In Ayurveda, health is dependent upon our capacity to fully digest and metabolize the nutritional, emotional and sensory information that we experience. It is through our strong digestive energies, known as Agni (fire), we can create healthy tissues, eliminate waste products efficiently and produce a subtle essence called ojas. These are the basis for clarity of perception, physical strength, and immunity. So Agni Ayurveda is key to our health.
However, there are times where our Agni gets weakened, and so the digestion is incomplete, creating an accumulation of toxic residue known as Ama. When Ama accumulates, allergies, congestion, headaches, fatigue, chronic pain, low energy, brain fog, moodiness are some of the indications.
Can you relate to these symptoms?
For thousands of years, Ayurveda evolved time-tested, effective protocols for increasing your digestive fire, cleansing, repairing and restoring the body-mind system to its optimum functions.
All diseases occur due to imbalance in digestion.
THE CHARAKA SAMHITA
Metabolic Fire: Agni
When Agni is not functioning properly, the food that you eat can not be metabolised properly and they become “ama” which are metabolic wastes and toxins that have built up in your tissues. Due to this accumulated cellular waste, symptoms like gas, bloating, joint pains, chronic sinus congestions, night sweats, fatigue, constipation, stiffness, brain fog, muscle soreness. If ama is not treated, it will turn into blockages and eventually diseases in the areas where it accumulates the most.
A blockage of this nature also disrupts the nutrition and hormone carriage to the cells.. According to Dr.Nancy Lonsdorf, from her book The Ageless Women, Natural health and Beauty After Forty with Mahariji Ayurveda, “ This blocking of hormone delivery and nutrients is an important way in which ama creates extreme symptoms of menopause and degenerative conditions in later life. Your hormones can not reach and bind with the appropriate cells”.
It is therefore very critical to have strong agni which determines the health and longevity for us.
Agni is the metabolic fire which breaks down and converts your food into energy which fuels your cells and tissues.
Agni Name Meaning
The Importance of Digestion Well
If we can digest and turn food and all experiences into healthy, vibrant cells, we will become healthy and vibrant people! What we need is to tender our Agni fire, not too much and too weak. Women over 40, have additional challenges in digestion as this particular stage in their lives are governed by Vata Dosha, which can disturb and aggravate your digestive fire, just like a wind blowing over the fire. This leads to accumulation of ama, and the ups and downs in digestion, irregularity, heartburn, gas, bloating or excess winds in your intestines. This in return also may lead to severe hot flashes and sweats, weight gains and sleep disturbances.
Entering your midlife with a strong and healthy agni or correcting it while you are menopausing, will help you to transition to the next phase of your life with vibrant health.
You are not what you eat, you are what you digest!
Agni Ayurveda Guide: Suggestions for Firing Up Your Agni!
Imagine your agni-digestive fire like a large fire. What you need is not too much and not too little wood in order to not to overwhelm and extinguish the fire. The wood should not be too wet, heavy or hard so that the fire can be alive. Some simple suggestions for a healthy “fire” in you are as follows:
- Follow the sun and eat your biggest meal at lunch time when you digestive fire matches the energy of the sun.
- Eat warm cooked foods like porridges for morning and soups for evening
- Limit your raw food consumption mostly to lunch time and only as a side dish (no salads as main meal) and cook the bigger portion of your meal
- Pay attention to combinations like, not mixing your proteins, not consuming dairy with other proteins like beans, fish, meat, etc, eat fruits on their own.
- Do not snack between meals to help digestion to finish its process properly without disruption
- Drink lemon and ginger tea with meals and throughout the day
- Add ginger to your food while cooking and eat a little piece of ginger with lemon juice and pink salt about 15 minutes before your meal.
- Eat fresh, home cooked food and avoid frozen and ready made food or left overs
- Eat only up to ⅔’s of your stomach’s capacity, to leave space for efficient digestion
- Adjust your food’s spices and oils according to your dosha (check out an online quiz to learn your personal constitution – Dosha)
- Skip a meal per week or drink light vegetable soup or broths for an evening or if your dosha allows for a day – fasting to clear any clogging due to sticky toxins.
- Sip Cumin-Coriander-Fennel tea after meals and warm water throughout the day Remember the simple guidance of Ayurveda, healing by using the opposite qualities. A weak Agni can be strengthened by hot and light food and can get weaker by cool or heavy food. For Example, eating a frozen smoothie may not be a good idea, even if they look so pretty, for someone with a weak Agni.
Creative Ayurvedic Cooking MasterClass
There are more suggestions for eating, cooking and living that Ayurveda can help you to regain the energy in your fire and support your digestion of food and all experiences in life.
You can join us for our creative Ayurvedic Cooking MasterClass on 23.06.2021 and also join us with the Seasonal Cleanses to reset, restore and renew your Agni. Every cleanse involves meal plans, lifestyle suggestions, seasonal recipes + new creative, easy to prepare meals and shopping list, a 30min Yoga practice, a guided meditation, a breathing practice, 3 Zoom calls and Private Facebook Group to teach, share, and connect live, and an online community group for Q&A and motivation. First group starts on 22.08.2021, more details are on our website.
AUTHOR: CEYLAN
Hi! I am a RYT 500hours Yoga Teacher, YACEP Trainer and a certified Integrative Nutrition Healthy Living Coach. I am passionate about empowering women to help them transform their mind, health and bodies through yoga, meditation and optimal nutrition, as well as guiding them to become the healthy confident role model for their children, family and community.
