP, et al. ‘Sleeping hours:
what is the ideal number and how does age impact this?’ Nat Sci Sleep.10
(27 November 2018):421-430. doi: 10.2147/NSS.S163071.
SLEEP AND CIRCADIAN RHYTHM—Chuangshi Wang, et al.
‘Association of bedtime with mortality and major cardiovascular events:
an analysis of 112,198 individuals from 21 countries in the PURE study’.
Sleep Medicine. Volume 80 (2021): 265-272.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2021.01.057.
SLEEP AND CIRCADIAN RHYTHM— Knutson, Kristen L. and von
Schantz, Malcolm. ‘Associations between chronotype, morbidity and
mortality in the UK Biobank cohort’. Chronobiology International 35:8
(2018): 1045-1053, DOI: 10.1080/07420528.2018.1454458.
SLEEP AND CIRCADIAN RHYTHM— Huang, Tianyi, et al. ‘Cross-
sectional and Prospective Associations of Actigraphy-Assessed Sleep
Regularity With Metabolic Abnormalities: The Multi-Ethnic Study of
Atherosclerosis’. Diabetes Care 42 (8)( 1 August 2019): 1422–1429.
https://doi.org/10.2337/dc19-0596.
SLEEP BEVERAGES— Friedman M. ‘Analysis, Nutrition, and Health
Benefits of Tryptophan’. Tryptophan Res. (26 September 2018). doi:
 10.1177/1178646918802282.
SLEEP BEVERAGES—Kim S, et al. ‘GABA and l-theanine mixture
decreases sleep latency and improves NREM sleep’. Pharm Biol. 57(1)
December 2019):65-73. doi: 10.1080/13880209.2018.1557698.
SLEEP BEVERAGES—Langade, Deepak, et al. ‘Clinical evaluation of the
pharmacological impact of ashwagandha root extract on sleep in healthy
volunteers and insomnia patients: A double-blind, randomized, parallel-
group, placebo-controlled study’. Journal of Ethnopharmacology,
Volume 264, 2021.
SLEEP BEVERAGES—Nathan, P. et al. ‘The neuropharmacology of L-
theanine(N-ethyl-L-glutamine): a possible neuroprotective and cognitive
enhancing agent;. Journal of herbal pharmacotherapy, 6(2) (2006). 21–
30.
SLEEP BEVERAGES—Toolika E, et al. ‘A comparative clinical study on
the effect of Tagara (Valeriana wallichii DC.) and Jatamansi
(Nardostachys jatamansi DC.) in the management of Anidra (primary
insomnia)’. Ayu. 36(1) (January-March 2015):46-9. doi: 10.4103/0974-
8520.169008.

Books for Moon

Flaws, Bob. Curing Fibromyalgia Naturally With Chinese Medicine. (Blue
Poppy, 2000).
McBride, Shaman Melodie. Going Towards the Nature Is Going Towards
the Health. (US: Xlibris, 2012).
Nishi, Katsuzo. The Nishi System of Health Engineering. (US: Kessinger
Publishing, 2010).
Pitchford, Paul. Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern
Nutrition. (US: North Atlantic Books, 2002).
Saraswati, Swami Satyananda. Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha.
(Munger: Bihar School of Yoga, 2008).
Thompson, Richard L. Vedic Cosmography and Astronomy. (Motilal
Banarsidass Publishers, 2003).
 Acknowledgements

I want to thank the Penguin team—Gurveen Chadha my editor who’s

always been not only tolerant but also enthusiastic about my craziest
schemes. Shreya Mukherjee for that last push that made this book happen.
Akankgsha Sarmah for not following the brief and designing this
breathtaking cover.
I’m grateful to my panel of experts for sharing their knowledge and
patiently reading sections of my book. Dr Gunvant Yeola who deepened the
information in my book with his vast knowledge on Ayurveda. Sudha
Thimmaiyah my therapist, for reading through and giving insights on
mental health. Deepika Mehta for guiding and refining the chapters on
yoga. Dr Ipsita Chatterjee for her knowledge on ancient texts and their
relevance in beauty and wellness. Rajni Ohri, for contributing traditional
beauty recipes from her grandmother and along with massage practices.
My brother, my best friend Varun Rana (in bold caps) who edited the
intros and introduced me to the world of prose.
Finally, this book wouldn’t be complete without the unwavering support
of Veena and Narendra, my parents, best friends and soulmates.
 VASUDHA RAI

SUN RITUAL
Daily Practices for Wellness, Beauty & Bliss

PENGUIN BOOKS
 CONTENTS

Introduction

SUN
PILLAR I: Purify
1. Waking Up with Clarity
2. The Outward Cleanse
★ Eyes
★ Mouth
★ Nose
★ Ears
★ Skin and Hair
★ The Morning Bath
★ Body Cleansing Powder
3. Daytime Elixirs
4. Fasting and Detoxification

PILLAR II: Energize

1. Sunbathing
2. Breathwork
3. Movement
★ The Five Tibetan Rites
4. Afternoon Boosters
★ Simple Chair Stretches
5. Brain-Boosting Infusions
 PILLAR III: Focus
1. Trataka
2. Eye Exercises
3. Balancing Poses
4. Mudra

Bibliography
 About the Experts

Dr Gunvant Yeola, MD, PhD (Kayachikitsa) is an Ayurveda physician,

principal, professor and head of Kayachikitsa department at Dr D.Y. Patil
College of Ayurved and Research Centre, Pune. He is also consultant at
Vedansh Ayurved Clinic and Tanman Ayurvedic Research Centre, Pune. He
is regularly invited for lectures and consultations in Portugal, the
Netherlands, USA and Brazil, and is an established name in the world of
Ayurveda.

Deepika Mehta is one of India’s most prominent ashtanga yoga teachers. A

level-two authorized teacher from KPJAYI, her experience of more than
two decades has made her a leading figure in the world of fitness. Deepika
began practising yoga to heal from a back injury. Her teachings stem from a
place of healing, and her trademark style combines dance with traditional
yoga, making ashtanga more accessible for all.

Sudha Thimmaiah Sudha is a senior therapist with Anna Chandy &

Associates, Bengaluru. An internationally certified counsellor, she comes
with decades of experience in helping clients across age groups deal with
addiction, complex relationships, work–life balance, depression and
anxiety. Her personal experience of breaking through her own systemic
hierarchical patterns of thinking and beliefs has empowered her to work
with clients on their need for individual identity within their family systems
and in the larger context of expectations of society.

Lovneet Batra is a sports nutritionist who has counselled the Indian boxing,
gymnastics, cycling and archery teams during the Commonwealth Games.
She is a consultant for the Fortis Group of Hospitals and a visiting faculty at
IHM Pusa, New Delhi, in the department of New Product Development and
Sports Nutrition. She is the founder of Nutrition by Lovneet and author of
the book Fifty Desi Super Drinks.

Dr Ipsita Chatterjee has a master’s degree in Ayurvedic Rasashastra and

Bhaishaiya Kalpana (a branch dealing with Ayurvedic pharmaceutics and
cosmetics). She is an Ayurvedic scientist who has worked with the leading
names in the Indian Ayurvedic industry. She has over a decade’s experience
in branded luxury Ayurveda and retail, and also has consulted with patients
on wellness, diet and lifestyle.

Rajni Ohri is the founder of the award-winning Ayurvedic brand Ohria

Ayurveda. She has also devised a bespoke Ageless Face Yoga Programme
and personalized massage rituals. She has done advanced courses with face
yoga pioneers such as Koko Hayashi from Japan and Vasiliki Pissa from
Greece. She has also learnt advanced aromatherapy from Shirley Price in
London.
For Krishna Reya, my badmash, my lucky charm
 Introduction

An Ode to the Day

The dawn splits open the shell of darkness, illuminating the

heavens with golden light. The Sun has risen. In those early
moments, the world is still quiet, its senses awakening slowly with
the brightening sky. And just as slowly, all our senses—smell,
taste, touch, sound, and sight—are heightened, brought back to
life by the Sun’s gilded rays. The atmosphere transforms with
luminosity, warmth, and lightness, washing away the sediments of
the just-departed darkness.

The masculine Sun with its expansive power that moves outwards,
far and wide. This golden orb pushes us to mimic its blinding
light. The expansive energy of El Sol controls the physical world,
its awake mind and conscious actions. In all its power and
potency, the Sun brings your attention to the tangible present,
maximizing the here and now. While Time runs on like sand
through your fingers, the Sun reminds us, strong warriors all, to
never stop—to embrace our fiery side, to reach out with both
hands and to grab the moment.

Solar energy expands and stretches matter, it’s warmth also opens
our hearts. It tells us not to be afraid of the fire because we are
made up of the light that we seek. Look at the sun so hot and
powerful but it sets itself alight from the very core. Only then can
it share its generous warmth and energises us with its benevolent
light.
And as it sets, the Sun leaves us with the promise of another day.
Even if things aren’t done, there’s always tomorrow. A symbol of
permanence, the Sun moves reliably from East to West. Because
of it, everything is cyclical, not just the phases of the Night and
Day. So fear not if there’s still much to be said and done. You too
will get another chance when the majestic Sun rises again.
It’s about 3,33,000 times the size of our planet. Were it hollow, a million
earths would fit inside the sun. It accounts for more than 99 per cent of the
mass in our solar system and coverts about 400 million tonnes of matter
into energy every second. It’s our primary source of nourishment, giving us
food and energy. It regulates our metabolism, boosts the mood and also
regulates sleep/wake cycles in most organisms. It’s no surprise then that for
us humans, the sun is a symbol of growth, renewal and hope. Because it
wields such an enormous influence on our health and well-being, it enjoys
an exalted status, and is seen as a divine presence in many cultures.
In past civilizations, the sun has inspired innumerable tales of
magnificence. The Vedas accurately credit it as being the harbinger of life,
creating all that exists on the physical plane. In keeping with this
worshipped Ra, the sun god belief, the Vedic civilization was centred on the
worship of the sun and of fire. In the Japanese Shinto system, essentially
worship of nature, the position of the sun goddess Amaterasu was elevated
over other deities. The Aztecs called themselves people of the sun, the
Egyptians worshipped Ra, the sun god, while the Romans adopted the
image of the sun, sol invictus (the invincible sun), to represent their solar
deity.
In the last century, we’ve gone beyond mythological references and have
understood how the cyclical patterns of the sun impact human body and
mind. Circadian rhythms govern the functioning of every living being, from
microorganisms to humans. We know now that living according to these
rhythms is the ultimate investment in health. When we live in harmony with
the natural cycles of day and night, it benefits cognitive function,
metabolism and physical fitness. Even something as minute as our cell
cycle, in which cells replicate their DNA and subsequently divide, is
controlled by the circadian clock. Therefore, following the sun’s lead is as
important as the right diet and exercise.
There is some evidence to show that those who wake up around sunrise
are more proactive and productive. The connection between productivity
and early waking time is clear even in those who prefer to sleep in. When
late risers reprogrammed their routines to sleep and wake up earlier, they
found an improvement in mental health and performance. But even if
you’re not a morning person, you can reap the benefits of the sun by
exposing yourself to bouts of sunshine. It has been found that exposure to
sunlight helps lower blood pressure, boost levels of serotonin in the brain
and even improve digestion and gut health.
The moment sunlight hits the photoreceptors in the retina, it sends a
signal to the brain, increasing alertness in humans. In ideal conditions, this
would mean that the day brings with it energy and focus to get though the
tasks on our to-do lists. However, over the past few decades, we have
completely disconnected with circadian rhythms. Earlier, the lack of
electricity meant that we were forced to retire to bed after sunset. But today,
though technology has made everything more convenient, it has made us
disconnect with the natural rhythms. It’s normal now to feel sleepy in the
day and energized at night.
Admittedly, not everyone should wake up with the first rays of dawn, and
certainly not at the cost of sleep. However, reversing the circadian clock
over the long term is like playing Russian roulette with health. To live well,
we must learn to harness the powers of daylight and work with the body’s
natural rhythms. For that, three elemental daytime processes need to be
enhanced:

1 Purify—to begin on a clean state.

2 Energize—to propel into action.
3 Focus—to streamline your thoughts.

Think of these as the three pillars of the sun. Neither exists in isolation;
each is inextricably linked with the other. Most importantly, with these
pillars, we aren’t working against the natural tendencies, but harmonizing
with them.
The process of purification is essential to eliminate sediments of the
night, clear one’s mental fog and refresh oneself from the inside out. Gut-
clearing a.m. elixirs, energizing showers, cleansing kriyas, fasts and detoxes
(all part of the morning cleanse) have exponential benefits. Something as
simple as the temperature of your bath water could either sap or boost your
energy. Your morning drink can, in fact, set the tone for the day. The
practice of fasting has been revived around the world for its ability to reset
body and mind. Even a quick and effortless a.m. ritual like oiling the
nostrils helps prevent infections and builds immunity.
Energy, the second pillar of the sun, is known as virya, or bravery, when
translated to Sanskrit or Pali language. Virya is commonly used in
Buddhism to denote diligence, effort or eagerness, all of which depend
upon us feeling energized. Within the realm of yoga, the right nostril, which
holds the surya nadi, has great significance, especially when it comes to
energy. To digress briefly, nadis are etheric nerves, or meridians, as they’re
called in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The three main nadis in the
body are the surya nadi in the right nostril, chandra nadi in the left nostril
and the shushumna, which runs down the centre of our spine. The surya
nadi is responsible for regulating the more active functions of the body,
such as physical work or digestion. Also called pingala, this nadi generates
heat and provides the vigour to go out and achieve our goals. It mirrors the
energy of the sun and daytime, where the emphasis is on work, energy,
focus and clarity. This section will outline not just how to activate the
pingala, but also exercise and breath work, mid-day stretches, nutrition and
refreshing teas.
While energy gives you the push towards action, it can be scattered
without focus. What does it mean to have a centre of attention? I learnt the
true meaning of this at a vipassana retreat a few years back. While
practising breath meditation, over the course of a few days, we were asked
to make the area of focus smaller each day until we were asked to
concentrate on just the sensation of breath on the line of the upper lip. We
were explained that the smaller the area of focus, the sharper the brain
develops, with practice. Call it attention to detail if you will. This section
reveals the practices of trataka, mudra, mantra, meditation and prayer,
which work to control and refine the mind.
 Each of these pillars has myriad interpretations, but just like millennial
routines, modern rituals too are bespoke. Even though every one of us has a
predictable rhythm, it can still greatly vary from one to the other. I’m most
productive in the morning but my friend sits down to work after dinner.
Health is a priority for both of us, but we look for different elements to
enrich our lives.
A quarter of a century earlier, we had to plan every aspect of our lives.
The lack of smartphones that meant meetings were planned in advance and
tickets booked well in time. But today, we have the power in our hands. We
can change plans with a text and block tickets with the click of a button.
Lifestyles are now more whimsical than ever before.
Therefore, while it is undeniably beneficial to harness these energies
during the hours of sunshine, they can be beneficial in the night too. If
you’re demotivated, lethargic or prone to procrastination, you may require
this energy irrespective of the time of the day. It is sometimes required for
us to be focused at night and relaxed during the day. Therefore, rituals can
be chosen depending not just on the time but also the requirement. The
ideal time to practise the rituals outlined in this part of the book is
obviously during daylight hours. However, if you’re a night owl, you may
want to utilize some of these practices after dark to increase your energy,
focus and productivity.
Ultimately, the energy of the sun is driven by hope. This simple word has
a modern interpretation—manifestation— a word so overused that it has
almost lost its magic. I prefer to hope, which gives us the energy to do
things instead of actively manifesting, which drains energy. Being hopeful
is looking at each morning as another opportunity, one more chance for a
do-over. Perhaps it’ll be better than yesterday or maybe not. But either way,
when the sun sets, even if things didn’t go according to plan, we can expect
them to be better tomorrow, when the day dawns afresh.
PILLAR I

Purify
 If you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished?
—Rumi

Every new project begins on a clean slate, because we can’t paint on a

dirty canvas. We think of cleansing—an essential component of everyday
living—only in its outermost manifestation, such as, a daily bath or
brushing our teeth. But even the simple act of bathing goes beyond physical
cleanliness as it’s also a reflection of how we feel in our mind. Along with
these obvious practices, cleansing also includes deeper levels of purification
—we can cleanse with our breath, a meditative practice or a deep detox that
requires rigour and discipline.
The most intensive cleanse I ever had was at a twenty-one-day
panchakarma retreat. It required enemas, purgation and sweating, along
with spartan meals. It was hard, but for me, it was worth it. As someone
who has been consistently on painkillers and synthetic hormones, I found it
beneficial to remove (what felt like) waste circulating in my body. After
twenty-one days, every part of my body—from my fingernails to the roof of
my mouth—felt smooth and renewed. It may not work for many people
because of the time and discipline involved, but it worked for me.
Panchakarma taught me the importance of internal cleansing. It doesn’t
have to be as intense, but small purification practices on the daily, such as
rituals like neti or nasya, or purifying herbal teas, can build health in tiny
instalments.
If you think about it, the concept of saucha, which is cleanliness or
hygiene, goes beyond the external body and into the realm of purity of our
internal organs, our surroundings, speech, senses and mind. Therefore, you
can choose from a multitude of methods to purify at every level. Some such
as breathwork, are indulgent and comforting, but others, like panchakarma,
can be fairly challenging. Such a high degree of cleanliness in every aspect
may seem a like a tall order, therefore, one must only do what can be
continued comfortably. Even though there are many rituals outlined in the
following chapters, it’s better to choose no more than one or two and then
slowly build up, if required.
After a brief romance with microbes, the COVID-19 masterclass in 2020
reminded us that personal hygiene can save lives. Indeed, cleansing is
especially relevant in these times, when pollution is at an all-time high.
But hygiene isn’t just a sterile space with rubber gloves and steel
instruments. Think of a bath, which can be refreshing or indulgent, but
therapeutic either way. A cold shower in the morning awakens the mind,
whereas warm baths in the evening are so relaxing that they may reduce the
risk of cardiovascular disease in the elderly. Weirdly enough, there is some
evidence to show that washing hands makes us feel optimistic after failing
at a task. Perhaps just the act of washing something makes us ready to
renew our efforts.
Ayurveda outlines detailed practices that involve cleansing and oiling the
face and body. At first, you may not want to overburden yourself with
additional rituals, especially when you’re rushed for time. However, these
practices aren’t just for the purpose of removing grime, but to open the
sense organs, balance hormones and help keep you strong as you grow
older. Over time, as you practise these kriyas, you’ll find great solace in
breath without obstruction, sight without strain and sound without
congestion.
While it is perfectly okay to stick to a single activity, for best results,
purity must be seen as a synchronized concept for refined, elevated living:
the mind, body and our environment are all interdependent. We cannot live
with a clean body and a chaotic mind, or a purified mind with cluttered
surroundings. Each aspect of purity affects the other. To achieve harmony
between body, mind and surroundings, we need synchronistic action.
Research has found that the inhabitants of homes teeming with clutter and
unfinished projects had greater levels of stress and fatigue. Even within in
the realm of decluttering, we can find magic with energy clearing practises
such as using loban, incense, resins and sea salt, which make a home feel
more purified.
 But other than clearing just the surroundings, we also need to process and
flush out thoughts that erode our peace of mind. While hygiene is the
benchmark for health and wellness, purity also means refined thoughts.
With the advent of social media, we’re bombarded every minute with
opinions, news, advice and microaggression via our smartphones. Viewed
first thing in the morning, this information overload—also known as
infobesity—negatively impacts consciousness and clouds the mind. Studies
have proved that social media increases anxiety, challenges cognitive
capacity, destroys self-confidence and also causes untidiness. It has been
suggested that just clicking back and forth between your smartphone and an
important project can reduce productivity by up to 40 per cent.
To be able to use modern technology with control, it is essential to
cultivate clarity of thought or mental hygiene. In the Zen tradition, it is said
that there is actually no difference between the mundane mind and the
Buddha mind. Everyone is born with the same faculties; the difference is
that the Buddha mind is completely pure and free of obstruction. There are
many ways to clear the mind, ranging from physical practices to everyday
habits. It is important to understand that every element of purification will
lead to a higher rung of clarity, thereby increasing productivity.
In these chapters, we will begin from the time of waking up and go
through purification processes such as cleansing kriyas, baths, mantras,
detoxes and fasting. While most of the rituals in this section are physical,
they work to bestow a feeling of lightness, energy and enhanced mental
acuity. Think of this as the bottom of the pyramid of the sun. A thorough
purification of the body, mind and senses is elementary, before you graduate
towards subtler practices of breath and meditation.
 1
WAKING UP WITH CLARITY

Your mind is at its purest when you wake up. Marcel Proust called it the
sleep of lead, that heavy mental state when sleep extends into consciousness
upon waking up. In the first few moments, it’s almost like the brain has
forgotten what happened the night before. Awakening from the slow delta
waves of deep sleep, the brain is in the alpha stage, considered to be the
gateway to the subconscious. During this stage of purity, between sleep and
wakefulness, it is the worst idea to reach for your phone. After all, you
don’t want the chatter from your inbox to be imprinted into your mind.
We know that the usage of smartphones increases anxiety, but researchers
have also found clear links between smartphone usage and increased levels
of stress, depression and low self-esteem. However, you don’t need a study
to tell you how your phone makes you feel. Conversely, abstaining from
smartphone use in the bedroom leads to increased levels of happiness, but
you don’t need a study to know this either. There is nothing so urgent that it
cannot wait for an hour after waking up. At the very least, make the first
half an hour about connecting with your breath, offering gratitude,
affirming or just being in the moment—all activities which positively
impact the subconscious mind.
Sleep has the ability to temporarily dissolve trauma, especially in the first
few moments upon waking up, when you are suspended between the two
worlds of dream and reality. For those couple of seconds, there seems to be
no reason to stress, unless of course you pick up your phone. The way we
wake up has the ability to refine the mind and keep it at ease. Whether it’s
choosing the right alarm or harmonious mental and physical activities, keep
your mornings calm and centred for a clear, fruitful day.
1. Choose the Right Alarm

In an ideal world, we would wake up without an alarm. When it rings in the

morning, the sound of an alarm usually yanks you out of a dream. This
dreamlike state is the REM phase of sleep, which nourishes the mind,
balances emotions and boosts creativity. Therefore, when an alarm goes off,
it shaves time off your REM sleep, which is crucial for rejuvenating the
mind. Following a disciplined daily routine will help you wake up naturally,
even before the alarm goes off. But for most of us, alarms provide the
assurance that we will wake up and make it to work on time.
Until you train your body clock to wake up naturally, choosing the right
alarm will wake you up gently, without shocking the mind. Interestingly, it
was found that waking up to a melodious alarm can help reduce sleep
inertia (that disoriented feeling when you wake up) as compared to a harsh
beep. To be exact, researchers called it music that you can hum to, which, in
a way, warms up your mind, just like you warm up your body before
exercise.

