Children are our future. They are the ones who will continue our legacy into the futurity. In the current times, many people are working tirelessly on global issues threatening our future such as ecological imbalance, water crunch, poverty and global warming. It is only through a healthy contingent of children, who will carry forward the activities of these responsible denizens, that we can ensure ourselves a safe future. So it is important to see the current generation of children remain holistically healthier.
But with the mindless adoption of the busy, modern life of today, our children are often seen to be moving in a different direction altogether. They are nowadays assailed by a number of ‘artificial’ problems such as hyperactivity, aggression, TV-addiction, moody behaviour, mental stress, exam-phobia, allergies, child-obesity, sedentariness and fatigue. They are ‘artificial’ in the sense that these problems can be squarely attributed to the modern life that tends to alter children’s lifestyle and mental make-up from the natural way to an artificial way, for which their bodies and minds are not made up. If this alarming trend is allowed to continue, we are in for a real trouble as our posterity will not be as secured as ourselves. It is high time that we took some concrete steps to put back the normal life of children.
The best way to do so is to follow the principles of Ayurveda. According to Ayurveda, children with the above problems, although seemingly hale and hearty, are not healthy. When we talk about ‘health’ in the conventional terms, we mean only ‘bodily health’; but when we talk about this word in the Ayurvedic perspective, we mean the summation of ‘bodily, mental and spiritual health’. Health, as per Ayurveda, is the state where our bodies are balanced with the right amount of Doshas (the three life-energies—Vata, Pitta and Kapha), minds are high in Sattva (knowledge, purity) and the souls are filled with love for our fellow-beings.
Parents, who are children’s first teachers, and school-teachers, who have a profound influence in children’s lives, can do a lot to keep the children in the peak of their health, in the Ayurvedic sense of the term. It’s not that hard. The mantra is simple—let the children take diets and adopt lifestyles which are as close as possible to nature or the natural rhythm. Let me show you how.
Healthy Body
All bodily problems such as allergies, asthma, child-obesity, sedentariness and fatigue and a great majority of mental problems such as hyperactivity, mental stress, moody behaviour, aggression and exam-phobia have their roots in an imbalance in the Doshas. One of the most significant causes of Dosha-imbalance is the production of Ama (toxins) in our body that is triggered by a snag in the digestive process. Undigested or semi-digested food instead of yielding the life-giving Ojas (vital fluid) produces Ama, which in turn gives rise to a host of anomalies and disorders. According to Ayurveda, Ama is produced with the intake of foods that are frozen, canned, refined (so as to denude the food of its nutritive value), genetically altered, grown with chemical pesticides or fertilizers or that are processed with artificial colours, flavours, additives or preservatives. Such foods are lacking in Chetana (living intelligence) and Prana (vital life-energy) and will do more harm than good in the physiology and psychology.
From the Ayurvedic perspective, the healthiest diet consists of whole foods, eaten in as natural a state as possible. Removing a peel or cooking is the only exception as this helps increase digestibility and assimilation. Here is a list of food items that are healthy: asparagus, bell pepper, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, corn, cucumber, lettuce, mushroom, peas, parsnip, potato, squash, zucchini, salads, apples, banana, dates, coconut, grapes, lychee, mango, melons, pomegranate, barley, oats, rice and wheat.
Thus said, I can sum up the fact that by switching to healthy home-made food yourself, you will set examples for your children to replace all their needs for snacks and junk food with healthier alternatives, thereby keeping their Doshas in equilibrium.
Healthy Mind
Our mind can be dominant in any of the three Gunas (states). They are Sattva (knowledge, purity), Rajas (action, passion) and Tamas (inertia, ignorance). According to Ayurveda, minds dominant in Rajas or Tamas are unhealthy. Mental disorders or imbalances are caused when Sattva decreases and Rajas and/or Tamas increase(s). As Sattva decreases, mental strength, concentration and the power to discriminate (to distinguish right from wrong) also decrease. When such a state is prolonged, the mind becomes stressed. This may then lead to a host of mental and behavioural disorders such as hyperactivity, anxiety, aggression, depression, exam-phobia and, even, nervous debility.
Below are some methods of increasing Sattva, which if followed, will bring about results remarkably fast.
Food: We can greatly balance the aggravation of Rajasic and Tamasic qualities by switching to foods that are Sattvic (Pure) in nature and by leading a pure and clean life. Sattvic food has an uplifting yet stabilising influence as against Rajasic or Tamasic food that stimulates and aggravates some aspects of the mind, heart or senses. Sattvic food helps promote mental clarity, emotional serenity and sensual balance. They aid in the coordinated functioning of the body, mind, heart, senses and the spirit. Some examples of Sattvic foods include almonds, rice, honey, fresh sweet fruits, Moong beans and easy-to-digest, fresh seasonal vegetables and leafy greens. To get the full Sattva from Sattvic foods, prepare and eat them whole and fresh.
Breathing: Mind has a very close relation with breathing. We have short and shallow breathing when we are anxious or stressed and we breathe deeply when relaxed and happy. Teach your children to make it a habit to always breathe through their nose and from their stomach rather than from their chest. Deep stomach-breathing helps the lungs to inject more oxygen into the blood stream that in turn sends more oxygen to the brain. This raises Sattva and empowers their brains to perform better. Deep breathing is also helpful in many other ways. It helps them control nervousness and mental stress.
Exercise: Exercise is not only good for physical health, but is also good for recreation and relaxation of mind. It changes the levels of hormones in the blood and may elevate the mood affecting brain chemicals. It is advisable to do some exercise yourself according to your stamina at a regular time of the day, preferably in the morning. This will set the precedent for your children. The exercise should initiate action in all parts of the body. Brisk walking is a good exercise to start with. Yoga is also a very good form of exercise. Playing indoor games and swimming (not for competition) are also relaxing.
Meditation: Meditation is a method of calming your thoughts by focusing on an object for a period of time. It is very helpful to improve concentration among children. They can concentrate on an object, picture, sound or mantra. They should sit in a lotus position or a comfortable posture while meditating. According to the research performed in recent years, it has been found that meditation slows down the breathing process, normalises blood pressure, relaxes muscles and helps to
reduce anxiety and stress.
Relaxation: It is very important to give short breaks from work and relax the mind of your children. A Yoga posture known as Shavasana (dead body pose) is a simple way to relax. Let them lie down on their back with legs a bit apart and hands making a 15-degree angle with the body. Let each and every muscle of their body relax. Ask them to close their eyes and focus their mind on their breathing. Let them breathe deep and watch their breathing in their mind. This posture can be done for five minutes once or twice a day.
Some other methods of relaxing the mind are giving them a gentle massage on the head (with or without oil), using their favourite aroma or fragrance, having them listen to soft music and chant Mantras and prayers.
Ayurvedic Remedies: Applying oil on the body (Abhyanga) at least once a week is a good method to relax the body and mind. Pouring oil on forehead (Shiro Dhara) is another popular Ayurvedic remedy for relaxing the tension in nerves and head. If you have access to Ayurvedic herbs you can ask children to use
Brahmi or Shankhapushpi in powder
form, internally.
Jiva Ayurveda
