Ayurveda what is it
1. Have a screensaver displaying beautiful, ‘natural’ scenery such as waterfalls, sunrises, lakes, mountain ranges etc (Viewing natural scenery is known to reduce stress and balance mind and body).
2. Simply walk outside for a minute or two and breathe in some fresh air, get some natural light [sunlight] through your eyes, and if practical, take your shoes (and socks) off and ‘earth’ yourself. (Earthing is being shown to be one of the greatest, natural rejuvenators and directly balances many of our most common health ailments).
3. Spray your eyes, preferably with the eyes open, with filtered rosewater. Keep a little spray bottle at your desk. (Rose water reduces fatigue and offsets the dryness and irritation caused by looking at computer screens for long periods).
4. Simply stand up and walk around for a minute or two. Ideally go and do something silly or funny to a work colleague to make you both laugh. Remember, ‘sitting is the new smoking’.
5. Practice palming. Vigorously rub your palms together for a 5 – 10 seconds and then with your eyes closed place your palms over your eyes and let your eyes and your mind completely relax. (This practice is known to settle the mind, calm the nervous system reduce headaches and anxiety and improve mental clarity.)
6. Dab some ‘peppermint oil’ on your neck or wrist, or depending on your work place, put a couple of drops in an oil diffuser and breathe it for 1-2 minutes. (Peppermint oil stimulates the mind to promote mental clarity and heightened brain performance.)
7. Ayurvedic Body Awareness – just sit and close your eyes for a few minutes, while letting your attention go to whichever part of your body it is naturally drawn to. If there is some tension/strain or excessive activity your mind will often be drawn to that area. Just let your awareness flow to that area and allow the tension or over excitation to dissolve or relax. This is often used in Ayurveda as a way of restoring balance to mind and body.
