Milk, Sleep, & Ojas (Immunity)- What do they have in common Ayurvedically

Ayurveda considers milk to be an ojas (immunity) building food.   However, in today’s day and age milk has become somewhat of an enemy to many, and at the very least is a controversial subject.  So what is the problem with many of the milks we purchase in the supermarket today that makes it hard for us to digest?  The main problems stem from the fact that today’s milk is overly processed: Hormones, chemicals and antibiotics are often added, it undergoes unnecessary homogenization and the wrong type of pasteurization is done.  We need to look for milk that is vat pasteurized as this type of pasteurization doesn’t damage the milk proteins because it is a slow, safe heating process of the milk at temperatures of 135 degrees for 20 minutes.

I always recommend that you check out the milk at your health food stores and look for milk that is organic, with no added hormones, chemicals and antibiotics and that is non homogenized.  Today most of our milk will also go through an ultra homogenization process that renders it impossible for our bodies to break down.

So milk is an ojas building food and we just have to be sure that we purchase the best milk we can if we don’t have access to a trusted farm.  For more information on milk and the detrimental effects of homogenization, check out my blog from April of last year HERE.

The last component above is sleep and you might ask what does sleep have to do with milk and ojas.   When ojas is depleted because of stress, lack of sleep, and poor digestion amongst other things, our body breaks down and our ojas (immunity) will suffer.  This might show up in our systems as exhaustion, insomnia, stiff joints,  and a reduced ability to fight off colds.

We often find in modern medicine that the traditions our families have espoused have true quantitative value. It should be no surprise then that for thousands of years, milk before bed has been used to aid in sleep so that we may get the rest necessary to enhance our immune system by building our ojas.  Another example of how milk and sleep can work together harmoniously to help build ojas and heal from the inside. Look under the recipes section of my blog for a wonderful Bedtime Tumeric Milk to try before bed or click HERE.

Where your awareness goes your prana follows.

Yesterday as we began yoga class we discussed Ojas (vigor), Prana (life force) and Vata (elements of air and ether) briefly and that the greatest disturbance to Ojas comes from the mind.  Where our attention goes our Prana follows.   The key to longevity, immunity, anti-aging comes from cultivating our Ojas.  One of the ways to do this is to spend time in introspection perhaps meditating, yoga or even putting aside an hour a day for quiet time (no phones, no tv, no chatting).  Perhaps pick up a good book, or be with a craft you love.
 

Grab a journal or notebook and make this a year of some soul feeding, nourishing changes.  Keep your journal in a place where you can easily access it and write down things that draw you away, for example I spent 3 hours in front of the tv or computer.  There is a quote by Oscar Wilde that goes, "Everything in moderation including moderation."  Perhaps you can learn to say I love my quiet time instead of but I love those shows.. It is not that all TV is bad, it is just an awareness of - is it trapping me in some way that I have not been paying attention to even on purpose.   Notice what feeds your soul when you let the mind quiet down.  And if you are already doing these things, keep on keeping on.  This can be a tough task in the beginning as these external distractions can become almost hypnotic.  
 

Suggestions:  paint, write, declutter, soothing music, laugh with yourself, eat whole foods, lots of greens, play with spices, learn a musical instrument. dance.  Then notice what has been draining your energy.  Is it too much television, being on the computer, talking and texting on the phone.  Make this as I said yesterday an observation, not a judgement.  What is keeping you from how you want to be an feel and what you really would like to be doing.  Notice the distractions that you allow to happen "because".  These things sap your Ojas and the most expensive cream in the world cannot give you back the radiance and glow that Ojas gives you.  It is the best anti-ager in the world as it promotes longevity and immunity.

One of my favorite quotes from Swami Kripalu goes:  

“Before speaking consider if it is an improvement upon silence.”

Remember this is your journal so open up freely without any judgements just pure awareness. WHERE YOUR AWARENESS GOES YOUR PRANA FOLLOWS.

Hugs, hugs, hugs and thanks for listening  - Have a beautiful day, I know you will.