Michele Lawrence
In today’s episode, I had the opportunity to connect again with Indu Arora. Indu has been sharing simple, effective, practical, grounded ways of living life through Yoga, Yoga Therapy, Meditation and Ayurveda since 1999. While Indu is one of my teachers, she describes herself as a life long student as well.
The topic for today’s conversation is self care. For many of our listeners, self care might be a familiar topic. It’s often seen as a hashtag, and it’s a commom buzzword. I’d like to explore this topic with Indu from the perspective of Yoga & Ayurveda.
As always, it’s so good to speak with you today Indu and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this subject.
Indu Arora
Thank you so much for having me, Michele. And an a very warm hello Namaste greeting to all the listeners, and what a what a wonderful and important subject to discuss to explore and talk about.
Michele Lawrence
Perhaps we can start by having you share from the perspective Ayurveda, what is the meaning of health and what are the main pillars of health?
Indu Arora
If you read this entire manual of self care of how to lead a life, that is not just rooted in health, better health becomes a foundation for doing something that is purposeful, that is benevolent, that is beneficial, not just for yourself, not just for the family, but for the community, for the earth, and the place that we are living in and on. So the Ayurvedic lens on health is let's begin with the word the word for health in Sanskrit is swasta. I will repeat it again swasta. And this word, we can kind of translated into health, but it always helps my dear fellow seekers of the subject, and the students of the subject, it always helps when we explore the word a little bit, the word swasta is made up of these two parts slur and star, their style which is the suffix, it means to be rooted, to be established and, and the first part the prefix, swap, means self. When we combine these two that really brings us a more clear definition of health, which means when we are rooted in ourselves, then we are closer to the state of health. And the self, we can explore it at five different through five different lenses, the self, that is the body, the self, that is our energy levels, the self, that is the state of our emotions, the self, that is the state of our mind, our thoughts of our thinking of our goals, our aspirations, and the self, which is irrespective of what is going on, mentally, emotionally, energetically, physically, irrespective of any of the turbulences and achievements and failures that's going on at any of these levels. It is always in the state of stillness, contentment blissfulness So where do you put your marker Where is your anchor point? On which level on which through which lamps? Are you looking at yourself? That becomes the idea of self self, that becomes the idea of health. And then are you arrayed it really gives us a wonderful starting point, the most of the texts in Ayurveda, begin with the chapter of self care. How to Prevent sickness, how to maintain the current state of health, and how to boost the resilience, the mental resilience and the physical immunity. So Ayurved gives us three starting points, which are called three pillars of health. One is your lifestyle, what do you do on an everyday basis? When do you wake up? And how is your daily routine charted out? Is it an alignment with how you feel and what you're thinking? And what is the time of the day? And what is the season? Second diet? What are you eating? When are you eating? How much are you eating is it in alignment with your own digestive capacity with your, with the with the time of the day and with the season. And the third is rest, a very, very important and in current times neglected pillars of health, that is rest in the form of Paul's rest in the form of reflection, rest in the form of nap and rest in the form of sleep. So these are the three things that really kind of that really kind of help us see and maintain our state of health or not.
Michele Lawrence
That's excellent. And so, if those are the three main pillars of health, where does self care fit into that picture?Maybe all three? Maybe elements of all three? or maybe we could even define what self care is in Ayurveda?
