What exactly happened to you when you took the ‘Drink more water’ prescription — cold, stomach discomfort, or toothache!? I don’t blame you. This advice looks so innocuous that no one questions it! We have been successfully brain-washed into believing that our bodies are like drainage systems that can be unclogged using water. I used to gulp down 3L water too. Only after I started feeling dizzy, did I realize that this ‘miracle water’ therapy is not just wrong, but dangerous.
Our body is a live interactive unit and water is a food (aahara dravya) that also needs to be digested. Improper intake of water can lead to serious health issues including dizziness, weight-gain and indigestion. That is why in the Anushtaana community, 2025 started with the 48-day practice of consuming boiled water along with meals. We used a three step habit building practice adapted from James Clear’s habit-development protocol. As you may already know, all lifelong habits start with a strong “why”. In our case, our goal was to improve our digestion to improve our overall well being.
The following three steps helped us to seamlessly integrate the boiled water habit into our daily lives.
Step 1: Ready your environment. Keep an alarm every night, post dinner. Fill water in a container and place it on the stove.
Step 2: Make the habit easy by adding it to an already existing habit. Boil water when you prepare your morning drink.
Step 3: Make it obvious. Keep boiled water in your dining area, or fill your bottle and carry it to work! Sip it along with your meals.
Not just youngsters, people above 75 years of age also reported better digestion within a week of starting the practice. As patrons started seeing results, they also started pouring us with lots of questions. Their lines of enquiry helped us to map the different aspects of water consumption. Specifically, we discussed how the consumption of water before, after and along with meals each lead to different results. We also talked about the idea of spicing our humble water through the seasons, the danger of water first thing in the morning (Usha Paana treatments without supervision) and much more. Our next challenge is going to revolve around getting better sleep and how to make it work for your health goals. Join us for a trial period if you are intrigued.
After reading this message, I hope you examine the ‘drink more water’ recommendation more carefully and try the small step of adding boiled water to your daily routine towards health. Before you run off, I want to return to the question that I started with. How come we never question the advice dished out by the Internet doctors, yet we sit for hours and argue with our family on age-old practices? How come unknown folks on the Internet command more respect than our grandparents who lived long? Maybe I should just flip the question.
How do we not take the bait? What should our shield be? Our inquisitiveness. It is time for us to keep our investigation hats on all the time. Start inquiring into the motives and methodology of our news sources, while also keeping our armour of common-sense strong. Maybe it is time to examine our learnings under the lens of longevity and efficacy. Meanwhile, here in the Anushtaana community, we will keep calm and carry on Ayurvedic wellness practices.
Light and love!
