Resilience has been a topic on everyone’s agenda for many years, yet it never seems to go away. Why? Having challenges is part of human life. Our body and mind at times need challenges to stretch us out of our comfort zones so we can be stimulated. Sometimes those challenges are there to support our growth, to gain more experience, to develop knowledge and even to support self-healing from past wounds. All this is great if we don’t feel overwhelmed with life, or we are too full to the brim to make space stimulation.
We may not know what we need to heal and feel paralysed by the concept of having one more thing to do. If we don’t have the capacity, it can lead to emotional and mental suffering and can over time lead to more physical diseases. While this is going on, our bodies are trying to digest the micro traumas we experience within our body on a daily basis.
The definition of resilience is “an ability to recover from or adjust easily to adversity or change” meaning for us to be resilient we need to successfully adapt through our behaviours. It has been proven that resilience is something we can cultivate.
Let’s look at ways to support the cultivation of resilience
Ayurveda is an ancient healing system of India that can support us in cultivating resilience and healing through awakening our innate self-healing mechanisms. Ayurveda can give us the opportunity through self-regulation and daily practices to calm the nervous system and nourish the body.
When the nervous system is calm and the body feels nourished it connects with being safe and secure. This restores the mind-body connection and removes us from a high alert state of mind. When we do not feel threatened our body can recover faster from both physical and emotional stressors. Yet when the mind-body is over stimulated it can go into overdrive and it will become harder to settle and calm the nervous system. Which means it will be difficult for you to adapt to challenges and our body and mind will go into reactive mode.
Also Read : Resilience is not some magical quality
Here are top x Ayurvedic practice that will support the cultivation of resilience
Move your body
A core belief in Ayurveda is Movement is life and it encourages us to move the body daily. Since the pandemic we have become mor sedentary so moving the body to release toxins and accumulated stressors is essential to our wellbeing. When we move our body we induce physiological and psychological improvements to our being, we can rest and digest the day, we can bounce back more readily and build out self-regulation muscle. Yoga is the perfect antidote for building resilience, not only does it allow you to build inner strength through the asanas, the postures, and by focusing on the breath it allows our autonomic nervous system to settle and calm.
Establishing a daily routine
Ayurveda recommends creating a daily routine that is aligned to the natural rhythms of the circadian clock. Research tells us that our body clock is found in every cell our bodies which is vital to a functioning immune system. Creating a dinacharya – daily routine means that we can sync our bedtime, waking time, eating time with the rhythms of the earth. When we do this we create the optimum routine to support a healthy and resilient body and mind.
Self-Massage for self-care
Ayurveda suggests we heal through our senses, meaning that through regular touch, sound, sight and smell, we can heal our stressors by performing regular self- massage known as Abhyanga. The sense of touch and aromatics on the skin can immediately self-regulate the nervous system and build resilience.
Healthy Sleep
Like a daily routine, we need a good daily sleep pattern to build and strengthen our resilience. Creating a sustainable bedtime routine will provide you with the basis of getting the required 8 hours sleep to function in a healthy and effective manner. Preparing your bedroom for sleep, such as dimming lights, lighting a candle, no phones or laptops in the bedroom can immediately support a good night’s sleep. Breathing techniques to support the body and mind to relax can be helpful along with a warm and soothing bath with lavender oil or sandalwood can establish a natural sleep. This aids resiliency in the mind, body and emotions
Meditate Daily
Taking time out each day to meditate can lead to greater resilience. Research is showing that when we meditate daily, specific changes can occur in the brain that enhance maintenance of resilience.
If we want to cultivate resilience and maintain a healthy reaction to life and human stressors then we need to cultivate a daily routine that allows us to rest, digest and heal from our day-to-day experiences. By incorporating these simple yet effective practices you can respond not react and overtime this response will become your norm and you will have found that sweet spot between living life in a hectic and complex world and cultivating an inner resilience that can be sustained.
