Dear Member,
For the last 7 years, I have written about how to improve your health. I am grateful for the many compliments and positive feedback. Yet, some patients and readers have asked me to make my health advice more specific.
What I am hearing is this: You don’t want data from studies, more controversy or news tidbits. You want practical “how to” advice – someone who knows, that you can trust, to cut through the contradictory messages from disjointed fields and give you the bottom line. What should you eat? What kind of exercise is best? What works for optimal aging? Which supplements should you take, how much, and to what end?
In this service called Doctor’s House Call, I will provide these things to the best of my ability. I’m going to also try when possible, (though I’m not allowed to answer personal medical questions), to answer your reader questions. Beginning today and every Monday, in the form of a personal letter, you’ll get my bottom line answers on how to improve your health.
To draw from ancient systems of healing and integrate their wisdom into our modern Western medicine, it seems logical to start from the beginning. I am writing this message on my return from India. I traveled there searching out the roots of the oldest known system of medicine on earth, Ayurveda.
Ayurveda is a holistic health system that evolved in ancient India 5000 years ago. The term combines 2 Sanskrit words to mean “knowledge of life”. My travels took me to Ayurvedic Universities, hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and ancient “healing houses”. Eventually, I arrived at Ayurveda’s birthplace in the isolated country backwaters of the south Indian state of Kerala.
Today I want to share with you an amazing exercise I learned from an Ayurvedic master at The Ayurmana or “ancient healing house”. Although the early Ayurvedic teachers called it a “rite” with various names, my modern translation is simply “Morning Exercise”. It is the origin of a portion of the traditional yogic sun salutation. Some believe that it also originated independently in Tibet and from there made its way to China.
“Morning Exercise”
You should perform this simple routine immediately upon arising every morning. The Chinese have an interesting tradition of rinsing their mouth out with water before beginning this exercise.
Step One: Relax your mind and turn your attention to your breath.
Step Two: Support yourself with your hands on the floor. Your body should sag from the shoulders with arms straight and your toes curled forward. Gently arch your head back as you look up at the ceiling and exhale.
Step Three: Now without moving your hands or feet, push your buttocks toward the ceiling and lower your head, flexing at the hip. Keep your arms straight and breathe in deeply during the movement. Strive to form your body into an upside-down V.
Step Four: Slowly let your body relax back into hanging from your hands as you arch your head back and exhale (as in Step Two). Repeat about a dozen times.
In just 2 weeks of performing this “rite” every morning I can hardly believe the increased energy, elevated mood, better focus, and improved posture and flexibility I have.
I hope very much you will do it too. It only takes 5 minutes and I know you’ll be glad you did.
To Your Good Health,