Indu Arora
Self care is a term that has become very familiar, but at the same time very misunderstood. What it is continuously doing activities or avoiding activities that can bring us back to the idea of self the deepest innermost aspect of self and avoid us staying in the outer levels or shallower levels of our being that continuously distract us. So, the idea of self care now your evade is really that which that which can maintain that state of mind through which we can see things clearly through which we can discern through which we can act in act with the idea or stay rooted in the state in the with the goal of karma. So in our self care is Dharma self care is swadharma that is your primary responsibility. I remember meeting an Ayurvedic physician in India, many years back. And I remember his words so clearly, that therma is not something that you do. And that is what I have learned from many of my other teachers to that dharma is not the ability to find out what is my profession? Or what is it that something that I can do that can bring me peace, that is not it. The first Dharma is to take care of your body, that sacred space in which your soul and your mind lives. And the second dharma is to take care of the place the earth on which we are living. This is Dharma and self care is dharma. So if we combine these things together, true self care is really taking care of where you're living in and where you're living at. And the what really helps us come back to this idea and really nurture nourish this idea is those same three pillars and I will repeat it, lifestyle, diet, rest, everyday looking at it. So the idea of self care now is what do we do on an everyday basis, not something that we do once in a while, not something that we do as a break, not something that we do as an excuse, something that we realize is an everyday responsibility which adds up and which sustains and maintains that place, that state of mind through which we can take decisions, which is which could be As simple as when to wake up and when to go to bed, and what to eat, and when to rest, and how to speak and when to be quiet. So it's an, the idea of self care and I or weight is, it's an everyday responsibility. And it is something that really keeps us our inner compass as steady as possible, and had their minds to take care of where you're living in and where you're living at.
Michele Lawrence
I love that definition, that perspective. It's so powerful to me, particularly the Community Care aspect of it, in addition to the own one's own body and one's own physical vessel, if you will, and it seems really particularly poignant to me right now. And maybe that's because of what's happening on the planet. Or what's happening amongst our lives together right now, but I really feel like I needed to hear that as a reminder, and as an inspiration for my daily practice.
Indu Arora
Yes, you know, self care, there is so many different kinds of self care Michelle, there is a physical aesthetic self care, then there is a physical care that you do to take care of the healthy functioning of your tissues and of of your internal organs, that is all physical, then there is the energetic self care, then there is an emotional self care, then there is a mental self yet almost like Mental Hygiene, the kind of thoughts that we invite and nurture and nourish, and then there is a community self here, there is a financial self here there is an environmental self here. So this is not just this is such a broad and deep topic. And we will be able to dive in as deep as we are willing to take the responsibility of the more we are ready to take responsibility, not just ourselves. I mean, self care is not selfish. Michelle, it is so many times misunderstood because of it's not it's not I'm not I'm not blaming, but I'm just just an observation. But the way this hashtag self care is used, the kind of posts that are there are kind of blogs that are there and which are attributed to self care. And those are the activities then there are that are narrowed down as the idea of self care. And that can make self care or seem like as if self care is something like a selfish activity or a privileged act, because it requires that kind of mind, money, time and attention, which not everyone has access to, or has. So therefore, it seems kind of as if it is away from us. It's there is a distance between us himself here, and it's only for a few. But really, are you reweighed. And you both bring us back to how accessible, how approachable, how doable, and how essential is self care. And it is not just thinking about yourself through self cares, when you also think about those that are around you. And when you really care for where you're living.
Michele Lawrence
Yeah, that's so helpful. And I think it is also helpful to talk about things that aren't really self care, because accessibility is really important. You don't need to have money, spa dates, special lotions and potions and oils to practice self care. You need a body, you need your breath, right? You we all need to rest at certain times. We all need to eat food, and that all plays into it no matter how much money you have or where you live.
And I don't know if there's anything else that you want to add to the conversation about what really isn't self care, but I you can if you want but I think that this point has been made clear as well.
Indu Arora
Yeah, well, one thing you have you have shared it very beautifully about and it completely resonates with me what is not self care. There is one more thing I would like to add is self care is not a shift of responsibility. It is not shifting responsibility to healers to therapists. It is not shifting responsibility to care group givers or to a practice or to a stone or a crystal. It is. It's not that shift, it is really owning and taking decisions with awareness. So truly self care begins with awareness. And then with that awareness as a tool, we can really align our body, breath, mind and heart. So it's really, really important that we do not reduce it to a hashtag to us to a trend to a vacation to a spa, to, I don't know, a digital break that we take once in a while or to a supplement or to a product. It is. It is none of that.
