The Right Way of Drinking Water, Ayurveda Wisdom

The Right Way of Drinking Water is very important as per Ayurveda. Water  helps in cooling and balancing Pitta dosha, promotes digestion, supports Kapha and also counteracts the dryness of Vata dosha. With the significance of drinking water reminded to us on a regular basis, it is important to drink water in its right way at the right time.

As per Ayurveda, drinking water at the end of a meal is akin to drinking poison. It kills the Jathaaragni (that aspect of prana or energy which enables the body to digest food) thereby making the food rot inside the system instead of getting digested. This in turn leads to excess acid and gas being produced in the system and a very vicious cycle starts.

The Right Way of Drinking Water as per Ayurveda

As per Ayurveda, simple rules to be followed for intake of water. Ayurveda recommends to always drink water at room temperature or hot only. Ice-cold water is never recommended as that puts out the digestive fire and causes disturbances in the digestion process itself.

10 Simple Guidelines to Drink Water as per Ayurveda:

1. Water should always be consumed while one is seated than standing. This helps in proper and efficient absorption and distribution of the water consumed.
2. There should always be minimum gap of 1.5 to 2.5 hrs. between food and intake of water. This condition varies based on geographic and other conditions and the duration is higher in the mountains and lower in plains and hot areas. This is because the body’s ability to digest food varies with the ambient conditions.
3. It is beneficial to have a gap of around 45 minutes between food and water intake. If one is thirsty immediately after food, the following can be had: one can have fresh juice of seasonal fruits after morning meal and buttermilk/chhaas after lunch. Milk can be had after dinner. Though these also contain mostly water, the properties are completely different and they actually help in digestion and the body instead of hurting it.
4. To clean the mouth and throat after food only one or two sips of lukewarm water can be taken.
5. Always drink hot or lukewarm water throughout the day and that too sip by sip like one drinks hot tea.
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6. Drink water first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. It is to be consumed warm at body temp and should be sipped like hot tea so that max possible saliva goes into the stomach. Only if you are drinking water kept in a copper pot it need not be warmed up as it already has same quality as warm water. Mud pot water is also to be warmed up. Below 18 and above 60 years of age should drink only 1.5 to 2 glasses while others should drink upto 1.25 ltrs. i.e. min 3 glasses. This is the only water one should drink without feeling thirsty. Sips should be smallest. Try this for 6 months and see the changes in health. You will feel fresher and lighter, and will see improvements in sleep, digestion and body pains.
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7. In case you are regularly consuming water kept in copper pot, then you should stop for a couple of weeks after 3 months of continuous usage.
8. Never drink cold water. It should always be Warm/gunguna or at body temp. Drinking cold water leads to decrease in blood supply to various organs. Over a period of time this leads to the weakening and hence failure of various organs and causes probs like heart attack, kidney failure, brain hemorrhage etc. Drinking chilled water leads to severe constipation. Large intestine shrinks causing various other complications. This is applicable to other cold foods as well.
9. The colour of your urine will indicate if you are sufficiently hydrated or not. If it is dark yellow it means you need to drink a lot of water to hydrate your body. If the body is sufficiently hydrated, the colour of the urine will be fairly clear or light yellow.
10. The lips will also become dry and chapped, if the body is not sufficiently hydrated

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