New year, new habits, new you!

The word 'Ayurveda' is from the ancient Indian language, Sanskrit, and literally means 'knowledge of life'. Although Ayurveda originated more than 5,000 years ago in India, in the last decade, it has become extremely popular in the West because of the work of one of my favourite authors, Deepak Chopra. The principal belief of Ayurveda is that you are capable of taking charge of your own life and health through nutrition, herbal medicine, exercise and meditation and by under-standing your body type or dosha, vata, pitta or kapha.

According to Ayurveda there are five main elements that make up the universe: space, air, fire, water and earth. These same elements make up the human body and each dosha is actually a combination of two elements. The vata dosha consists of space and air, the pitta dosha consists of fire and water, and the kapha dosha consists of water and earth. To find out your dosha, there are many free, simple online tests you can do. I recommend http://www.chopra.com/ayurveda.

Restore balance

Many factors such as stress, dietary habits, age, lifestyle, climate, exposure to pollutants, work environment, and relationships can cause one or more of the doshas in your prakruti (your unique combination of three doshas) to change from its original balance. This imbalance is referred to as vikruti. Restoring balance and wellness is the most important goal of the Ayurvedic approach to health. Ayurveda can help once disease is present and can work alongside Western medicine approaches.

No matter what body type you are, you can incorporate the following simple Ayurvedic habits this New Year to bring your body and mind into balance, helping you to be healthier and happier than ever before and prevent stress and stress-related diseases.

Start these new habits

Exercise daily according to your dosha. To find out more about your dosha, please see www.chopra/ayurveda.com.

Give yourself an Ayurvedic massage with warm sesame oil and a dry brush before your shower. This helps to detox the body through its largest organ - the skin!

Eat the largest meal of the day at lunchtime, between noon and 1 p.m., when agni (the digestive fire) is at its peak.

Meditate twice a day. Just five to 10 minutes at a time is enough.

After dinner, take a short walk to aid digestion.

Take time to relax before bed to get a good night's sleep.

Sharon McConnell-Feanny is a certified yoga instructor and co-owner of Shakti Mind Body Fitness in Kingston. She has more than 25 years' experience in health and fitness; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.