Drinking warm water in the morning: Why it is so important in Ayurveda
Water is our elixir of life and plays a crucial role in our health. In Ayurveda, the temperature and quantity of water are particularly important. From an Ayurvedic perspective, you should exclusively drink warm water. We will show you why this is so and the wonderful effects warm water has on your body and mind.
Why do people drink warm water in Ayurveda?
The fact that water should actually be drunk warm has been known in Ayurvedic medicine for a long time and has therefore been practiced for centuries. In Ayurveda, the water is boiled and thus enriched with energy.
The water molecules store this energy and then pass it directly to our body when we drink the warm water. Boiling also purifies the water and changes its structure. Dissolved substances like lime are crystallized and evaporated.
Ama, the metabolic residues that accumulate in the digestive tract, can be flushed away more effectively with warm water. This is a particularly good addition to your Ayurvedic morning routine. The warmth also supports Agni, the digestive fire, in its work. From an Ayurvedic perspective, you should never drink ice-cold water, as this would extinguish Agni.
Switching to warm instead of cold water is only a small change in your daily routine, but it has a great impact on your well-being. If you start drinking warm or hot water, you will soon experience its positive effects.
What effect does drinking hot water have?
During the day and even at night, we constantly lose fluid. If our body is not adequately supplied with drinking water, various physical and mental problems can arise. Fatigue, concentration problems, irritability, cravings, and heartburn can all be due to a lack of fluid.
Your body feels much better when you balance this deficiency with warm water instead of reaching for cold drinks.
The effects that warm water has on your body enhance your well-being and make you healthier and happier.
More vitality and energy through warm water in the morning+
Warm water can be a real kickstart in the morning because it dispels fatigue and revives the spirits. It is therefore recommended to drink a glass of hot water in the morning to start a healthy and fit day. Its warming and gentle effect also balances the fluid loss during the night.
Even for a slight cold, warm water is an Ayurvedic home remedy that has a decongestant effect. It can also be combined with herbs to enhance its health-promoting properties.
Radiant skin through more moisture +
You will feel the boosting effects of warm water not only in your daily life but also see it as vitality signs on your body. Your skin will become more radiant and healthier, making you look younger and fitter.
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Hot water for better digestion and cleansing+
If the body receives too little or too cold water, Agni, our digestive fire, is very weak and cannot unfold its full effect. To digest cold water, the body has to work harder. It takes 6 hours to digest cold water. However, with boiled warm water, it only takes 1.5 hours.
Hot water particularly stimulates Agni and supports digestion. As a result, deposited toxins can be transported away more easily , providing the body with pleasant relief and cleansing.
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Ayurvedic water helps with weight loss+
Even when it comes to losing weight, drinking hot water plays a crucial role in Ayurveda. Often when we feel hungry between meals, we're actually just thirsty. Warm water reduces the desire for snacks, as it has a calming effect and suppresses hunger that's not real.
In addition, hot water ensures better detoxification and fat burning , leading to pleasing results, especially when losing weight.
In Ayurveda, it is not only the temperature of the water that matters but also when and in what quantities you drink it.
How much water should you drink in Ayurveda?
Drinking enough hot water is important in Ayurveda to live healthily and balanced. However, what is exactly enough depends on various factors. Constitution type, age, stress level, and even the weather can influence how much liquid you need.
If you want to do something really good for your body, try an Ayurvedic hot water cure. This will give you the best effects for your health and your general well-being. We will show you the best way to proceed.
Ayurvedic hot water cure for every dosha type
You can carry out an Ayurvedic hot water cure several times a year. Spring is particularly suitable for this because a lot of Ama has accumulated due to the many and often heavy meals in winter. A cure should ideally last 7–10 days.
For the best effects on your health, Ayurveda recommends drinking warm water in the morning. This way, Ama can be flushed out particularly well and you start the day feeling revitalized. In a cleansing Panchakarma cure, the hot water cure is also used to effectively eliminate toxins.
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Boiling Ayurvedic water: How to do it right
The procedure is quite simple. Let water boil in an open pot over low heat for about 5–20 minutes. How long depends on your dosha type :
Vata types should let it boil for about 5 minutes until the volume has decreased by about a third.
Pitta types should boil water for approximately 15 minutes until the amount of water has halved.
Kapha types should ideally boil the water for at least 20 minutes until about two-thirds have evaporated.
Then pour it into a thermos or carafe and drink throughout the day a few sips every 30 minutes of the warm water. However, be careful not to drink too much in the evening, as this will particularly tax your digestion during the night.
You should always boil your warm water in a kettle or pot. Hot tap water can—especially in older pipes—contain contaminants (e.g., copper and lead).
How hot and in what quantities you should consume the water depends entirely on your individual constitution type. If you consider certain differences of the doshas, you give your body exactly what is best for it.
Pitta types: not too hot drinks+
Since you, as a Pitta , are naturally more of a hot type, you should drink as much as possible, but make sure that you don't drink the water too hot, as otherwise your Pitta heat will only be further intensified, which is not good for you. Instead, drink lukewarm water to calm your fiery dosha. For an extra kick, you can enrich it with fennel seeds, mint, or cloves.
Kapha types: consume less liquid+
Kaphas retain water more easily and therefore need less liquid than other types. If you are a Kapha type, you don't need to drink as much throughout the day. Especially since you store so much water, you should even be careful not to become overhydrated.
For this the water can indeed be quite hot. As a little flavor explosion, you can add fresh ginger or basil to your drink.
Vata types: drink a lot and hot+
The cool Vatas tend to coldness and dryness and need a lot of warm liquid to warm up. Especially in winter, skin and mucous membranes dry out easily.
As a Vata, you should therefore drink mainly hot waterto keep your body pleasantly warm. It's especially beneficial if you add something oily like ghee and let the water simmer with licorice.
In general: pay attention to your body's needs and drink the water warm.Is warm water alone too bland for you? No problem! With a few tips, you can spice up your Ayurvedic drink a little.
Extra tip from Ayurveda: Hot water with lemon
The warm water is particularly healthy when you enrich it with a little lemon. It's delicious and requires very little effort. For lemon water, simply warm a glass of water and squeeze the juice of half a lemon into it. Make sure the water is not too hot so as not to destroy the important nutrients of the lemon again.
The lemon water helps you especially in the morning, to detoxify and cleanse your organism, while you are simultaneously supplied with valuable vitamins. This gives you an optimal health kick early in the morning to start the day well.
As you can see, switching to warm or hot water doesn't require much at all but has immense benefits for your health. Lemon water in the morning gives you an optimal start to the day and also boosts your digestion. By adjusting your drinking habits to your dosha type, you further contribute to making your life more pleasant and vital.
Elisabeth Naschberger-Mauracher
Elisabeth Naschberger-Mauracher is the managing director and Ayurveda expert at the European Ayurveda Resort Sonnhof in Thiersee, Tyrol. Since 2019, she and her husband have jointly managed the Ayurveda resort, which has received numerous awards, including: Global Winner: Detox Program, Best Medical Spa Award, and World Luxury Hotel & Spa Award.
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