Self-Development Book Club - Body Thrive

One of my reading goals is to read (or reread) at least one self-development book every month. If I'm reading the books, I might as well share the take-aways with you!

This month, I decided to reread one of my favorite Ayurveda books, Body Thrive by Cate Stillman. I have a better-than-average understanding of its content because I not only read it but also took a several-month-long course with Cate on its contents.

Watch Me Talk About It

The Subtitle

The subtitle of this book is Uplevel Your Body and Your Life with 10 Habits from Ayurveda and Yoga. This will likely lead many of you to ask, "What is Ayurveda?". I have posted about Ayurveda in the past and you can check out a few videos HERE.

Ayurveda is the sister science to yoga. Yoga was originally focused on meditation and attaining enlightenment. What we think of yoga now, the asanas (postures), were done to keep the body healthy and nimble to allow for hours of meditation. Ayurveda is everything else. It translates to "the science of life". Ayurveda is the wisdom behind how we live our lives most healthily. It's not a one-size-fits-all type of wellness, it requires a personal understanding of ourselves so our lifestyle practices can be personalized.

The book Body Thrive provides a good overview of a few key Ayurvedic concepts along with a step-by-step guide to dialing in 10 key habits for wellness. Everything in this book is viewed through the Ayurvedic lens. However, even if you wish to learn nothing about Ayurveda, you can still benefit from considering some or all of these habits.

Baby Steps

If I've said it once, I've said it 100 times. To be successful at creating new habits, it is best to go slow. Incorporate one habit at a time and remember you don't have to do each habit perfectly right off the bat. Cate encourages us to work on 1 habit a week over 10 weeks, then turn around and do it again, and then again, and then again. Each 10-week session allows you to dial in and go a little further.

Summary of the 10 Habits (note any quotes below are directly from the book)

Habit 1 - Earlier, Lighter Dinner: the concept here is that it is best to have your last meal of the day by approximately 6:00 pm. This allows time to digest a bit before you head to bed. Okay, so that's the earlier part, but what does she mean by lighter? Ayurveda teaches us that the largest meal of the day should be lunch because that is when our digestion is the strongest. Therefore, if you are used to dinner being your largest meal of the day, Body Thrive Habit 1 invites you to reconsider and make supper something light, like soup or salad. If this is your first attempt at the 10 habits, consider choosing earlier OR lighter this time through, then work on the other the next time through.

Habit 2 - Early to Bed: Without getting deep into the theories of Ayurveda, around 10 pm the energy in our body shifts. Our body gets fired up as it prepares to digest, store, and heal. "This rising energy is supposed to clean your inner body-house..." If you stay up too late, you might get your second wind. This is a bad thing because that energy was meant to be healing your body and cleaning your inner house. You are essentially stealing energy and wellness from yourself.

Habit 3 - Start the Day Right: This habit stresses the importance of morning elimination. Cate talks about the importance of training our bowels to eliminate every morning. For many of us this is a far-off dream, while some people are shocked to learn that not everyone can poop every day. Ayurveda puts a lot of focus on healthy digestion and pooping every morning is a key indicator that things are going well in the digestive system. If you aren't in the morning poop club, Cate recommends starting your day with a bunch of warm water to help get things moving.

Habit 4 - Breath Body Practice: Cate suggests starting every day with some movement that encourages deep breaths. This could be anything from an early morning walk to a yoga practice. She goes into some detail about what types of people will benefit from which type of aerobic exercise. But even without analyzing your Ayurvedic constitution, just moving and breathing in the morning works out the kinks and gets the body oxygenated after hours of laying still and breathing shallow sleep breaths. Start with just 5 minutes.

Habit 5 - Eat a Plant-Based Diet: Now you might read this and think she is telling you to avoid animal products, but you would be wrong. Ayurveda does not promote excluding anything, it promotes making the best decision for your body. Some people do not do well with animal products, others are the exact opposite. When Cate says "Plant-based", she means the bulk of your diet should be plants. If you choose to also include animal products, go for it. Just make sure you are choosing healthy options. She also encourages us to eat as many plant varieties as possible. Try new vegetables, and investigate edible weeds in your area, the more bio-diversity in your diet, the better.

Habit 6 - Self-Massage: Dry brush or oil massage your body each day. This is called abhyanga. If your skin is oily, dry brushing might be best for you. If you tend to be dry or live in a dry environment, oil is wonderful. You can also use your hands with no oil. "Start with one limb at a time. Long strokes on the long bones. Round strokes on the joints". I suggest round strokes on your belly and on your lower back too. If using oil, do this before you take a shower, then go easy on the soap (save it for the few places that truly need it). Use an old towel to dry off and clean your tub with something that will cut through the oil. Be careful you don't leave your shower slippery for the next person or for yourself. Be careful.

Habit 7 - Sitting in Silence: "Take some time each day, preferably at the same time, to sit in silence. Simply stop, drop, and sit". Yep, it's finally time for meditation. This chapter has a bunch of great information on meditation. If you don't currently meditate, please start now! Just 1 minute of focused breathing can do a world of good to decrease stress and anxiety. I have so many passages from this chapter underlined, that it's hard to know which ones to share. "Sitting in silence, you let go to free yourself from the whims of the mind...". Good one, right? "Sitting every day..., makes a huge difference in how you approach life, how personally you take things, and how you interact with others". Love it! Start small, but please start. Meditation is such a gift and you have it in your power to give it to yourself.

Habit 8 - Healthier Eating: This habit is not talking about choosing organic or eating whole grains, it's referring to how and when we eat. Ayurveda promotes proper meal spacing for your personal well-being. Some people may need to eat 5 small meals to feel healthy, while others thrive on only 2 meals a day. This habit of healthier eating encourages us to feel hunger, which ensures our digestion is fired up before we put food in our mouths. Healthy eating also means eating in a calm environment, chewing our food well, and eating enough, but not too much. We want fresh, in-season, high-nutrient food to make up the majority of all the food we eat.

Habit 9 - Come to Your Senses: This chapter is full of self-care practices meant to care for our sense organs. A few you might want to consider...

• scrap your tongue as part of your dental care

• when working at a computer, take breaks to rest your eyes by shifting your vision off to the horizon

• rest with a warm rice bag over your eyes to release tension

• avoid loud and aggressive sounds

• rest your ears with the sounds of nature or simply enjoy some silence

• if the air is dry, oil the insides of your nostrils

Habit 10 - Easeful Living: The idea behind this habit is to realize that you always have the choice between stress and ease. "When you notice stress, choose ease. The problem isn't the problem. Your reaction to the problem is the problem". Easier said, I know. However, the more you take care of yourself, the more you sit in meditation, then the more you realize the truth of this statement.

"It is not about living in a self-absorbed blissed-out state. Easeful living is about showing up everyday on purpose, in action, from a connected, open inner space".

The End

10 habits to uplevel your body and your life... is it that simple? Yes and no. You can gain a lot by working on these 10 habits. Will you be perfectly healthy and happy if you master these habits? Probably not, but you will be much, much closer!

However, there is more to this book than just the habits. This book is filled with so much good information, I highly recommend it to anyone interested in improving their lifestyle. You can pick up a copy of the book HERE.

(as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you)

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