The Ayurvedic Approach to Balancing Blood Cholesterol

AYURVEDIC LIFESTYLE SUGGESTIONS TO PROMOTE HEALTHY CHOLESTEROL

Follow a Kapha-pacifying routine. 

This includes physical activity every single day. Exercise balances all the agnis, including the five elemental fires, bhut-agnis and the fatty tissue fire, meda agni, all of which are important for metabolising fat, lowering your bad and raising your healthy, ‘good’ cholesterol. Being active also helps you reach and keep a healthy weight, which cuts down your chance of developing clogged arteries. It improves your circulation, which helps the tissue fires, dhatu agnis such as meda agni.

You can be active anywhere. Garden, play with your kids, hike, dance, walk your dog… if you’re moving, it’s good! Even housework goes on the list if it gets your heart rate up. Do as much as possible, as often as you can, wherever your day takes you.

Yoga postures (asanas) andsun salutations (surya namaskara) can be included in your Ayurvedic routine, twice a day for ten minutes. Yoga breathing exercises, pranayama, are also beneficial, as proper breathing helps digestion and helps clean the channels (srotas).

In addition to yoga and sun salutations, to keep cholesterol in balance, it is also important to do some kind of aerobic exercise for at least half an hour daily. You don’t have to exercise for 30 minutes straight. You can break it up into 10-minute sessions. Or go for 20 minutes of harder exercise, such as running, three times a week.

Walking is simple, convenient, and all you need is a good pair of shoes.  If you are not active now, start with a stroll, and build up from there, gradually to brisk walking, which is sufficient for many people. 

But if you feel the need for more vigorous exercise, you can swim, cross-country ski, kayak, take an aerobics class, or play sports. The important thing is to exert yourself to only 50 percent of your capacity, and to gradually increase your endurance by exercising regularly.

The Kapha-pacifying routine also discourages sleeping during the day, as this causes the metabolism to slow down and the channels (srotas) to fill with ama. 

• Wake up before six o’clock.

• Avoid daytime naps. 

• Eat your meals at the same time every day.

• Plan to eat your largest meal at lunchtime, when your digestion is strong. 

• To avoid indigestion at night, eat lightly.

Over time, out-of-control stress becomes a problem. It raises your blood pressure, and for some people, it might mean higher cholesterol levels. Make it a priority to relax. It can be as simple as taking some slow, deep breaths. Practice yoga nidra (use my MP3 entitled ‘Samadhi’). You can also read, pray, socialise with people you enjoy being with, and exercise. And if some of the things that stress you out are things you can change, go for it! Stay chilled. 

Finally, one of the most effective ways to lower cholesterol is to practice Meditation. The simple practice of Meditation lowers cholesterol and the threat of stroke as much as cholesterol-lowering drugs, but without the dangerous side effects. Practicing Meditation for 20 minutes twice a day has another advantage: it reduces stress and improves mental clarity, making it easier to follow a healthy diet and make healthy lifestyle choices for the rest of the day.