Beat Unhealthy Habits With Ayurveda

Most likely you are the one standing in the way of your own optimal health. Most health problems can be solved in your mind.  Most modern health concerns are preventable if you focus on your inner thoughts first. You must be aware of your daily choices and how they affect your body. Once you realize this, things will become more clear and you can start doing something about it.  

Meditate

Meditation is a great way to make you self-aware and allows you to tune into your higher self.  You can make meditation a regular routine and create a better awareness of your inner voice.  You can then become more aware of the thoughts that motivate negative behaviors and allow you to regain self-control.

Understanding Your Role

A basic level of awareness is needed to create sustainable change.  This is ultimately called Karma, which is a term used to explain the principle of causality in the universe.  Karma is the basic universal law that says every action has an effect or result.  Everything you do has karma, be it good or bad!  You have the choice to do the right thing, and in turn will live with the consequences.

Once you become self-aware of this, you will notice the direct connection between your habits and choices that make you unhappy.  You can then open the doors to change these habits and turn them into something positive through meditation & self-observance.

Accepting Yourself

You must learn to accept yourself as you are and then work on feeding your desire to change.  Ayurveda teaches you that life is a constant flow of energy that is always evolving.  You can accept your mistakes and use each as a stepping stone along the path of your life.

Take responsibility of your negative habits.  Make peace with the fact that you enjoy these habits, but are looking to make a change.  When you observe yourself without judgement, you can stop these negative habits with awareness. You must be willing to understand what you're doing to yourself to inspire change.

Find Healthy Alternatives

Your Agni, or digestive fire is what metabolizes the energy and information of your world through your experiences.  You can usually substitute similar tastes or qualities from alternative sources.

If you are an emotional eater, you may reach for sweets during difficult times. Ayurveda allows you to tame that craving by simply giving yourself the sweet and taste and feeling through other means. Things like spending time with sweet people, watching a love story or connecting with others through nurturing activities. 

An issue many of you may have is the daily reliability on coffee or energy drinks. You must first work on the problem that is causing you to become reliant on these things. One easy way to curb this craving is to get some more rest! This seems so simple, but is something that we tend to overlook in our chaotic lives. If you still need that morning boost, you can get it from drinking herbal teas! These are way healthier and still taste great. You can also use peppermint oil to awaken your senses in the morning.

Ask Your Inner Self For Answers

Sometimes all you have to do is ask and you'll find the answer

Ask yourself these questions and remember that you want to create healthy habits:

• What purpose does this serve me?
• What are my reasons for wanting to change this habit?
• Is there another way to fulfill the need that this habit is pacifying?
• What imbalances am I trying to fix (or maybe even cause) through this habit?
• When I give into this habit, how do I honestly feel afterwards? And why?

You can always change the questions to fit your habit, but this is a good place to start. 

You should try to be more aware and understand the karma of your habits. And though there isn't one quick fix, give it time and you will learn to better your soul.  It takes over 21 days to create a habit, so remember that when you are trying to reverse it.

Don't give up, believe in yourself and use Ayurveda to replace old habits and begin the road to healing.

Source: Chopra Center