After traveling lots this summer, or just dealing with your daily commute, it goes without saying that coming home is an essential part of a healthy routine.
But what does it really mean to come home?
In Ayurveda, it is said that health is not the absence of disease but a state of balance. As we travel between different environments, our body and mind are subject to a plethora of novelty, which may be exciting or unexpected. Even when the experience is awesome, it’s important to allow time to take it all in.
Coming home means making time to reestablish balance, process the variety, and navigate the next step.
Notably, this “coming home” experience can happen even if you can’t yet literally come home to your apartment or house. Of course, it’s especially important to also come home in your mind and heart when you do literally enter your home.
These Ayurvedic-inspired methods will help you ground and center after experiencing daily or far-reaching travel.
Reestablish Balance: from Vata to Kapha
Of the three Doshas, or biological humors, Vata rules the energy of motion. Meanwhile, Kapha provides structure. Tuning into characteristics of the Kapha Dosha provides structure for really regulating your nervous system. The slow, heavy, smooth, and steady nature of Kapha provide a direction toward homeostasis after travel. Some ideas are:
- Eating a warm, nourishing meal that’s easy on your digestion (like soup!)
- Creating a familiar space with loved one by allowing a natural routine in your day to include them
- Closing your eyes, and feeling the structure of your body, feet planted in the ground
- Hugs!
- Applying sesame oil to the soles of your feet
- A gentle Nasya treatment
- Committing to a reliable daily structure: a morning walk, some yoga, a meditation app, warm beverage
Remember: like increases like. It’s valuable to balance traveling with some slow, quiet time. Energizing your nervous system with lots of talking, caffeine, quick thinking, more plans, or unpredictability may tip your system out of balance. These mobile, airy, and distractible characteristics are core to the essence of Vata Dosha. It’s best to let balance these activities with qualities that can help to support their ongoing potential. Especially for those who love travel and tend to operate on the Vata side, taking time to balance will actually sustain their incredibly adaptive flow of energy.
Take Time to Process
After returning from a huge adventure or a long day at work, it’s invaluable to allow yourself a moment’s pause before launching into the next thing. It may seem impossible with the responsibilities, family members, or circumstances in your life — but the opportunity to simply pause and process is there for you no matter what.
Just pay attention to exactly what is happening. Simply allow the fullness of the movement, sounds, and thoughts that are here. As you breathe in, notice. As you breathe out, feel yourself breathing out. Set a timer — even for 2 minutes — and just let yourself rest.
A truly peaceful moment, no matter how long, can change the course of a day toward goodness. Closing your eyes to tune into your heart can provide insights worth a million bucks. Best of all, returning to this peace daily (every morning, evening, or the best time for you) allows for stability no matter what’s happening. Come home to the unfolding of your own life. ♡
Navigate the Next Step
Now you’re home! What’s next? Maybe that’s already clear. Regardless of your plans, it’s always valuable to orient yourself according to your values. What vague intentions nestled in your heart might be clarified into specific, attainable goals? As you build an understanding about how your personal needs entangle with the responsibilities that befall you, the unique steps toward your health and happiness become clear. Without an understanding of what’s next, fear and stagnation can rob the play! Let love lead. Dedicate yourself to light.
9/20/2024
Article by Luisa