2. Skip the Snooze Button

The snooze button is the usual escape, which causes a fluctuation in energy
when you go from wakefulness to sleep. So, the second step (after choosing
the right alarm) is to try to never snooze. Once you’re awake with an alarm,
stay in that wakeful state. Attempting to sleep again will leave you in an in-
between state where you’re neither awake nor asleep. The problem is that
first you disturb your REM sleep with an alarm, then you go to sleep and
are woken again in the middle of this second nap with the snooze button.
By habitually pressing snooze, you will swing between wakefulness and
deep sleep, which will lead you to feel lazy all day.

According to Ayurveda, the hours between 6 and 10 a.m. are the kapha
part of the day. During this time, the environment embodies kapha
qualities—heavy, earthy, dense and dull. Another reason yogis
 recommend waking up before sunrise is because it is the vata time of the
day. The environment then embodies the ethereal qualities of lightness,
air and ether, which make up the vata dosha.

3. Attune the Mind

My grandfather used to say that it is a miracle to wake up, be alive and well
to see another day. Remind yourself of this stroke of luck when you open
your eyes. My father looks at his palms first thing in the morning. He says
that he does this because he is grateful to have hands that have worked and
shaped his life. Ayurvedic vaidyas claim that this gesture helps cap the ego
and helps show gratitude to the universe. It’s a simple ritual that’s better
than reaching out for the phone. Your subconscious mind is most active
within 20 minutes of waking up. It is prudent then to utilize this time doing
activities that make you want to positively impact your subconscious mind.
The first few minutes can be spent reconnecting with your breath,
meditating or making an affirmation. I find that affirmations work
beautifully when you’re insecure about the day. One of my favourite
affirmations is ‘Every day in every way I get better and better.’ You could
also begin the day with gratitude, thinking about three things that you are
thankful for this morning. Or you could just lie in bed and take 10-25 deep
breaths to centre your mind.

4. Turn Towards the Right

According to TCM, the time between 5 and 7 a.m. belongs to the organs of
elimination. To stimulate the process of digestion and wake up with energy,
Ayurveda recommends turning to your right and getting up from bed. The
yogic theory is that the right side of our body is more action-oriented and
controls active processes such as digestion. By turning right, you activate
the process of elimination. Lie down towards your right for a few minutes
before leaving your bed.
 2
THE OUTWARD CLEANSE

Let go of the old and bring in the new. Personal hygiene is a sign of a clear
mind, self-care and commitment to the day’s results. It gives us physical
energy to go about the day’s work, along with mental stability—think about
how settled you feel after a bath. For me, a cleanse extends to the
purification of sense organs. Today, more than ever before, we’re constantly
consuming information via what we see, smell, hear and speak, both
consciously and subconsciously. This constant flow of information builds
up layer upon layer in our minds and filters down to the subconscious. Even
without us realizing it, this data begins to change our thinking, character
and intelligence. Which is why we need to purify our sense organs.
Therefore, hygiene doesn’t just mean a quick wash with soap and water.
It includes small practices that go beyond cleaning towards building
immunity, cognitive abilities and energy.

Eyes

I would love to say I’m one of those people who just bounces out of bed.
Even though I naturally wake up a little bit before 6 a.m., I feel sleepy and
want to snuggle in the blanket just a little bit longer. I’ve tried many times
to go back to sleep, but such is my body clock that I have to eventually drag
myself out to face the day.
I begin my day by washing my eyes with chilled rosewater to wake
myself up. Rose is an extremely cooling flower, and the eyes are the seat of
pitta or fire. So rosewater (administered with eye cups or a dropper) helps
calm inflammation, keeps the eyes moist and even reduces swelling and
strain. I like to keep a small bottle of rosewater handy even while I write.
As my work involves looking at the computer screen for most of the day, I
use rosewater periodically to prevent dry eye and strain.
A lot of people also like to splash their eyes with water upon waking up.
This is a wonderful practice to cleanse and refresh yourself, but I wouldn’t
recommend using tap water as it is contaminated. You don’t want it going
directly into the mucous membranes. Instead, use cool, filtered water to
splash your eyes, not just in the morning but a few times a day, to reduce
strain and inflammation.
If you have the time and inclination, you could also practice nethra
shuddhi, an old ayurvedic practice to clean the eyes with either diluted
rosewater or triphala. Because of its high-antioxidant composition of amla,
haritaki, bhibhitaki and triphala, if consumed regularly, is beneficial for
ocular diseases. Its astringent, dosha-balancing and cooling properties make
it beneficial as a daily eye wash as well. A small study found that triphala
eye drops help relieve computer vision syndrome, which causes, among
other things, dry, burning eyes, redness, dryness and tears.

To clean your eyes with triphala:

1. Soak a small teaspoon of triphala overnight in a cup of water.

2. Strain it in the morning using a fine mesh such as a cheesecloth or an
old T-shirt.
3. Fill eye cups with this liquid till they’re three-fourths full.
4. Bend your head and dip your eyes into the cup. Press the edges of the
cup around the eye circumference to ‘seal’ them in.
5. Stay in this position, open your eyes and blink a few times. The
water may feel a little uncomfortable or sting mildly. If, however,
there is sharp pain or burning, stop immediately and rinse eyes with
cool water.
6. If you’re used to this procedure, tilt your chin up with the cup nicely
sealed around the eye.
7. Open your eyes, blink a few times, then rotate your eyes in a
clockwise and counter-clockwise direction to wash them properly.
 8. Bend your head, remove the cups and lift your head.
9. Drain the triphala infusion and splash your eyes with cool, filtered
water.

Note: It is better to use glass or ceramic cups so they don’t pinch the eyes.
Practice this once or twice a week, unless advised to do this daily by an
ayurvedic doctor. If you’re suffering from an eye disease, consult a medical
professional before you try this.

In Ayurveda, hot water is never used to wash the head and eyes. These
are the seat of pitta, fire, and must always be kept cool.

According to Ayurveda, a lukewarm bath is beneficial in all seasons

rather than extremely chilled showers or a hot bath. This keeps your
metabolism in balance.

TCM does not recommend hot water to bathe in the morning. Cooling
down from a hot bath uses up yang energy, which is outwards and
expansive, and which is why you feel tired afterwards. Hot baths are
great in the evening but not in the morning, when you want to feel
energized and fresh.

Mouth

The mouth and tongue are clear indicators of your health. It is believed in
Ayurveda that each part of the tongue mirrors the health of your organs. The
front sides of your tongue belong to the lungs, while the front centre is the
heart. In the middle of the tongue lie the liver, spleen, pancreas and
stomach, while the back of the tongue is about the lower organs such as the
colon, intestines and reproductive system.
 The teeth represent vata, the master dosha, which needs to be
handled delicately. Therefore, teeth love gentle, soothing treatments
and oil, which are all vata-pacifying. Even if you don’t believe in
traditional sciences, the old practices of oil pulling and tongue
scraping have the ability to reduce modern-day maladies such as
gingivitis, plaque and the reduction of bacterial colonies in the
mouth. While brushing and flossing are undoubtedly gifts of modern
living, older ayurvedic practices go beyond just oral health and affect
the functioning of the entire body.

Tongue scraping

Even though you may brush your teeth before you sleep, the body
detoxifies itself all night. This is why, when you wake up in the morning,
there is a coating on the tongue, which is basically the toxins that the body
has regurgitated overnight. The simple act of tongue scraping eliminates
these toxins in a few strokes.
Many people clean the tongue with a toothbrush, assuming it would be
adequate. But studies have proved that a tongue scraper provides up to 75
per cent reduction of volatile sulphur compounds (which cause bad breath)
as compared to a toothbrush, which removes only 40 per cent. It was also
found that this practice reduced the amount of bacteria on the tongue.

Materials and Method

In Ayurveda, different materials work for various doshas. Copper is

recommended for kapha, silver is recommended for pitta and gold
recommended to balance vata. Silver and gold may be impractical
suggestions in the modern world. However, copper generally works for
this practice as it is naturally an anti-bacterial metal. Stainless steel is
another great option, which suits all dosha types. Both copper and steel
tongue scrapers are easily available.
 To do:

☼ This must be practised after brushing teeth and before oil pulling.
☼ Wash your tongue cleaner and use it to scrape the centre, sides and
the back of your tongue.
☼ Use light, even strokes, about ten to twelve in number.
☼ Make sure you scrape the back of the tongue, since that is
connected to the colon. You will get a mild retching sensation, but
according to Ayurveda, this stimulates peristalsis, which leads to
better elimination.
☼ Clean thoroughly and store.

Oil Pulling

Despite popular opinion, there is no conclusive evidence to prove that the

practice of oil pulling helps reduce migraine, acne or enhance immunity.
However, when practised over a period of time, you will find an
improvement in oral hygiene. I can speak only from personal experience,
but I have found that this is a deeply detoxifying practice that enhances gum
and tooth health. I have one tooth that hurts mildly when I stop oil pulling.
When I begin again, the pain somewhat disappears. I’m not saying this
could be a replacement for a filling or a root canal surgery, but I do feel that
this could perhaps delay these procedures.
There are oils are that are mainly spoken about when it comes to this
practice. Traditionally, sesame oil was used for oil pulling for its warming,
anti-bacterial and vata-pacifying qualities. I have mentioned previously that
the teeth are a location for vata. Therefore, according to Ayurveda, since
sesame oil is the best to balance this dosha, it makes teeth strong and
healthy. In fact, it is also recommended that after brushing, one must chew a
small handful of roasted sesame seeds to improve oral health.
Coconut oil is a modern-day recommendation for oil pulling. A lot of it
has to do with its sudden status as a superfood. Lobbyists have positioned
this oil as the ultimate solution for health, whether you add a teaspoon to
your coffee or use it for oil pulling. In Ayurveda, coconut oil is cooling and
pacifying, it reduces inflammation, including that of the gums, and
nourishes the tissues. Traditionally, though, it wasn’t suggested for oil
pulling.
I have used both oils and enjoy them for different reasons. Coconut oil is
great for summer, when it is naturally in a liquid state. We cannot ignore
that this oil also has anti-fungal attributes, which are beneficial for oral
health. Additionally, I find that coconut oil also helps whiten the teeth a tiny
bit as compared to sesame. Perhaps this has something to do with the
presence of lauric acid.
Sesame oil is a little bit thicker, therefore it is better to ‘pull’ impurities
as compared to coconut, which is runnier. Its warming nature makes it more
suitable during the winter months, when it is more convenient to use since it
doesn’t freeze. I also prefer massaging this over my gums because of its
dense, emollient texture.
Personally, I like to use coconut oil in the morning, when I practise this
for longer (about 20 minutes). Sesame oil is used in the evening, when I use
it for a quick swish (less than a minute) before I spit it out. You absolutely
do not have to do this twice a day. I mention this as an optional practice for
those who may have such an inclination.

Ghee Pulling

For those with chronic hyperacidity or acid reflux, Ayurveda

recommends ghee pulling, wherein small pieces of mishri are chewed
with a teaspoon of ghee, mixed together with the saliva, swished through
the mouth and then ingested. This reduces pitta and is good for healing
mouth and gastric ulcers.

Astringent Mouth Rinse

 If you want to avoid oil completely, you can also do a mouth rinse with
triphala tea. If you are preparing triphala to clean your eyes, you can use
the leftover liquid as a mouthwash. The astringent and antimicrobial
qualities of triphala extract impurities, which makes it an effective daily
mouth rinse. In fact, there is some data to show that a triphala rinse may
be comparable to chlorhexidine to reduce tooth mobility, bleeding gums
and sensitivity. To prepare triphala tea, soak 1 teaspoon powder
overnight in a cup of water or add a teaspoon to a cup of hot water in the
morning. Let it cool before use.

Oil Pulling 101

☼ Sip about a tablespoon of oil and swish it around the mouth, making
sure it goes through all the spaces between the teeth.
☼ You can begin to practise this for 5 minutes. The oil will turn thick
and creamy. Spit it out into a bin and not the basin to prevent
clogging.
☼ Rinse with warm water.
☼ The correct sequence is: first, brush your teeth, then scrape your
tongue and finally, perform oil pulling. First, the surface must be
cleaned, and then oil pulling will remove deeper toxins from the oral
cavity.
☼ Take care not to swallow the oil since it is full of plaque and
microbes that have been extracted.
☼ Do not eat or drink anything till the oral cavity is clean with these
practices.

Nose

The nostrils are the gateway to the brain. Scientists are studying intranasal
administration of medicines to see how drugs can travel from the nasal
mucosa to the brain and bloodstream. Within the scope of yoga and
Ayurveda, the nostrils are of great significance since they hold ida and
pingala, the two main etheric channels or nadis. The word nadi comes from
nad, which means vibration. The right nostril, called the pingala, stands for
our active side, whereas the ida or the left nostril, for our more passive
characteristics. A balance between these etheric channels means a balanced
mind and body.
Two main practices are recommended to clear these channels. The
practice of jal neti involves pouring warm saline water down each nostril
and out from the other. Nasya, on the other hand, mainly involves pouring a
few drops of oil down the nostrils. Both practices have benefits and boost
immunity, keep the nasal channels clear and calm the mind. Ayurveda says
that nasya, particularly, helps the brain because fatty substances such as oil
help cross the blood-brain barrier and deliver medicine directly.

Neti

I first learnt jal neti at an ayurvedic spa. Because I was suffering from
migraines, their in-house vaidya recommended jal neti. I have found it to be
fairly effective in the treatment of migraines, but only when done just when
the pain begins. Additionally, I find the regular practice of neti followed by
pranayama greatly reduces the incidence of infections such as the common
cold. Having said that, I do not want to give instructions for jal neti as it
must be learnt in person with a yoga teacher. If you’re already practising
nasal irrigation, these are the pointers to keep in mind:

☼ The water must be lukewarm, like your body temperature, and

should be salty like your tears. Too much salt, or undissolved salt
crystals, will give you a burning sensation in your nose.
☼ Only use filtered water and a good quality salt (none of the
commercial iodized brands) because this will be poured into the
nasal cavity.
☼ The stream of water should not flow down the face and cheeks.
Instead, it must come out straight, like a thread.
 ☼ Make sure you finish by closing one nostril and forcefully exhaling
(like in kapalabhanti) with your head tilted towards one side. Do
both sides and then bend forward and exhale sharply with both
nostrils. This is to ensure that all the water is drained out.
☼ Check if any water is left behind by forcefully exhaling on the back
of your palm. If there are droplets, do more rounds of the forceful
exhalations till the breath comes out clear.

Nasya

My first experience of this practice was during a twenty-one-day

panchakarma or the full ayurvedic detox. There are many different types of
nasya therapies. During my panchakarma, my nasya was followed up with
dhumpan, where I inhaled smoke from a medicated cloth. But at home,
nasya is much simpler and easier than jal neti. It’s just the mental block that
prevents you from pouring oil into nostrils.
The safest at-home daily practice is called pratimarsha nasya, where the
little finger is dipped in oil and inserted within the nostril. Beneficial for the
health of the neck, head and oral cavity, this type of nasya can be practised
every day, at any age and during all seasons. In Ayurveda, this practice is
believed to prevent respiratory allergies, stop hair from greying, enhance
immunity, relieve fatigue and is also good for cervical spondylosis or
stiffness of the neck.
Even though the benefits of pratimarsha nasya go beyond protection of
the mucous membranes, scientific papers describe clearly how oils can form
a barrier against environmental pollution. Because most pollutants are lipid
or fat insoluble, coating the mucous membranes of the nose forms the first
line of defence against pollution. Nasya also increases the bioavailability of
medicine in the plasma. Small studies have shown the daily practice of
nasya to be beneficial for various conditions, including migraines, allergies
and even insomnia.
While pratimarsha nasya can be practised with just sesame oil or ghee,
the ayurvedic preparation of anu thailam is recommended by most vaidyas.
Made with a multitude of ingredients, including wood apple, lotus,
sandalwood, shatavari, cinnamon, cardamom, sesame oil and goat milk,
this oil is supposed to improve conditions of the head, neck and shoulders.
Be careful when administering this oil, as it is very potent. Start by just
applying it on the insides of the nostril with a finger and when you’re
comfortable, use no more than a drop or two on a regular basis.

To do:

☼ Lie down on the bed, without a pillow. You can even lie on the edge
so that the head dips lower than the nostrils.
☼ Tilt your chin up and release one or two drops of oil in each nostril.
☼ Pinch the nostrils and inhale sharply.
☼ You can also practise this sitting up. Dip your little finger into the oil.
Insert it into one nostril and sniff the oil. Repeat on the other.
☼ You might get a postnasal drip in the throat—make sure you spit it
out.
☼ Personally, I don’t like to practise jal neti and nasya on the same day.
I practise each, every alternate day.

Note: If you have respiratory conditions or any other chronic disease,

consult your physician before practising this. Avoid after drinking alcohol.

