Ayurvedic Self Care

What does it mean to be nourished? I hear and read about this everywhere now-a-days. All the blogs these days are talking about self-care, what that entails, how to establish a self-care routine, why you should start, I mean everything. 

I've been thinking about this a lot. This entire year so far, I've been playing around with this concept--how it relates to me, what that looks like in balance with the relationships in my life, what does "me-time" mean, how much time is too much time to spend alone. How does this tie in with my physical, mental, and spiritual health? I mean, literally the entire gamut. 

I recognize that what that means varies from person to person (another thing that I struggle with...I'll explain in a few). Naturally, I turned to Ayurveda, as I've found that it has a solution for everything in life (ahem...ayurveda is the "science of life"). I reflected back to my studies and my notes, and the concept of being whole came up time and time again in my meditations. So naturally, the question that arises is what makes me whole? Nourishment is very important in Ayurveda, so for me, I equate self-care with nourishment. What nourishes me and that will make me whole? 

When I think of nourishment in an Ayurvedic sense, I come to one of the tissue layers--rasa. Rasa is the very first tissue that is to be filled. If rasa isn't nourished, then all of your other tissue layers will suffer. When I think of the qualities of a nourished rasa, I think of juicy, hydrated, unctuous, full, plump--I think you get the picture. 

This is the process I went through to figure out what will truly nourish me. I want you guys to realize that it's more than just spending a day at the spa, or lighting a candle in your room and reading a book (which both of these things can be a part of it!!). 

Remember, if rasa isn't nourished, the other physical aspects won't be nourished. So the first point to remember is, what is needed in my life so that all aspects of my life will be nourished?

Questions I asked myself to define my own self-care practice:

1. What are things/activities I really enjoy doing? 
2. What practices connect me with something bigger than myself?
3. What are my non-negotiables that I must do everyday to operate from my best self? 
4. What are the "extra" things that would be nice if I'm able to incorporate into my practices?
   
5. How much "alone" is needed to feel nourished without isolating the relationships in my life? 
6. Figure out the things that don't serve you--that don't allow you to operate from your best self. 

Okay, so this was my thought process as I was figuring out my own practice. Some examples of the things that I came up with:

• Working out, yoga, pranayama, prayers, and a few minutes of quiet time were my non-negotiables. I am not my best self if I don't get these things on a daily basis. These practices also happy to be the things that connect me with something bigger than myself. 2 for 1! 
• I really enjoy going for walks, being outside in nature, rock climbing, baking, and reading. So, if I can figure out ways to scatter these things into my week, I will feel nourished. 
• Oil massages and being in bed by 9:30pm are things that would be great if I can make happen. I strive for this, but I also know I can't have it all. If it happens (and I try my hardest to make it happen), awesome! If not, no big deal. Let's try again tomorrow. 
• The last thing was the hardest for me. Knowing myself, I could potentially spend an unlimited time by myself doing what I love doing. But, I realized that this wasn't healthy for the relationships in my life. Family is super important to me. So, it's a fine balance. I have a big family that I want to make sure I spend time with, while also taking care of myself. I came to the realization that if I have my mornings to myself, I have the energy to and desire to be with others. Plus, a little time on the weekends alone helps that too. For me, it was remembering that I can't do life alone. I'm lucky that I have people in my life that care about me and my over well-being. So, to not be with them doesn't make sense. Luckily, I also understand and realized that they too are part of my self-care routine!! 

So, lessons. Self-care is important. If you're nourished, then the rest of your life can be nourished. To be your best self and operate from that level IS possible, it just takes a little effort. 

I hope this is helpful for you as we weave through the latest fad of self-care. Just think of it as figuring out what makes you whole-er than you already are!