What Ayurveda says about taking bath after a meal
On weekdays, many of us wake up late after binge-watching our favourite series at night, enjoy a scrumptious brunch, and then finally decide to take a shower. However, turns out it is a habit Ayurveda strongly recommends against. But why is it so? Dr Rekha Radhamony, an Ayurveda expert, has the answer.
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In a post titled ‘why you should never take a shower right after a meal,’ the expert begins by stating that taking bath is a “cooling process.” “The temperature of the body goes down after a shower,” she wrote, adding that “temperature going down also means low blood circulation and absorption” — which lowers the digestive fire.
This is why, she said that according to Ayurveda, “taking a shower right after meals is blasphemous”, further sharing that ideally, one should take a shower 1-3 hours before a meal.
Agreed Dr Dixa Bhavsar who told indianexpress.com that on taking bath after a meal “our energy gets diverted to extremities, which should otherwise be focussed on the gut for a proper digestion.”
Instead, she suggested sitting in Vajrasana and walking 100 steps. “It helps in the movement of food from the gut to the stomach and then to the intestines,” she added.
According to Dr Archana Sukumaran, Ayurveda expert at Kerala Ayurveda, “In Ayurveda, good digestion is the foundation of health and well-being. Your metabolic fire, or Agni, transforms food into the nourishing essence that supports the body’s function and existence. Agni governs the digestion and transformation of food into more subtle substances that nourish our bodies. A steady Agni ensures your body functions properly, and an impaired Agni leads to the buildup of metabolic toxins- Ama, the root cause of diseases.”
“Taking a bath immediately after meals cools down your body. A sudden drop in body temperature will dampen your Agni and lead to a sluggish metabolism. Since an impaired metabolism is a major reason for all diseases, according to Ayurveda, this will lead to various diseases. Ideally, taking a bath 2-3 hours before meals would be best,” she explained.
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