Ears

A healer once told me that our sense of hearing takes us closest to the
divine, and our sense of sight takes us furthest away. I don’t know whether
this is true or not, but I do know that music has the ability to heal us and
listening has the ability to teach us new things. Ayurveda says that loss of
hearing is caused due to an imbalance in the vata dosha, which is the
humour of air and space. It is believed that the skin and bones of the ear
become dry, thereby affecting the hearing. Because vata has dry qualities
that are pacified with oils, therefore, an ear massage/oiling is highly
recommended. However, before you attempt this ritual, you must check
with an ENT surgeon to confirm that you do not have perforation of the
eardrum. If you do, please avoid this ritual.
The ayurvedic therapy for ear problems is karna purana, which literally
means filling the ear with oil. However, this too must be practised with
guidance from an ayurvedic doctor. To protect your ears on a daily basis,
apply a little bit of oil on your little finger and rub gently around the ear
canal. Do not apply too much pressure. If you have time, rub some oil onto
the rest of the ear.

To do:

☼ Ideally, this must be done after massaging the entire head. Therefore,
it can be seen as a weekly ritual, part of your weekend champi.
☼ After massaging your head, pour three to four drops of oil into one
ear. Then close the flap and gently massage the centre of the ear.
☼ The acupressure points within the ear lie behind the ear lobe (wind
screen); the deepest part of the cartilage within the ear (daith); the
top of the ear (ear apex); and the point in the centre of the ear where
it connects to the face (ear gate). Use firm pressure to massage these
points.
☼ Lie on your side for 15 minutes and then repeat on the other side.

Skin and Hair

In earlier times, when we lived at a more leisurely pace, baths weren’t just
about cleaning the body but also an opportunity to socialize with friends. In
the jimjilbangs of South Korea and onsens in Japan, this culture still
persists. Japanese and Korean women thoroughly scrub and soap
themselves before they step into the hot, mineral-rich waters that are
therapeutic and not just cleansing. Of course, on a daily basis, we don’t
have the time for such luxuries. In the morning it’s all about convenience—
a quick shower at the most.
 Most people talk about energizing or ‘waking up’ the skin with a shower.
However, the skin is a nocturnal creature that performs its duties of cell
renewal at night. It’s because of this reason that, for most people, their skin
looks best in the morning. Still, as you’re exposed to environmental
pollutants and internal stress during the day, the morning prep must support,
protect and set you up for several hours.

Face Cleanse

After your skin has worked hard the entire night to work at a cellular level,
it seems unfair to wash it with a harsh, foaming cleanser. Women with the
most beautiful skin have often told me that they never use soap on their
face. Admittedly, there are times, especially during the humid months,
when nothing feels as good as a foaming cleanser. Still, cleansing should
not strip the skin of its natural oils, no matter what your age may be. In fact,
with a dry herb/clay cleanser, you can even squeeze in a quick 2-minute
mask before you get to work. Natural cleansers include oils for dry, raw
honey for normal and clay for oily skin. Leave each ingredient on for
between 2-5 minutes before you wash it off.

Clay

While oil and honey can be left on the skin indefinitely, clay must only be
used for no more than a few minutes. Clay works especially well during
monsoon. If you’re prone to a heat rash it calms and dries it down. I like to
mix my clay (usually kaolin or bentonite for me) with chilled rosewater.
Multani mitti works better for oily complexions and kaolin clay for skin
that’s dry and sensitive. If you want to leave clay on your face for longer
periods, mix it with honey and water. The honey will prevent the clay from
becoming completely dry and therefore irritating your skin.

Honey
There’s nothing more healing for the skin than raw honey. Honey is
antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory. It contains enzymes,
organic acids, peptides and antioxidants such as such as phenolic acids and
flavonoids, all of which benefit the skin. The best part is that it works as a
humectant, meaning that it draws moisture into the skin. Its dense, sticky
texture ensures that it deep-cleans your skin, but without dehydration. It
doesn’t spread easily on the skin, but to increase spread-ability, apply it on a
damp face, or spritz rosewater before application. I like to keep the honey
on my face while I’m brushing my teeth or oil pulling so that I maximize it
during this time, keeping it on my face as a mask. Wash it off while you
shower.

Oil

To soothe dry, parched skin, oil works well as a cleanser. Jojoba is the
lightest oil since it resembles the skin’s sebum. Almond oil is richer as it
contains high amounts of vitamin E. Even apricot oil is good for cleansing
—it contains less vitamin E than almond but about 70 per cent oleic acid,
which is known for its hydrating and anti-inflammatory properties. The
other oils suited to cleansing are sunflower, olive and grapeseed for their
lightweight texture.
To utilize oil as cleanser, apply it all over the face, neck and décolletage,
massaging in upward strokes. Then remove with a hot towel or a muslin
washcloth to really clean out the pores. I find that oil cleansing is better
suited for the evening, when you want to remove layers of sunscreen,
skincare and makeup. In the morning, clay or honey work better when
you’re in a rush.

Yoghurt

Rich in probiotics, lactic acids and emollients, yoghurt can be used as both
a cleanser and a face mask. Especially on heated, sun-exposed skin, the
application of chilled, full-fat and preferably homemade yoghurt can calm
and soothe the skin. I learned to use yogurt from Anuska, my yoga teacher,
who used the water on top of homemade yoghurt as a face toner, and the
thicker, milky part as a face mask. She said that when skincare was
unavailable in war-torn Bosnia, this would be their one and only skincare.

All-Natural Double Cleansing for Mature Skin

This works beautifully towards the end of the day; however, it is suitable
for those who only wear skincare, as it may not be able to remove heavy
make-up.

Step 1: Dip a cotton wool in cold/warm whole milk and wipe the entire
face and neck. You could also pour some milk into the palm of your hand
and massage it all over the face and neck. Then wipe off with a damp,
hot towel.

Step 2: Massage some raw honey into your face and neck. Pat a little bit
of water into it to ‘emulsify’ and spread the honey. Then when it’s
massaged in well, remove it with a damp, hot washcloth.

(Note: If you have oily skin, you may want to replace the milk with
yoghurt.)

Daily Cleansing Paste for All Skin Types

¼ tsp kasturi manjal (wild turmeric)

1/4 tsp red sandalwood
1/4 tsp orange peel
1/4 tsp raw honey/yoghurt
1 tsp oatmeal (avoid this if your skin is very dry)
Rosewater/honey/milk to make a paste (you can mix all three)
Method:
☼ Mix all the ingredients and apply over the face and neck.
☼ If you have time in the morning, then allow it to semi-dry.
☼ Wet skin with a bit of water and gently rub off in circular strokes.
☼ If you are only using this paste for cleansing, then skip the red
sandalwood, since it is a precious ingredient. Add it when you
have 10 minutes to apply on your face.
☼ Unless you have very sensitive skin, this can be used every day. It
gently exfoliates, brightens the skin and leaves it clean without
over-drying.
☼ If you use very strong retinols and peels, avoid this. Instead, only
use raw honey to clean your face.

Healing Cleansing Paste for Acneic skin

1 tsp lodhra powder

1tsp mulethi (licorice) powder
½ tsp gotu kola (centella asiatica) powder
½ tsp raw honey
Rosewater to make into a paste

Method:
☼ Lodhra powder is recommended by Ayurveda for its anti-acne
properties. It cools overheated skin and its calming nature is
enhanced when it is soaked in a silver bowl. If you remember and
have the time, mix this with rosewater in a silver container and
refrigerate overnight.
☼ Mulethi is revered for its scar-healing abilities and gotu kola for
its wound-healing properties.
 ☼ Use it in the morning as a cleanser by adding a bit of honey to
heal and hydrate the skin. Skip honey if you’re vegan.

Detoxifying Cleansing Paste for Oily Skin

½ tsp neem powder

½ tsp amla powder
1 tsp mung dal flour
Rosewater to make into paste
Method:

☼ Neem is antibacterial and therefore beneficial for oily, acne-prone

skin; amla gives a shot of vitamin C for glow; mung flour works
as a mild astringent.
☼ Mix together with a bit of rosewater and apply till the paste is
semi-dry. Wash off. Do not rub on active breakouts.
☼ This paste is only for oily skin.

Smoothing Cleansing Paste for Mature Skin

2 tbsp masoor dal (red lentil) paste
2 tbsp white sesame seed paste
Raw milk (infused with a pinch of saffron) to bind
Method:
☼ Masoor dal works better than besan to exfoliate skin as it is more
mucilaginous, which makes it less drying. The fat from sesame
seeds works as an emollient on the skin. Soak both overnight in
milk.
☼ Infuse a few threads of saffron in it till it turns a yellow colour and
then soak masoor dal and white sesame seeds.
 Grind to a paste in the morning. Add extra milk if the paste is too
☼
dense.
☼ Pat all over the face. Rub off when semi-dry.
☼ You can make a small batch for four to five days and refrigerate.
☼ Do not rub if you are using strong retinols and peels.

Body Cleanse

There is no doubt that a bath invigorates the body, awakens the senses and
alerts the mind. But some get lazy, especially during the weekend, about the
daily ritual of bathing. But if you understand how a bath works, you’ll
know it goes beyond just aesthetics, positively impacting health and
wellness every single day.
According to the ayurvedic system, it is believed that if you eat healthy,
have a clean lifestyle and follow circadian rhythms, your body will work
very hard during the night to detoxify every organ. This detoxification
happens in many different ways. Your stool, sweat and urine are the
primary waste materials or malas. However, the secretions from the eyes
and other mucous membranes, the coating on your tongue and the oil on the
skin are also waste thrown out from your body.
Because each and every cell in your body detoxifies during the night,
your morning shower isn’t just about grooming and getting ready for the
day. In its deeper relevance, your morning bath removes all the secretions
that have been released through the night.

The Morning Bath

Everything is interconnected in traditional sciences, therefore, baths too

cannot be viewed in isolation. Here are a few pointers to be kept in mind:

1. Never bathe right after a meal because it dampens the digestive fire,
which means your food will not be metabolized optimally. Either do
it before you eat, or 25-30 minutes after a meal.
 Lukewarm water is considered to be the best for bathing. In summer,
2.
this lukewarm will be slightly cooler, while in winter it will be
slightly warmer. Hot baths are only for the sick, the old or the very
young. Even though TCM recommends cold showers, Ayurveda
suggests they’re best avoided since the coldness imbalances the
metabolic fire. The jury is still out on this one, since cold showers
and cryotherapy have proved to be beneficial in many conditions,
including for muscle healing and weight loss. Ultimately, we all have
to decide what works for us.
3. Even though Ayurveda may not recommend cold showers in general,
it is recommended that the head and eyes must always be washed
with cool water. The eyes are the seat of pitta or fire, therefore cool
water is said to invigorate and revive their functioning.
4. Additionally, bathing in cold water during winter enrages kapha and
vata, while utilizing hot water during the summer will agitate the
blood and pitta.
5. A body massage in the morning before a bath is supposed to be
grounding for the mind. While I have tried a pre-bath massage, I find
it impractical in the modern world, though ultimately it’s just a
question of building habit. For me, the morning bath has to be quick,
cleansing and fuss-free. Therefore, I like to rub in a cold-pressed oil
after my bath on damp skin.

Body Cleansing Powder

1 tbsp khus powder (Indian Vetiver)

1 tbsp anantmool powder (sarsaparilla)
1 cup navara red rice powder/red rice powder
½ cup masoor dal powder
1 tbsp saunf (fennel seed) powder
1 tbsp green cardamom powder or sandalwood powder
½ tsp almond oil (optional)
 ½ tsp honey (optional)
Hot milk/green tea/yoghurt/aloe vera gel to bind

Method:

Mix all the powders in the medium of your choice. I prefer hot milk
since I have dry skin. Make a thin paste and use this to clean the body.
You can also leave it on as a body mask (but make sure the paste is
thicker) when you have the time.

Hair Cleanse

Modern aesthetics leave little room for traditional remedies. Hair is a

classic example. The current aesthetic of hair is shiny, freshly shampooed
and blow-dried. We are repulsed by the smell and texture of hair oil, even
though it may benefit hair growth. Traditional hair rituals such as oiling and
henna are being replaced with synthetic colours and hair spas. But I have
seen the benefits of ancestral wisdom first hand. While current aesthetics
are relevant to the modern world, it is foolish not to utilize the knowledge
we have culturally.
For many years, I’d shampoo my hair almost every day. I wanted it to
look a certain way, which could only be afforded when I would wash it
regularly. During those years, I would always get a flaky scalp during the
changing seasons. This flakiness also affected my skin, which became
irritated for a couple of months every year. But then I began oiling my hair
before every shampoo and washed it only a few times in the week.
These days, I wash my hair twice a week. After doing this regularly for
years, my scalp stopped reacting to the change of seasons. There’s no more
flakiness, my hair has stopped falling and is in the best health. My
experience is that hair loves simplicity. An excess of synthetic colour,
excessive shampooing, multiple products and heat styling will break down
its structure and irritate the scalp.
 Studies have shown that herbal hair oils made with ingredients such as
amla, brahmi, fenugreek seeds and hibiscus provide results in terms of hair
thickness and growth, comparable to minoxidil. Even if you don’t want to
keep the oil overnight, 20-30 minutes is enough. Just don’t use cooling oils
such as coconut during winter because they make you susceptible to colds.

Softening Hair Cleansing Powder

1 cup arappu tree powder

½ cup shikakai powder
½ cup amla powder
¼ cup reetha powder (if hair is oiled)
or
1/4 cup mung powder if hair isn’t oiled
1 heaped tsp hibiscus powder
Method:

This is an adaptation of a traditional recipe. Mix all together and store.

To use, mix a couple of heaped teaspoons (or more depending on hair
length). Let it soak for a while. Then add more water to make a runny
paste and rub it all over your scalp.

Cleansing Powder for Oily Hair

Mix equal parts hibiscus, neem, amla and mung dal powders in some water.
Let it soak for 10-15 minutes and then make a runny paste to cleanse your
hair.
 3
DAYTIME ELIXIRS

The real beauty of the early morning elixir isn’t the fact that it fills us to the
brim with health. For most of us it brings with it hope and an expectation
that this drink will help resolve long-standing conditions, purify the body
and transform skin. We may not be entirely wrong either. Your morning
drink could help reduce bloat, kick-start metabolism, detoxify, alkalize or
hydrate the body. The highly individualized, ritualistic tendencies of the
morning beverage make it the most sustainable health habit.
I like to rotate my morning elixirs depending on the season. If I have an
ayurvedic prescription, it takes precedence, followed by other juices and
teas. The thing with morning elixirs is that you needn’t choose just one. If
you follow the ayurveda food rules, you know that the main meal is around
12 p.m. This is because the digestive fire burns bright around this time. My
ayurvedic doctor likes to compare the stomach to a havan kund. If the fire
isn’t burning bright, whatever offering you will put in will not burn
properly. Similarly, if you consume food at a time when the digestive fire is
not at its peak, it will not digest properly.
I eat my first big meal around lunch so I can consume a few health
boosters before. The first is an ayurvedic churna with detoxifying herbs
followed by green powders dissolved in water, and then some sort of fat. In
winter, the fat would be green tea with coconut oil and in summer I like to
drink raw mango panna in which I add two tablespoons of pre-soaked chia
seeds. In addition to this, I enjoy a couple of portions of fresh fruit and a
cup or two of herbal tea. Maybe some muesli if I’m writing, because carbs
fuel my mind. If you have the time and inclination, try to keep a gap of half
an hour between every drink and fruits. I like every ingredient to work
independently before another can be added. This is what is recommended in
Ayurveda and it works well for me.

Detoxifying Elixirs

Mornings are special because the mind is clear and body feels fresh,
therefore more receptive. Detoxification is a natural process for the body,
but certain spices and herbs can accelerate that process. The simplest way to
detoxify is a glass of hot water. Of course, there is the age-old recipe of
lemon and honey, but it may not suit everyone, especially pitta types prone
to hyperacidity.
When I speak of detoxifiers, I mean foods and herbs that have the ability
to purify the body internally. They could work by purifying the blood,
clearing the liver or helping it work better—one way or another, they need
to have a deeply cleansing effect so that anything consumed afterwards will
get beautifully absorbed into the body.

☼ Nettle

I first came across nettle a couple of decades ago. I discovered that it was
utilized as a leafy vegetable and a drink by Chinese herbalists and zen
masters rumoured to live well over a 100 years. In Europe, it is used to treat
urinary problems. When I consumed it regularly as tea in my twenties, I
found that it helped keep my skin clear and also helped reduce rosacea.
Nettle is a weed, and like any ingredient that grows freely, it’s also
packed with nutrients. In fact, any ingredient which grows on its own is
more nutrient-dense than farmed produce. Despite its uses in traditional and
folk medicine, nettle isn’t well-researched. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t
worth a second glance. In a small study on fish, it was found that when
nettle was given as a part of the diet, their immunity improved and they
became more resistant towards microbes. Another animal study found that
it did indeed have liver-protective properties. Nettle leaf also encourages
the renewal of intestinal villi or tiny finger-like projections that run along
the entire intestines. The villi absorb nutrition from food and pass it on to
the bloodstream. Additionally, nettle helps in eliminating harmful bacteria
from the urinary tract, reduces inflammation and helps control high blood
glucose levels.
Take a small teaspoon of dried leaves (or one teabag). Pour over freshly
boiled water. Let brew for at least 10 minutes to extract all the properties of
nettle. Sip either first thing in the morning 15 minutes after drinking a glass
of warm water, or between meals.

Indian Sarsaparilla

Chronic skin problems such as acne, eczema and psoriasis are clearly
reflective of poor-quality blood. This herb, also known as anantmool,
nannari or sariva, is one of the best blood purifiers in Ayurveda and is
considered to be the best remedy for chronic skin conditions. In fact, my
morning ayurvedic powder also contains this herb, which keeps my skin
clear despite being on synthetic hormones. Anantmool is loved because it
cools the body, brings down inflammation and also works as a diuretic,
thereby reducing water retention.
Because it eliminates excess heat from the body, it calms an angry,
disturbed mind. Studies have also shown that it has potent antimicrobial
activities against bacteria such as E. Coli and salmonella. It helps reduce
liver toxicity and increases positive markers such as liver collagen and
ascorbic acid. It is also anti-arthritic, antipsychotic, anti-acne and wound
healing. It’s no surprise then that it is considered to be the panacea for skin
relief. Lastly, the saponins in this herb increase the bioavailability or
absorption of other supplements in the body.
Anantmool must ideally be consumed with just water. You can either
consume a small teaspoon with warm water or brew it as a ‘tea’ by brewing
the powder in hot water for 10 minutes. The tea is quite fragrant—to elevate
the taste further, add a teaspoon of raw honey when it cools a bit. You can
drink this first thing in the morning or between meals.
☼ Neem

Bitter is considered to be the most detoxifying taste in Ayurveda. It is the

flavour that helps clear the liver, especially if consumed during spring.
Bitter is also the most cooling taste out of all the six flavours in Ayurveda.
In TCM, bitter herbs have a cleansing action, which directly impacts the
heart. It is also supposed to dry dampness, therefore it helps reduce mucous
production, which is associated with inflammation and infection.
Traditionally, in India, we consume five neem kay kopal or the slightly
reddish baby neem leaves for a period of three weeks on an empty stomach.
In a healthy human, this is supposed to detoxify the body for a full year.
You can also consume neem leaves by crushing one or two in a cup of hot
water and drinking it as a ‘tea’ after meals. Care must be taken, however,
not to consume neem for more than a couple of months. Since neem has
insecticidal properties, consumed over a long period, it kills even the
healthy bacteria in the gut.

☼ Amla

The Indian gooseberry is well-loved for its antioxidant properties. Being

one of the richest sources of vitamin C, it is utilized for its anti-ageing
properties by both traditional and western medicine. The best part about
amla is that unlike vitamin C from citrus fruits (that degrades very easily),
the vitamin C from Indian gooseberry isn’t sensitive to light or heat. This
means you can pickle, cook, juice and powder this berry without fear of
ruining its nutritional profile.
Even though its biggest strength is its rejuvenating power, amla works
wonderfully as a detoxifier as well. In Ayurveda and Tibetan medicine, it is
known for its cooling properties. It also strengthens digestion, helps with
the absorption of calcium, deeply detoxifies the tissues, promotes healthy
hair and strong teeth, cures anaemia, boosts immunity and slows ageing.
When in doubt, choose amla for its rejuvenating, fortifying and detoxifying
qualities.
 The Indian gooseberry can be consumed in many different ways. There is
no doubt that freshly squeezed juice is the best option. However, I prefer
not to get rid of the fibrous pulp. Therefore, grate fresh, mix both the pulp
and juice in a quarter glass of water and drink up. You could also consume
grated amla with a teaspoon of raw honey in winter. If you have amla
powder, you can add it to smoothies and green juices. Amla powder/dried
berries can also be brewed into herbal tea that can be enjoyed at any time of
the day.

