“Ask the Vaidya” – The most exciting questions and answers

2026 January 06

What's the best sleeping position? What does a healthy Ayurvedic breakfast look like? What can I do about hair loss? – No matter what question is on your mind: In our open Q&A session "Ask the Vaidya", our Indian Ayurveda experts Vaidya Saurabh Sharma & Vaidya Rajat Sharma regularly answer all your questions about Maharishi Ayurveda.

We are always thrilled by the topics you bring up. Here's a selection of particularly exciting questions and answers – with many valuable Ayurvedic tips for every day!

We wish you much fun browsing and valuable impulses for your Ayurveda lifestyle

Your Maharishi Ayurveda Team

Question: "I am a Vata-Pitta type. How warm should the water be that one should drink first thing in the morning?"

Vaidya Saurabh Sharma: "Water plays an important role in detoxifying our body. For a Vata-Pitta type, it is important to drink water neither too hot nor too cold.⁠
If you drink it too hot, it can cause dryness; if it's too cold, it has a negative effect on digestion (it can slow it down).⁠ I recommend drinking lukewarm water that is easy to drink (39–40 °C), so not as hot as tea.⁠ The lukewarm water should preferably be drunk early in the morning at 'Brahma Muhurta' – that is, an hour before sunrise."

Question: What are good breakfast, lunch, and dinner options? And what times are recommended?

Vaidya Rajat Sharma: "It is best to have breakfast after bowel movements. A good Ayurvedic breakfast is porridge made from oat flakes with raisins. Depending on your taste, you can add dried figs, dates, apricots, or other dried fruits and season your porridge with, for example, anise, caraway, or turmeric. A similar breakfast can also be prepared with rice flakes.For lunch, I recommend a warm meal made from fresh vegetables. If you can take a so-called slow cooker to work, for example, you can prepare your lunch in the morning and let it cook very slowly.
(Info: A slow cooker is a heating element with a ceramic pot container and a tightly closing lid. This allows food to cook very slowly over a longer period – in slow motion). At lunchtime, when the food is ready, you can season it with a Vata-, Pitta- or Kapha Churna. You could also drink a Lassi and/or eat a Chapati (Indian flatbread). The best time for lunch is between 12:00 and 1:30 PM, because our digestive fire is strongest at midday. For dinner, we recommend a dal soup, a Mung Dal with rice or vegetables and crackers or crispbread with Ghee and spices."Tip: You can find delicious recipes for any time of day on our website.

Question: "In the morning, in addition to fresh fruit and some nuts, I add roasted and ground cocoa beans to my oatmeal and I don't know if that's healthy."

Vaidya Rajat Sharma: "That is indeed a healthy breakfast. The only important thing is that the porridge is not prepared with milk, as milk and fruit should not be combined."

Question: "When is the right time to eat yogurt? You are supposed to combine dairy products with only a few things. So should I eat yogurt with or after lunch, or rather as a separate meal?"

Vaidya Saurabh Sharma: "In Ayurveda, Lassi is always recommended instead of yogurt, because yogurt is hard to digest, while Lassi strengthens digestion. We also explain how to prepare Lassi on our website. There you will find a good basic recipe for a probiotic Lassi. From an Ayurvedic perspective, yogurt itself should ideally not be eaten at all, or at least not in the evening/after sunset.Lassi works very differently from yogurt: If we drink it before or after lunch, it supports digestion. If we drink it before eating, it even stimulates appetite. It is highly recommended to add a few roasted cumin seeds or one or two small pinches of Asafoetida (Hing) to the Lassi, as this is particularly good for digestion."

Question: "Is it good to soak legumes overnight before cooking them?"

Vaidya Saurabh Sharma: "Yes, that is very good because some legumes can slightly increase the Vata dosha. Soaking them makes them 'Laghu' (Sanskrit: light, easily digestible). This varies a bit depending on Agni (digestive fire), but generally, soaking facilitates digestion and nutrient absorption."

Question: "How healthy is honey?"

