As founder of Never Liked It Anyway, a site dedicated to breakups and moving on, I'm always on the hunt for new ways to help heal heartache. Our approach is to sell all your breakup baggage and use the money to buy something awesome, just for you. But like most problems, there are a million other solutions. This week, I sat down with Poonam Bhatia; an Ayurvedic expert and the founder of the delicious range of Ayurvedic products MaaDisha. We talked all about this ancient healing system and its approach to healing heartache.
First things first, what is Aruveyda? Simply put, it's a traditional medical system used widely in India. It focuses on healing the mind, body, and soul from the inside out through diet, lifestyle, and attainment of a peaceful mind. The practice is an impressive 5000+ years old and literally means "Knowledge of Life." Let's get a little more specific.
The Ayurvedic tradition believes the human body consists of three "doshas," or life energies, made up of different universal elements. They are: Vata (space and air), Pitta (fire and water) and Kapha (water and earth). These doshas control how our bodies work, and can negatively affect our health and wellbeing if they fall out of balance. To keep our doshas in check requires maintaining a good diet, hydration, exercise, as well as yoga and meditation.
After a breakup, the doshas are all out of whack. But Aruveyda can help to get the balance back. The first step in an Aruveydic approach is to fully face what has happened. This is not about running away from the problem and filling your days with alcoholic distractions and rebound lovers! It's about staring your breakup in the face. Yoga and meditation are tools to help you confront what has happened; and also help bring perspective, release your emotional baggage and re-energize your mind.
With meditation and yoga as an essential foundation in accepting what has happened, Bhatia had some other suggestions that help you continue the healing process. She insists that you must find time to love and reconnect with yourself. The logic being, you must first heal and love yourself before you can love another. Here are some tips to help you do just that:
1. Do something for yourself every day.
This could be as simple as taking a bath, watching a good movie or whipping up a meal that your ex didn't particularly like! It's all about you -- and what you love -- and reconnecting with that.
2. Soak Up The Love.
It's easy to want to shrivel up in your loneliness, but it's the worst thing to do! Allow yourself to be enveloped by the love and support of your family and friends.
3. Laugh A LOT!
Rent a funny movie, go see your favorite comedian, or just make a lunch date with your most hilarious friend. It may be a cliche, but remembering what it feels like to laugh will instantly put you in a better mood.
4. Detox Your Mind and Body.
Now's a chance to turn over a new, healthy leaf. Focus on eating whole, real healthy foods and drinking lots of water. Clearing your body of toxins also helps to detoxify your mind. If you really want a challenge, take your detox out of the pantry and go through your makeup, household cleaners and hair products, tossing anything toxic! The bonus of this is getting to replace the toxic stuff with natural, soothing stuff. My personal favorite is MaaDisha's Hair Mask2.
So there you have it, some ancient wisdom to help you move on from a breakup. Remember, Ayurveda is all about facing the problem and confronting your heartache. Then, you can create space for the real healing process to begin; with meditation and yoga as strong tools to help you on your way. And dont forget, you're not alone. People have been suffering from and getting over heartaches for thousands of years!