7 Tips For Enhancing Digestive Fire (Agni)
Strong digestive fire not only enhances the breakdown and assimilation of nutrients in your food, but it also stokes the fire of your mental processes and enhances your ability to move through challenging times. This is why the concept of digestion, and specifically your digestive fire (Agni), is so crucial in Ayurveda.
In fact, more often than not, the root cause of disease in the body and mind can be traced back to the gut – diabetes, autoimmunity, neurological disease, anxiety, depression, and more.
But what's the connection? How could your gut be involved in so many processes that are seemingly outside of its jurisdiction?
Western medicine is nearly caught up with the East on the gut-brain connection, and new studies are coming out all the time revealing the impact that our microbiome has on almost every system in our body.
But let's take a different lens and look at things from an Ayurvedic perspective.
According to Ayurveda, when your digestive fire is weak, it allows for the buildup of toxins in your body, known as "ama," which is also translated into "the undigested."
Ama can include physical toxins like heavy metals, pesticides, parabens, undigested food particles, and so on, but on a subtle level, it also includes undigested experiences, traumas, and emotions.
If what happens in the body happens in the mind, and vice versa, this means that living in a toxic environment could eventually lead to mental health issues. And on the other side of the coin, living in an emotionally stressful environment could eventually lead to physical health issues. Ama is ama; whether it originates in the mind or in the body, this sludge backs up our system and leaves us feeling drained, sluggish, depressed, overwhelmed, and foggy.
The good news is that to rid your body of ama, the most important and impactful thing you can do is focus on your digestive fire. As you stoke your Agni and enhance its power, it will burn away all the ama in its path – leaving you feeling lighter, energized, and more clear-headed.
So how do we get our digestive firing burning? Below are seven tips from Ayurveda to enhance your Agni and start clearing away ama.
7 Tips For Enhancing Agni
Drink CCF Tea
CCF tea is a popular remedy for weak digestion because it's easy to find, it has a nice mild flavor, and it works wonders for firing up your digestion. CCF stands for Cumin, Coriander, and Fennel – three herbs that are particularly helpful for aiding digestion, improving gut health, and increasing the absorption of nutrients. If you want to make your own, you can just mix equal portions of each herb, but you can also find plenty of pre-mixed CCF blends online.
Here are just a handful of benefits that each herb offers:
Cumin
Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
Helps to control blood sugar
Anti-diarrheal
Helps with constipation
Assists with IBS symptoms[*]
Reduces abdominal bloating
Coriander
Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
Reduces abdominal pain
Reduces abdominal bloating
Stimulates appetite
Eases symptoms of IBS[*]
May Improve gut microbiome[*]
Fennel
Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory
Reduces gas and bloating
Regulates appetite
Treats muscle spasms that lead to cramping
Stimulates the secretion of digestive enzymes
To boost your digestive power, boil one tablespoon of CCF tea with one quart of water and sip throughout the day.
2. Avoid Excessive Liquids Around Meals (And No Ice Water!)
Most people sit down to their meals with a large glass of water (or other liquids) to wash down their food. While it can be helpful to have something to sip on while you eat, if you center your water intake around your meals, you're basically throwing a big blanket on your digestive fire just when you need it the most.
Drinking a big glass of water with your meal will dilute your digestive juices and enzymes, creating more undigested backup in your GI tract (i.e., ama).
And the worst offender of all is ice water. For some reason, in the US, we've grown accustomed to drinking water filled to the top with ice. This creates an unnecessary burden on your Agni as your body now has two jobs:
Warm itself back up from the ice bath you're giving it.
Try to digest the food you're consuming.
Instead of filling your stomach with cold liquid while you eat, try to stay hydrated throughout the day with room temperature water, and reduce your water/liquid intake about 20 minutes before and after your meals.
It's okay to sip a little water as you eat, but just try not to overdo it.
3.Practice Kapalbhati Breathwork (Breath of Fire)
Kapalbhati breathwork, also known as "the breath of fire," is a great practice for enhancing digestive fire. By engaging your stomach muscles and improving the flow of prana through your body you wake up your digestion and ready yourself for your next meal.
