Ancient wisdom sees health as something far simpler than simply the absence of disease – it is living at one’s fullest. It is an integration of mind, body and those ineffable concepts of soul and spirit.
It is about connection with ourselves, with our community and with the wider world. Modern psychology is now realising things that were common knowledge in the old world. We need a connection with nature and our planet. We need rituals and we need meaning.
In the old days, families stayed together. Parents, children, grandparents and even extended family members like aunts and uncles. They had support and planned events and celebrations together. Nowadays, we often live in separation, each one of us tucked away in our own little houses. Many youngsters these days, and especially the elderly, yearn for the ancient hearth, for communal warmth and family get-togethers. We are not meant to be alone.
In Ayurveda, Dinacharya refers to a daily routine aligned with the movement of the sun. Long before scientists identified circadian rhythms – the internal 24-hour clock governing our hormones, digestion and sleep. Ancient healers insisted that living in sync with natural light cycles was essential to preventing disease.
Wake up with sunrise, eat your largest meal when the sun is highest in the sky and start to wind down as darkness falls.
Eat until you are 80 per cent full. Stop eating when you are no longer hungry, rather than when you feel completely stuffed. It takes roughly 20 minutes for satiety signals to travel from your stomach to your brain. Stopping at 80c prevents overeating, reduces oxidative stress on cells, and prevents energy-draining digestive overloads.
Incorporate bitter herbs or greens before or during meals to prepare the digestive system. Bitter compounds trigger taste receptors on the tongue that stimulate the vagus nerve. This instantly kicks off the release of saliva, stomach acid and bile, preparing your digestive tract to efficiently absorb nutrients.
Modern medicine excels at fixing acute emergencies, but ancient wisdom excels at daily prevention. You don’t need to overhaul your entire life to benefit from these traditions. Start small.
• Get morning sunlight within 30 minutes of waking up. Do some light stretches or go for a gentle walk. Practise 10 minutes of deep breathing.
• Take less food on your plate. Eat more vegetables and stop eating before you are completely full.
• Add bitter greens, such as rocket leaves and other leafy greens to your lunch.
By pairing modern scientific understanding with these ancient foundational practices, we stop fighting against our biology and start living in harmony with it.
Perrin The Holistic Coach
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