Know thy Agni

In Ayurved , the concept of “Agni” is emphasized time and again. Agni is the digestive fire of our body. Everything we eat is ‘processed’ before it is absorbed. Ayurved states that Agni is one of the founding pillars of health. It is important to have a ‘balanced diet’, but it is equally important for it to be digested and assimilated.

Let’s go though the indicators of good digestion:

1. Well nourished “sapt-dhatu”(7 types of tlssues-ras, rakt, mansa, med, asthl,majja, shukra) which means

The quality of blood.
The strength & tone of muscles.
The strength of bones.
The smoothness of skin.
The brightness of eyes.
The firmness of teeth.
The strength of limbs.
The pleasantness of one’s disposition.

2. Regular-timely-daily bowel motion.

3. Alertness of mind.

You may have heard or seen people suffering from:

1.Allergies- due to wheat, certain vegetables, or change in climatic conditions.
2.Frequent cold-coughs with every season change.
3.Having headaches fortnightly.
4.Having deficiencies of Calcium, Vitamin D, and VitaminB-12 (although such people are not deficient in their diet!).

Well, all this is a result of “IMPROPER AGNI”. If you are facing these problems for more than a year, then you will need help from a physician.

How to make your Agni healthy at daily basis:

1.Regular exercise/Yogaasan to ones half capacity every day.
2.Pranayam-the art of observing and controlling the vital breath, is deeply therapeutic, clears all channels and makes the body vibrant.
3.Sleep cycle-the body’s biological clock is aligned with the sun’s natural clock. The average time to wake up is between 4am-6am the Brahma Muhurata. It is also the Vata dominant time, which facilitates health bowel movements too. Hence ensuring a healthy Agni. But this is possible only when we maintain regular time to sleep at night (by 10 pm). Sleeping beyond 10 pm, not only vitiates Pitta dosha but interferes with the digestion, hormones, and enzymes.
4.a). Eating Habits- having warm fresh food at regular times, With a calm mind.
b).Cooking methods-should be such that it is neither burnt nor Undercooked or over-fried.
c). Dietetics- principles of food combination such that it is healthy .Examples of unhealthy combinations: Milk with citrus fruits, milk with salt containing foods causes rakt-dhatu’s quality to degrade and many such examples.
5.Water consumption needs to be such that it quenches the thirst. Today we are drinking more than required. This also disturbs Agni because water too undergoes ‘processing’!
6.Eliminations of the waste products completely and in time.
7.Mindfulness. Any emotional disturbance, nervousness, irritability leads to chronic disturbance of ‘agni’, leading to diseases.