☼ Beetroot

The juice of this root vegetable is common during winter, when it’s in
season, usually combined with carrot and ginger, makes it a nutrition bomb
with a powerhouse of nutrients like folates, vitamin C, iron, vitamin A and
B vitamins. But did you know that beetroots are highly therapeutic on their
own? I learnt about the healing power of beets at a health spa where
residents were given fresh beet juice first thing in the morning for its ability
to clear the intestines. This is because these vegetables are rich in betaine,
which is known to balance stomach acids and improve digestion.
In TCM, they’re supposed to help strengthen the heart and calm the
spirit. They’re also utilized for their ability to detoxify the liver, purify the
blood and lubricate the intestines. Studies have shown that beets help lower
blood pressure, reduce blood glucose and help in cases of kidney
dysfunction. They’re also rich in compounds called nitrates, that convert
into nitric oxide and help increase blood flow to the brain. When combined
with exercise, these nitrates also help improve stamina and endurance.
Beetroot juice is safe for most people; however, if you are prone to
kidney stones, then check with your doctor before consuming them. Also,
only eat/juice them during winter when they’re in season. According to
Ayurveda, they’re warming in nature, therefore unsuitable for the hot
weather or for very high pitta types. One cup of juice is safe for daily
consumption.
Alkalizing Elixirs

The body is a beautifully designed machine, quite capable of being in a

perfect balance of alkalinity and acidity. A pH of 0 is considered highly
acidic, while a pH of 14 highly alkaline. The normal pH of the blood lies
between 7.35 and 7.45. Modern lifestyles and poor eating habits such as too
much meat, processed food, preservatives, refined carbohydrates and sugar
have disturbed this natural balance of the body. Over time, with continued
abuse, the body becomes acidic with increased inflammation, which leads
to chronic disease.
When acids accumulate in the body, it cannot naturally neutralize them if
there is an overload of toxins. To dissolve these acids, it leaches minerals
from bones and joints, which eventually leads to osteoporosis. To counter
this, it also tries to protect itself by increasing fat storage. An acidic body is
the perfect host for bad bacteria, yeast and viruses that thrive in such an
environment. Signs of internal inflammation include but are not limited to
fatigue, digestive issues, aches, pains, migraines, bad breath and fungal
infections.
Even though the problem looks complicated, the solution could be as
simple as adding more plant-based foods. Fruits and vegetables are in fact
the number one alkalizers of the body. Cooling fruits such as apples,
melons, bananas, grapes and pears, along with green leafy vegetables, sweet
potatoes, cruciferous vegetables, cold pressed oils, nuts and seeds, all help
alkalize the body. Add to this stress-reducing activities, such as deep
breathing, which also help bring down the acidic load. An early morning
addition of greens is part of the alkalization process.

☼ Wheat and Barley Grass

In TCM, cereal grasses such as wheat and barley are revered for their
cooling and cleansing properties. While fresh juice from the shoots of the
seeds is always preferred, I also find it convenient to use powders. The
nutritional profile of wheat and barley grass is sort of the same. The
antioxidant profile of barley grass is higher, while the total phenolic
composition and flavonoids are much higher in wheatgrass. Antioxidants
are molecules that help fight cell-damaging free radicals. Phenolic
compounds and flavonoids have antioxidant properties but are used by the
body for specific actions. For instance, anthocyanins in blueberries give
them their colour and work as powerful antioxidants.
In both these grasses, the chlorophyll binds with carcinogens and hinders
their access to our cells. In addition, they also contain superoxide
dismutase, a powerful antioxidant, along with saponarin and gamma-
aminobutyric acid (GABA), which help bring down inflammation.
Barley grass helps prevent chronic diseases, reduces inflammation,
alkalizes the body and helps with weight loss, while the tryptophan content
also helps enhance sleep. Wheatgrass has slightly a lower amount of
nutrients but is greatly valued for its benefits towards blood-related diseases
such as thalassemia. Personally, the big difference for me is that wheatgrass
is slightly mild in flavour, whereas barley grass is sharper and more bitter.
I also like to rotate both by consuming each for a period of two months. I
add 1 tablespoon of cereal grass powder into half a cup of water, so as not
to dilute the nutrients with too much water. You can drink this first thing in
the morning on an empty stomach or between meals. If you have fresh
wheat and barley grass but find them painful to juice, eat the whole grass,
which will also give you the additional fibre.

☼ Moringa

I love moringa not only for its high nutritional profile but also because it is
one of the most sustainable trees. It grows freely, without much food and
water. It’s not surprising that it is used to help children suffering from
malnutrition in cash-strapped economies around the world. Just like amla,
moringa’s nutrients are not prone to degradation with heat and light.
Therefore, the powder can be kept stored and the fresh leaves cooked
without fear of losing its precious vitamins and minerals.
 Moringa is a favourite green powder among nutritionists because it can
be used for supplementation. It is a powerhouse of nutrients—just 6
spoonsful will enable a woman to get the required daily amount of calcium
and iron during pregnancy. To prevent an overdose of iron, consume
moringa powder in low doses. Even though research papers recommend a
maximum of 70 gm a day, I like to consume no more than 1 heaped
tablespoon in a small amount of water every day. Again, I prefer to rotate
between the cereal grasses and moringa, so that I don’t consume any one of
these potent nutraceuticals continuously over the long term.

☼ Spirulina

This ancient microalga was also eaten as food by the Mayans, with its
unusually high protein content (60–70 per cent by dry weight) and rich
profile of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and phytonutrients. The cholesterol-
lowering abilities of this super green are documented via animal studies,
along with its ability to prevent fatty liver. Spirulina also has potent
antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties; however, care must be taken
that all green powders must be consumed after a thorough evaluation with
your doctor and from clean, organic sources.
Microalgae such as spirulina are loved for their high protein content. In
Chinese medicine, it is especially beneficial for those who suffer the
consequences of being on a diet full of animal fat. The gamma linoleic acid
(GLA) in it helps balance hormones and calm inflammation. A daily dose
of 1 teaspoon is safe to consume on a daily basis. However, those with
thyroid, an autoimmune condition, kidney stones, gout, phenylketonuria or
pregnant women must only consume it after consulting with a health
professional.

Digestive Elixirs

The first step to healthy living is daily evacuation. This everyday habit has
a lot to do with mental health, diet and how attentive we are during meals.
Rushing though dinner, paying more attention to the phone than your meals
will ensure that food doesn’t get digested properly. We cannot carry toxins
and waste material generated at night during the day. If we don’t have a
daily bowel movement, some of those toxins get reabsorbed into the body.
It is a well-known fact that even hormones such as oestrogen are thrown
out of the body via daily elimination. Every healthy routine must begin after
we clear the waste. These ingredients may help keep you regular.

☼ Chia

For morning drinks, I like to use seeds that have a bit of mucilage. This
mucilage, which is basically the slippery texture and fats in the seeds, help
coat and repair the lining of the stomach, which can be destroyed by
antibiotics, autoimmune disorders and poor eating habits. The fat and
mucilage in these seeds also helps with better elimination, as they work as
mild laxatives and help bulk up stool with the fibre content.
For a food that has a better antioxidant profile than blueberries, chia
seeds are strangely marketed only for their ability to reduce weight. While
the research on chia’s connection with weight is inconclusive, one study
proved that just 30 gm of chia seeds, taken daily with bread, reduced the
sugar spike seen after meals. The seeds have also proven to be an ally for
those with heart disease as they lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of
heart problems. Chia contains a large amount of fibre, which can absorb up
to 15 times its weight in water. This helps slow down the digestion process
and the release of glucose, increases the peristaltic movement of the
intestines and reduces cholesterol.
The recommended dose of chia is about 15 gm, about 1 tablespoon a day.
Soak it overnight in cup of water and then drink in the morning. Chia
doesn’t suit everyone—if you feel that it overstimulates your digestion, it
may not be right for you.

☼ Flax
Unlike many nuts and seeds that are new additions to the superfood arsenal,
flax has been around for long with solid benefits that are backed by
research. It is one of the best sources of ALA (alpha linolenic acid) plant-
based Omega 3 fatty acids—the plant variation of Omega 3 is called alpha
linoleic acid. While ALA is undoubtedly beneficial for a variety of health
problems, the downside is that it makes flax go rancid very fast. This means
that it must be bought in small batches and consumed quickly. The same
goes for walnuts, which also spoil rapidly because of their high fatty acid
content.
Studies have shown that flaxseed has the ability to reduce blood pressure
and blood glucose, and has also been utilized for a variety of cancers as a
complementary supplement along with mainstream treatment. Mostly, it has
been studied in its protective role against breast cancer—small human trials
have shown that it protects and reduces mortality in women with breast
cancer. In these studies, the recommended daily dose was 25 gm a day of
milled flaxseed, or a little less than 2 tablespoons. Like all foods rich in
fatty acids, these too have shown a positive effect on brain function.
Additionally, the phytoestrogens in them provide oestrogenic action, which
helps reduce menopausal symptoms. The dosage for postmenopausal
women in the study was 40 gm (2 1/2 tablespoons) a day for a year.
The best way to consume it is when it’s bought whole, then roasted and
ground at home. Since this seed is prone to rancidity, avoid pre-milled
powders and instead choose to mill them in the spice grinder. You can
consume it with warm water but it can also be added to rotis, cakes or
sprinkled over salads. Just make sure you chew the seeds thoroughly if
you’re eating them whole.

☼ Sabja

Basil or sabja seeds are often confused with chia, but, energetically, they’re
a little different. Chia is warming while sabja is cooling, making them the
preferred option for summer. While sabja seeds too have fatty acids, they’re
appreciated more for their high mineral and antioxidant content, with high
levels of iron, zinc, magnesium and calcium.
Because they have the ability to expand with water, sabja seeds give you
the feeling of fullness for longer. Additionally, it is said that just a teaspoon
of sabja seeds contains more fibre than a whole bulb of lettuce. Because of
their cooling effect on the body, these seeds are suitable for anyone with
burning sensations such as hyperacidity. You can consume them with
sherbet to enhance their cooling effect or soak in water and chew
thoroughly. Consume no more than two teaspoons a day, after they have
been soaked for 30 minutes – 3 hours.

Water Infusions

The simplest way to purify, energize and focus is to keep ourselves well
hydrated. Even minor amounts of dehydration can cause a feeling of
lethargy and irritability. But the ayurvedic belief is that over-drinking water
can tax the kidneys. The ideal amount of water in a day comes to about 2
litres. Of course, if you stay in a hot and humid environment or work out a
lot, you’ll require more. It is better to drink warm or room temperature
instead of cold water, because warmer water helps improve digestion and
detoxify the body.
Additionally, if you eat saturated fats such as meats, ghee or coconut oil,
it’s better to drink warm water. Traditional sciences believe that cold drinks
and water can make the fat congeal within the body. In fact, in both
Ayurveda and TCM, water and your meals must be well spaced—at least
30-45 minutes before and after meals—so as to not dilute the nutrients of
food. You can drink maybe a cup with food, but no more.
Water that is charged with electrolytes such as sodium and potassium
tends to hydrate the body better. The simple practice of adding a few sprigs
of mint, lemongrass or a slice or two of cucumber or orange enhances the
taste, increases the electrolyte content and makes it easier to drink. An
ancient practice is to also use containers in various materials to infuse the
water.
☼ Copper

It is an old Indian practice to drink water from a copper tumbler. I like to

infuse this water, also called tamra jal, overnight for at least 8 hours and
drink from it upon waking up. This was suggested by my ayurvedic doctor,
who explained that copper water increases the peristaltic movement of the
intestines over the course of two-three months, which ultimately improves
digestion. Copper water is also naturally antibacterial, improves thyroid
health and balances all three doshas of the body.
Recent studies have shown that drinking water stored in a copper
container kills bacteria such as salmonella and E. Coli. It also alkalizes it by
slightly increasing the pH. In the study water, was stored for 16 hours for
the pH to change. With this in mind, store water for at least 12 hours, if not
more, to get maximum benefits from this ancient metal.

☼ Clay + vetiver

Most of us have grown up with the familiarity of water from earthen

matkas. The perfectly cool temperature and slightly earthy flavour make
this more delicious than refrigerated water. It is believed that storing water
in a terracotta surahi or matka makes it more alkaline and mineral rich. In
Ayurveda, it is also believed that meats are best cooked in clay pots because
the alkalinity of the terracotta takes away the acidity from animal fat.
Perhaps this is reason why in the old days an earthen pot was used to boil
milk and store dairy products such as butter and yoghurt.
You can further enhance the earthy taste of the matka by adding a small
ball of whole vetiver root. Also known as khus, this medicinal grass is
antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, and particularly works to calm the nervous
and circulatory systems. If you want to add vetiver root to a matka of water,
it must be no more than the size of a golf ball. If you want to add it to your
water bottle, then it must be much less. In excessive quantities vetiver can
make the water bitter, so a little goes a long way.
 4
FASTING AND DETOXIFICATION

Fasting is a huge component of meditation retreats. At a Zen retreat that I

visited in southern Japan, we followed the Nishi Health protocol where we
fasted for 18 hours every day. Dinner was at 5 p.m. and the first meal was
lunch the next day, between 12 and 1 p.m. A ten-day vipassana course is
even more challenging. The last meal is at 11 a.m., though newbies like me
were allowed a cup of chai and a portion of puffed rice around 5 p.m. I
think it’s easier to be disciplined about food at a retreat that is based on
frugality. But fasting in everyday life can be challenging, even though it is
certainly beneficial, given our overconsumption in the city.
Indian fasts of course are quite different and perhaps can’t come under
the modern fasting protocol. Even on a day when one meal is allowed, we
eat yoghurt, bananas, sweets, sabudana khichri, kuttu rotis, potato cutlets
and halwa. Of course, during Navratri, we also have vrat thalis (oh, the
irony), which defy all basic tenets of fasting.
Every religion has a fasting tradition, be it Ramadan or Lent in
Christianity. Putting fasting within the context of spirituality gives it mass
appeal and makes it easier to adopt. Even though the practice may have had
its origins in health and wellness, over the years, the concept has become
distorted. We now fast purely for religious purposes, having completely
forgotten its health benefits. Thankfully, new data brings this practice back
into focus across the world. Considered to be the magic elixir of well-being,
fasting is seeing a revival, and the best part is that it comes without
religious undertones.

Modern Revival
When we abstain from food, we give our internal organs (which otherwise
go through a constant cycle of digestion, assimilation and detoxification) a
break. Studies have proved that the body begins the process of autophagy
after 12 hours of no food. This means that when starved, your body begins
to feed on its cells. It sounds morbid, but here’s the good part: the first cells
to go in the process are the unnecessary or diseased cell components, and
therefore, this is the body’s most natural method of detoxification.
Studies have found that those who fasted for more than 13 hours had
lower chances of breast cancer. It was also found that intermittent fasting
reduces inflammation, enhances metabolism, clears toxins from damaged
cells and improves a range of ailments. But while many follow the 16:8
protocol of fasting 16 hours and eating only in the 8-hour window, it works
even better when done in harmony with the circadian rhythm, i.e., between
7 a.m. and 5-6 p.m.
The research on this subject is certainly new, but the concept itself is very
old. Indians traditionally have always fasted intermittently. The concept of
do waqt ki roti was about two meals in a day—one after sunrise and the
other before sunset. But fasting isn’t just a part of Indian tradition—many
physicians and philosophers have waxed lyrical about its powerful effects.
Rumi said that ‘Fasting is the first principle of medicine; fast and see the
strength of the spirit reveal itself.’ Benjamin Franklin famously said, ‘The
best of all medicine is resting and fasting.’ The fact is that fasting is resting
for our internal organs. Even while we sleep, our body is constantly
working to process food, detoxify the cells, rebuild tissue. By taking a break
from food, we are giving the body an opportunity to heal itself.

The Traditional View

Every culture and religion has a tradition of fasting. Moses fasted for 120
days, Jesus for forty days. Ramadan is a yearly month-long fast based on
the lunar cycles. The Hindu ekadashi fast is also observed with the lunar
cycle (every eleventh day after the full moon). Many believe—even though
there isn’t any conclusive evidence—that during certain days (full or new
moon, ekadashi) of the months, the moon affects the atmospheric pressure
on the earth, which makes these days better for detoxifying the body.
Upvasa, the Sanskrit word for fasting, means to ‘stay near the almighty’.
Ayurvedic texts say, ‘langham param aushadham’, meaning fasting is the
greatest medicine. The practice of abstinence is said to purify the body,
strengthen the mind and help connect with the higher consciousness.
A spiritual/religious reason to abstain from food gives motivation to
some. Or you could get your motivation from the research that supports this
incredible practice.

The Right Way to Fast

1) Eat Right

In the modern-day practice of intermittent fasting, many see the 8-hour

window to eat as a free pass to indulge in comfort food. But for this practice
to be effective, even during the periods one isn’t fasting, food must be eaten
in moderation and should help build the body and not break it down.
Choose whole foods, fruit and vegetable, clean sources of protein, lean
meats and healthy, unrefined fats.
Doctors and nutritionists warn about the binge/fast cycle. When you
consume food with trans fats, refined carbohydrates and sugars, your body
has to work doubly hard to process these ingredients. Because heavy food
takes longer to digest, you’re utilizing energy that could have otherwise
been used to detoxify the body at a cellular level. Detoxification is the
body’s last priority, as active functions such as movement and digestion
take precedence. Therefore, even if you fast for shorter periods, fast
completely. Even a morsel of food, will shift the focus from the body’s
function of purification to digestion.
Of course, it is absolutely necessary to enjoy your favourite foods
occasionally, but treat them as a weekly treat. As you continue to eat whole,
fresh food and fast minimally, you will see the effects of this traditional
practice. It isn’t about weight loss—fasting gives a boost of energy, a
feeling of lightness and clarity of thought. Personally, I find it difficult to
fast because of my vata-dominant constitution, prone to fatigue and lower
weight. I usually follow a 12-hour fast. If longer fasts suit your constitution,
only then they can be sustained.

2) Follow the Circadian Rhythms

Intermittent fasting may give you an excuse to eat your last meal at 10 p.m.
and first meal at 2 p.m., but recent studies have shown that it works best
when practised in line with circadian rhythms or with the day and night
cycle. Also called time restricted feeding (TRF), where you eat for eight to
ten hours during the hours of sunlight, it showed reduced parameters such
as lower body fat, insulin levels, inflammation and hyperlipidaemia,
especially when food was concentrated during midday. Eating later around
the afternoon or evening seemed to either nullify or worsen glucose, blood
pressure and lipid levels.
Whether you call it time-restricted feeding or the circadian diet, fact is
that science is just proving what tradition has believed. Ayurveda
recommends eating your main, heaviest meal at mid-day because that is
when the jatharagni or digestive fire is at its peak. It is also strongly
recommended that the last meal of the day must ideally be consumed
around sunset. It isn’t just about what you eat, but when you eat. Just
shifting your meal timings will have a transformational effect, because
eating at the right time means digesting at the right time, clearing the way
for detoxification.

3) Rest well

Sleep is the best ally of any detox. During my panchakarma, which I found
to be a fairly intensive, I found that my body was more exhausted than after
a 90-minute ashtanga class. If you choose to fast a couple of days in the
week, or even intermittently every day, rest must be prioritized. But even
though rest is required during any extended detox, Ayurveda doesn’t
recommend daytime napping. Unless it’s in the harsh summer months of
India or you’re over the age of sixty, daytime naps increase the production
of ama or toxins in the body, which is counterproductive to fasting.
According to Ayurveda, daytime naps increase kapha (weight gain) and
pitta (inflammation). Because naps increase toxicity—including conditions
such as migraines, obesity, colds, cough and congestion, among others—
they’re especially not recommended during spring, when kapha increases
naturally in the body. If one really has to nap, do so sitting comfortably so
that the torso remains upright, instead of lying down.

