This World Health Day, make sure to incorporate these practices into your eating rituals, because you are what you eat and digest. These practices have a profound connection with our physical and psychological wellbeing.

1 Sit cross-legged on the floor to eat - Sitting on the floor brings stability to our Trigunas (Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas). Sitting cross-legged helps improve digestion and balance the Root Chakra or Manipura. Sukasana and Padmasana yogic poses focus on our abdominal muscles and aid in digestion by stimulating the secretion of stomach acids.

2 Avoid distractions - Mindful eating not only makes for a more wholesome experience but also helps with digestion.

3 Say a gratitude prayer - If you believe in the power of thought, gratitude is the most potent of all emotions. Food coming from a place of gratitude energy would be more nourishing for your soul.

4 Use your hands - Hands are considered the most precious organ of action. Eating with your hands is a tradition in Vedic culture, as the five elements within them begin to transform food and make it more digestible before it even reaches your mouth. This transformation also heightens your senses so that you can fully experience the texture, taste, smell, and sounds of the food you're eating. All of these sensations are necessary to beckon agni, the fire of digestion, to ready itself for the meal to come.

So this World Health Day, make sure to follow these practices to improve your physical health!