Exercise the Ayurvedic Way

Marla prided herself on her rigorous routine, running five miles daily. When she reached her early thirties she started to feel exhausted, couldn't sleep at night, and discovered that her skin was showing signs of ageing.

Marla was exercising too much for her health. After consulting a Maharishi Ayurveda physician, she started an exercise program that was more in line with her Vata body type. Today she sleeps through the night and has recovered her stamina, strength, and youthful skin.

Other benefits include enhanced firmness, endurance, and ability to do work. It pacifies all three doshas and creates balance when suitable for the body type and season. It enhances the digestion, and if done properly, it dissolves impurities in the tissues. Exercise enhances immunity and capacity for food. It banishes fatigue, stops early ageing, and retards weight gain.

Respect Your Limits

But too much exercise can be damaging. Fatigue, lack of glow in the skin and face, Pitta and Vata aggravation, and strain of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems result from too much exercise.

Modern research confirms that too much exercise can create free radicals and damage the body. Excess free radicals have been linked to over 80% of degenerative disease as well as premature ageing. According to Maharishi Ayurveda, you should not use more than 50 percent of your total capacity and that capacity depends on daily fluctuations of energy, change of the seasons, age, and body type. This is the ayurvedic principle of balaardh -- using half your capacity and conserving the other half. Exercising beyond one's capacity can create imbalance in mind and body, and do more harm than good from the ayurvedic perspective.

Vata types need less exercise, so lighter activities such as walking are best.

Pitta types need moderate amounts, swimming and skiing, for example.

Kapha types need more intense exercise, such as jogging and aerobics, in order to stay in balance.

The seasons follow another pattern: if you want to increase your exercise, winter and spring are the best times. In hot weather, you need to decrease exertion and stay out of the hot sun. As for age, children have more capacity for exercise and older people need less, although daily exercise is essential at any age.

How do you know if you're doing the right amount of exercise?

As long as you feel energized and blissful, you are not going beyond what your physiology can sustain. If you feel strained and exhausted, you're doing too much. You can continue to exercise until you notice one of the following two signs of overexertion:

1. Difficulty breathing through the nose. If you have to open your mouth to gulp in air, that's a sign that your heart is overexerted, the circulation system is taxed, and the coordination of heart and lungs is disturbed. Stop immediately.

2. Sweating on forehead or tip of nose. It's fine to sweat elsewhere in the body, but when you notice sweat in these two places, it's a sign that you are overexerted and should stop.

If you're not exerting enough, you can exercise for a longer period or with more intensity. You could start with a walk, but each day you could increase the intensity of exercise (by walking faster). Or you could walk for a longer time (increasing the duration). Start out slowly and gradually increase the intensity and time. Stop when you note signs of overexertion.

Yoga asanas are the ideal form of exercise for all body types and ages, because they balance the three doshas, tone the muscles, and rejuvenate all the organs in the body. Pranayama, or breathing exercises, are also good for restoring balance to mind and body. You can take a course at your local Maharishi Vedic Centre to find out how to do them properly.

Increase Your Stamina

To increase endurance, eat more sweet, juicy fruits, and more proteins such as milk, paneer (a fresh cheese), soaked almonds and cashews. Make sure your bowel movements are regular, and if not, incorporate more cooked prunes, figs and raisins in your diet.

Aromas oils have a subtle yet significant effect on the physiology. The warming and invigorating smell of Flexibility Aroma Oil will help prepare you for exercise and the sweet, soothing smell of Muscle Rest Aroma Oil helps really relax the mind and muscles afterwards. And if you find you over-exercised the Bend Easy Aroma Oil is a fascinating blend that will help you recover. It is enlivening and yet relaxes muscle spasm. In addition the three citrus oils together with ginger and fennel in Be Trim Aroma Oil help balance fat metabolism.

Exercise every day as part of your regular daily routine

If possible, exercise in the morning before 10:00, as your body has more strength, stamina, and coordination during the Kapha time of day. Exercising at this time also energizes you, preparing you for the day ahead. Exercising in the late evening or towards bedtime is not recommended, as it can elevate body temperatures and disrupt sleep rhythms. A light walk in the evening is fine. Also avoid exercise from 10a.m. to 2p.m., the Pitta time of day when the digestive fires are burning high and it is time to eat the main meal of the day.