4) Listen to your Body

The modern age makes a fetish out of traditional practices. In its enthusiasm
to promote these rituals as one-stop cures, we gloss over the details. Within
the realm of fasting, even though it has myriad benefits, the concept of
fasting daily for 16-18 hours could be extreme, especially if you have a
very active daily routine. Many practitioners complain about constipation as
one side effect and fatigue as another. It is important to note that in every
tradition, fasting is never recommended as a continuous practice. Whether
its Ramadan, Ekadashi or Lent, fasting is recommended for limited periods
of time. It’s always a good idea to consult a health professional if you have
health conditions or if fasting doesn’t suit you.

5) Fast from Stimulation

Fasting isn’t limited to just food, since we consume from all senses.
Detoxification from other sources of stimulation also falls under the aegis
of fasting. Taking a break from social media, excessive conversation or
anxiety-inducing content give hyper-stimulated sense organs a rest. Because
the concept of fasting isn’t limited to purification; it is also meant to reduce
extreme attachments. Fasting from food is just the beginning. As you see its
benefits, try applying it to other aspects of life (where you have an
unhealthy attachment) for limited periods to feel lighter and more refreshed.

6) Breaking the Fast

Though it may be tempting to indulge in your favourite dessert after fasting,
it’s important to choose the healthiest options that won’t cause blood sugar
to rise. This means non-starchy vegetables, healthy fats, seeds, nuts, fruit
like apples and berries that aren’t very sweet, plus proteins such as fish,
poultry or beans. Think of your body like a fresh canvas—introduce only
the healthiest, most nourishing foods on this clean slate. Keep your treats
for later after you’ve ‘lined’ the stomach with healthy food.

What is right for you?

There are many ways to give your internal organs a break. You could fast
on the daily for 12–13 hours. You could choose one day in the week where
you eat only one meal in the day, choosing fruit and vegetable for the
remainder of the time. Or, if you’re experienced and have practised it under
the tutelage of a doctor or guru, you could drink only water for a day.
Personally, my vata-dominant constitution demands food. I eat dinner
around 8 p.m. and breakfast between 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., so I take a 12–13
hour break on a daily basis. Taking a break from sugar, dairy, grains and
meat would qualify as a fast as well, since these ingredients are hard to
metabolize and cause inflammation. Moderation and curation must be
practised before ritualizing daily routines. What suits me may not suit you
and vice versa, and that is especially true of fasting.
A lot has been said about fasting, its connection with autophagy and the
effect on cancer cells. Certainly, autophagy does have an effect, however, it
depends on the tissue. For instance, when it comes to the breast, it definitely
shows positive effects; however, food restrictions could also increase
problems in the heart. There are animal studies to show that not only
fasting, but also curcumin and exercise also lead to autophagy. The point is
that anything is bad when practised in excess. Not everything that is
trending will work for you. So, listen to your body, learn to read its signals
and practise moderation for steady, long-term health benefits.
PILLAR II

Energize
 Where there is pain there is no movement,
where there is movement there is no pain.
—Huang Di Nei Jing

In TCM, movement, or obstruction-free flow of energy, leads to prevention

of illness. Energy, known as qi in the TCM and prana in yoga, is the
essential life force that resides within all living beings. Just like prana has
many different variations in Ayurveda, qi too has several applications. The
qi of the food is good when it tastes pleasant and provides nutrition. A
person who has physical strength has ‘abundant’ qi, whereas someone with
a sharp, clear mind has ‘refined’ qi. Conversely, if someone does not have
clarity of thought, they have ‘confused’ qi. This word in Chinese medicine
is an accurate measure of the level and type of vitality in every object—
animate or inanimate.
In Hindu mythology, energy is defined as Shakti, without which Shiva
would only be consciousness without creation. There are in fact five powers
within Shakti written about in the Shiva Sutras. All of us have access to
these powers, namely chitta shakti, jnana shakti, kriya shakti, iccha shakti
and ananda shakti. Chitta shakti, or the power of consciousness, means to
tap into the part of your mind unsullied by knowledge or experience. Then
there are jnana and kriya shakti—like the names suggest, they come from
knowledge and the ability to act. Iccha shakti is born out of the force of
will. Lastly, there is ananda shakti, to be in touch with pure consciousness
for the purpose of bliss. As we know through experience, bliss is the best
kind of energy out of them all. And even though bliss may sound elusive, it
can be found in small moments such as sitting down after a long run or the
refreshing taste of water when you’re thoroughly parched.
In physics, the law of conservation of energy states that energy isn’t
created or destroyed but converted from one form to another, or transferred
from one object to another. This means that an object will always have a
similar amount of energy, unless it is added from the outside. A simple
example would be soccer, where the energy from your foot is transferred to
the ball. A more esoteric concept would be how we feel elevated or
depleted depending on optimism or pessimism, absorbed via people or
circumstances. Within the framework of health and wellness, this concept is
apparent in diet—a light, nutritious diet uplifts as compared to heavy,
greasy food that makes you feel leaden.
‘Strength doesn’t come from physical capacity. It comes from an
indomitable will,’ said Mahatma Gandhi. This quote perfectly illustrates the
concept of mental energy. Today, this phrase is backed by scientific studies.
The most popular example is the marshmallow test, where sweets were
placed in front of toddlers. If they could wait for the researcher to come
back, they would get two, if not, they would get one. Thirty years later,
when followed up, it was found that the children who waited for the candy
scored better on their SATs and had a lower body mass index (BMI).
Undoubtedly, the building blocks of any type of success—monetary,
creative or spiritual—are patience, willpower and self-control. To cultivate
these attributes, we require mental energy.
Like all good things in life, vitality isn’t built in a day, but results from
consistency. Whether via pranayama, exercise or healthy food, we need to
be invigorated several times a day, because we also expend energy every
few hours. Even the flow of this energy needs to be maintained so there are
no blockages. All traditional sciences (be it Ayurveda or TCM) believe that
disease always begins with blockage/stagnation of energy. For instance,
according to Ayurveda, endometriosis happens because there is a blockage
in the apana vayu, or the downward flow of energy. In TCM stress and
anxiety are the primary causes that lead to stagnant qi, which is reflected in
depression, anger, mood swings, painful periods and can lead to chronic
disease.
As energy ebbs and flows through the day, this pillar of the sun requires a
layered approach. To be truly refreshed, we need to be physically, mentally
and spiritually energized. The following chapters detail elements that give
you a boost, both long and short-term. You can choose between a quick rush
when you feel most depleted, or practices that build reserves over the long
term. For me, certain pranayamas practised in the morning work to clarify
thoughts and increase vitality. For you, it could be a mid-afternoon snack
that boosts productivity. It is entirely up to you to pick and choose rituals
that work with your interests and schedule.
Ultimately, it is not possible to utilize this entire arsenal of practices.
While the rules of food and drink must be imbibed, in terms of yogic
remedies, begin by choosing just one. Chinese medicine practitioners say
you cannot wear too many hats at the same time. Therefore, don’t load up
with too many practices in an already-packed schedule. Start with one, and
add another only after you’re habituated to the first. Too many hats make
the head heavy, so keep it light and take your time, so that you’re
consistent. Rituals require a lifetime of refinement, so layer one after the
other till you find your comfortable space.
 1
SUNBATHING

One of the most important principles of Ayurveda is the pindi to brahmandi

concept. The human body, the pind or microcosm, is considered to be the
mirror or miniature of the universe, the bramhandi or macrocosm. Just like
there is heat and energy in the stars, heat and energy are present in our
bodies too. And if we look at anatomy as not just the physical body but also
the emotions and auric field, exposing ourselves to the elements helps
balance body and mind, especially today when technology takes us away
our true nature. Whether it’s grounding the feet on grass wet with dew
drops to calm anxiety, dipping them in sea water to cleanse negativity or
sunbathing to boost the mood and energy, going to back to nature means
healing ourselves from the inside out.
We know that the sun helps with wakefulness, energy and clarity.
Decisions made during the night are clearer in daylight. The sun is
responsible for stimulating several hormones associated with these
responses. Just like melatonin is responsible for the inertia of nighttime,
serotonin is the by-product of sunshine. It has been found that serotonin,
also known as the happy hormone, gets a boost with daylight and sunshine.
In fact, it can be produced by our skin because both serotonin and its
transporters have been found in keratinocytes, cells that make up 90 per
cent of the epidermis. Though these findings are preliminary, there is
evidence that sunshine has a role in the production of this feel-good
hormone. Perhaps this is the reason why anything from minutes to hours of
warm sun helps elevate our mood and feeling of comfort.
In the current scenario, sunbathing has rightfully earned itself a poor
reputation because it’s usually done between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., when
sunrays are most powerful. But I’m talking about is sunbathing for a very
short time, in the morning or evening, when the rays are gentlest. Part of
traditional yogic practices, this form of sun worship removes disease-
causing pathogens, invigorates muscles and tissues, and clears and
energizes the mind. I visited Kerala earlier this year and learnt a Malayalam
saying that encapsulates traditional beliefs in solar power, ‘Andhi vela
konda chanda tamra pole agam.’ This means that if you catch the last rays
of the sun, you’ll bloom like the red lotus. This is more in the context of
sun-gazing.
There are many yogis in India who regularly practise sun-gazing, with
some who live off the energy provided by the sun, with limited portions of
food. But these are enlightened beings, who have every aspect of their life
streamlined with this practice. Despite its benefits, sun-gazing isn’t enough
to sustain most humans, especially those who live a high-stress life.
However, heliotherapy or sunbathing for holistic purposes can be practised
by one and all.

Safe Sunbathing

Traditionally, sunbaths were taken first thing in the morning, when the sun’s
rays are gentlest. The morning sun is healing, whether you gaze at its
diffused light or bathe under its subtle rays. The ideal daily sunlight
exposure for effective synthesis of vitamin D is when 20 per cent of the
body is exposed to the sun for 30 minutes, if you’re at sea level. For people
who work indoors most of the day, it is recommended that they utilize an
hour during the weekend for safe sun exposure. A secure time to harness
the sun’s immense healing potential is early morning, typically before 8
a.m. and after 5 p.m. In winter, you can enjoy the soft sunshine for up to
half an hour, but in the warmer months, it must be limited to 10-15 minutes
every day.
When practised wisely, there isn’t any reason to be afraid of sunlight.
Stay in the sun only till you can tolerate it, not a minute longer. Apply an oil
such as sesame before your morning sunbath for better penetration and
blood circulation. Take a bath afterwards; do not eat immediately but after
half hour or so.
 2
BREATHWORK

Breathing is the most automatic yet versatile function of the body. Even
though it happens naturally, when you learn to control and channelize it, it
can be used to relax, energize, heal or increase concentration. How you
breathe indicates the state of your physical and mental condition. When
we’re stressed, our breath is shallow, therefore to relax, we inhale deeply.
Breathing is such a natural process that it’s easy to disconnect from it
completely. However, the breath is the bridge between the mind and the
body. Whenever you find your mind slipping away, bring your attention to
each inhale and exhale to unify mind and body.
In yoga, the correct sequence for advancement is asana, then pranayama,
and finally meditation. However, in this day and age, the focus is primarily
on asana and meditation. But meditation itself can be dangerous if not
practised under the tutelage of an experienced teacher. If your mind is not in
your control, sitting in silence could weigh you down with thoughts.
Pranayama, on the other hand, is much safer. The deep, conscious inhales
and exhales help release heaviness, relax the mind, energise and oxygenate
the body.
Studies have proved that pranayama enhances cognitive function, reduces
stress and strengthens lungs, thereby improving immunity. Yogis are known
to have studied animals, whether it’s for yoga poses or breathing practices.
Through this observation, they realized that animals that breathe slowly
have longer lifespans than those with shorter, shallow breaths. For instance,
a tortoise takes 4 breaths a minute and lives up to 120 years, whereas a dog
breathes an average of 24 breaths per minute and is expected to live
between twelve and fifteen years. In this sense, slow breathing seems to
extend lifespan.
 Breathwork isn’t just good for long-terms benefits but also provides
instant gratification. A few deep inhales instantly make you feel better. In
just a few minutes, pranayama can make you feel calm when you’re
agitated, or focused when your thoughts are scattered. People recommend
meditation to reduce stress, but a few minutes of pranayama before
meditation helps centre the mind and therefore refine your meditative
practice. But pranayama strands as a practice on its own, with or without
asana or meditation. In a world where focus and patience are anomalies, it
is more realistic (and doable) to just breathe.

An exercise for when you’re stressed: breathe deeply, feeling your breath
enter your nostrils, tracing its path down your throat, to the chest, down
the stomach, all the way to the pelvic floor. And now follow the path of
the breath in the same way while you exhale. Take 25 deep breaths in
this manner.

Making Friends with your Breath

Set a timer for 2–5 minutes. Lie down in bed and focus on your breath.
Do not change it in any manner. If it’s shallow, let it be. If it’s deep,
accept it as it is. Just trace its movements, observe which nostril is more
open, become aware of its sensations, whether they’re warm or cool. If
the mind runs, which it will, bring it back to the present moment, without
any agitation, repeatedly, till the time is up. We go out into the world to
seek knowledge but most of us aren’t even aware of how we breathe.

Surya Bhedana

If you like to dive into activity upon waking up, it may serve you well to
practise right nostril breathing for a few minutes. The practice of inhaling
through a single nostril can have either an activating or a relaxing effect.
Inhaling via the right nostril is called surya bhedana, literally translated into
‘sun piercing’ breath. I have found this pranayama to be especially
beneficial first thing in the morning.

☼ Close your left nostril with your left thumb and inhale through the
right nostril to activate the surya nadi.
☼ Then close the right nostril with your left ring finger and exhale
through the left.
☼ Repeat by inhaling through the right nostril and exhaling through the
left.
☼ Please note that surya bhedana must not be practised by those with
high blood pressure or in the very hot months of summer.

Did you know?

Focusing on the inhale activates the alert modes. Therefore, concentrate

on your inhales during breathwork in the morning to feel fresher and
keep the mind sharper.

Nadi Shodhana

Some years ago, I attended Dr Robert Svoboda’s talk on tantra. During the
lecture, he said that if there was just one spiritual practice to be continued
for the rest of your life, choose alternate nostril breathing. Also known as
anulom vilom, this is perhaps the most popular pranayama, with good
reason. It requires no special expertise, spiritual advancement or physical
strength—the only thing that it requires is patience. It’s precisely this
simplicity that makes it such a special practice, which boosts energy, calms
the nervous system, enhances immunity and provides mental clarity.
To understand how this exercise works, we need to delve into the ethereal
network of channels which pass through the body, infusing it with energy
and vitality. Called meridians in Chinese medicine and nadis in Ayurveda,
these pathways are responsible for the smooth flow of prana, qi or the
essential life force. Out of the 72,000 nadis in the body, the most important
are the ida (left nostril) and pingala (right nostril). The left is ruled by the
moon and is feminine, creative and emotional, while the right ruled by the
sun, is masculine, physical and practical. This pranayama is also known as
nadi shodhana because it helps purify these channels and balances the two
opposites of the sun and moon aspects of our physiology and personality.
Ayurvedic practitioners believe that disease begins when the flow of
prana gets obstructed. Think about how your breath changes when you’re
under stress. The breath becomes shallow, and depending on your personal
body type, you may feel an obstruction a blockage, be it a lump in your
throat, a knot in your chest or a brick in your stomach. There is no doubt
that most diseases begin in the mind. Stress causes the body to spin out of
balance, eventually causing disease. The bridge in between the body and the
mind is the breath.
While it is challenging to change circumstances in an instant, at the very
least, we can use the breath to release heaviness in the body and thereby
calm the mind. With pranayama, the change is almost instantaneous, though
temporary in the short term. Even though you may step back into the
stressful situation, during those moments of deep breathing, it is possible to
find some fleeting peace. Sometimes, just a few moments of tranquillity are
enough.

How to Practice Nadi Shodhana

☼ Sit in a comfortable position with your back straight. You can sit
either cross-legged or on a chair with both feet flat on the floor. Keep
the chin tucked in slightly—think of the action as straightening the
back of your neck, or that you’re pushing the head back so the chin
tucks in. Do not let your chest cave inwards, keep your torso lifted
and back upright so that energy can flow easily in a straight spine. If
required, place a small cushion behind your lower back to keep the
spine from curving.
 If you’re right-handed, place your thumb gently on your right nostril
☼
and ring finger on your left nostril. Start by gently pressing the right
nostril and inhaling through the left. Close both nostrils for a second
then exhale though the right. Then inhale through the right and
exhale through the left. One inhale and exhale from both nostrils
completes one set. Try to do at least ten sets.
☼ Don’t use inhale sharply and don’t throw your breath out with the
exhale. Keep your breath so soft that you’re unable to hear it.
☼ Trail the movement of your breath as you inhale and exhale. I like to
imagine both nadis in a ‘U’ shape. When my breath touches the base
of the ‘U’, I hold my breath for a few seconds and then exhale. Don’t
attempt retention when you begin. The breath must be tamed slowly,
otherwise it can cause adverse effects. It better to stick to simpler
practices—advanced variations must be learnt from a teacher.
☼ If your hand gets tired, change the hand when you hold the breath.
☼ It is natural that you will engage with several thoughts, you might
also get irritated or agitated. Don’t berate yourself when that
happens, just bring your attention back to your breath without the
feeling of frustration.
☼ After pranayama, lie down flat in shavasana for 2 minutes so that the
body can reap the benefits.

