Digestion (Agni) and related health concerns

Lord Agni ~ in ancient Vedic religion, there is a God or deity known as Lord Agni. This deity is the God of fire (agni) and the acceptor of sacrifices.  Lord Agni acts as a messenger from and to the other Gods. He is forever youthful and immortal as the fire is set align each day.  He is the link between heaven and earth taking offerings to the other world in his fire.

This ancient story is, like most religious tales, a metaphor for the meaning of the digestive fire of life. We can apply this to all metabolic functions of the body including the human digestive system. 

The sacrifice to the agni ~ the offering  of food into our bodies is a sacred act. It should not be taken lightly and without complete focus and concentration.  In other words, we should only eat when we are eating and should not carry out work, watching TV or be walking or any other activity whilst we are eating. 

The messenger from and to the Gods ~  our digestive system (Agni) gets to work on ‘cooking’ the ingested food in the stomach. Digestive enzymes are released to break down and metabolise the food. The food is then digested, absorbed and assimilated (distributed) throughout the body to where it is most needed and in whatever form it is most needed.

The lighting of the fire each day ~ this relates to our awakening each morning. As the sun rises over the Earth, it lights up our own internal digestive fire so that our body is ready to digest the day and the offerings of food throughout the day.

Forever youthful and immortal ~ when we have a strong and properly working digestive fire, we are able to properly digest, absorb and assimilate all the energy in the form of food necessary for complete and proper functioning of our body system. This then gives us strength, good health, energy and a strong immune system.

Low Digestive Fire ~ if our digestive fire (Agni)  is too low, we cannot ‘cook’ the food we eat, it remains undigested in the intestines and eventually causes the build up of toxins and disease.

Common signs of the digestive fire being too low may include: gas, bloating, feeling of heaviness and or sleepiness after meals, stomach cramps, abdominal pain, food intolerances, celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, food allergies, lack of energy, listlessness and emotional frailty.

Excess digestive fire ~ if our digestive fire (Agni) is too high, the food that enters our stomach gets immediately incinerated, burned, and the body is unable to absorb any nutrients from our food rendering the system depleted.

Common signs of excess digestive fire may include: acid reflux,  ulcers, ulcerated colitis, gall bladder issues, diahorreah, acid urine, skin problems, excess sweating, sensitivity to lights, hot temper, restlessness and insatiable appetite.