It's not a good idea to exercise on a full stomach, nor is it good to exert yourself if your stomach is empty. Wait about two hours after a full meal. Have a light snack of fruit juice, a cooked apple, or some kind of soupy, warming food before exercising and eat your full breakfast afterwards.

The Maharishi ayurveda Council of Vaidyas recommend an abhyanga (ayurvedic oil massage) before exercise, which is another reason why it works well to exercise in the morning, after your morning massage. This will tone the muscles, get the blood circulating and prevent injury or strain.

Be careful not to use channel-clogging oils. All the Maharishi Ayurveda sesame based massage oils are easily absorbed through the skin and support circulation and endurance. Rejuvenation Massage Oil for Men (MA1593) or Rejuvenation Massage oil for Women (MA1594) are ideal, because they contains herbs that penetrate the skin, help clear the channels and support cell rejuvenation. Sports Massage Oil contains 17 herbs – its heating effect relaxes tight muscles.

Self Care System: Sports and Fitness

According to Maharishi Ayurveda, exercise should energize, not exhaust, the body. You should feel more vital and alive after exercise — not ready to collapse. The "no pain, no gain" ideology is simply unrealistic.

Make workouts more effective and enjoyable

If you tend to over exercise or if you simply want to get more out of your workouts, the Sports & Fitness System can help. It helps maintain the body's ability to repair itself and quickly recover from vigorous exercise. It can also help reduce injuries, increase your energy level and reduce body fat. The system features herbal formulas that help maintain vitality and muscle tone, rejuvenate mind and body while increasing resistance to stress and help build and protect muscle tissue. Unlike steroids and some other performance-enhancing supplements, the Sports & Fitness System is completely natural and holistic.

Summary of Sports and Fitness System Guidelines

1. For a quick, all-natural energy boost, try Almond Energy Drink.
2. Use Be Trim Aroma Oil at home and in the office.
3. For enhanced protein synthesis that leads to muscle support and rejuvenation, take Amlaberry (MA1).
4. To improve circulation and reduce the wear and tear from exercise, give yourself an oil massage with a herbalised massage oil before workouts. Choose from Vata, Pitta, Kapha or Rejuvenation Massage oils.
5. Use Flexibility Aroma Oil  before exercise and Muscle Rest Aroma Oil afterwards. And to help relax tight muscles use Bend Easy Aroma Oil or Sports Massage Oil.
6. Follow the diet and lifestyle recommendations for the Sports & Fitness System.

Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations

• Only exercise to 50 percent of your capacity. That's when you begin to breathe hard and break a sweat.
• Balanced digestion is important to nourish and revitalize the body. Avoid iced and carbonated drinks, which weaken digestion. Also reduce stimulants such as caffeine and alcohol.
• Avoid fasting and restrictive diets, since they stress the body and decrease the flow of vital nutrients.
• Get enough rest. Go to bed by 10 p.m.
• The Ayurvedic oil massage is especially good before workouts.

To Burn Fat

• When you're thirsty, take water and sweet juicy fruits, rather than sugary drinks or carbonated sodas.
• At meals, only eat until you are about 3/4 full.
• Favour light, nutritious foods such as soups, vegetables and fruits.

For More Energy

Don’t exercise on a completely empty stomach. If necessary, you can take some juice, milk or light fruit before you exercise.

For further information about and to order the products mentioned above see How to Order or call 01695 51015 and for information about the Maharishi Ayurveda Health Centre see www.MaharishiAyurveda.co.uk or call 01695 51008.

DISCLAIMER: The information in this document is presented for the sole purpose of imparting education on Maharishi Ayurveda and neither the information nor the products are intended to diagnose, treat, mitigate, cure or prevent any disease. If you have a medical condition, or are pregnant or lactating, please consult a health professional and it is recommended that you speak with your physician before making significant changes to your diet or routine.