Three-Part Breathing

Pranayama is energizing for the body and calming for the mind. However,
one of its lesser talked about benefits is detoxification. Our lymph nodes are
also situated below the diaphragm. Because of this, deep breathing that
pushes and opens the diaphragm helps in stimulating the movement of
lymph, leading to detoxification. Three-part breathing, where you first
breathe into the pelvic floor followed by the stomach and lungs is calming,
grounding and detoxifying.
Most pranayama is best done slowly and this one is no different. As your
breath slows, it centres and relaxes the mind which results in better focus
before you begin the day. If you have the time you can practice this three-
part breath prior to the alternate nostril breathing, or choose only to do just
this if the finger movements for anulom vilom are tiring or distracting:

☼ Sit in a comfortable position with your back straight. Keeping your

eyes closed, breathe in, directing the breath into your pelvic floor and
filling up your lower abdomen. Your belly must expand with the
breath. Do three rounds of lower abdomen breathing.
☼ Then breath into your upper stomach, pushing it outwards. As you
inhale, the diaphragm pushes downward, so really feel this
downward push as you inhale. Do three rounds.
☼ Finally, fill your lower abdomen, stomach and lungs till the throat.
As you do this, imagine the breath filling up the front, back and sides
of the lungs. You’ll be surprised to know that most of our lungs are
situated in the back (not front) of the body.
☼ Exhale slowly, letting the air out first from the throat, then lungs,
followed by the stomach, feeling your diaphragm go up as you
release. I like to sometimes focus just on the diaphragm—it’s
fascinating how it goes down on the inhale and lifts up when you
breathe out. Finally, exhale from your belly button and pelvis.
Practise 3 to 5 rounds.
 3
MOVEMENT

It’s interesting that as we age, we see a decrease in both movement and

energy in our body. It’s a vicious cycle—the less energized we feel the more
opposed we are to any sort of movement. But even the minutest motions of
the body keep it supple, preventing degradation. Think about how the
fingers are exercised with activities such as sports, crafts and writing letters.
Or how the muscle is built up in weight training and how that strengthens
the core. Observe how yoga stretches the ligaments, tones muscles and
opens tight joints. Even a simple activity like walking keeps the body and
mind light.
Whatever may be your choice of movement, they provide that undeniable
rush of energy and boost of endorphins. But exercise can be intimidating,
especially in the world of social media, where everything is in hyperbole, it
is seen as effective only when it is in the extreme. But every fitness expert
will tell you to choose consistency over intensity. Even beginning with a
15-minute daily walk is a good start. It’s only natural that as you become
more consistent, you’ll become motivated take it up another level. Small,
consistent workouts are also a safer way to exercise. I’ve injured my IT
band, sprained my hamstrings and my shoulders only to contort my body
into a pose that wasn’t suitable for me. The ego boost in lifting more or
powering through a longer run is undeniably addictive and beneficial in
competitive sports. But when the ego is in charge in personal practice it
leads to injuries. Think about the time when you ran that extra kilometre
when people were watching or the arm balance that you lifted into during
yoga class. While there is no doubt we must push ourselves, we must be
cognizant of the body’s boundaries.
 Seema Sondhi, my yoga guru, always says, ‘You’re not going to get a
gold medal in your yoga practice.’ And yet we exercise like there is a
trophy waiting for us towards the end. Not everyone can exercise hard, run
for miles or hold an arm balance. And that’s okay. The moment I removed
the idea of competition from my workouts, I started healing. Some of the
best exercises are low intensity, like walking. It doesn’t matter how hard
your workout may be—what works is to be consistent, at least five to six
days a week.
Studies have shown us that 30 minutes of cardio four days a week is
enough to stay healthy. We make it complicated by making workout plans
so exhaustive that they’re impossible to follow on a daily basis. The right
exercise plans must a) fit into your schedule and b) should energize you
instead of wearing you out. The best exercise can also be as simple as a
brisk walk.
During the times of COVID-19, I enthusiastically chose brisk walking as
my primary form of exercise. Being generally injury-prone, it was a mini
workout but with very little chance of a strain. Walking enhances
cardiovascular health, lowers BMI, and is even known to improve memory
and cognitive function. Even though the right exercise should be a mix of
functional training, resistance work, flexibility and weights, walking for 30
minutes once or twice a day is enough to live a healthful life.
There are many things you can combine with walking to double the
benefits. You can recite a mantra or affirmation, focus on your breath, listen
to great music or just observe everything around you. Unlike other
workouts that demand undivided attention, walking, yoga or cycling or any
self-practice is a great way to introspect. My gynaecologist recommends
walking and running for women who have issues such as endometriosis and
PCOD. While running too is a natural function of the body, it takes time to
build stamina and some guidance to ensure you don’t injure your back or
knees.
Though eventually it’s a good idea to push yourself to build greater levels
of strength, flexibility and endurance, movement must always be enjoyed.
Think about how we moved as children. We ran, played and jumped
because it was fun. So, look beyond yoga, gym, walking or pilates. Some
people love to clean, others love to dance. I discovered with my niece that I
loved jumping on the trampoline. Either way, if you have just 10 minutes in
the morning, move your body for that instant boost of in mood and energy.
It will take a bit of adjusting to it if you’re new, but once it becomes a habit,
you’ll do happily.

The Five Tibetan Rites

More than 2,500 years old, these rites, practiced by Tibetan lamas, help
balance chakras, keep the joints supple and body strong, and provide
spiritual benefits. Because they are practiced by the Tibetan lamas, these
must be practised by those who are already fit and have good core strength.
It’s a good sequence to fit in on days when you want the simplicity and
intensity at the same time.
I first heard about these rites from a sanyasi at a panchakarma centre in
Pune. Each ‘rite’ is an exercise that needs to be repeated 21 times. Also
called the ‘fountain of youth’, these exercises, it is believed, balance the
energy vortexes in the body and boost energy. The Tibetans believe that we
have seven main energy vortexes or chakras, which spin at a great speed.
The main cause of ageing and ailments is the slowing down of these
chakras.
These five exercises restore the normal functioning of the chakras, and
therefore are referred to as rites instead of exercises because they go beyond
just the physical body. Though each rite is practised in sets of twenty-one
reps., do not attempt the required number of reps right away. Start with
three, five, seven and nine and build it up in odd numbers, which the
Tibetans believe are auspicious. Never practise more than the required
twenty-one reps as that may have adverse effects.
Also remember that the speed of number of reps doesn’t matter. What
matters more is how you coordinate the movement with your breath. When
we focus on our inhale and exhale, the movement has psycho-spiritual
benefits, as opposed to pushing ourselves beyond limits that leads to an
injured body and an agitated mind. If you’re out of breath, stop right away.
Eventually, you will have enough stamina to do all the reps harmoniously
with the breath.
I love these exercises because they can be done in the comfort of your
home, for the rest of your life. The whole ritual takes 10 minutes only and
builds you up so that you will have strong bones and flexible joints in old
age. It’s also perfect for the morning, because it gives that boost of energy.

1. Rite no. 1

Start by spreading your arms out, then start spinning in a clockwise

direction, keeping your eyes open, and gaze downwards towards the floor.
This will make you dizzy when you begin, so it’s wise to start with a
smaller number of reps and then build up. (Do not practice this if you have
vertigo.) Lie down and rest for a few seconds before you begin the next
pose.

2. Rite no. 2
Lie down on a mat. Then keeping your spine straight, both shoulders on the
mat and chin slightly tucked in, raise both legs straight till they’re at a right
angle with your body and then bring them down. If you have a weak or
injured back, keep your knees gently bent and place your palms (face down)
to support your lower back. Start small and then build up your strength.
Once you finish, bring your knees close to your chest and hug yourself to
soothe your lower back. Rest for a few seconds before beginning the next
set.

3. Rite no. 3

Stand on your knees and place palms on your hips. Place a cushion or a
folded yoga mat underneath your knees to pad them if they’re weak)
Imagine you’re extending and opening the front of your body—first
lengthen the front of the pelvis, opening the belly, rolling your shoulders
back and open the chest and then bend backwards gently. Keep in mind that
you must focus on opening and lengthening the front part of the body. Do
not bend backwards from your lower back as that will compress your spine
—focus more on opening the chest.
 Keep the gaze at the chest, at the ceiling or (if you’re very open) look
back. Come back to neutral position and repeat no more than 21 times.
Don’t forget to relax for a few seconds before you get into the next pose.

4. Rite no. 4

Sit with your legs stretched in front of you and palms on the side of your
hips. From position swing your hips upwards till you reach a ‘tabletop’
position where your legs are bent at a 90-degree angle, body straight
opening upwards, and palms grounded and feet planted on the floor. Hold
for 1 second and then sit back in the same position. Eventually, work up to
21 reps. Make sure you keep your stomach gently pulled in to protect your
back.

5. Rite no.5
Get in an inverted ‘V’ position, also known as the downward dog, with
palms shoulder-width apart and feet hip-width apart. It doesn’t matter if
your heels don’t touch the floor. From here, move forward, keeping your
toes tucked in, knees and hips off the floor. Open your chest and shoulders,
and (if it doesn’t strain your neck) look up. Then go back into the
downward. Repeat no more than 21 times.
 4
AFTERNOON BOOSTERS

For someone who enjoys writing from the comfort of her own home, I find
my productivity dipping to the lowest during the afternoons. Of course, one
should never work from the comfort of their couch. That is a bad habit I
need to get rid of right after I finish this book. But even if you don’t work
from home, being productive after lunch takes an immense amount of
determination. Here’s a reality check to help keep you awake during the
day: daytime naps are not recommended in Ayurveda. It is believed that
lying down for a nap after lunch is a sure-fire way to increase ama or toxins
within the body. In fact, during panchakarma, naps are strictly forbidden
since it increases the toxins that you are trying to eliminate. The only
exceptions—during high summer or if you’re over sixty-five.

Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NDSR)

Rest is possible even when the mind is awake. Guided meditations that
require us to shift our thoughts help relax and recuperate. Yoga nidra, a
guided meditation, is now a fairly popular practice, which I turn to,
especially when I know that I have to rest but may be unable to fall asleep.
Or when I wake up in the middle of the night, I prefer to practise this
instead of going through my phone. There are many types of yoga nidra
available with a quick search on the phone. I like to choose a longer one
when I know I need to sleep and a shorter one when I need a pick-up during
the afternoon. Because yoga nidra completely relaxes the nervous system, it
is believed that it helps us connect with our subconscious. Therefore, a
sankalpa or positive affirmation is to be repeated 3 times with full belief
before and after the practice. I like to keep only one sankalpa for this
meditation, something that I would like to work towards in this life. Ideally,
one should stay awake during this practice; however, if one needs to sleep,
or even relax, then one should let go and allow the body to rest, for a short
while.

Simple Chair Stretches

Sometimes, simplicity can complicate lives even though it will eventually

bring about a transformation. Like the most elementary health habit of
following the circadian rhythms—if you wake up around sunrise and sleep
around 10 p.m., you will most definitely stay in good health and won’t
require detoxes, superfoods or supplements. Synchronizing your routine
according to the rise and fall of the sun makes your body function optimally
because every hour in the day belongs to the function of a separate organ.
By eating, sleeping and exercising according to nature’s cycle, you keep
your internal engineering functioning optimally. But it’s easier said than
done. In the earlier days when our schedules were similar as a collective,
this was possible. Today following circadian rhythms is a privilege, because
it requires a combination of the right circumstances and discipline.
The second simple change is posture. This is something I’ve struggled
with for the majority of my life, and it’s still a work in progress. The right
posture ensures bone, muscle, digestive health and also prevents fatigue.
Hunching compresses the internal organs and adds unnecessary pressure on
the bones. A habitually poor posture also leads to fatigue because the body
isn’t used to holding itself up. The yogic school of thought believes that that
you are as young as your spine, because the most debilitating feature of old
age isn’t the white hair or wrinkles, but the hunched spine and bone
changes.
One way to keep our spine young is to move it in all directions, as
demonstrated in the five Tibetan rites. The other way to keep it young is to
build muscle so that we can hold ourselves up and correct the posture. One
must stretch the body to ensure there isn’t any unnecessary pressure on a
certain part, which can erode the bone. But first, what is the right posture?
 Simply put, the right posture while standing means to keep the weight
mostly on the balls of the feet and extend the spine. Stack every part neatly
one on top of another. This means that the ankles, knees, pelvis, chest, neck
and head must all be in a single line, while still maintaining the natural
curves on the neck and spine without any protrusions. Your pelvis would
neither be pushing forward nor curved towards the back. The chest must be
open with the back of the thoracic spine pushing inwards. It is essential to
check the body for any compressions. Those who have an overly arched
spine will have compressions at the back, while those who are hunched will
have compressions in the front of their body. The idea is to be mindful of
this stacking and prevent compressions. Posture isn’t something that can be
corrected in day—it needs moment-to-moment awareness to keep your
joints neatly stacked and the spine lengthened and lifted.
Still, as we progress in our day’s work, it’s common to keep the shoulders
shrugged or curl deeply into our laptops. In this case, nothing works better
than a few mid-afternoon chair stretches to stretch the body and refresh the
mind. Keep in mind that these stretches must not be practised right after
lunch but a couple of hours afterwards.

1. Restorative forward bend

Folding forward is the body’s natural defence mechanism because it’s
restorative and calming. When you’ve had a day that’s been completely on
the go or mentally exhausting, you can find a spot of comfort with this
forward fold, which can be done in two ways.

☼ Sit on a chair and shift your hips back till they touch the backrest.
Keep your feet on the floor parallel to each other. Then, simply fold
forward, allowing your head to roll between and below the knees and
arms hanging straight beside you. If your chest and stomach doesn’t
rest on your thighs naturally, keep a cushion in between to make this
pose more restorative. Stay for about a minute and lift up—you’ll
feel calmer and more refreshed.
☼ You can also use this pose to stretch your arms and open the chest.
Fold forward in the way mentioned above, but this time, take your
arms back and interlace your fingers. The difference in this variation
is that your chest will be open. Remember, when you stretch your
 arms, they should pull back, not upwards, so that you can open the
chest and create space between the shoulders and the neck.

2. The Wrist Stretch

For most of us, a day’s work means hours in front of the computer tapping
away at presentations. Because our wrists are mostly in one position (face
down) through the day, stretching them in the opposite direction provides
relief from stiffness and pain. You can simply make a fist and roll wrists in
clockwise and anti-clockwise directions and try this:

☼ Stretch one arm forward, palm facing up. Hold the fingers with the
opposite hand and pull them downward so you feel a stretch on the
inside of your forearm. Hold for 30-60 seconds. Repeat on the other
arm.
☼ Stretch one arm palm facing down. Grab hold of the fingers with the
opposite hand and pull downwards so you feel a stretch on the outer
wrist. Hold for 30-60 seconds. Repeat on the other arm.
☼ Join your palms in a namaste position. Keeping your palms together
in the same manner, point the fingertips downwards. You should feel
a deep stretch on your wrists. Hold for the same time or shorter if it
becomes unbearable.
3. The Chest Opener
No matter how mindful you may be about posture, working on the desk
means hunching over. Open the chest and refresh your mind with this gentle
heart opener:
Shift a little bit towards the front of your chair. Grab hold of the base of
the armrests and stretch the front of your body, starting by pushing your
hips then stomach forward and finally opening the chest and rolling the
shoulders back. Look up if you want to. Do this 5-7 times. Each time, hold
for a few seconds when you open the heart and roll the shoulders back.

4. The Neck Extension

This is an exercise you can even do first thing in the morning to remove any
stiffness from your spine:
 ☼ Very slowly, roll your head down to the front, then to the left
shoulder, back looking up, towards the right shoulder and back to the
centre. Do these movements very slowly and mindfully to release
any stress or tension in the neck. Do three neck rolls each in
clockwise and anti-clockwise directions.
☼ Give your neck a side stretch by laterally rolling your head towards
the right shoulder (it doesn’t matter if you reach there, just move the
head towards that direction). Make sure that you’re not lifting the
shoulders—they should be pulling down so that there is length in the
neck. Place your right palm on the right ear so the head shifts a little
bit lower. Hold for 10 seconds. Repeat on the other side.

5. The Seated Hip Opener

Lift your right foot up and place the right ankle just above the left knee so
that the right lower part of the leg is horizontal. Pull the toes inwards and
then fold forward as much as you can. You’ll feel a stretch in the right outer
hip. Hold for 20-60 seconds and release. Repeat on the opposite leg.
 5
BRAIN-BOOSTING INFUSIONS

The easiest way to feel energized mid-afternoon (when cortisol levels dip)
is with a cup of coffee. But while it may give you a shot of energy and
alertness, for some (such as me), caffeine can be so stimulating that it can
lead to palpitations. Given that caffeine takes about 8 hours to metabolize,
your afternoon cuppa could be the reason you’re sleepless at night.
There are several herbal decoctions that are low on caffeine but enhance
cognitive function and calm the mind. Tulsi and gotu kola are my favourites
to calm the mind. I’ve written about both in my previous book. But nature
has many more remedies beyond these potent herbs to enhance focus, boost
memory and de-stress the mind.

☼ Brahmi

Brahmi is used as a generic name for two different herbs: centella asiatica
and bacopa monnieri. The former is gotu kola, but the one I’m talking
about is the latter. Gotu kola can be identified by its large, circular leaves,
whereas brahmi grows in wetlands and has small leaves with tiny white
flowers. Both herbs work beautifully for the brain; but while gotu kola is
more calming, brahmi works specifically to enhance memory. The other
difference is that gotu kola is used in skincare for its ability to heal wounds,
whereas brahmi is used often in haircare for its ability to boost brain
function.
Brahmi works as an antioxidant and adaptogen as it helps the mind cope
with added stress. Several studies prove that bacopa is a valuable herb that
increases memory retention, prevents cognitive decline, preserves cellular
health of brain tissues, and may reduce the risk of neuro-generative
disorders and diseases. A lot of the tea labelled as brahmi is actually
centella asiatica, so please check the ingredients to get authentic bacopa
monnieri.
Take 1 teaspoon of dried brahmi leaf, pour freshly boiled water over it.
Let steep for 5 minutes and drink up.

☼ Mulethi

Yashti madhu, liquorice or mulethi—all names for a herb that has multi-
pronged benefits for the skin, body and brain. Used as a mask to clear
pigmentation, its extract is also effective for some of those who are
suffering from eczema and dermatitis. Its usage for throat infections and
indigestion is well-documented in traditional medicine. However, not many
people know that it may also work as a memory enhancer. Especially during
times of stress, mulethi works to calm the mind and enhance learning,
therefore, it’s no surprise that it helps students during examinations.
Mulethi falls under the category of medhya or brain herbs in Ayurveda.
The roots of this plant are being studied to understand its potential as an
anti-depressant, anti-inflammatory and its brain protective properties. Keep
in mind that this herb is mildly oestrogenic and can be toxic in high,
continued doses. A high dose means anything above 10 grams every day,
i.e. 2 teaspoons, which is impossible to consume. Take a break from this
herb after three months of usage.
Use mulethi root especially during changing seasons, when we’re prone
to coughs and infections. Add a small, 1 inch of root (or half teaspoon
mulethi powder) to your cup of chai, or boil it along with cardamom, tulsi,
saffron and ginger to make a warming winter decoction. Let cool a bit, stir
in a spoonful of raw honey and drink.

☼ Mint Leaves

All types of mint works well as a digestifs. Both spearmint and peppermint
teas have been found to have benefits such as reduced bloating, pain,
heartburn and acid reflux. Spearmint in particular is known to help reduce
levels of testosterone in cases of PCOD and PCOS. Two cups of tea a day is
believed to inhibit mild hirsutism and hormone-related acne related to these
conditions. Research has also shown that spearmint extract helps improve
memory in older adults, and also helps reduce stress by easing the mind.
Peppermint is mostly used for its digestive benefits and also helps refresh
the palate. Anecdotal evidence shows that it also helps refresh the mind by
relieving headaches.
Brew the tea by pouring freshly boiled water over leaves. Let steep for at
least 5 minutes before drinking.

☼ Teas

There’s a reason why a cup of tea always makes you feel good, whether it is
black, white or green. The active ingredient in tea is L-theanine, which
promotes relaxation without making you drowsy. As it elevates levels of
feel-good chemicals such as GABA, serotonin and dopamine, it also
reduces chemicals that increase stress. In addition to these benefits, this
compound modulates the alpha state in the mind, which is prevalent when
you’re relaxed or meditating. It also improves sleep, increases focus,
reduces anxiety and helps maintain a healthy weight (obviously, if the other
aspects of diet and exercise are in place).
Tea is the most common source of L-theanine, with black tea containing
the maximum amount. However, since black tea also contains the highest
dose of caffeine, it is prudent to keep it limited to no more than two cups a
day. In the last decade, green tea has also surged in popularity. It is
supremely popular for its antioxidant benefits, and many enjoy the
astringent flavour of green tea around the world. While it deservedly leads
the way among other herbal teas for its catechin called epigallocatechin-3-
gallate (EGCG), most people aren’t aware of its anxiety-fighting benefits. It
has been found that green tea helps improve sleep and reduce stress. Animal
studies on matcha (powdered green tea) have also reflected its anxiety-
fighting potential. Ditto for black and white tea.
 But the preparation of white and green teas must be done with care.
While you can brew black tea with boiling water, white, green and matcha
are prepared best with slighter cooler temperatures to preserve the active
nutrients. White and green are best at 80 degree Celsius, while matcha
works well with a lower temperature of 70-75 degree Celsius.

☼ Aparajita

This common backyard creeper has a multitude of benefits. It is utilized in

the treatment of diabetes in traditional medicine and is considered to be a
boon for beauty-related concerns. Believed to increase the thickness of hair
and halt premature ageing of the skin, the flowers are also used to make a
bright blue tea which helps calm the mind and increase focus. Very little
scientific literature is available for these benefits; however, it is cited
several times in ayurvedic classics such as Charaka Samhita, Sushruta
Samhita and Ashtanga Hridayam. In these classics, it is mentioned as a
valuable memory enhancer, which has the ability to eliminate mental
exhaustion. It is also believed to help enhance intelligence, refine the voice
and improve digestion.
However, just like there are two brahmis in Ayurveda, there is confusion
between aparajita and shankhapushpi, as both are shaped like a conch
shell, its ayurvedic description. Both plants come under the medhya or
brain-enhancing category in Ayurveda. Even though shankhapushpi is
identified as a different flower in north India, in the south, both are
considered to have similar powers.
To brew the tea, pour freshly boiled water over aparajita flowers and let
steep till the water turns a deep blue colour. If you add a few drops of lemon
juice, the colour changes to light pink. If you want some sweetness, add a
bit of honey. You can also make this as an iced tea in summer.
PILLAR III

Focus
 When you find the Buddha, kill him.
—Japanese koan

I first learnt about Japanese koans at a Zen retreat in southern Japan.

