If you practice Ayurveda you never get sick
If only it was that simple. I have been interested for a long time now to understand Covid from an Ayurvedic perspective. It is a controversial subject and since I only knew very few people who practice these tools that got ill, I began asking around.
Something I am curious about is how much we can support our body in a preventative way, to reduce symptoms if we get sick and furthermore how the tools of Ayurveda can support recovery. Unfortunately many of us have not used this year as an opportunity to improve our health through diet and lifestyle changes. If you have, congratulations! However, if you have been busy managing fear, transforming how to live and work, isolating, and adjusting to a new lifestyle you are like most of us.
After speaking to colleagues, friends and other people who practice Ayurveda, it became clear that the ones who had strong symptoms, had some sort of previous condition they were battling. For instance, they had been under stress for a long period of time, they could notice they had toxins (known as ama) present in the body, malabsorption or they belong to a risk group. What was surprising was that most of the people I spoke to who got sick with a strong agni (more on this below), had little to no symptoms, a swift recovery and no long term effects. Some of them would not even have known they had covid if they had not been tested. The loss of smell and taste came back within 10 days and they mostly experienced symptoms such as light cough, fever, body pain and tiredness. This is of course not proving that it is the case for everyone, but I do find it fascinating that so many people I spoke to in this case, could see a clear correlation.
What is Agni?
Agni means fire in sanskrit and refers to our capacity and ability to digest anything we are exposed to. You can compare it to an actual bonfire. It needs food (wood) often enough to not burn out. However, if the fire is weak too much wood will put it out. Our digestive system works the same way. An example of a weak fire is after fasting for a few days, and hunger subsides. A too strong fire however, can show up as extremely strong hunger, especially at lunch, and hunger that returns one to two hours after having a full meal. It can also show up as a burning sensation in the digestive tract.
Not just food needs processing by our bodies, but also other impressions we take in through our senses. What we see, hear, smell, feel, and taste, gives us information about our surroundings. If our system is overloaded with screens, sounds, and even thoughts, we have difficulty filtrating impressions and it smothers our fire. We also do not digest food as well. This is often overlooked when we experience digestive problems, but I am sure you have experienced it in a time of excess stress. When grieving a loss for example, most people lose their appetite for food. This is a healthy response from the body that is busy processing the event. If we eat emotionally, we weaken the digestive capacity and easily experience indigestion. Signs of a weak fire can then be bloating, gassiness, burping between meals, skin problems, weak immunity and developing allergies and intolerances.
Improving immunity
So what can we do to keep this fire strong, so our immunity is not compromised? When we learn to feed and care for our body the way it asks us too, it really is quite simple. “Immunity is a byproduct of good health” as Dr Akshara Devukhar said when I spoke to her. She and her husband both got sick in India, but recovered within 10 days with the use of Ayurvedic medicine, meditation, a steady routine and balanced diet.
Our body gives us signs of hunger, thirst, a feeling of fullness, and we also have impulses to eat certain foods. If the impulse is neutral and undramatic, it is usually the body asking for what it needs. When there is a craving and emotional response when you consider having a certain food, it is most likely the mind speaking. It does not mean you should never have that type of food, but at that moment it wo not serve you. Instead it will lead to further imbalances and more cravings and we then easily overeat. If you learn to differentiate these ques from the body, and to care for it with grace, you will support and sustain health.
Overeating
Overeating is one of the main causes of weak digestion. Most of us are blessed with an excess of food, and we are taught to have many small meals and snacks throughout the day. How we eat, in terms of how many meals, what kind of food we consume and when, is individual and crucial to support the body the best way. The first step is becoming aware of when you actually are hungry and when you feel a lust for food. Of course food is enjoyable, but when we only eat for pleasure, we weaken agni. If we are not hungry the fire has enough fuel already, and we weaken it by adding more food before it is ready. Just like a car that runs all day without being turned off, we weaken our digestive system if it does not get breaks in between our meals.
I remember the first time I tried not overeating. I got frustrated quickly with my conditioning to eat more than I needed, and I could not understand how not to. It is one thing to know that you need to change something, another to actually have the tools to do so. Over the years I have worked with myself and many clients around this topic and I can finally say with relief, I do not have to do this anymore. I know when I am full, and I am able to stop. I eat until I am not hungry anymore and listen to my body telling me it is enough. If you would like to heal patterns around food and eating yourself, I would be honored to guide you through the process.
