MY FAVOURITE MORNING ROUTINE IN ADDITION TO MEDITATION !!
Because I believe sharing is caring, I wanted to share this simple but quite powerful health secret I learned from an old Ayurvedic doctor years ago while living in Maui, HI. Its a easy way to take care of your body inside out. Beautiful remedy for the body, mind and spirit <3
Oil pulling with organic coconut oil is what I am talking about. You can use pure sesame seed oil as well, but I prefer coconut oil...for everything to be honest, for my hair, skin and in my cooking. But in this case mainly because it tastes so much yummier and acts as a gentle whitener for those pearly whites as well. Oil pulling has become one of my very favourite morning routines over the years for a few reasons which Ill explain for you in a bit.
I was living in paradise on gorgeous Hawaii at the time and all and all life was pretty amazing! Despite it all I started having problems with my skin not to mention my hair that wasn't looking golden and shiny like it had in the past. My diet was quite wholesome full of fresh and clean foods, but it hadn't always been like that. I tried my share of juice cleanses and detox diets in my twenties and they had worked great at the time. Mentally I wasn't in a place to go on a restricted cleanse, so I wanted to try something a bit gentler that I could keep doing for the long haul.
I believe in using natural remedies as much as possible to stay healthy and in the Eastern medicine a lot more than the Western one, always have. So I decided to go and see an old Ayurvedic doctor practising close by to where I lived, just to see if he had answers for me, something to try to fix the problems I was having. He gave me a full check up, including reading my pulse, face and tongue, and got some great advice to take home with me. Only one that stuck with me for more than a few months was the simple practise of OIL PULLING.
SO, how to you ask? Here you go:
First thing in the morning just take a mouthful (1 table spoon is enough) of the oil before brushing your teeth, drinking or eating anything. If you happen to live in colder climate and the oil has hardened, just let it melt in your mouth first. Squish it around in your mouth, around your teeth and tongue for 15 -20mins without swallowing any. Its filled with toxins as a result of doing this, so swallowing would just get them back into your system. SO DON'T. If 15-20 minutes of doing this sounds daunting, don't worry. It's not as difficult to manage as you might think. What I do is continue my morning routine while having the oil do its work; I usually check my emails, make the bed, prepare brekkie, feed the kitties and the time just flies by, I promise :-)
If you want to add an extra benefit to the practise, focus on feeling the sensation in your mouth while the oil lingers in there. While you focus on a sensation, you can not think or worry about other things you usually might. Doing this turns the 15 minutes into a meditation, silencing of the overthinking mind.
After the time is up, just spit it all out, rinse your mouth with water and brush your teeth and tongue properly.
Simple way to tell yourself " I love you, I want to take care of you".
I dare you to give it a go!!:-)
