It’s common knowledge that drinking water is essential for good health. The benefits are many – carrying nutrients and oxygen to your cells, aiding digestion, normalizing blood pressure, regulating body temperature, flushing liquid wastes and bacteria out of your bladder, protecting organs and tissues, and the like.

Ayurveda too advises staying hydrated, but there are some rules for consuming water. Ayurvedic practitioner Dr. Rekha Radhamony took to Twitter to give a few tips on drinking water.

·       How much water should you drink?

You don’t need to drink gallons of water, thinking it’s good for your health. Even water needs to be digested, as per Ayurveda. The quantity of water each person needs is subjective and one should look for signs - if you are not sweating well, constipated, your mouth feeling dry, urine is dark yellow - you are probably consuming less water. Drink more.

·       When to drink water?

Drink water 30 minutes after or before a meal. It is ideal for an undernourished Vata person to drink water 30 minutes after food. And an overweight Kapha person should have water 30 minutes before food.

·       What is in my warm water?

At home, the only drinking water I use is water boiled with cumin (jeera) during all seasons except Summer when I drink water with a handful of vetiver roots added to it!

·       What are the five rules for drinking water?

1.    Drink water while sitting

2.    drink water sip by sip and never gulp water

3.    drink warm water. Make sure you don’t drink cold water directly from the fridge. Cold water dampens your digestive fire. Use clay pots, copper, or steel to store water. Never drink running water. Always drink stored water.

4.    For enhanced digestion, drink boiled water which is reduced to one-third, or one-fourth, or one-half of its volume.

5.    Make it a point to drink water as soon as you wake up.