YIN AND YANG

According to traditional Chinese medicine, the world can be divided into two forces, yin and yang. Yin is considered to be dark, cold, negative, passive and feminine, while yang is light, warm, positive, active and male. Disturb the balance of yin and yang, and the result is disharmony, possibly ill health. In addition there are five elements to consider. Every one of s contain the elements of fire, earth, air, water and wood.

When a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner diagnoses, he or she does not just check for the flow of qi, but also looks to see how much of each element is within the body and what kind of energy is being transmitted. It is then possible to stimulate or quieten unbalanced organs or body systems through food, exercise, massage, herbs or the needles of acupuncture.

CHINESE MEDICINE

Patients were taught a combination of good diet, good diet and good breathing technique. If a patient did fall sick, there were powerful ways to bring him or her back to health: acupuncture, herbalism and massage. Sickness was simply not a way of life - surely a tempting enough reason to investigate this incredible holistic system of healing. The underlying philosophy behind traditional Chinese medicine is that good health revolves around the correct flow of qi, or chi, the subtle energy of the body.

If we look after ourselves, eat the right kinds of foods and undertake the right kinds of exercise, we can increase the amount of qi in our bodies. If we fall into bad ways, our levels of qi drop or are blocked and the consequence is lack of vital energy, emotional distress or even disease. The entire Chinese life view is immensely complex and, some might say, almost obsessive. Qi can be depleted or lost through too much, too little or the wrong kind of food, drink, exercise, and work. Even your emotions can fall out of balance and affect your health.

RULES FOR A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

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  Get up between 4 am and 6 am! Ideally, you should have between 6 and 8 hours of sleep. Ayurveda teaches that the habit of going to bed late and sleeping in late can lead to all sorts of complaints, from digestive disorders to headaches and eye problems.


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  Urinate the first thing after rising. If it's difficult, drink a glass of water or herbal tea (not coffee). Next, attend to mouth hygiene: brush your teeth, clean your tongue and gargle with cold water.


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  Exercise. A long, fast walk, swimming or yoga is ideal.


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  Massage after exercise reduces fat and removes dead skin.


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  Rub oil into your entire body and then take a warm bath to revitalize your body and stimulate your energy levels.


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  As you leave the bath, dry and put on a little natural perfume. Dress in loose, comfortable, clean clothing.


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  Take a few minutes for meditation, prayer or simply thinking about beautiful things.


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  Then (at last) have breakfast. Breakfast should be eaten before 9 am.


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  Lunch should be at least 3 hours later than breakfast - around 1 pm is fine. It should be the largest meal of the day, as this is when your body can most easily digest food.


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  Dinner should be eaten no later than 9 pm - 6 pm is ideal. This meal should be quite light.


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  You should aim to be in bed by 10 pm and asleep no later than 11 pm. If you are awake later, your body will move into a different dosha and you will find it even harder to fall asleep. Keep a window open in your bedroom - air should circulate freely. Sleep on the right side to promote digestion and have your head pointing either to the east or to the west. Do not share your room with animals.

THE TEN RULES OF HEALTHY EATING

1. 
   
   Allow plenty of time to prepare and eat your food. Eat in a relaxed, congenial atmosphere and concentrate on what you are eating. Always sit down to eat and take the time to savour your food.


2. 
   
   The foods you eat should be attractive and wholesome - both to your taste buds and your eyes.


3. 
   
   Try to eat at the same time each day. Be mindful of what you eat and be aware of your appetite - stop when you are not quite full. Never eat to excess.


4. 
   
   Always make sure you have digested your last meal before eating another. Generally, you should allow 3 to 6 hours between meals. Don't eat if you are not hungry.


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   Avoid ice-cold drinks - particularly around and with meals. Drink hot or warm water with your meals instead. If you want to eat or drink anything cold, do so between meals - or warm your stomach with a cup of ginger tea beforehand, if you are having something cold.


6. 
   
   Ideally, the bulk of your diet should come from organic, locally produced, seasonal food.


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   Make lunch, the midday meal, the main meal of the day. Your digestion functions best between noon and 1 pm.


8. 
   
   The digestive fire, known as agni, is low by evening, so make your evening meal small and easily digested.


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   Don't race off after your meal. Allow yourself a few minutes of calm relaxation. Relax, sit quietly and give thanks for your food. Take a gentle walk if you can, to aid digestion.


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    Notice how you feel after each meal. Become aware of what foods your body likes and doesn't like. Be guided by your body when it comes to your food choices.

AYURVEDIC EATING

Food is medicine, according to ayurveda. If you eat the right foods, your body will automatically start to heal. Again, the philosophy is very complex, but, put simply, food possess three basic qualities:

Light: said to bring the psyche into a state of harmony. Foods with light qualities include vegetables and fruits, nuts, honey, milk and dairy produce, wheat, rice and rye. You should aim to make up most of your diet with foods with a light quality.

Passionate: said to stimulate the sensuality of the person, increasing motivation, ambition, jealousy, egotism. Foods with passionate qualities include all highly spiced, sour, salty, hot and dry foods, plus wine and beer, tea and coffee. You need a certain amount of these foods to sustain you in a tough world, but don't overdo them.

Sluggish: foods with a sluggish quality increase pessimism, ignorance, greed, laziness, stinginess and feelings of inferiority. These types of sluggish foods include all highly processed foods, peanuts, leftovers and overcooked food, strong alcoholic drinks and all meat and meat products. Naturally, it is advisable to avoid these as much as possible.

THE DOSHAS

Over the centuries, a kind of shorthand for working out imbalances evolved within ayurveda - the three doshas or bioenergies, which are various combinations of the five elements. Vata is a combination of ether and air, pitta of fire with water, kapha of water and earth. In an ideal state, we would have all three doshas in perfect balance, but this is rare. Most of us have one or perhaps two which outweigh the others. The overall aim of ayurvedic medicine is to balance the doshas to restore health.

Your predominating dosha can be detected by a series of physical and emotional characteristics. For example, vata people are usually thin, agile, quick-thinking and restless; pitta people tend to be of medium build, competitive and make good leaders; kapha people are larger framed and are more placid in nature, possessing great reserves of strength and endurance.

AYURVEDA

Ayurveda is the oldest system of medicine on earth. Its principles are said to have been passed down to humankind from a chain of gods leading back to Brahma, father of all gods. It has been called the 'mother of medicine' and is generally accepted to be the forerunner of all the great healing systems of the world.

Ayurvedic philosophy is incredibly intricate and takes years of study to begin to comprehend. Put at its simplest, it teaches that each atom consists of five elements: its weight comes from earth, its cohesion from water, its energy from fire and its motion from air, while the space between its particles is composed of the five elements and it is thought that an excess of one or more elements can be the cause of imbalance and hence lead to illness.