The Harmony of Hydration

In Ayurveda, the word Ojas means liquid vitality. Our bodies are made up of 75% water much like the house we live in; Earth. We go through three phases in life: Kapha, Pitta and Vata. At first we start as little babies fresh from the womb full of Kapha, the word of nourishment, or the elements; water and earth. Our mid life is centered around Pitta, the word of focus and the elements fire and water. Moving through life with vigor and force. Then our last phase of life is Vata, the word of change and elements ether and air, which is when we start to get a more wrinkles and dry up. The value of ones longevity is based on the amount of water in their body. It is also believed that ones consciousness, memory and happiness depend on the hydration of the tissues. To nourish optimal Ojas and longevity in the body we turn our focus to the trine of hydration:

⟫Water
⟫Electrolytes
⟫Essential Fatty Acids


These three come together to create a symphony of fluidity and vitality for all of the tissues in the body.

Water creates liquid exchange from one organ to the next. Our entire survival, as a human in these bodies and as humans on earth, is based on water. This liquid exchange sustains us and creates follow through that stabilizes our life. Water carries oxygen and nutrients to all of our cells. Our plasma, ruler of the lymphatic system, is made of 90% water. The pancreas and kidneys are regulated by and store electrolytes.

So how do you know if you're hydrated?

Signs you could be dehydrated
⟫ dry lips
⟫ dry skin
⟫ sore muscles
⟫ cracking joints
⟫ puffiness under eyes
⟫ hard bowel movements
⟫ tight feelings the heart
⟫ peeing too frequently

Take these following words into consideration to restore your Ojas.

I. Drink pure clean water.. Period. Preferably Spring Fed

II. Electrolytes
Electrolytes are electrically charged minerals that help the body build tissues, regulate plasma, help the muscles contract and are essential to kidney and heart function. Electrolytes are an important part of hydration because they govern the kidneys which are the oceans of the body filtering water back and forth pumping it up to our pericardium, the sack around our hearts. They are also an important part of healing adrenal fatigue because the adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys and if our kidneys are hydrated this helps the adrenals function

Electrolytes are best ingested in the unadulterated form of mineral rich sea salts (preferably grey because it is the most hydrating). I also love doing a coconut water mid day because these are also rich with electrolytes, but make sure you don't find one that has added sugar to it. If you are finding that you drink a lot of water and feel that you may be hydrated yet your urinating too frequently, I would recommend adding salt to your water to increase your electrolytes because this increases the ability for deeper organs to also absorb more water hence your ability to store more water in your body.

Different electrolytes are:
Chloride
Sodium
Magnesium
Potassium
Calcium
Add:1/2 tsp of grey salt to a quart of room temperature water. You could do this up to twice a day. The best time of day to do this is first thing after you wake up. The helps you restore your liquid vitality after breathing and drying yourself out overnight.


III. Essential Fatty Acids
Unlike saturated fats, Essential Fatty Acids are raw fats and oxygenated oils essential to our health. They contain omegas 3 and 6 and cannot be produced by our own bodies. Essential Fatty Acids rebuild the myelin sheath around the nerves which deeply nourish our tissues and protect us from nerve damage. A few good examples and staples to your diet could be:

⟫ Fish
⟫ Seaweed
⟫ Chia Seeds
⟫ Sesame Seeds
⟫ Pumpkin Seeds
⟫ Hemp Seeds/ Hemp Oil
⟫ Flax Seed/ Flax Oil
⟫ Avocados/ Avocado Oil
⟫ Olive Oil
⟫ Evening Primrose Oil

Your choices of essential fatty acids can depend on your constitution, diet and phase of life. The difference between essential fatty acids and saturate fats is raw/ cooked oils. It is recommended to only have 2 tablespoons (2,000mg) of saturated fats a day and up to 6 tablespoons (6,000mg) of Essential Fatty Acids a day. Saturated fats are heated oils that are saturated with hydrogen molecules. Most things that are solid at room temperature are saturated, things like butter and ghee.

When we consider that cooking an oil turns it into a saturated fat we start to rethink how we cook. Instead of cooking with fat, butter, ghee or oil we can cook things in water or broth or tea. These choices also bring in more nutrients and minerals to your food. Your oils can be added on top of your food, raw, to maintain their benefit rich natural state giving you your daily dose of essential fatty acid.

Remember to take everything with a grain of salt (pun intended ;)) because our bodies are all different and some oils and fats that may be good for one person could be the opposite for someone else.


For further information or consultations about your specific constitution and foods that are optimal for you, please email me.