Vaidya Rajat Sharma: "Honey is very healthy, but you should know when and how to consume it. Ayurveda, for example, says that honey strengthens Ojas and the immune system. It is important not to stir honey into liquids that are warmer than 40 °C. Honey can also be very useful if you want to reduce Kapha. For this, it is important that it is at least one year old."

Question: "I take 500 mg of Ashwagandha every day. I feel very good with it. I sleep better and feel more energetic. Is it okay to consume Ashwagandha for a longer period?"

Vaidya Saurabh Sharma: "Ashwagandha and Amalaki are very good Rasayanas. In Ayurveda, it is clearly stated that all Rasayanas can be taken regularly. The most important thing is to find a high-quality product and the right amount. Often I see people who overdo the amount, so I have to advise them to stop. The amount of 500 mg you mentioned is good.Ashwagandha supports well-being and balanced sleep. The Ayurvedic texts also describe that Ashwagandha supports memory and strengthens the Dhatus. This makes Ashwagandha a complete Rasayana that I can recommend for regular consumption."⁠

Question: "What can I do about hair loss and burning scalp?"

Vaidya Saurabh Sharma: "Everything related to skin or hair is connected to Pitta. So if you have problems there, it means that Pitta is elevated or disturbed. Therefore, we should balance Pitta and choose a Pitta-balancing diet.⁠Generally, hair loss can have many reasons, but since a burning scalp was mentioned here, this could be the cause of the hair loss, which is why we first need to address the scalp to tackle the root cause and not the symptoms.⁠I recommend avoiding spicy and overly salty foods and instead incorporating juicy and sweet foods into your diet. [Note: "Sweet" does not refer to sweets; information on the tastes of different foods can be found on our website]. Denatured foods and leftovers such as reheated food should be avoided.Pranayama – breathing exercises – are very beneficial.A small decoction of fennel and coriander seeds in the morning is very good.⁠Also, a head massage with extra virgin coconut oil in the morning is good. The inhalation of Pitta Aroma Oil and drinking Pitta Tea can also be helpful."

Question: "What can I do if I don't sleep well?"

Vaidya Saurabh Sharma: "It is advisable to take a warm bath or shower before going to bed and to massage the soles of your feet and palms of your hands with sesame oil for 2–3 minutes. This is very good for sleep. A simple and recommended recipe is: add 2–3 pinches of ground nutmeg to a glass of lukewarm milk and drink it before going to bed. This will help you get a very good and deep sleep because it lowers the Vata Dosha."Tip: You can find many valuable tips for healthy, restful sleep here.

Question: "On the internet, there are more and more videos recommending the supine position (lying on your back) as a sleeping position for various reasons. Of course, I know that we change positions at night, but I would like to know which sleeping position Ayurveda recommends. I find it very difficult to fall asleep on my back."

Vaidya Saurabh Sharma: "Sleep is very important in Ayurveda. Ayurvedic scriptures clearly state that one should sleep on the left side, so that the right shoulder is up. This is what the Ayurvedic texts say. Why is it recommended to sleep on the left side?

One of the most important and practical aspects is that the stomach is on the left side. There is a lot of stomach acid in motion in the stomach, which is responsible for the digestion of food. If we sleep on our left side and have eaten something two or three hours before going to bed, the stomach acid continues to work even while we sleep. This helps to further digest the food. This means that if we sleep on our left side, it strengthens our digestive power. However, if we sleep on our right side or on our back, reflux problems can easily occur.
Our heart is also slightly to the left, and its function is blood circulation. If we sleep on our left side, it fundamentally also helps the heart to perform good circulation.
Furthermore, sleeping on the left side helps to avoid snoring because the tongue cannot fall backward."

Note: Of course, we change position several times during sleep, but it is good to lie on your left side when falling asleep.

You can find many more exciting questions and answers in our webinars on YouTube.
And perhaps you'll join us for the next live webinar with your own questions. We look forward to seeing you!

Your Maharishi Ayurveda Team

Back