Adrenal fatigue seems like an epidemic, and it's no wonder. These two tiny little glands that sit on top of the kidneys do a lot of work for us. And these days, like everyone else, they are overworked.
In the time of ancient
Adrenal fatigue can be categorized as an imbalance of
The adrenals seem to be one of the signposts that is saying “enough is enough.” When the adrenals shout out, the other endocrine organs are not far behind, and the liver and the heart will feel the repercussions too.
This imbalance does not happen overnight, and when working with a natural approach to balance the adrenals, you may not see results immediately. Nonetheless, there are things you can begin to do and avoid to balance vata and pitta, and these things are particularly helpful if you feel your adrenals are fatigued.
Balancing Vata and Pitta
Cut out stimulants and screen time. When feeling low, reaching for an immediate fix is common. Even seemingly mild stimulants are one of the most draining things for the adrenals. Coffee, tea, sugar, and chocolate—no matter how organic or pure—ask the already overtaxed adrenals for more, more, more. The times for stimulants are when you're already feeling good and strong, but when you're feeling tired, rest is truly the ultimate re-energizer.
I am adding screen time here—including social media, reading online, and texting. These devices can be the biggest and sneakiest
Practice Yoga Nidra.I remember one of my teachers saying, “When we're hungry, we eat, when we're thirsty, we drink. But when we're tired, we ask, 'what's wrong with me?' ”
When prana is scattered, it becomes an imbalanced and erratic vata dosha, which can be described as an unintelligent and unhelpful flow of energy. There are many great websites that explain, in detail, how to do Yoga Nidra, and you can easily find free audio instructions online. For a specific recommendation, try asking your yoga teacher. Lying down between 2 and 6 p.m. is specifically helpful for vata balancing, as vata is more dominant at this time of day. And with adrenal fatigue, this is usually the most challenging time of the day.
Give yourself an Ayurvedic self-massage (abhyanga).
Try a ginger compress. Following a self-massage, you may also consider a ginger compress over the kidneys and adrenals for specific therapeutic effect. This warming compress stimulates vrukka