Written as phrases or short stories, koans refine the mind via contemplation.
Zen monks focus on them for hours, days or months, until one day, after the
debris of the mind is swept away, the answer becomes crystal clear. This
koan in particular refers to our need to look outside of ourselves for relief. It
says destroy any external source of salvation (Buddha), because you already
contain everything you need. Of course, there are many interpretations of
this koan. If you look at it another day, it could mean something entirely
different. But for me, it means to sweep away expectations, so that
realizations come forth with clarity.
Contemplation helps refine the mind as long as we can observe the flow
of our thoughts, which requires immense focus. It’s natural to become a
participant in the thought process, which makes too involved in our stories,
making the mind scattered as it jumps from one assumption to another. This
is why focus—defined by one-pointedness or convergence of attention—
requires immense mental stamina. While achieving it may be easy,
sustaining it requires practice. So just like we exercise our muscles
regularly to maintain strength and flexibility, the mind also requires regular
practice to increase powers of concentration.
Meditation is nothing but an exercise for the mind. Though many think
that just sitting down to meditate magically erases all thoughts, the reality is
quite far from this assumption. It’s impossible not to think, but after years
of practice, the thoughts become fewer. At a vipassana retreat, I learnt that
the trick to meditation is to treat the mind like a child. Every time it runs
away, bring it back to the practice, again and again, without getting agitated.
With practice, one becomes aware when thoughts travel so that we can
choose to bring it back to the point of focus.
Though we live in a world that values multitasking, to refine the mind,
we need repetition of the same task so it gets habituated to focus. Research
proves that multitasking adds immense mental stress and creates negativity.
What’s more, people are more productive when they focus on one task at a
time. Our brains are hardwired to go in and out of focus. At an average, the
human mind brings its attention out of a task and surveys the surroundings.
It’s an adaptive technique that harks back to a time when humans had to
scan the surroundings for perceived threats such as predators. For a mind
that is already distracted, working on several things at a time means that the
brain does not become sharper but more scattered.
To mine a precious resource, we need to tap away at one point till we
strike gold. Meditative practices that polish the intellect are usually
repetitive and one-pointed. Today spiritual shopping is the newest lifestyle
trend. It provides a fertile ground to delve into and experiment with several
practices. It’s a great way to find what works for you, but then one must
stick to that one method. I must confess that I too have indulged in several
spiritual practices. But as I solidify my rituals, I understand the profound
effects of adhering regularly to one style.
There is no doubt that the brain must be challenged with new activities.
Whether it’s learning a new language or solving puzzles, any newness
creates fresh neural pathways in the brain to make it quicker and more
intelligent. Therefore, rituals help add a newness that keeps the mind fresh
and practiced for focus. But though new activity helps exercise the mind,
sharpening focus requires a single activity that can gather scattered thoughts
and condense them into a line of thought. It doesn’t have to take hours, even
a short 5-10 minutes, consistent practice will do. Short spells of repetitive
activity not only gets you habituated to concentration, but also used to
boredom, the enemy of focus. It doesn’t just have to be pranayama of
meditation. The practice of trataka or candle meditation helps enhance
concentration, as you centre you attention on the flame of a candle or diya.
Of course, many practices can and do work beautifully together.
However, in this day and age, where free time is precious and guidance
rare, it is prudent to choose one technique and stick to it. There may be
times that a practice may not suit you. I’ve tried many different techniques
and found that there were several that depleted my energies instead of
multiplying them. Then there were other methods that made me feel
anxious. The right practice for you should (over a period of time) make you
feel grounded, centred, calm, focus and energized.
In this section, you’ll find many tools for centring the mind. There are
balancing poses, mudras, mantras and mindfulness that can be woven
harmoniously with simple meditations. While this is a great toolkit to
enhance focus and concentration, it does not replace a meditation school or
training under the tutelage of an experienced teacher. Guided meditations
are convenient, but to advance in your daily practices, there is no
replacement of learning from an experienced teacher.
I love the concept of the beginners mind, from Master Shunryu Suzuki
book Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind. Though it seems like a tall order, but
practicing with a fresh mind is key to finding satisfaction in repetitive tasks.
It’s like reading the Gita over and over again, or meditating with the same
technique year after year. The method or content may remain the same but
there is always a new discovery, a eureka moment, of unearthing something
new about yourself. As Suzuki writes, ‘If your mind is empty, it is always
ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are
many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few.’
 1
TRATAKA

Many successful people are habitual procrastinators as it is human nature to

remain in the comfort zone. It’s comforting for the mind to jump from one
thought to another, whereas focusing on a single activity is hard work.
Ultimately, the brain is an extension of the body and must be given the
same attention. Therefore, just like we train and develop bodily functions
with exercise, the mind too can be developed with certain practices done
with consistency.
I noticed the changes in my mind after I spent ten days at a vipassana
retreat, with 10 hours of daily meditation. It was a brain bootcamp, where I
learnt to sharpen my mind and developed the habit of not jumping from one
thought to another. I didn’t notice the change until I came back to work.
Before the retreat, it would take me some time to get down to work. After
vipassana, I’d begin straightaway and write without procrastination. Of
course, an intensive retreat like this may not suit everyone. However, there
are many things you can do to develop focus.

Cultivating Internal Vision

Trataka is an ancient yogic practice to increase concentration and improve

eye health. Some limit its definition to candle meditation, but this practice
goes beyond just staring at a flame. You can focus at a bindu on a wall, the
image of your deity, the aum sign, the full moon or the rising and setting
sun. The flame of a candle is the most common tool for practising trataka,
because there’s something about its several layers that make it very
mesmerizing and easy to focus upon. Because it has several layers, colours,
transparency and opaqueness, it’s an interesting, engaging visual.
 Though this practice helps increase focus, but being one of the shat
kriyas (the six cleansing techniques), it also helps purify the eyes. As the
tears flow during this practice, they take with them the impurities from the
socket. The eyes are the seat of pitta or fire, it is believed traditionally that
staring at a form of fire helps the eye regain its functions, including
eyesight. Small studies have shown that this practice along with eye
exercises definitely holds the potential to improve sight.
Personally, I like it because it feels like a deep cleanse for the eyes. Even
though we scrupulously wash every part of our body and clear our mind
with several practices, the eyes get no special cleansing, despite being the
most utilized organ in the modern world—we’re constantly staring at our
phones and laptops without providing the eyes any relief. There’s a reason
why crying feels detoxifying, because tears take away the film of build-up,
washing and renewing the eyes from within. This is what trataka does, a
deep cleanse without the heartbreak.
In terms of focus, I’ve certainly found my attention to be better during
meditation when I practice trataka beforehand, even if it’s only for a couple
of minutes. While there is no doubt that this holds potential in improving
focus and concentration over the long term, there is an immediate
improvement as well. Studies have also found immediate cognitive benefits
following trataka, be it better attention or problem-solving abilities.
However, as it is with all traditional practices, there isn’t any definite proof
of improvement. The only benefits are experienced and anecdotal.
The ancient yogic text, The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, claims that trataka
erases all diseases associated with vision. Because we also consume
through our eyes, it is believed that staring at a single object and gazing at it
internally develops your intuition. The word for single-pointed focus is
ekagrata. This is the perfect word to summarize the practice: steady gaze,
steady mind, steady life.

To do:
 1) Sit in a darkened room—if there is any source of light it must come
from behind, not in front of you.
2) Place a candle at eye level, at an arm’s distance from you. Make sure
there isn’t any draft in the room, because the flame needs to be
steady and not flickering.
3) If you can light a diya instead of a candle, that would be ideal. You
can use either ghee, sesame or castor oil; castor oil being the most
preferred since it produces the brightest flame.
4) Stare at the candle flame till your eyes tear up. Do not blink and do
not keep shifting your gaze. Only close your eyes when they’re filled
with tears.
5) Then close your eyes, but do not rub them. Open again and stare at
the flame.
6) You can begin by practising this for 2 minutes and then close your
eyes. You will see an image of the flame in your mind’s eye. If it
moves, try to bring that flame to the point between your brows, also
known as the ajna chakra or the third eye.
7) Once the image disappears, open your eyes and stare at the flame
again.
8) Practise this meditation starting with 5 and going up to 20 minutes.
9) If you are epileptic, do not practise the candle trataka. Consult a yoga
teacher about the best meditation for you.
10) Do not focus too hard, don’t harden your eyes, keep your eyes and
mind, both soft and receptive.

Tip: Never wear eye cream or sunscreen while doing trataka as these
products can get into the eyes and cause stinging.
 2
EYE EXERCISES

Though our eyes have a wide range of movement, being able to rotate in
several different directions, we tend to utilize them to mostly look straight
or sideways. Technology has compounded this static stare at our phones and
computers with a few blinks for respite. But just like we need move our
spine in all different directions in yoga to keep it flexible, eyes need
exercise too. Practised regularly, these simple steps not only relax and
refresh the eyes but also build strength.

Palming

Constant squinting and straining stresses the eyes and to a certain degree,
how we use them determines their health. Palming is one of the most
comforting exercises as it relaxes the optical nerve. While it is better to do
palming in a darkened room to harness its complete range of benefits,
practise it when you need a break from work. All you need to do is rub your
palms together till they’re warm and then place them on the eyes. Keep
them on the lids so that the warmth can permeate deep within. Remove and
rub palms together for a second round while keeping your eyes closed.
Practice 3-5 rounds.

Blinking

Sometimes we have dry eyes because we’re so engrossed in work that we

just forget to blink. This exercise is fairly simple—just blink the eyes
quickly 10-12 times and then close your eyes for a few breaths. Open again
and repeat. Do 3-5 rounds of this technique. This helps reduce dry eye.
Sideways

Stretch your arms out towards the sides, fists closed and thumbs up. Shift
the arms slightly ahead of the shoulders so you can see the thumbs when
you move the eyes to the side. Then without moving the neck, roll the pupil
towards the right, bring the gaze back to the centre and then towards the
left. Practice about 10 rounds each—one round includes gazing both
towards the left and right thumb.

Circular

Close one eye with one palm and extend the other palm out in front of you.
fist closed, thumb up. Now rotate the arm in a large circle, keeping the eyes
fixed on the thumb. Rotate the arm 10 times each, both clockwise and
anticlockwise.

Near and Distant

This can be practised by focusing on your thumbs—one kept close to the

nose and the other extended away from you. You can also focus on an
object close to you and then focus on something far away in the distance.
Repeat 10 times.

Benefits

Even though there is some anecdotal evidence, which claims these exercises
help with sight, there isn’t any conclusive evidence or studies to prove that
they can reverse changes. Still, there’s no doubt that eye strain is a reality in
the modern age. Eye exercises reduce the strain on the eyes by moving
them in different directions. Think about it—if we keep sitting in one
position all day, there is bound to be pain in the part that is bearing the
weight. The same goes for our eyes. Therefore, moving them around helps
reduce stress and increase focus.
If practising eye exercises doesn’t fit into your schedule, try the 20-20-20
rule. While working on your computer, take a break every 20 minutes to
look at something about 20 feet away, for 20 seconds.
 3
BALANCING POSES

Yoga is primarily viewed as an exercise for the naturally flexible, which of

course can discourage the inflexible ones to give it a try. But my favourite
poses in yoga are not the ones that increase flexibility, but those that
improve balance. Whether it’s standing on one leg, on your toes or lifting
up on your arms, these poses clearly reflect the state of your mind. With
time, the practice of balances centres a scattered brain and refines powers of
concentration. Of course, you could make your practice intensive with
advanced balancing poses, but keeping it as simple as just balancing on leg
will enhance your focus.
We know now that physical and mental health is interconnected. When
you build physical endurance, mental stamina increases as a by-product.
Similarly, when you improve balance in the body, it mirrors in the mind.
Because developing focus is a matter of habit, whether you do it via
meditation or physical practices. By adding a bit of balance in your daily
routine, you can train your mind to focus.
There are three things that must be kept in mind while practising balance:

☼ Forgive your imbalance

When it comes to any form of exercise, our egos are intertwined with
performance. This expectation of a superhuman performance without prior
experience usually comes in the way of us sticking to a fitness routine.
Drop the expectation and accept the imbalance. This is the first step.

☼ Fix your gaze

If you keep shifting your gaze in several directions, you will be unsteady.
Keep your gaze stable, fixed at a point either in front of you or a few paces
ahead on the floor. For beginners, keeping the gaze steady at the floor
provides better balance.

☼ Soften your gaze

You needn’t harden your gaze, in order to concentrate at a point. Be gentle
with your focus to make it a habit. Soft eyes equal soft mind, and vice
versa. I learnt this from two Iyengar teachers and it improved my yoga
practice, making it much more enjoyable.
You can practice either one or all three poses 3-4 times a week:

The Tree Pose

This is a weight-bearing asana and is therefore excellent to improve bone

health provided it’s done correctly. It’s easy and simple to practise can be
done every day to enhance your powers of concentration:
 ☼ Stand up tall and align your spine: knees aligned with the ankles,
hips in the same line as the knees, pelvis neither too forward or back,
chest (open with the shoulders pulled back) aligned over the pelvis.
☼ Rotate your right toes towards the right, then lift them up and place
them either on the calf or near the groin. Do not place them on the
knee as it will put unnecessary pressure on the joints.
☼ You can keep your palms in namaste position or lift them up.
☼ Keep your gaze fixed at a point.
☼ Begin by holding it for 5 breaths, work it up to 25 deep breaths on
each leg.
☼ Repeat on the other leg.
☼ If you have problems with balance then you can also take support of
the wall in the beginning.

Mountain Pose

When I was teaching, this pose would come at the beginning of my class.
Not only does it help in balance, but it also strengthens the legs.
 ☼ Stand straight, imagining a centre line running through your body.
Keep the knees over ankles, pelvis over hips, chest open without
arching the back too much.
☼ Inhale and lift high on your toes (it helps if you do this barefoot with
toes spread wide). Lift your arms up, keep them parallel to each other
as you inhale.
☼ Hold for 5-10 breaths, come down on an exhale bringing your arms
down with you.
☼ Repeat 3-5 times.

The Simple Eagle Pose

This pose is a little complicated, but is my absolute favourite because it
instantly reflects the state of your mind. The day you’re calm, you’ll find
the pose easy, but the days you’re scattered, so the pose will be unsteady.
While this is true for all balancing asanas, it is more relevant for this pose.
The eagle eye is all about perfect concentration, therefore this is essential to
sharpen your mind.

☼ Stand on both feet and then squat.

☼ Lift your right leg and take it over your left knee, like you’re sitting
cross-legged on a chair.
☼ Bring your arms in namaste position in front of your chest.
☼ Hold for 5-10 breaths and change your leg. Do three reps on each
leg.
☼ The full eagle pose is when you loop the foot around the calf muscle
and interlace both arms but, for the purpose of focus and
concentration, just this variation is enough.
Supported Dancers Pose

The reason this asana is so loved is because it’s a backbend and balancing
pose in one. But instead of doing the traditional nataraj asana, I like to take
the support of a walk to get a nice stretch in the front of my body. Of
course, it also makes balancing a whole lot easier.

☼ Stand a few feet away from a wall. Lift your right arm up and place it
against the wall.
☼ Simultaneously lift your left leg and grab hold of the ankle.
☼ Push your lifted foot back into the palm so that your entire body
arches forward.
☼ You should feel a stretch in your right armpit, waist, hip flexor and
thigh.
☼ Hold the pose for a minimum 10 breaths or a bit longer as it is
supported variation.
☼ Repeat on the other side and practice 3 reps.
 4
MUDRA

The science of mudra teaches is that everything good is available to us right

at our fingertips. Though this practice is seen mostly as hand gestures,
mudras also include several body positions, including the more relaxed
shoulder stand, also known as the viprita karni. The literal meaning and
purpose of mudra is the same—to work as a seal, to prevent loss of prana,
life force, qi or energy.
To understand how it works, put a 1-minute timer on your phone, close
your eyes and observe your thoughts. Now do it again with your hands in
the chin the mudra, where the tips of the thumb and forefinger touch each
other. Remember that the contact between the fingers has to be nail-to-nail
so the nerve-endings at the end of your fingertips come into contact. If you
observe carefully, you’ll find that while your thoughts seem more scattered
when your hands are not in a gesture, with the mudra, the mind feels
slightly more contained.
If you focus on the sensation in your fingertips touching each other, you
will also feel a vibration. This isn’t to say that meditation is only possible
with a hand gesture, but it certainly helps seal the prana or contain the
mind. In a small experiment a group of practitioners were studied practising
the prana mudra. Electrophotonic imaging (EPI) captured the coronal
discharge—electrical release surrounding a conductor that carries high
voltage—around the fingers. Though there wasn’t much change in EPI
imaging with 5 minutes of mudra practice, there were significant changes in
the imagery by day three with a 20-minute mudra practice. Even though this
isn’t very conclusive, this does show that mudra is in fact a science, which
can be utilized for energy manipulation.
 I first experienced the blissful effect of mudra practice after I was taught
the yoni mudra by an ayurvedic doctor in Pune. This mudra is supposed to
be beneficial for gynaecological problems, but I didn’t practise it with
regularity for it to benefit me physically. Still, I felt the mental effects
immediately. The doctor who taught me the mudra told me it would give
me a feeling of protection and safety, which it did. Even today, every time I
feel restless or scattered, I practice the yoni mudra to make me feel calm
and centred again.

Mudra and the Five Elements

Mudras are an ancient practice, some believe even older than yoga. In fact,
mudra isn’t yogic, even though it is now used to complement pranayama
and meditation. It is originally part of tantra, where bandhas (locks) and
mudras were considered to do the same thing, i.e., work with energy and
seal it within the body. If you’ve practised yoga, you know the simplest
bandhas are the ones in which you either pull in your stomach or tuck in
your chin to create a sort of seal to prevent loss of prana, which is also
considered to be a mudra. But in this chapter, I will primarily talk about
hand gestures.
In Ayurveda or TCM, it is believed that we are made of the five
elements: fire, water, earth, air and space. Each finger corresponds to each
of these elements. The thumb is for fire, forefinger is air, middle is space,
ring finger for earth, and the little finger for water. When you touch the tip
of the thumb to any other fingertip, it amplifies that particular element. And
if you use the thumb to press down a finger, it will reduce that element. Of
course, these are just the basics. The mudra science is vast and complicated.
Many believe that several ailments can be healed just with the right mudras.
While there isn’t any scientific evidence to support this claim, I can say
from personal experience that adding hand gestures to your daily regimen is
a great method to centre the mind and enhance meditative practices, and
perhaps even boost physical health. Like any meditative ritual, start by
practicing this for short periods between 2-5 minutes and slowly build it up
to 15-30 minutes.

Enhance awareness with . . .

Chinmaya Mudra

Though the most popular mudra to create peace of mind and awareness is
the gyan mudra, I find something very comforting in the closed fists of the
chinmaya mudra. This gesture is used to calm the nerves and enhance
awareness, and some claim that it even helps in weight loss. I assume it’s
because the thumb (fire) meets with the forefinger (air), and the heavier
elements of space (middle finger), earth (ring finger) and water (little
finger) are turned inwards. Of course, diet and exercise would also need to
go along with a mudra to facilitate weight loss, but its uses and finger
placement are fascinating. The gesture also helps improve the flow of
energy and memory and reduces anxiety.
To do: Curl the fingers of the palm into a fist. Touch the tips of the thumb
and forefinger so they form a circle. Place hand on the upper thighs, either
facing upwards or downwards as per your comfort.

