Ayurveda long ago has realized and promoted physical activity for its importance, but only to a certain extent. Everything can become harmful when done in excess, and physical activity is not an exception to that. There are many types of physical activity one can choose to engage with, and Ayurveda does give recommendation of different types of exercise to different kinds of people, since some types of physical activity may suit some better than others depending on their body constitution, age, health condition, and even according to the season.
Benefits of vyayama
The Sanskrit word for exercise or physical activity is vyayama. Vyayama can be very helpful to keep your Agni strong and “burning” consistently. If you exercise regularly, it is more likely that you will have a consistent appetite, which is a pre-requisite for good health. Also, in the long term, vyayama will help you have bala and build ojas, which is like a reserve of energy that is also associated with the immune system. Therefore, exercising regularly can help you increase your overall body strength and immune system. But for that, one needs to exercise appropriately and moderately. Vyayama can also support an increase of vitality and potentially extend our longevity. One other benefit is that through physical activity, one can get promote sweating and evacuation, helping the body to keep itself clean and perform physiological functions with more ease.
When should we exercise?
If you are a relatively healthy person, Ayurveda recommends exercising early morning, before you had your breakfast and after you have emptied your bowels. This may not work for everybody, as some people tend to become dizzy when exercising on empty stomach. So, if you are the kind of people who absolutely needs to eat something before exercising, pick something light, easily digestible – ideally some sort of juice because then it goes fast through your stomach. Exercising in the early morning helps to activate your vyana vayu, which will help you eliminate (think of sweat) more efficiently.
Adequate amount of exercise
While Ayurveda recommends us to practice some sort of physical activity in moderation as part of our everyday routine, generally, it should not be done past half of our capacity. What does that mean? It means that if you push yourself too hard, you are not exercising appropriately because when you overexercise you are robbing yourself of potential vitality that you could be using in the future. In another words, excess physical activity can make you age faster, exercising is only beneficial when done in moderation.
How do you know when to stop exercising?
The body will give always give you clues, but you must be paying attention to pick them up. One clue the body will give you is through your breath. If you notice your breathing becoming more erratic, with an increasing need to inhale deeply, it might be your body telling you that it is getting tired. At this time, you can push a little bit longer but slowing your pace down while you wait to get a confirmation from your body. If you need another deep inhale or if you start feeling pain in your body, then it would be wise to stop your physical activity for the day, or at least until you get enough rest. Another way to notice that is if you are exercising with a friend or partner, notice when you start having difficulty talking/ keeping up with the conversation. If you can’t speak with ease, and smoothly, it might be a sign you are already exerting yourself.
Also, if you start sweating too much (more than you would normally), it would also be wise to stop at that point because it means you already shook up vata, pitta and kapha from the digestive system and they are circulating throughout your body. That means you are more vulnerable at that point to get hurt.
If you ignore your body’s warning that it is tired, in the long term, you won’t have much energy for your future self, because you chose to use your reserve energy when your body was asking you for a break. It is important to give the body a break so it can at least have time to allocate a more sensible source of extra energy for you to keep on with your activities.
So the best way to exercise is to push yourself just a tiny bit everyday – that tiny bit will still be able to turn your body into a stronger body. Ideally, you should feel strong and refreshed after finishing your every day physical activity. You should feel in a good mood and energized to keep going (even though you will choose not to), and you would leave the exercise without any pain in the body.
Once I went to a cardio class and it was so tiring and stressful for me (because I went from being sedentary to a hardcore cardio class). I was feeling so sick during the class for pushing myself, that I really felt like I was about to faint or to throw up. The instructor didn’t seem to have noticed that and I was embarrassed to admit I was in terrible shape so I kept on pushing myself. I had bought 6 classes in advance and that was just the first class. After that experience, I totally gave up on my other classes. There was no way I was going back there in my body condition at that time.
Who does not need to work out daily?
People who are extremely weak or sick, or women during their pregnancy, or women who are menstruating do not need to exercise daily. Apart from that, it is generally recommended that everyone else works out a little bit daily to remain healthy.
Other things to pay attention to
Generally, it is recommended to avoid exercising under the hot sun during Summer because Ayurveda always recommends keeping the head cool. Another reason is because you might trigger and harm pitta instead of helping kapha with elimination. Also, for menstruating women: avoid working out too much during your period days because it can mess up with vata. During menstruation, we want to respect and support the flow of apana vayu (downward flow), and if we exercise we can stimulate vata in other directions, which can cause more harm than good.