Sutra 30 - Herbal Tea

Suffering from constant colds. Sun dry Tulsi leaves and rose petals and add them to your bottle of tea. You can also add elaichi into the bottle after removing the skin of the cardamom. The flavour of your daily tea would improve manifold. Tulsi is a divine plant (the only plant that releases oxygen day and night). Tulsi is also an excellent medicine for controlling phlegm and relieving cold. It boosts immunity.

You can also switch to trying a lot of herbal teas and black tea instead of the milk chai that is common in India. Tea is rich in anti-oxidants.

A common replacement for tea in the Ayurvedic tradition is having lemon with warm water and honey. It acts as an excellent detergent to clean your liver, which can save you from a variety of diseases in the long run.

Sutra 25 - Start your day with more than a litre of water

Let the first thing that touch your tummy in the morning be water. Though widely known, many people find it difficult to follow this advice. If you are averse to drinking cold water, you can choose to drink warm water.

Your tummy is like the vessel in which you have cooked your previous night's meal. So before you do further cooking, it is essential to wash it. Dumping food continuously into the tummy without cleaning it often results in the fresh food mixing with half digested food inside the tummy.

Drink about 6 glasses of water to start your day. You can drink about 3 glasses and give a break before you have your next 3 glasses.

Many people start their day with a bed coffee or tea. They also give children milk as soon as they get up. This is not a healthy practice. I have seen several children's health improve including my own, after we started this practice of starting the day with a few glasses of water. This is a golden tip for parents who want to see their children's health improve. Make it a point to share this simple tip with as many parents and teachers, they are the architects of the world's future.

Sutra 18 - Oil Baths

The best way for an oil bath, is to first wash your skin with a little water and then when the skin is still wet apply oil all over your body. Massage the oil gently all over your body. You can choose a simple locally available traditional oil (e.g. coconut oil or sesame oil or mustard oil).

After allowing it to be absorbed by the skin for a about half an hour, wash it away with Reetha powder or Soapnut powder. Do not wash away the oil with strong soaps and shampoos. Oil is the best moisturiser and a coolant. It can prevent colds in summers. The rubbing also increases circulation on the skin and prevents several skin diseases. Coconut oil has antifungal and antibacterial properties.  Coconut oil helps in healing the skin.

Sutra 11 - Vegetable Juice

As most of the nutrients are lost during cooking, a great way to replenish the necessary nutrition for the body is to drink the juices of a few seasonal vegetables. You can collect a few pieces of 3 to five vegetables, mix them with a little water, blend them, and filter it. Drink just a few teaspoonfuls to start with. Over a week, you can drink about half a glass. This would give you enough Sodium and you don't have to worry about adding salt in your meals.

The results can be amazing - Increased energy, glowing skin and sharper memory.

Sutra 6 - No liquids after meals

Avoid drinking water for a couple of hours after your meals. Drinking soda or any juices after a meal can delay your digestion. It leaves you feeling heavy and tired after a meal.

By not diluting the digestive juices in your stomach with water, you assist in the faster breakdown of your meal and quicker absorption. If you need to take liquids during a meal, have a few sips, but ‘washing down’ your meal is a bad idea for your stomach and your overall health.

You can choose to drink a couple of glasses of water half an hour before your main meals. This cleans the stomach and makes it ready for the enzymes to line your belly.

Related: Getting into the habit of drinking more water.

Sutra 1 - A simple way to drink more water

Start your health regimen with a nice bath...to every cell!

Yes, drink one glass of water every waking hour consciously before getting into a long term health program. This would mean that you will have 14 to 16 glasses of water every day. In the beginning, it will be uncomfortable with frequent visits to the restroom. But soon, your body will get used to the increased hydration.

You will see increased energy and lightness even within a week. Keep going on with it and share your experience after doing this consistently for a month.

Related: Don't drink anything for an hour after a meal