Let’s go back to TRADITION
Indian tradition has many hidden magical health benefits starting from early morning offering water to sun, to sitting on the floor while eating. Everything revolve around well being of body & soul.
Eating is supposed to be a sensory experience and it is said to evoke emotion and passion when performed correctly. In Indian tradition – eating with hands while sitting cross legged on the floor, using spices, having probiotics such as curd and pickles with in the meal and many more has extra-ordinary benefits in long term and its very important that we start following them and also teach younger generation about the importance of it.
Many individuals find eating with hands unhygienic, primitive, and sickening; however, eating sustenance with hands is associated with not just the body but also the psyche and soul. Sparsha (touch) is the only thing that has connection with both sense organs and mind. Majority of the utensils in the current age are extremely costly, whereas the leaves, are exceptionally modest and advantageous. Nowadays, one can seldom see people eating with hands by sitting on the floor. However, when this practice is adopted, there is no better remedy for digestion problems such as bloating, IBS, acidity and obesity.
Sitting on the floor to eat – SUKHASAN
All of us seem to have moved to dining tables (read beds and work desks) from the floor as a location to eat our food. However, according to experts, the healthiest way to eat food is to sit on the floor cross-legged while eating it.
It is apparently a yogic posture called Sukhasan which opens and exercises the abdominal muscles, boosts blood circulation and increases flexibility. Eating like this is also better for digestion and may reduce problems of bloating and acidity.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor while eating is a yogic posture called sukhasan. Sitting in this posture improves circulation in the intestinal tract and improves the flexibility of the organs to expand during the process of digestion.
The posture aligns the spine and every time you sit cross-legged on floor, you get the perfect square shoulder, which increases your focus on what you are eating and how. This focus helps you control the habit of overeating.
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Eating with hands
Somehow we have reached a time where we find our ancient habits too embarrassing and one of them is eating with our hands. A lot of us might have even taken classes on how to eat with a fork and knife only to miss eating with our hands, but have forgotten the practice to get on with the world. Scientifically, however, eating with hands is actually very healthy. According to Ayurveda, eating with your hands makes you form a yogic position where all your fingers and thumb come together. Also according to experts, eating with hands helps your brain connect with the food better, which causes you to eat less and only as much as needed by your body. This practice may actually help with your diet and aid your weight loss.
Consuming food with hands activates the sensory organs in the body. This balances the prana (vital energy) of the body and improves digestion.
Handling food with your fingers releases digestive juices and enzymes. Also, millions of nerve endings in your fingers relay the message that you’re about to eat, including the temperature of the food, level of spiciness and texture of food, thereby prepping the stomach for digestion.
The five components are activated when the fingertips touch the food, which welcomes agni (fire related to stomach) to secrete digestion-related juices. In addition, this enhances the individual’s awareness of the tastes, texture, and resembles of the food they are eating, which add to the joy of eating. When one eats the food with hands, more cautious consideration is given to it, regarding how the food is picked up, what temperature the food is, what amount of food can be taken, and how the hand must be held to keep the sustenance in it. When one touches the sustenance with fingers, nerve endings in the fingers sense the temperature and texture of the food, and based on this information, the brain triggers the release of relevant digestion-related juices. Ayurveda studies have shown that the body can react to the touch of food by releasing the required chemicals and initiating digestion-related movements in the stomach before the sustenance even meets the lips and that the fingers themselves contain proteins that begin the digestion-related process on the first touch of food. The microscopic organisms found on skin shield one from numerous unsafe microbes from outside. Eating with spoon for long time can change the course of action of ordinary vegetation. It results in diminished synchronous invulnerability to natural bacterial germs.
Offering Water to Sun
Offering water to the SUN is practiced from ancient times in Hindu tradition. When we serve water, this process, spectrum of sun-rays refract through the water impacting us positively from head to toe. As a result we automatically gain through the ‘water therapy of sun-rays.’
This process helps us miraculously in the intellectual upliftment of the individual and it also reflects enhancement of his acumen in decision making, in eye-sight, digestion, immunity and many more.
Apart from these health benefits, when you offer water to rising Sun, you tend to start your day early which also provides an opportunity to plan your work and have enough time throughout the day.
Correct way to offer Surya Arghya : Pick a copper utensil (you can buy at amazon.in https://amzn.to/3gWMdH9)and fill it with water, Add red sandal, kumkum and red flowers to it and during sunrise time, face towards east direction and and let the water fall down slowly (preferably back into a water container or river or into soil). It is better to pour this water at root of a plant.Place the utensil at equal height to your forehead with both your hands and you can also recite following mantra – “Om Suryaaya namaha” 11 times while pouring.
Sitting cross-legged is an old custom in India. This position is not just used while eating but also for contemplation and other basic exercises. Despite the fact that in the modern world, sofas and seats have changed the way individuals sit, sitting cross-legged (not just while eating) has countless advantages and is yet to be popularized in different regions across Asia. The conventional method for eating was by using hands and sitting on the floor with crossed legs.
Brushing with Neem twigs
Old Indian Practice of using Neem twigs is amazing when it comes to oral health as well as purifying blood.
It fights germs, maintains the alkaline levels in your saliva, keeps bacteria at bay, treats swollen gums and also gives you whiter teeth.
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Check out some more old Indian tradition which are associated with amazing Health Benefits :
Stay healthy,
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