Improve skin with . . .

Varun Mudra

The varun mudra is said to increase hydration in the body as the little finger
stands for the water element. Because it helps with fluid balance, it also
helps improve circulation and reduce ailments that are caused by high vata,
such as joint pain and also pitta problems such as acidity. Since vata is
made of the air and space elements, it is helped immensely by practising
this mudra. The reason it is said to enhance skin quality is because it
increases moisture. For this reason, the gesture is best practised in summer
months and avoided in the cold season. If you have cough, cold or are
overweight, then avoid this mudra.

To do: Touch the tip of the little finger and the thumb.

Energize yourself with . . .

Prana Mudra

This was the mudra practised in the small study mentioned earlier in this
chapter. With a combination of fire, earth and water, this mudra is
extremely balancing for the body. Regular practice of the prana gesture
helps increase concentration and improve focus. I like to practise this mudra
around the late afternoon, when I need to work but don’t have the energy.
Just sitting in silence with my fingers pressed into this gesture calms and
clears the mind by removing fatigue.

To do: Touch the tips of the thumb, ring and little finger.

Improve digestion with . . .

Apana Mudra

If prana is the energy flow that goes in the upwards direction, apana is the
opposite and flows downward. Prana and apana are also two of the five
vayus or energy channels in the body. Prana rules the lungs and chest, while
apana rules the lower organs of digestion, reproduction and elimination.
Therefore, the apana gesture isn’t just beneficial for digestion but also
menstruation. In Ayurveda, it is believed that most gynaecological problems
are caused by a blocked apana vayu, which basically means that the
downward flow of energy is restricted.
To do: Touch the tips of your thumb, ring and middle fingers. Focus on the
sensation between the fingers or the downward flow of energy. Practice
every day for 15-30 minutes.

Five-Minute Grounding Practice

I love the apana vayu breathing practice while sitting on a chair to

eliminate stress and ground myself in the present moment:

☼ Sit on a chair with both feet flat on the ground. Hands can be
loose or in a mudra of your choosing.
☼ Inhale till your pelvis, and then imagine you’re exhaling though
your feet. Repeat 10 or 25 times.
☼ You can also do this in the garden with bare feet on the grass.

Ground yourself with . . .

Yoni Mudra
If you want a break from the constant chatter in the mind, the yoni mudra
gives you the feeling of protection and calmness, sort of like in your
mother’s womb. All the fingers in this pose are interlaced and pressed
together, therefore it helps balance the left and right hemispheres of the
brain. Needless to say, this gesture is excellent for reproductive health and
can be practised alongside mainstream medicine if you have PCOS or
endometriosis. But if you need a break and just want to retreat into the
stillness of your mind, this mudra is ideal.
To do: Place the back of the palms against each other. Then interlace the
middle, ring and little fingers so that the tips of the left and right fingers are
pressing against each other from the inside of your palms. Extend the
forefingers downwards and thumbs upwards with the tips pressed together.
It should look like a yoni shape. Place it in front of your pelvis and hold for
15 minutes or upwards.
 Bibliography

Introduction
‘Sun Fact Sheet.’
https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/sunfact.html.
American Heart Association News. ‘Could sunshine lower blood pressure?
Study offers enlightenment’. 28 February 2020.
https://www.heart.org/en/news/2020/02/28/could-sunshine-lower-blood-
pressure-study-offers-enlightenment.
Facer-Childs, E. R., Middleton, B., Skene, D. J., and Bagshaw, A. P.
‘Resetting the late timing of “night owls” has a positive impact on mental
health and performance.’ Sleep medicine. 60, (2019): 236–247.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2019.05.001.
Farhud D, Aryan Z. ‘Circadian Rhythm, Lifestyle and Health: A Narrative
Review.’ Iran J Public Health. 47(8) (August 2018):1068-1076.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6123576/.
Fisk, Angus S., Tam, Shu K. E., Brown, Laurence A., Vyazovskiy,
Vladyslav V., Bannermant, David M. and Peirson, Stuart N. ‘Light and
Cognition: Roles for Circadian Rhythms, Sleep, and Arousal’. Frontiers
in Neurology. 9 (2018).
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2018.00056.
Kasof, Joseph. ‘Indoor lighting preferences and bulimic behavior: An
individual differences approach.’ Personality and Individual Differences
—PERS INDIV DIFFER. 32 (2002): 383-400.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/247167126_Indoor_lighting_pr
eferences_and_bulimic_behavior_An_individual_differences_approach.
Mead M.N. ‘Benefits of sunlight: a bright spot for human health.’ Environ
Health Perspect. 116(4) (2008):A160‐A167. doi:10.1289/ehp.116-a160.
Nemo, Leslie. ‘Spending Time in the Sun Might Make Your Gut Healthier’.
Discover. (25 October 2019).
https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/spending-time-in-the-sun-
might-make-your-gut-healthier.
Ondrusova, K., Fatehi, M., Barr, A., et al. ‘Subcutaneous white adipocytes
express a light sensitive signaling pathway mediated via a
melanopsin/TRPC channel axis.’ Sci Rep 7, 16332 (2017).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-16689-4.
Randler, Christoph. ‘Defend Your Research: The Early Bird Really Does
Get the Worm’. Harvard Business Review. (July-August 2010).
https://hbr.org/2010/07/defend-your-research-the-early-bird-really-does-
get-the-worm.

Purify
‘Multitasking: Switching costs’. American Psychological Association.
https://www.apa.org/topics/research/multitasking.
‘Washing the hands makes us feel more optimistic – study’. European
Cleaning Journal (25 November 2013).
http://www.europeancleaningjournal.com/magazine/articles/latest-
news/washing-the-hands-makes-us-feel-more-optimistic-study.
AMLA—Grover HS, et al. ‘Therapeutic effects of amla in medicine and
dentistry: A review’. J Oral Res Rev [serial online].7 (2015):65-8.
https://www.jorr.org/text.asp?2015/7/2/65/172498.
ANANTAMOOL— Chakrabortty, Sumona and Choudhary, Rachana.
‘HEMIDESMUS INDICUS (ANANTMOOL): RARE HERB OF
CHHATTISGARH’. Indian J.Sci.Res.4 (1) (2014): 89-93.
https://www.ijsr.in/upload/1551655300.
BATHS—Rao, B. Rama. ‘Bath in Ayurveda, Yoga and Dharmasastra’.
http://www.ccras.nic.in/sites/default/files/viewpdf/jimh/BIIHM_1982/13
%20to%2021.pdf.
BEETS—Mirmiran, P., et al. ‘Functional properties of beetroot (Beta
vulgaris) in management of cardio-metabolic diseases’. Nutr Metab
(Lond) 17:3 (7 January 2020). doi: 10.1186/s12986-019-0421-0.
BEETS—Petrie, M., et al. ‘Beet Root Juice: An Ergogenic Aid for Exercise
and the Aging Brain’. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 72(9) (1 September
2017):1284-1289. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glw219.
CHIA SEED—Roizen, Michael F. and Oz, Mehmet. You: Staying Young:
The Owner’s Manual for Extending your Warranty. (New York: Scribner,
2007).
CHIA SEED—Ullah R, Nadeem M, et al. ‘Nutritional and therapeutic
perspectives of Chia (Salvia hispanica L.): a review’. Food Sci Technol.
53(4) (April 2016):1750-8. doi: 10.1007/s13197-015-1967-0.
COPPER WATER—Sudha VB, Ganesan S, Pazhani GP, Ramamurthy T,
Nair GB, Venkatasubramanian and P. ‘Storing drinking-water in copper
pots kills contaminating diarrhoeagenic bacteria’. Health Popul Nutr.
30(1) (March 2012):17-21. doi: 10.3329/jhpn.v30i1.11271.
CUMIN—Abdul-Jabar, Rafeef. ‘Chemical analysis and antimicrobial
activity of Cumin seeds extracted oil against some bacterial and fungal
isolates’. Thi-Qar Science. 3. (2013): 65-73.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318672358_Chemical_analysis
_and_antimicrobial_activity_of_Cumin_seeds_extracted_oil_against_so
me_bacterial_and_fungal_isolates.
FASTING DETOX— ‘Early Time-Restricted Feeding Improves Insulin
Sensitivity, Blood Pressure, and Oxidative Stress Even without Weight
Loss in Men with Prediabetes’. Cell Metabolism. Volume 27, Issue 6
(2018): 1212-1221.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2018.04.010.
FASTING DETOX—He, C, Sumpter, R Jr and Levine, B. ‘Exercise
induces autophagy in peripheral tissues and in the brain’. Autophagy.
8(10) (October 2018):1548-51. doi: 10.4161/auto.21327.
FASTING DETOX— Schiattarella GG and Hill JA. ‘Therapeutic targeting
of autophagy in cardiovascular disease’. Mol Cell Cardiol. 95(June
2016):86-93. doi: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2015.11.019.
FASTING DETOX—Marinac CR, et al. ‘Prolonged Nightly Fasting and
Breast Cancer Prognosis’. JAMA Oncol. 2(8) (2016):1049–1055.
doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2016.0164.
FLAX SEED—Parikh, M, et al. ‘Dietary Flaxseed as a Strategy for
Improving Human Health’. Nutrients. 11(5) (25 May 2019):1171. doi:
10.3390/nu11051171.
HAIR CLEANSE—Banerjee, Pooja S., et al. ‘Preparation, evaluation and
hair growth stimulating activity of herbal hair oil’. Journal of Chemical
and Pharmaceutical Research 1(1) (2009): 261-267.
http://www.jocpr.com/articles/preparation-evaluation-and-hair-growth-
stimulating-activity-of-herbal-hair-oil.pdf.
HERBS—Quispe, Cristina, et al. ‘Chemical Composition and Antioxidant
Activity of Aloe vera from the Pica Oasis (Tarapacá, Chile) by UHPLC-
Q/Orbitrap/MS/MS’. Journal of Chemistry, vol. 2018 (2018).
https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/6123850
HERBS—Maan, Abid, et al. ‘The therapeutic properties and applications of
Aloe vera : A review’. Journal of Herbal Medicine. (2018). 12.
10.1016/j.hermed.2018.01.002.
Hibiscus—Hopkins AL, et al. ‘Hibiscus sabdariffa L. in the treatment of
hypertension and hyperlipidemia: a comprehensive review of animal and
human studies’. Fitoterapia. 85 (March 2013):84-94. doi:
10.1016/j.fitote.2013.01.003.
HONEY—Eteraf-Oskouei T, Najafi M. ‘Traditional and modern uses of
natural honey in human diseases: a review’. Iran J Basic Med Sci. 16(6)
(June 2013):731-42. PMID: 23997898; PMCID: PMC3758027.
Kohara, K., Tabara, Y., Ochi, M., et al. ‘Habitual hot water bathing protects
cardiovascular function in middle-aged to elderly Japanese subjects.’ Sci
Rep 8, 8687 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-26908-1.
NETTLE—De Vico, Gionata, Guida, Vincenzo and Carella Francesca.
‘Urtica dioica (Stinging Nettle): A Neglected Plant With Emerging
Growth Promoter/Immunostimulant Properties for Farmed Fish’.
Frontiers in Physiology. 9 (2018).
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2018.00285
NETTLE—Kar, Prasanna Kumar, Nath, Lilakanth, et al. ‘Hepatoprotective
Effect of the Ethanolic Extract of Urtica parviflora Roxb. in CCl4
Treated Rats.’ International Journal of Pharmacology, 3 (2007): 362-
366. https://scialert.net/fulltext/?doi=ijp.2007.362.366.
OIL PULLING—Shanbhag VK. ‘Oil pulling for maintaining oral hygiene -
A review’. Tradit Complement Med. 7(1)( 6 June 2016):106-109. doi:
10.1016/j.jtcme.2016.05.004.
ORAL HEALTH—Matsui, M., Chosa, N., Shimoyama, Y. et al. ‘Effects of
tongue cleaning on bacterial flora in tongue coating and dental plaque: a
crossover study’. BMC Oral Health 14, 4 (2014).
https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6831-14-4.
ORAL HEALTH—Singh A, Purohit B. ‘Tooth brushing, oil pulling and
tissue regeneration: A review of holistic approaches to oral health’.
Ayurveda Integr Med. 2(2) (April 2011):64-8. doi: 10.4103/0975-
9476.82525.
R., Renjith. ‘The Effect of Information Overload in Digital Media News
Content’. (2017).
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324088772_The_Effect_of_Inf
ormation_Overload_in_Digital_Media_News_Content.
SABJA SEED—Munir, M., et al. ‘Nutritional assessment of basil seed and
its utilization in development of value added beverage’. Pakistan Journal
of Agricultural Research, 30(3) (2017): 266-271.
Saxbe, D. E. and Repetti, R. ‘No place like home: home tours correlate with
daily patterns of mood and cortisol’. Personality & social psychology
bulletin, 36(1) (2010): 71–81.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167209352864.
TONGUE SCRAPER—Pedrazzi, V., Sato, S., de Mattos, M., Lara, E. H., &
Panzeri, H. ‘Tongue-cleaning methods: a comparative clinical trial
employing a toothbrush and a tongue scraper’. Journal of periodontology
75(7) (2004):1009–1012. https://doi.org/10.1902/jop.2004.75.7.1009.
TRIPHAL RINSE—Prakash S, Shelke AU. ‘Role of Triphala in dentistry’.
Indian Soc Periodontol. 18(2)( March 2014):132-5. doi: 10.4103/0972-
124X.131299.
TRIPHALA EYE DROPS—Gangamma MP, Poonam, Rajagopala M. ‘A
clinical study on “Computer vision syndrome” and its management with
Triphala eye drops and Saptamrita Lauha’. Ayu. 31(2)(April 2010):236-9.
doi: 10.4103/0974-8520.72407.
VETIVER—Balasankar, D., et al. Traditional and medicinal uses of vetiver.
Med. Plants Stud.. 1(2013): 191-200.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285320583_Traditional_and_m
edicinal_uses_of_vetiver.
WHEAT AND BARLEY GRASS—Qamar, Aiza, et al. ‘Exploring the
phytochemical profile of green grasses with special reference to
antioxidant properties’. International Journal of Food Properties, 21:1
(2018): 2566-2577, DOI: 10.1080/10942912.2018.1540990.
WHEAT AND BARLEY GRASS—Zeng, Yawen, et al. ‘Preventive and
Therapeutic Role of Functional Ingredients of Barley Grass for Chronic
Diseases in Human Beings’. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity,
vol. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/3232080.
WHEAT AND BARLEY GRASS—Deng R and Chow TJ. ‘Hypolipidemic,
antioxidant, and antiinflammatory activities of microalgae Spirulina’.
Cardiovasc Ther (4) (28 August 2010): e33-45. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-
5922.2010.00200.x.
WHEAT AND BARLEY GRASS—Gopalakrishnan, Lakshmipriya, et al.
‘Moringa oleifera: A review on nutritive importance and its medicinal
application’. Food Science and Human Wellness. Volume 5, Issue 2
(2016): 49-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fshw.2016.04.001.

Energy
BREATH— Shankarappa V, et al. ‘The Short Term Effect of Pranayama on
the Lung Parameters’. (15 February 2012).
https://www.jcdr.net/articles/PDF/1861/6%20-%203476.(A).pdf.
BREATH—Sharma VK, et al. ‘Effect of fast and slow pranayama practice
on cognitive functions in healthy volunteers’. Clin Diagn Res. 8(1)
 (January 2014):10-3. doi: 10.7860/JCDR/2014/7256.3668. Epub 2013
Nov 18.
Yamanaka, Y, Motoshima, H and Uchida, K. ‘Hypothalamic-pituitary-
adrenal axis differentially responses to morning and evening
psychological stress in healthy subjects’. Neuropsychopharmacol Rep.
39(2019): 41– 47. https://doi.org/10.1002/npr2.12042.

Focus
Gorlick, Adam. ‘Media multitaskers pay mental price, Stanford study
shows’. Stanford Report. (24 August 2009).
https://news.stanford.edu/news/2009/august24/multitask-research-study-
082409.html.
MORNING—Dolan, Eric W. ‘Abstaining from smartphone use in the
bedroom improves happiness, according to new research’. PsyPost. (11
April 2018). https://www.psypost.org/2018/04/abstaining-smartphone-
use-bedroom-improves-happiness-according-new-research-51020.
MORNING—Elhai, J. D., et al. ‘Problematic smartphone use: A conceptual
overview and systematic review of relations with anxiety and depression
psychopathology’. Journal of affective disorders, 207(2017): 251–259.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.08.030.
MORNING—Matthay, M. A., et al. ‘Acute respiratory distress syndrome’.
Nature reviews. Disease primers. 5(1) (2019): 18.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41572-019-0069-0
MORNING—McFarlane SJ, et al. ‘Alarm tones, music and their elements:
Analysis of reported waking sounds to counteract sleep inertia’. PLoS
ONE 15(1) (2020): e0215788.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0215788.
MORNING—Peedikayil FC, et al. ‘Effect of coconut oil in plaque related
gingivitis - A preliminary report’. Niger Med J. 56(2) (March-April
2015):143-7. doi: 10.4103/0300-1652.153406.
MOVEMENT AND GESTURE—Howell, Nicholas A., et al. ‘Association
Between Neighborhood Walkability and Predicted 10‐Year
 Cardiovascular Disease Risk: The CANHEART (Cardiovascular Health
in Ambulatory Care Research Team) Cohort’. Journal of the American
Heart Association. Vol.8, no. 21 (31 October 2019).
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/JAHA.119.013146.
MOVEMENT AND GESTURE—Tigbe, W., Granat, M., Sattar, N. et al.
Time spent in sedentary posture is associated with waist circumference
and cardiovascular risk. Int J Obes 41, 689–696 (2017).
https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2017.30.
MUDRA—Kumar KS, Srinivasan TM, Ilavarasu J, Mondal B and
Nagendra HR. ‘Classification of Electrophotonic Images of Yogic
Practice of Mudra through Neural Networks’. Int J Yoga. 11(2) (May-
August 2018):152-156. doi: 10.4103/ijoy.IJOY_76_16.
University of Houston. ‘Multitasking in the workplace can lead to negative
emotions: Study finds constant email interruptions create sadness and
fear.’ ScienceDaily.
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200511154850.htm (accessed
August 17, 2022).

Books for Sun

Flaws, Bob. Curing Fibromyalgia Naturally With Chinese Medicine. (Blue
Poppy, 2000).
McBride, Shaman Melodie. Going Towards the Nature Is Going Towards
the Health. (US: Xlibris, 2012).
Nishi, Katsuzo. The Nishi System of Health Engineering. (US: Kessinger
Publishing, 2010).
Pitchford, Paul. Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern
Nutrition. (US: North Atlantic Books, 2002).
Saraswati, Swami Satyananda. Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha.
(Munger: Bihar School of Yoga, 2008).
Thompson, Richard L. Vedic Cosmography and Astronomy. (Motilal
Banarsidass Publishers, 2003).
 THE BEGINNING

Let the conversation begin…

Follow the Penguin Twitter.com@penguinbooks
Keep up-to-date with all our stories YouTube.com/penguinbooks
Pin ‘Penguin Books’ to your Pinterest
Like ‘Penguin Books’ on Facebook.com/penguinbooks

Find out more about the author and

discover more stories like this at Penguin.co.in
EBURY PRESS
USA | Canada | UK | Ireland | Australia
New Zealand | India | South Africa | China
Ebury Press is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found
at global.penguinrandomhouse.com.

This collection published 2022

Copyright © Vasudha Rai 2022
Illustrations by Parthika Immaneni
The moral right of the author has been asserted
Jacket images © Akangksha Sarmah
This digital edition published in 2022.
e-ISBN: 978-9-354-92791-1
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent,
resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding
or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this
condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
 This le was downloaded from Z-Library project

Your gateway to knowledge and culture. Accessible for everyone.

z-library.se singlelogin.re go-to-zlibrary.se single-login.ru

O cial Telegram channel

Z-Access

https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Z-Library
ffi
fi