Kapalbhati is also an excellent detoxifying breath, enhancing the downward flow of waste out of your body.
Note: In Kapalbhati, your effort will stay with the exhale, as you allow your inhale to happen passively. With each exhale, you'll use force to push the breath out of your nose as you contact your abdomen. As you relax your abdomen following the exhale, your breath will naturally flow back in without effort. Both inhaling and exhaling should happen through your nose.
Practice:
Find a comfortable seat with your shoulders relaxed, sitting up straight.
Begin by taking a deep breath in through your nose.
With your exhale, contract your lower belly, and force the breath out in a short burst through your nose. (this may feel similar to the natural contraction that happens when you sneeze).
Quickly release your abdominal contraction, and allow your breath to flow into your lungs passively.
Repeat this breath 20 times for one round of Kapalbhati.
After each round, sit with your eyes closed and notice the sensations in your body for a few moments.
Repeat the breath for two more rounds.
4. Eat Warm, Easy To Digest Foods
For most people, cold or raw foods are going to challenge your digestive fire because they require more energy to break down and assimilate. While salads are a popular health food in the West, if your Agni needs to be stronger, it's not the time to focus on raw veggies.
And, of course, it goes without saying that foods like ice cream or other frozen desserts are also not the best choice when digestive fire is weak.
Instead, focus on well-cooked and warm foods like soups, stews, kitchari, rice and lentil, and well-cooked veggies.
A great way to enhance Agni even more is to add warming spices to your meals, like cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, and pepper.
5. Steer Clear Of Ama-Producing Foods and Substances
If you really want to get your digestive fire going while helping your body burn up ama, avoid heavy or processed foods that require extra energy to break down.
Dairy generally tends to increase ama, so if you already have weak Agni, it's best to put dairy intake on the back burner for a while (with the exception of ghee).
Other ama-producing foods you'll want to avoid include:
Sugar-heavy foods like cookies, cupcakes, brownies, and so on
Cold foods like ice cream
Packaged snacks like protein bars
Fried, heavy, or greasy foods
Low-quality, processed meat products
Also, keep an eye on your alcohol use as alcohol intake is directly associated with the accumulation of ama.
6. Practice Mindful Eating
Slowing down with your food and practicing mindful eating is a powerful way to enhance your digestive fire.
When you take the time to really relax before your meal, it allows your blood to move from your extremities into your internal organs of digestion. This natural process happens as you move out of sympathetic activation (fight or flight) and into parasympathetic mode (rest and digest).
If you're having difficulty finding presence at your meal, try taking a few deep, long breaths in through your nose and then out through your nose, allowing yourself to extend on the exhale. When you breathe in this way, it sends a message to your brain that you’re relaxed, and it shifts the state of your nervous system. Now your body is primed to digest and assimilate nutrients.
Mindful eating is also an excellent way to slow down with your food and bring more enjoyment to your meal. As you allow your other senses to take in information from your environment, it turns on something called the cephalic phase digestive response (CPDR), which gets your digestive juices and enzymes flowing before you even take your first bite.
And, of course, many people find that when they eat mindfully, they feel full faster as their brain has a chance to catch up to their stomach. This often leads to eating fewer calories while achieving the same level of satisfaction.
7. Move Your Body
Physical activity is an excellent way to fire up digestion because it not only creates a greater need for nutrients, but it also activates your core muscles to enhance digestive motility.
Taking a short walk before or after you eat is a great way to stimulate your appetite and wake up your digestive fire. You can also practice yoga asanas such as sun salutations, warrior three, or poses with a twist to stimulate your core muscles and digestive organs.
Takeaway
Like the seasons outside, your digestive fire will naturally wax and wane throughout the year. In the early winter, you may notice your Agni is strong and healthy, and then as we move into late winter or early spring, it suddenly takes a hit. This is the natural flow of your body as it moves with the outside world, taking its cues from nature.
When things start to slow down, it's not necessarily a bad sign; it's just a signal to you that it may be time to make some adjustments.
You don't have to follow every tip in this article to see results, just try out whichever ones work for you and notice how your digestion changes. Your number one hint that you're on the right track will be an increase in hunger.
And remember, it's not about perfection – everything in moderation!