Welcome to February
Welcome to February! Wow, January felt like it just flew by. I hope that you all are experiencing balance and joy in this new year.
We are continuing our exploration of the health indicators that our mind and body provide to give us insight to the state of our wellbeing.
This month we are going to look at the health indicator regarding our elimination. Yes, kids I am going to say the P word.......Poop. Typically, when I bring up this topic in a lecture there are a variety of responses ranging from giggles, to gasps, perhaps an eye roll and a general sense of uneasiness. The truth is that we all poop. If in doubt check out the great literary work “Everyone Poops”, by Taro Gomi.
In all seriousness in order to experience health and vitality it is important to pay attention to what our bodies are communicating through our bowel movements. There simply is no better way to get a snapshot of our current digestive state than to regularly observe to our stool.
Ayurveda teaches that all diseases begin in the gut and are a direct reflection of the state of our agni or digestive fire. If our digestion is strong and balanced then we will wake up in the morning and have an easy, uneventful, not stinky elimination. If the digestive fire is sharp, it will incinerate the food and we will experience loose stool or diarrhea. Worse, we will not get the nutrients from the food no matter how organic or healthy it was on the fork. If the agni is dull and slow then the food will not be digested correctly. Food will sit in the gut like a rock, the result will end up creating toxins. In Ayurveda they are called ama which is undigested or partially digested food. Ama is the beginning of all diseases.
There are several other dietary choices that have a direct impact on the overall health of our digestion. Improper food combinations, processed foods, or foods that are not appropriate for one’s constitution can be detrimental to a strong digestion. Even not being properly hydrated or eating foods not in season can create issues that will be revealed in our bowel movements.
What might the qualities of a healthy bowel movement look like? Great question.
The first thing to look for is having one complete bowel movement in the morning. Not several partial movements throughout the morning. Depending on your constitution you may have 1-3 complete bowel movements in a days’ time. You will know it is complete because you will feel light and a sense of joy and accomplishment. I know that sounds weird, but I am sure some of you have experienced this and are thinking “Yes! I know exactly what she is talking about.”
When you have completed the movement, there is not a strong, unpleasant smell, you can clean yourself with one wipe and when you flush the toilet nothing sticks to the bowl. The color and shape are important too. Brown in color, shaped like a banana and in one piece. Different colors, shapes, odors, and textures are all ways our poop is trying to let us know what the state of our health is.
There are many ways we can support a healthy bowel movement. We can begin by not overeating and getting enough fiber in our diet. Balancing appropriate amounts of proper exercise with good sleeping habits. Managing our minds and emotions while monitoring or stress levels. All these mindfulness practices will be beneficial as there is a direct correlation between our emotions and our bowels. You really do have “gut feelings”.
If you are interested in a deeper dive into this topic, please join me on Sunday March 22nd from 11:30-3:30 for my Ayurvedic Principles of Cleansing in the Spring. This will be part workshop and part cooking class. We will spend time exploring both tongue and stool diagnosis along with learning why and how to do an Ayurvedic cleanse in the Spring. We will prepare kitchari and chutney. Then best of all we eat together!