Learning new healthy habits can help us to feel more balanced, happy and peaceful. As someone who is always trying to better myself, I enjoy learning ancient health practices from different cultures around the world. In today’s blog post I’m focusing on 10 healthy habits from India, which has a very special place in my heart. I’ve visited India a few times and learned so much while I spent time there. It was actually a challenge to narrow down my list of healthy habits I learned in India, but here are my top 10.
Healthy Habit #1: Balancing the 6 tastes.
The oldest school of medicine is Ayurveda, which is the medical system of ancient India. And within Ayurveda there are six tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent. Each taste has a certain effect on our health. When we understand how to balance these flavors in our cooking, based on our constitution, we can feel more balanced and energized.
For example, the sweet flavor is found in foods such as fruit, honey and winter squash. The sweet flavor is known to have a calming and cooling effect, and can help to create moisture in the body.
Some examples of the sour flavor are limes, lemons, yogurt, vinegar and berries. The sour taste is warming and helps to stimulate your appetite.
Salty foods include sea salt, celery, sea vegetables and soy sauce. The salty taste is moistening and helpful for maintaining a good balance of electrolytes, which can help to energize us.
Bitter foods include dark leafy greens like kale, lettuces and herbs like parsley. The bitter flavor helps to cool and cleanse the body.
Examples of pungent foods are onions, garlic, radishes, ginger, black pepper and mustard. According to Ayruveda, these foods can help improve appetite, clear the sinuses and increase circulation.
Astringent foods include green beans, legumes, tea, cranberries, turnips and figs. The astringent flavor is cooling and cleansing. They’re also known to be anti-inflammatory.
Of course to fully understand the six tastes and how to apply them to your meal plans, for best success I recommend getting a book about Ayurvedic cooking or consulting an Ayurvedic practitioner who can guide you.
Healthy Habit #2: Meditation
The second healthy habit I learned from India is meditation. Meditation originated in India several thousand years ago. There are so many benefits to regularly meditating, such as reduced stress, improved sleep, a better memory, improved mood, healthier blood pressure, and some say that it even benefits our immune system. If you don’t know where to start, you can find a guided meditation video here on Youtube or take a local class to learn some simple techniques.
The basic idea is to find a comfortable seated position in a quiet area. Then close your eyes and notice your breath. Notice if your mind wanders or if thoughts come up, and just keep focusing on your breath, taking nice relaxing belly breaths, so that your abdomen rises and falls with each breath. Even just doing this for 5 or 10 minutes a day, in the morning or evening, will help you to experience some of these benefits of meditation.
Healthy Habit #: Yoga
Yoga has become so popular everywhere that it’s easy to forget that yoga originated in ancient India over 5,000 years ago. I love the many health benefits, including relief of back pain, increased strength and flexibility, stress management, improved balance, cardiovascular benefits, and a reduction in arthritis symptoms.
Yoga is also known for helping you to feel in a better mood, feel more confident and to sleep more soundly. It’s great for osteoporosis prevention since it’s a weight bearing activity using your own body weight. One of my favorite series of yoga postures is the sun salutation, which is an energizing way to start your day.
Healthy Habit #4: Celebrate
Indian culture is one of celebration. When I was in India it seemed everywhere I turned there was something fun and interesting going on. Indian dance, music, festivals, weddings and religious traditions taught me a lot about enjoying life and having fun. India has 26 official holidays recognized at the national level.
One festival, Kumbh Mela, has drawn as many as 100 million participants and can be seen from space. The take away from India’s focus on celebration is to savor each day and find joy wherever we can. Experiencing happiness with others is beneficial to our wellbeing and makes life more fun.
Healthy Habit #5
Shoe-free home
Shoes are not worn in Indian homes as a sign of respect and to keep the house more clean. You may not realize that shoes bring into your home a lot of dirt, debris, stones and even chemicals and toxins that they pick up. This is especially an issue for babies and young children who crawl on the floor. A shoe free home doesn’t require as much constant cleaning, which is a nice benefit. Shoes also carry harmful bacteria into your home.
For example, bacteria strains found on shoes can cause infections, pneumonia and meningitis. Studies have shown that there are an average of 421,000 different strains of bacteria on shoes. Going without shoes also strengthens feet and leg muscles, improves balance and posture, and stimulates beneficial pressure points on your feet. If you’ve ever heard of reflexology it’s a type of therapy that uses gentle pressure on specific points on your feet. To enhance this effect I like to wear reflexology sandals around the house that are only worn indoors.
Healthy Habit #6
Sit on floor to eat
Sitting cross-legged on the floor is actually considered a yoga pose called 'Sukhasana'. I made a separate video dedicated to the topic of sitting on the floor to eat and I’ll link it below. The benefits of sitting on the floor to eat include improved digestion, better circulation, healthier joints, flexibility and enhanced posture. Something about eating on the floor with your friends and family also feels bonding. It’s a common practice in Indian culture as it is recognized to be very beneficial.
Healthy Habit #7: Benefits of massage (even children)
Just like yoga and meditation we can thank Indian culture for the beneficial practice of massage. Massage originated in India around 3000 BCE. Ancient Ayurvedic texts mention the benefits of massage. Today massage is still commonly used throughout India for maintaining general health as well as to help treat minor health issues.
Shishu Abhyanga or baby oil massage is an ancient Ayurvedic tradition that is commonly practiced in India. This is based on the idea that regularly massaging a baby has many benefits. It begins in the first week of life and the baby is massaged with oil that helps to protect their skin. Massage also promotes physical, emotional and mental well-being. The massage helps to create bonding between the mother and child.
Healthy Habit #8: The Importance of Family
Respect for the elderly is an important value in Indian culture. Several generations may live under one roof, including aunts, uncles and grandparents. Sharing is important among friends and family, so there is not the “yours versus mine” mentality found in other cultures. The needs of the group are considered rather than just individual needs, so there is a strong sense of community. Studies show that isolation and loneliness are linked with many health issues including a higher risk of dementia. So the close family connections found in India are beneficial in many ways, including health and wellbeing.
Healthy Habit #9: Only warm or room temp drinks
According to Ayurveda, we should only drink beverages that are close to our own body temperature. This helps us to better absorb nutrients from our food because our digestive system is not working hard to increase the temperature of cold drinks. When we consume icy cold drinks we may feel lower in energy. Cold beverages constrict our blood vessels, whereas warm water actually increases the digestive process, so warm liquids are great for gut health.
Healthy Habit #10: Importance of squatting
The Hindu squat is popular among Indian wrestlers, but throughout Indian culture squatting is a common way of sitting that has many health benefits. Sitting in a squat can help with coordination, circulation, agility, improving balance, muscular endurance and improving digestive health. Squatting may not be right for everyone, so if you have knee problems or other issues please check with your doctor or a physical therapist to see if it’s right for you.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do people from India eat?
Some Indians eat with their fingers and wash their hands well before sitting down to eat (this is a habit observed in some regions of India, whereas cutlery use is widespread in other regions). A warm chapati bread is often used to scoop up delicious morsels of curry.
What is the main drink in India?
Indian culture has always valued tea, or chai, ever since the British helped make it popular. A "chai wallah," or "tea seller," strolling through the streets or a train car serving some of the sweetest, finest tea you'll ever discover, is one of the most iconic images in the nation.
What is India in simple words?
India is a country with a diverse population and a long history. It is the second most populated nation in the world and the seventh largest by area. India's national animal is the Bengal tiger, while its national bird is the peacock. The national anthem, composed by Bankimchandra Chatterji, is called Vande Matram.
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