August is National Wellness Month, the perfect time to focus on incorporating wellness into your daily routine. Ayurveda, a holistic approach to wellness and health rooted in ancient Indian traditions, emphasizes achieving balance among the mind, body, and spirit to promote overall well-being. Here are five Ayurvedic practices to incorporate into your routine this month to focus on wellness this month. 

1 - Start Your Day with Warm Water and Lemon 

In Ayurveda, drinking a glass of warm water with fresh lemon juice is not only refreshing, but helps to ignite your digestive system (agni) to soften and release toxins (ama) from your body. This simple practice can help improve overall digestion, kickstart your metabolism, and give your body a boost of energy for the day ahead. 

2 - Abhyanga, or Self Massage 

Abhyanga is the act of self massage with warm oil and is revered in Ayurveda. Use a warm oil, such as sesame oil, coconut oil or our Ritual Body Oil, and massage your body in long strokes, giving extra attention to your joints. This practice helps improve circulation, promote lymphatic drainage and calms the nervous system. 

Fun fact: Sneha, the Sanskrit word for oil, also translates to love, or affection. If that’s not reason enough to look to adding a self massage ritual to your routine- we don’t know what is! 

3 - Establish a Routine for Rest 

A consistent sleep routine is key to maintaining health and well-being. Ayurveda believes that a regular sleep routine, sleeping and waking up at the same time each day, rejuvenates and maintains the balance in the body. 

Having a hard time falling asleep? Try some of Ayurveda’s favourite ways to promote rest: massage your feet with warm oil, drink a cup of warm milk with nutmeg, and/or do a gentle yoga or meditation practice.

4 - Add Breathing Exercises to Your Day (Pranayama) 

Pranayama is the practice of controlled breathing, which can play a powerful role in managing stress and clearing the mind. There are a few ways to practice Pranayama such as, Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana), Bellows Breath (Bhastrika) or Skull Shining Breath (Kapalabhati). No matter which way you do it, Pranayama can help balance the nervous system, reduce anxiety and calm the mind and body. 

5 - Add Herbs and Spices to Your Meals 

In Ayurveda, adding herbs and spices to your meals not only adds colour and flavour to your food, they are a source of boosting your digestion and supporting the body’s well-being. Spices like ginger, turmeric and cumin are sources of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that help light the digestive fire (agni), which boosts the body’s metabolism and prevents bloating, gas and indigestion. 

Besides digestive benefits, herbs and spices like ashwagandha, saffron and cardamom can help alleviate stress and calm the mind. 

Embracing some, or all, of the 5 Ayurvedic practices above into your daily routine can help cultivate a sense of balance and well-being during National Wellness Month. And remember to give yourself grace - wellness is a journey. Small, consistent changes will help make these practices lifelong habits for your wellness goals.