But why me?
We get ill for many different reasons. Sometimes because we have not been able to care for ourselves the way we need, but not always. Some of the people I spoke to were practicing Ayurveda, and still got sick with long term symptoms.
I am a big fan of doing our best to seek out the knowledge we need, and then day by day, do the best of our ability to apply it. Most times it will be enough for you to stay healthy, and then there will be times when it is not, a new opportunity is presented to you. Maybe you get to heal an old relationship pattern? A chance to change how you speak to yourself, or getting closure around a generational wound you have? Sometimes it does not matter why you get sick, but how you grow from the experience. After all, it is an opportunity to practice kindness to yourself and learn more about your body and mind. Not a reason to shame yourself for not being “good enough”.
By asking for help and working through the fear around the illness, we can let go of a victim mentality. When we are taking responsibility, while being kind we are able to stay adults through challenges and move to solutions when it is time.
Recovery from illness
When we are recovering from illness, the body needs foods that are easy to digest. It is then even more crucial to listen to signs of hunger and fullness, and make space to digest life and impressions. A wonderful recipe to strengthen your digestion is this Kunji rice soup. It can be had for breakfast and also throughout the day if you lose your appetite.
Another helpful practice is Nadi shodhana, a breathing practice to calm the mind. Swapping cold water for warm and eating home-cooked vegetarian food, rather than restaurant meals will also support the body to heal. When we get out of the way and stop feeding the body heavy foods that take energy away from it, we can allow it to rest and recover. The combination of certain foods, our personal ability to digest it, freshness, and how processed the food is, all determine if it is heavy or light to digest.
This appetizer supports us by increasing hunger before a meal:
Ginger appetizer
You need:
Fresh ginger root
Lime
Salt
A sharp knife
This is how:
Slice a thin slice of ginger per person the size of your little finger nail.
Add a small sprinkle of salt on the ginger.
Squeeze 2-3 drops of lime over the salt.
Eat 10-15 min before the next meal to increase hunger.
Other Ayurvedic remedies
Friends and colleagues who had battled covid and used Ayurvedic remedies to recover, suggested the remedies below. Ayurvedic medicines should be prescribed by a doctor or practitioner that has seen you live or met you online. They need to have enough information about you to decide what you need. Please avoid self medicating if you do not understand the effects of the herbs, they are potent and can make matters worse quickly if used incorrectly. Something taken to reduce fever for example, could weaken other parts of your body.
While having covid and when recovering in different stages:
Shared by Dr Akshara Devukhar
Sanshamani vati
Rasapachak
Sanjeevani vati
Sitopaladi churna + yashtimadhu + vasa
Panchendriya vardhan tail nasya (only when no cold is present)
Tribhuvankirti (only for fever)
Guduchi
Shatawari
Ashwagandha
Turmeric
Cinnamon
Yashtimadhu (Glycyrrhiza glabra)
Tulsi
Black pepper
Clove
Decoction of cinnamon, clove, black pepper, tulsi and ginger. (Very heating, if had too much this will overheat the body and cause Pitta imbalances.)
Shared by Emily Parret
Ginger, lime, honey and thalisadee
Triphala
Meditation 3 times a day
Gentle Yoga asana
Shared by Karolinaleia
Paste out of grated ginger, turmeric, lemon juice and honey (Very heating, so used in moderation)
Nasya
Neti
Other resources:
AYUSH, the ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy in India has released a guide that has some interesting information and suggestions for practices and herbs to use. Some of the breathing techniques I would not recommend to someone with chest pain and single herbs should never be taken without understanding their qualities well. You can read more here:
https://www.ayush.gov.in/docs/ayush-Protocol-covid-19.pdf
Thank you Dr Akshara Devukhar, Emily Parret, Levelingup, Ayuroots, meagan___ruth, loersens, karolinaleia Janineophetveld and others who shared your experience with me.
Disclaimer:
This is in no way intended to diagnose or treat covid. I am not a medical professional but have experience with using the ancient tools of Ayurveda preventative, during illness, and to support the body after being ill. Please get in touch if you have questions.