Michele Lawrence
So let's switch gears just a little bit to give some more practical guidance. You do have a new ebook out called Soma: 100 Heritage recipes for self care. It's fabulous. I just like to know if you could share with us how you came to write this book and what readers can find here.
Indu Arora
SOMA 100, heritage recipes for self care. This book is born out of the desire to share those simple, yet effective, approachable and digested digestible recipes, remedies and practices that has been shared to me by all those who have mother me, including my biological mother, but also including my father, including my grandparents, including those aunts and uncles, you know, growing up in India and living in a joint family, you get the benefit of receiving the care, attention, guidance from so many people. And I have been, I consider myself lucky to have been born and brought up in a joint family where I could receive the benefit of so many perspectives, and the essence of so many people's life experiences. So what, as a child, I used to have a journal. And when my grandmother used to say something that Oh, you have this a skin rash, or cough, or if she was sharing something to my mother or someone else related to some joint pains and aches, or acne or indigestion, I would make notes of simple home remedies that she would share. Or when I started living with my yoga guru, Shashi Khosla, who's lives in Puna. In India, she used to share certain practices, yoga practices, breath practices, mudra practices, asna practices with such a unique twist, and really aligning them with everyday challenges that we face. that those are the kinds of examples I never got to see in any of the books, and I have a ton of different books. And I see that those practices were extremely unique because they were coming from her life's experience, or realization, not after reading it from somewhere. So when they were passed on to me, and I saw the benefit of the woods, and I also observed, right, when the pandemic started, how we were really in a way left to ourselves, stay at home. And stay at home also meant, stay with your mind, stay with your body, and stay with your heart. And whatever is going on inside that we have not tended to that we have suppressed and repressed. Now, there is no way out you have to almost like look into the mirror and be with it. And if we have not really understood through self care, this was the time we were in a way by Mother Nature forced to do that in some way come to some realization each at their own pace and each at their own level. That was a time I thought that I think it's time to share those recipes remedies and practices. So this book is divided in yoga practices and I your Vedic recipes and philosophies and ideas and mantras that have really each one of them have guided me, or someone very close to me, where I have personally seen the benefits of it in my life, and I wanted to share them. So there are these different sections of morning care evening Care Center. care, herbal care, aesthetic care it in the book. And they are in the form of these short snippets that we can get to and read and benefit from. And what I thoroughly enjoyed Michelle is when that particular recipe was shared, and those stories that I remembered, I've shared those stories as a reference point to the readers.
Michele Lawrence
Yeah, it's such a great reference and resource. I love that you've put this out there for us to be inspired and to have some practical guidance. And maybe I'll take that a little bit further to say, what is your advice to those who are looking to incorporate self care routines and rituals on a daily basis, what's the best way to start?
