The article discusses the importance of a structured daily routine, known as Dinacharya in Ayurveda, for promoting optimal physical, mental, and emotional health. It emphasizes the significance of maintaining a consistent schedule that harmonizes with the body’s natural circadian rhythms to promote balance and homeostasis. The article also provides a 5-step guide to building a consistent yoga practice in the morning, and it highlights the importance of starting the day right, taking regular breaks, and engaging in restorative activities in the evening. Overall, following Ayurvedic principles and developing a structured daily routine can help one achieve a more purposeful, balanced life.
Creating a powerful structured daily routine is essential for promoting optimal physical, mental, and emotional health.
In Ayurveda, a daily routine is called ‘Dinacharya’.
Developing a structured daily routine is an important step towards achieving optimal physical, mental, and emotional health. Ayurveda refers to this routine as Dinacharya, and it aims to harmonize the body’s natural circadian rhythms. Dinacharya is a powerful tool that can help bring about radical changes in one’s mind, body, and consciousness.
Ayurveda & The Circadian Rhythm
The circadian rhythm is the body’s internal clock, which runs on a 24-hour cycle and helps regulate the body and maintain homeostasis. Irregular meal times, work schedules, sleep patterns, or elimination can disturb this rhythm, leading to weakened immune systems, imbalances, lethargy, lack of focus, and more. Therefore, Ayurveda places great emphasis on maintaining a structured daily routine that promotes consistency in the digestive and eliminative system, as well as yoga practice.
Daily Cycles of Dosha : 80:20 Rule
Creating and maintaining a daily routine may be challenging in today’s world, but it is still achievable. One can follow the 80:20 rule and aim to practice yoga at least five times a week, accepting that missing a day is alright. By setting a specific time for a particular practice, the mind and body become accustomed to that schedule, making it easier to stick to the routine in the long run.
I now don’t need to use an alarm clock to wake up in the morning for 6am Yoga practice which feels great! Even when I have skipped morning practice after a late night, I can always go back to my routine without an alarm the next day.
That’s the power of creating a structured daily routine!
Starting the Day Right
Starting the day right is vital to your optimal health & wellness. When you start the day right, when you get up early to exercise and take your time to allow yourself to connect with your inner peace and you make better choices throughout the day.
Start the day as you wish it to continue and be excited and ready for an amazing day ahead.
5 Steps to Build a Consistent Yoga Practice in the Morning
Ayurvedic Morning Routine:
- Wake up early (depending on the season, ideally before sunrise and without an alarm!) and set an intention (called ‘Sankalpa’ in Sanskrit) for the day. Create an affirmation starting with “I am…” then a specific action or actions, in line with who you want to become and how you want to spend the day.
- Urinate.
- Scrape tongue to remove coating on the tongue that have been built up overnight. And then brush teeth.
- Hydrate – drink a glass of warm water with juice of half lemon or lime. Rinse your mouth with water to dilute any acid from these fruit.
- Neti & Nasya Oil – Neti is a nasal rinse with a rock salt and warm water and Nasya oil is a herbal infused oil to apply after nasal rinse to balance the drying nature of salt.
- Eliminate your waste (Number 2!).
- Move your body for at least 20 minutes according to your Mind-Body type (Ayurvedic Dosha), breathing consciously with the movement. You can also take my energizing 30 minute morning Yoga class.
- Meditate for at least 3 minutes after the physical practice. Take a moment for gratitude.
- Self-massage with oil (Abhyanga) according to your Dosha and leave it on your skin for at least 20 minutes and rinse it off in shower (I recommend doing this on the weekend when you have more time)
- Have breakfast!
Mid-day:
- Ayurveda emphasizes on the importance of having a main meal at noon when the digestive fire is at its strongest.
- Eat your largest meal of the day at lunch time. Relax and eat mindfully.
- Go for a light walk for about 15 minute to aid digestion.
- Take regular breaks. When you feel stressed, anxious or overwhelmed, take a break from what you are doing and stop for 1 minute and just breathe.
Ayurveda – Yoga Pose for Vata Dosha
Evening Routine:
- Ayurveda also emphasizes the importance of having an early light dinner so that you have enough time to digest before going to bed.
- Ayurveda also recommends avoiding vigorous exercises in the evening as evening time is for calming down, releasing the day’s activities in preparation for a restorative night’s rest.
- Have an early and light dinner.
- After dinner, go for a walk after dinner or engage in an activity that you enjoy and that brings happiness.
- Do a restorative yoga and/or meditate. Try my evening Yoga class to let go and release the day’s tension.
- Switch off your TV, computer and phone 1 hour before your bedtime. (I switch my phone to flight mode before bed and turn off flight mode after my Yoga practice in the morning!)
- Write a gratitude journal (write down three things you are grateful for each night).
- Go to bed by 10pm.
Conclusion
As a starting point, I recommend having an earlier lighter dinner and going to bed early. And gradually make changes to your daily routine and embrace them!
In conclusion, developing a structured daily routine is an essential practice for achieving optimal physical, mental, and emotional health. By following the principles of Ayurveda and Dinacharya, one can tune the body to its natural circadian rhythms, leading to a more balanced, purposeful life.