Today, our world is currently fighting an invisible enemy that affected almost every country on the planet. With the current situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, having a strong immunity is more important than ever. While we can put on all kinds of protective gears in our bodies – Face mask, face shield, gloves, and PPE’s, the real source of our protection lies within our body. It is our immunity, or

in Ayurveda, known as Ojas.

In the Sanskrit term, Ojas is translated as “Vitality” or “Vigor”. According to the holistic approach of Ayurveda, Ojas is both energy and actual substance in our bodies located in our heart and throughout our body.  

How do you know if you have a good amount of Ojas in your body? We rarely get sick as your immune system is robust, it appears on your body; glowing skin, and sparkling eyes, you have a sense of lightness in your mind and body, mental clarity, deep-felt sense of well being, you are happy, and content. When your Ojas is depleted, you are prone to diseases, you experience dry skin, and muscle and joint pain, the heaviness of body and mind, lack of focus, anxiety, and negative attitude are a few of the symptoms.

The more Ojas we have in our body, the better. It helps our body to repel diseases and gives overall strength to our body, mind, and soul. Without it, not only it weakens our immune system strength, but also our mind, and spirit. The good news is that it is within our ability to boost our Ojas. 

We listed some tips you can do to manage your Ojas! :

Lifestyle choices

Probably, the best thing you can do to boost your Ojas is to have a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Ayurveda believes that lifestyle greatly affects a persons’ physical and mental health. You may not believe it, but even small changes in your lifestyle can greatly affect your health. Having a healthy lifestyle can play a vital role in improving your Ojas.

The practice of daily routine or in Ayurveda, called “Dinacharya” is highly encouraged as daily routine promotes self-care through different daily activities.

Some practices you can do to improve your lifestyle:

• Get adequate sleep, at least 8 hours a day 
• Balanced diet
• Workout often
• Spend time with friends and love ones.
• Avoid negativity
• Avoid too much stress

Diet to boost Ojas

This is a no-brainer statement. We all know the benefit of having a healthy balanced diet, but according to Ayurveda, there is some specific food that helps on building our Ojas. Most foods that contain the most Ojas-building energy are organic and freshly cooked foods. Process foods; canned, and frozen should be avoided as these foods contained limited to nonexistent Ojas-building energy.

There are a lot of foods too but here are the foods to add to your diet for more Ojas:

• Vegetables, mostly leafy greens, and root vegetables; lettuce, zucchini. spinach, sweet potatoes, yams, and turnips.
• Fruits; Avocado, Dates, bananas, and fig.
• Legumes; Mung beans, tofu, soy milk, and soybeans.
• Whole Grains; Oatmeal, quinoa, and basmati rice.
• Healthy fats; Nuts (almonds and hazelnut), Olive oil, coconut oil

Herbs and spices are the keys

Herbs and spices are considered as kings and queens of Ayurvedic medicine mainly because they are packed with vitamins and nutrients. Ayurveda includes herbs and spices as an essential component in treating chronic diseases and promotes many health benefits.

Here are a few herbs and spices to add to your diet:

Oregano – Commonly used in cooking, this herb is packed with antioxidants, reduces infections, and based on clinical trials, may help fight cancer.

Cinnamon – This aroma-bomb is loaded with antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties. 

Turmeric – This yellow powdered substance is considered the king of spices. It contains an ingredient call curcumin, which has a variety of health benefits.

Garlic – Garlic also contains natural antioxidants that help boost our immune system, which can help fight other types of disease. 

Ginger – Ginger is considered one of the world’s most potent spice. It has a significant number of antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory features. 

Pause, Breath, do Yoga, and Meditate

Stress does a lot in our body, it is also one of the biggest contributors to decreases in our Ojas. When the level of stress escalates to a point then it becomes dangerous for our well being. That is why we need to manage stress the right way. Yoga and meditation are some of the best tools for managing stress. 

With meditation, by focusing on only one thing, it is much more difficult to worry, be hateful, be afraid, or be angry. This is also helpful in choosing what thought to focus on and learn to be more mindful and aware of the present moment without any judgment.

Yoga is a mind and body activity that combines physical poses, and controlled breathing, It helps reduce stress because yoga promotes relaxation, which is the opposite of stress, and energized our body at the same time.

https://holisticayurveda.ca/ojas-boost-immunity-with-ayurveda/