3 minute read
Discovering Ayurveda
By Liesl Horne Discovering Ayurveda
Restoring with Colour
Consciously bringing colour into our everyday lives, promotes a sense of vitality and harmony to our wellbeing. Colour therapy is called chromotherapy. It is believed that exposing a person to a particular colour can trigger the effects that are needed to bring balance to their doshas (mind/body nature), helping to restore energy.
What colours are you drawn to on an emotional and physical level? Do you have a particular colour that you find yourself attracted to frequently?
There is a myriad of ways to embrace the therapeutic value that colour provides. Whether it’s through the decor in your home, the clothes that you wear, wearing precious gems or through the food that you prepare.
A simple way to introduce more colour into your life is at home through fresh flowers or soft furnishings. Looking at the seasons for inspiration is a great place to start. Here in Australia, we are in autumn, a time of transition from the heat of summer to cooler and more drying conditions.
Immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of warming tones such as amber, gold, orange and red along with textural velvets and natural fibres reflected outside in natures colour palette.
Each of the doshas can be related to a colour and, by introducing specific colours, we can help to revitalise our system.
As well as having a unique prakruti (inherent mind/body nature), we also have a unique colour vibration that is comprised of subtle energies.
Colour helps to revitalise the energy centres in the body through the subtle energy system of the chakras. Each chakra, a Sanskrit word meaning wheel or circle, is associated with a colour that influences the flow of energy through your body.
Red stimulates circulation and aids those with anaemia, fatigue, and exhaustion.
Yellow assists in digestion and liver processes helping to decongest and restore on both a physical and mental level.
Blue promotes a calming quality and is helpful in reducing inflammation and agitation. It also helps us to express ourselves vocally.
White is the balanced expression of all colours and it pacifies all three doshas. This can be seen in a bright white light in the aura when all colours are balanced.
Colour embraces us everywhere in nature, lifting our mood and helping to restore us at our deepest level.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
Colour is light, the source of light is the sun and being out in the fresh air connects you to this source.
Creating an outside space in your garden is a great way to connect your senses with the colours of nature. It gives somewhere to sit and contemplate with the blue of the sky and the green of the grass under your feet - allowing nature to nourish you.
Activities such as colouring, drawing or painting are another way to bring colour into your experience. Colour helps us to move through an emotional block or challenge as it has a powerful effect on lifting our mood.
Choosing plant-based food that includes plenty of colour, will also provide a rich variety of nutritional benefits. Attune yourself to the colours of the fresh produce next time you shop. Recipe books with beautiful pictures are also a great way to inspire creativity in the kitchen.
Through meditation, we can be in touch with areas of our body that are feeling depleted. Visualising a colour that resonates with how you want to feel, brings a specific vibrational note in through the energy centres. It may be a vibrant golden/white light with the intention to cleanse and restore or perhaps lilac or
pale blue to calm agitated emotions.
Choosing a coloured crystal that you are drawn to can further enhance the energy centre that needs stimulating or soothing.
Liesl Horne
Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to treat, diagnose, prescribe or heal any health condition or to replace standard medical treatment or advice.
