Agni is the system in the body responsible for metabolising everything we consume including what we take in through our five senses. Agni is also known as the digestive fire. When this so called fire works optimally we can digest life in general. By digesting life, you can think of any stimuli that we consume like; what we see, hear, touch, smell, taste, conversations that we have and our emotions. When agni is balanced we create healthy body tissues and prevent disease. When agni is imbalanced we create weak tissues and a breading ground for diseases. 

We can tell by the way our body functions whether our agni is functioning properly.

Some of the signs of a strong agni are:

• You feel energized throughout the day
• You have a regular menstrual cycle
• Balanced Hormones
• Mental clarity 
• You sleep well and wake up energised 
• Balanced weight
• Balanced blood pressure
• Average body temperature (no cold hands and feet!)

When our agni isn't functioning properly we aren't able to metabolise the things we consume into a usable substance for our body. Instead we create indigestible matter which are toxic to our body. Known as "ama" in Ayurveda. This indigestion will stay behind in the gut and eventually will be transported from the gut to the deeper tissues. Clogging cells and causing imbalances in the body.

Some signs of toxin formation in your body:

• Feeling bloated, 
• back pains, 
• headaches
• Irregular menstruation
• No menstruation
• Constipation
• Stiff joints
• Bad breath 
• Unpleasant body oder
• Feeling tired or sluggish
• Sinking stool
• Coated tongue

To avoid symptoms and diseases caused by toxins and ama, it is essential to look at the cause of the improperly functioning Agni.

Just like we need a properly functioning agni to digest the food that we eat. We also need a properly functioning agni to digest all the sensory in-put that we experience during our day. Have you ever had the urge to unbutton your pants after a long day? This could be a typical sign of weakened agni due to too much input.

Not one person is the same but the first step to building strong digestion is to figure out what the root cause is.

As mentioned before this could be multiple things. Like; your diet, lifestyle or not having a stable daily routine.

For a lot of people changing their diet seems like an unbearable task. But once you are willing to take this step it is usually the easiest, quickest and most rewarding thing you can do the heal the symptoms caused my weakened agni.

If you want to learn how to make a balanced meal you can find the blog post here

1. Eat your heaviest meal during lunch.

2. Go for a walk after eating (100-1000 steps)

3. Eat 3 freshly cooked meals a day

So, in short; Agni is the digestive fire, responsible for the way we consume food and life. When Agni is weak, this will result in toxins (a.k.a ama) that build up in the body. This toxic matter will stay behind in the digestive tract and eventually will be passed on to deeper tissues. Creating breeding grounds for diseases. To build a strong digestive fire, it is important to look at the cause. This can be anything from diet, unresolved emotions, lifestyle and an daily routine that doesn't suite you.