How To Drink Water: Stay Hydrated The Ayurvedic Way

Well. If you’re scratching your head thinking that how can there be a right way to drink water, we are here to tell you that there is.

Drink more water, everyone asks you to do that — your mother, your colleague, your doctor, and even your spouse. And you try to do that too, to the best of your abilities, but this health stint lasts only a couple of weeks or months at most. Besides who would want those frequent trips to the loo, you think to yourself as you revert to your older ways.

Clearly, there has to be a better way to be hydrated than these infrequent hydration drives, and we are here to tell you there is. Read on further to get a comprehensive guide to being hydrated, the Ayurvedic way.

Water Is Essential For A Well-Functioning Body

The major component in the composition of our bodies is water. It is stored both inside and outside cells, and it helps in carrying nutrients to various organs of the body by dissolving them in it. It also carries out the function of transporting waste, regulating body temperature, lubricating our joints, moistening tissues of our mouth and preventing constipation (1).

Clearly, water is an essential requirement for a healthy body. However, we lose a lot of it every day through other bodily functions such as respiration, sweating (even if you don’t work out), urinating, and defecating. This leaves us with no option but to replenish it.

These Signs Can Tell If You Need More Water

1. Your lips, skin or hair is becoming dry.
2. You get frequent rashes on the skin, or acne due to clogged pores.
3. The color of your pee is dark yellow (2).
4. You are not sweating.
5. You are not having regular bowel movements.

Why We Need To Drink Water The Ayurvedic Way

If you’re experiencing these symptoms then it’s very likely that your body has lost a lot of water and is seeking to conserve what it still has. Now, in this scenario, most of us would resort to drinking more water to make the symptoms go away, or we would turn to sports drinks which is a more delicious way to rehydrate. But if we do that, it is more likely that within a short duration of drinking that water, we are going to pass it out in the form of clear pee. This means that we didn’t absorb that water into our bodies.

Ayurveda says that in order to be healthy, we need to reabsorb the same amount of water as we lose out in performing our bodily functions. Therefore, we need to find a different way to rehydrate, which will allow us to absorb that water into our bodies, and Ayurveda has the answer.

These Steps Will Allow Your Body To Absorb Water In An Effective Manner

1. Ditch cold water, and switch to lukewarm or warm water. This is because when you drink ice-cold water it cools down the enzymes in your digestive system which hampers the digestive process, which in turn, leads to the build-up of toxins (3). Besides it also causes the blood vessels to constrict, which doesn’t allow the toxins to get drained through the lymph nodes. This constriction also doesn’t allow the blood to travel to the organs easily, thereby depriving them of nutrients. On the other hand, warm water prods the lymphatic system to clear the toxins.

2. Drink water by adding these ingredients to it — a teaspoon of unrefined mineral salt, or Himalayan sea salt (for 1 ltr of water), or lemon juice, or pre-soaked chia seeds, or a dab of ginger. All these ingredients (not together though) help our body in absorbing the water better.

3. Drink around 500 ml of warm water the moment you wake up. The measurement is approximate, you can also drink a tall glass of it, and it would work in the same manner. We are asking you to do this because while we sleep our body works to pack up the previous day’s waste, which is why we feel the urge to go to the bathroom as soon as we wake up. In order to help our body flush out the toxins properly, we need to drink warm water immediately after waking up.

4. Don’t gulp down water in one go, especially if you’re having it with meals. Instead, sip it. This hasty chugging of water doesn’t allow your body to absorb it, instead, you pass it in urine. Besides, when you drink the water in large gulps while eating, you’re extinguishing the Agni (digestive fire) that is working to digest that food. Therefore, instead of having water with meals, we would advise you to have it half an hour before eating.

If you follow these ayurvedic principles while hydrating, you’re sure to keep your body well-hydrated and in the pink of its health. Do follow these principles and let us know if you notice any changes in your health. If you have any other queries regarding hydration, share them with us in the comments section.

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