Ayurvedic Tips for Healthy Digestion
In Ayurveda, healthy digestion is the foundation of lasting wellness. Your digestive fire, known as agni in Sanskrit, is responsible for transforming the food and beverages that you take in to your body into the sustenance that supports your thriving existence.
Digestive agni, called jatharagni, is centered in the stomach and is the most important of the 40 types of agni in the body. It governs digestion, absorption, and assimilation of food and other molecules into more subtle substances that allow our body to function. When agni is burning steadily, digestion is comfortable, your cells are nourished, and damaging toxins (called ama) are prevented from building up in your body.
Ama is internal metabolic waste — it is a heavy, sticky substance that is toxic to the body and is at the root of disease. This sticky substance clogs the vital channels in the body that are responsible for everything from elimination of wastes, transportation of nutrients and cellular communication.
This metabolic waste forms from the dysfunction of internal digestive processes. In other words, it is generated in the digestive tract when food is improperly (or partially) digested, and this occurs when your digestive system is not functioning properly to transform the food into nutrients.
Ensuring that your jatharagni flame is lit is critical for ensuring that food gets burned instead of turning into fat (that's right, well-lit agni can help you control your weight!). So think about your agni as a flame that you must maintain by adding kindling to a fire.
Signs of Good Agni
You can tell that your digestive fire is thriving when....
You are hungry for two to three meals each day, at regular times.
Your stomach does not feel full for longer than 30 minutes after eating
You feel no discomfort as your food digests — which means no gas, bloating, acidity, diarrhea, constipation, or nausea. In fact, You are barely aware of the digestive process as it takes place.
You feel a pleasant anticipation for my next meal approximately 4-5 hours after your last meal (maybe with a light snack in between breakfast and lunch and/or lunch and dinner).
You have a bowel movement at the same time every day, and it is usually well-formed yet soft.
You do not have a thick white, yellow or brown coating on your tongue.
You sleep soundly at night and wake up in the morning with enthusiasm.
All of these things are possible for you.
And, if this list is not reflective of your current experience, take our AGNI QUIZ now to learn how Ayurveda categorizes your unique digestive type, and access ways to ease your specific discomforts.
Your agni type demonstrates certain tendencies toward digestive imbalance. To access ongoing digestive balance, get back on track and get to the root of what’s going on, you may benefit from a complete digestive Reset. Commit to a biannual Ayurvedic cleanse to access the possibilities (and the benefits!) of thriving digestion with ease and in an ongoing way.
Three Simple Rules for Caring for Your Agni
As you begin your journey toward healing your digestion, keep these three key steps in mind:
Eat three meals per day at regular meal times. Lunch should be your biggest/heaviest meal.
Take food and drink at room temperature or slightly above. Never eat or drink cold items.
Sit down and relax to eat. Do not eat while angry or frustrated. Eat in a peaceful environment.
When you’re ready for more, try these ways to light up your digestive fire!
Take Agni Kindler
You can kindle your digestive fire by adding some heat in the form of pungent and sour foods. To make an excellent agni kindler, grate equal parts fresh ginger and fresh turmeric, add a squeeze of lime and a pinch of natural mineral or rock salt. If you do not have fresh turmeric, leave it out, or use a pinch of powdered turmeric. Eat 1 tsp 5 minutes before each meal to light the agni. You can make a jar of agni kindler and keep in the fridge so that it’s handy before meals throughout the week.
Drink “CCF” Tea
“CCF” stands for Cumin, Coriander and Fennel because this delicious tea is made with the whole seeds of these common kitchen spices. Combine them in equal parts (or get a pre-made blend here), and simmer in boiling water for 10 minutes. Start with about 1 tsp per cup, but experiment with the amount of spices to suit your taste. Drink throughout the day to maintain healthy agni, reduce bloating and inflammation, and help to dispel toxins in the body. Find our fave CCF tea blend here.
Take a walk after you eat
It's a good idea to move a bit after eating so that your food is able to move properly through your system. Taking a gentle walk about 10 minutes after your meal to aid your digestive fire, digest more quickly, and keep your energy levels up.
Replenish Your Intestinal Microbiome
It is important for the transformation of physical as well as emotional substance that your gut flora is thriving. Supplement your diet with probiotic foods such as kefir, yogurt and takram (see takram recipe here) as well as probiotic supplements to replenish the beneficial bacteria in your gut. This will prove to be very beneficial in the process of increasing your agni. A fantastic probiotic supplement is Dr. Ohhira's Probiotics Original Formula. If you are experiencing elevated pitta, you will want to avoid sauerkraut and kimchi, as they can be too sour, salty and heating.
Be mindful of when and how you drink water
Drinking too much water at meal times can put out your digestive fire, just as throwing water on a campfire would. With this in mind, it is best to drink water (or CCF tea!) about 30 minutes before and two hours after your meal, but not during. It is also important to drink warm or room temperature water, as cold/icy water dims the flame.
Cleanse seasonally
Given that Ayurveda invites us to take cues from the rhythms of nature, cleansing in alignment with seasonal transitions of Spring and Fall is recommended. Cleansing during the seasonal transitions allows us to purge the excess doshas that have accumulated over the previous months. In the Fall, it’s about purifying the body of excess pitta (fire element), and kindling the digestive fire that may have gone dormant as the body worked to expel heat throughout the Summer. In the Spring, it’s about reinvigorating the digestive fire as a counter-balance to kapha (earth element) and the cool, heavy, damp qualities of the season. With this in mind, work cleansing into your seasonal routine around the two equinoxes each year. If you’re interested in a guided heart-centered cleansing experience that culminates in deep rejuvenation, join us for The Reset for Resilience every April and October.
Eat Kitchari
Kitchari is an Ayurvedic soup that is traditionally made of yellow mung dal and basmati rice, along with digestive spices and ghee, and is used as a cleansing and detoxifying food. Given that kitchari is such a healing and purifying food that supports agni, eating it is an essential part of laying your foundation for wellness. Learn how to make Kitchari, and get you kitchari spice mix here.
Or, experience use it to support your own natural detoxification in The Reset for Resilience: An Ayurvedic Cleanse for Body and Mind.
The Reset for Resilience: An Ayurvedic Cleanse & Rejuvenation Program
The Reset for Resilience is a 28-day program, centered around a five-day detox, that is designed to improve digestion, enhance immunity and promote clarity. This Ayurvedic cleanse for body and mind is the ideal way to support your body to do its best, while inviting you to create meaningful space for inspiration, reflection and restoration. Join the guided group cleanse from the comfort of your own home during the Summer to Fall and Winter to Spring seasonal transitions — and be led by the Certified Ayurvedic Practitioners of Cultivate Balance.
Learn more about the Ayurvedic perspective on digestive issues…
When digestion is healthy and comfortable, your cells are nourished and damaging toxins cannot build up in your body. Take our virtual workshop, GET NOURISHED | Ayurveda for Better Digestion to discover more simple secrets that will leave you feeling light, bright and energized every day.
Self care is a radical act — when you are vibrant and awake, you have the clarity and energy to show up for what you believe in. Cultivate Balance provides Ayurvedic consultations, Goodness Guides, and online wellness courses that support you to nurture yourself so you can nurture the world. Dive in with our FREE mini-course, The Basic Balance Challenge!