Indu Arora
The best way to start truly is how you end the day. You know, the modern science has now come up with the idea how essential is to be attuned to circadian rhythm. And it's very interesting to note that what it has come to the what it has come to As a conclusion is the best way to take care of our circadian rhythm, which basically means our sleep, awake cycles, our hormonal rhythm, our breath rhythm, our moods over hormones, we're thinking about energy levels, in alignment with macro cosmic cycle, which means the rising of the sun and the rising of the moon, and the changes of the seasons, to really align ourselves that the microcosm but the macrocosm, and it says that there are three factors that can help in doing so. lifestyle, diet, and rest. Isn't it interesting, my dear listeners and Michelle, that it's the same three pillars that are you read talks about. And this really in a yo also the first pillar, how to begin your journey of yoga is Ahimsa, non violence, and we think of non violence as some, in approachable we kind of create a perfect idea about non violence that only if I don't harm anyone, and ever, then I'm loving it. But truly, that non violence begins with us. And that a practical way of non violence to self is self care. So are you aware, then you're both gives us this scheme. Law both gives us this really easy to follow guideline and worksheet. And what I would suggest, as a basic starting point, is how you go go to sleep, how you end the day, is how you start the self care how you begin the practice, because how you go to bed really defines your rest really defines the next day, your state of mind and your energy levels. And a very simple thing to keep in mind for the night care, and the daycare, is when you're going to bed. First take care of your body, then take care of your breath. And then take care of your heart. So do something for your body. If you know that you have some indigestion, whether it's an herbal tea, whether it's a practice, do something to address that. Don't just pop a pill and don't just take a supplement, do something more conscious than that. Whether it is maybe changing something about your diet, because the body is telling you what is what you're not digesting well. So take responsibility and make those changes, do something for your body. Even if it is just take some oil and massage on your body or even on your footsore second, take care of your breath. The breath is a bridge between mind and the body. Don't just pass pass out to sleep. Don't just read to the point that you cannot read anymore. And the book comes on your face and you go to sleep or you're scrolling on the screen and you cannot do it anymore. And you go to sleep exhausted. Or you tire yourself so much by bingeing on a series that now you cannot watch anything anymore, and you go to sleep. Can you pay can we pay attention to our breath? And I'm not saying do some specific special breathing exercise. Can we just start witnessing our breath merely by doing so it comes down to care for your breath. By simply bringing your attention to yourself through your breath. And the third, take care of your heart. We are a rest deprived and overstimulated societyto do some kind of guidance guided relaxation. Five Minute, 10 minute, maybe the self guided. And if you're too tired, then listen to some guided relaxation. This is your night self here for your body, for your breath for your mind. And when you wake up, repeat the same in reverse order for your heart, for your breath for your body. And there is a practice that you will find the readers and the book is very easily available. It's an ebook. So you can go on any place where ebooks are available. And you can see that the recipe number one, which basically means simply starting your day by becoming. And I will say as my teacher used to say, by becoming more conscious by becoming soul conscious, we we always think oh, what should be the right information? Or what should be the right words and what should be the right prayer. How about start your day with silence, with nothing with really connecting to the substance of consciousness, by simply listening to the silence that is in the heart of your heart, for a second, for few seconds, for as long as you can be with it pleasantly effortlessly. Don't make it a thing to do. It already is there, just look at it. The second take care of your breath. And you will find those many of these recipes and remedies that I'm sharing in that in the in the book in the soma ebook for your brain, when you are waking up, just check your nostril dominance by keeping your index finger extended under the nostril and see from which side you're breathing. dominantly right or left from whichever side you feel the dominant flow of air on your finger, close that nostril with your thumb and breathe in and out from the opposite nostril. That will really balance your inner and external energy. And those of you who are yoga seekers and yoga students and yoga practitioners, you know, in a way what I'm pointing towards the solar flow or the lunar flow of current, the flow from the ether channel, left nostril or the flow from the singular channel, right nostril. When we sleep, a specific energy accumulates in our body. So when you wake up, drain that excess energy and shift to the opposite one to create balance. It's so simple, simply close the dominant nostril and breathe in and out from the passive nostril for a minute or two a minute. That is it. That is care for your breath, and care for your body. Right when you're waking up and you're seated on the bed. After you balanced your nostril. Simply massage your body, rub your palms and start massaging from head down to the feet. Wake up your body with care with touch and become aware which areas feel so tied stiff. If we do not take an account of what is going on with us. How do we choose what to eat and what to do? These are my suggestions. See there is no no product involved. It is just self care through the lens of awareness, take care of your heart, take care of your breath, take care of your body upon waking up and the reverse order before going to bed. This already takes care of the circadian rhythm.
Michele Lawrence
Thank you so much Indu for our conversation and the guidance that you've offered. These things are so simple and so important. I always learned so much from you. And for our listeners to learn more about Indu and get information about her books and other offerings you can visit Yogsadhna.com. Thank you.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai