Nancy White, Ayurvedic Health Counsellor
Why You Need a Daily Routine
An Ayurvedic daily routine (dinacharya) is used to keep a person's mind and body healthy and in balance, and is something that has been practiced in India for thousands of years. Dinacharya helps us to align with the rhythms of nature, including daily (circadian rhythms), monthly, and seasonal cycles. Recent scientific research has shown that a disruption in circadian rhythms can have negative and broad sweeping health effects, including linkages with "...neurologic, psychiatric, metabolic, cardiovascular, allergic, and immunologic disorders" (Fishbein, Knutson and Zee, 2021). Further information that came forward as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic, showed that maintenance of a primary routine, i.e., routines that maintain biological functions (personal hygiene, proper sleep, and healthy diet), "...can buffer the adverse impact of stress exposure on mental health" (Hou et al, 2020).
A daily routine incorporates practices for all three Ayurvedic pillars of health: sleep, diet, and lifestyle. It is predictable, which is regulating to the nervous system, and can support good digestion and proper sleep. It helps to balance the doshas, in particular Vata dosha, which is highly changeable, and needs routine and predictability to stay grounded and centered. Ultimately, a daily routine is an act of self love because we are consistently making our self-care a priority.
Ayurveda puts a particular emphasis on the early hours of the day, as they are believed to be analogous to the early hours of your life, and that is when we can best reprogram our minds for positive change and new habits. According to Dr. Claudia Welch:
"...we could use predawn through early morning as a window of opportunity every day to affect old, stubborn patterns and thereby change or heal negative patterns. Each morning we have a new opportunity to establish healthy pathways that will replace the negative ones created during our pregnancy or birth, or to reinforce the positive ones that may have been created. Each new day ushers in a cascade of new possibilities and a shower of second chances." (Welch 2016).
An important part of the morning routine is to cleanse or oil our five sense organs (i.e. eyes, ears, nose, skin, tongue) as that is how we are connected to and perceive the environment around us. As the sense organs "are associated with the channels of the mind, what we are doing is cleansing and renewing our mind and perception each morning" (Welch 2016).
Morning Routine
Wake between 5:30 and 6:30 a.m.
Eliminate (you should have a bowel movement every day)
Brush teeth
Scrape tongue (using a tongue scraper)
Oil pulling (swishing of coconut and/or sesame oil in the mouth, then spitting it out)
Rinse eyes with cool water
Drink a glass of warm water, can add lemon or lime juice
Clean nasal passages with Neti (rinsing with saline water) or Nasya (oiling the nose)
Pranayama (breathwork)
Exercise/Movement (e.g., yoga asanas)
Meditation
Abhyanga (warm oil massage)
Shower/Bath
Breakfast* eaten by 8:30 a.m.
Afternoon
Eat lunch* between 11:00 and 1:00 p.m. - should be the biggest meal of the day
Light walk after meal
Evening
Eat a lighter dinner* - should finish eating at least 2 hours before bed (try to be done by 7:30 p.m).
Lay on your left side and/or take a light walk for 10 minutes after eating
Turn off electronics at least 1 hour before bed
Optional relaxing activities: take a bath, read, journal, use aromatherapy, meditation
To support sleep: drink a warm milk (cow's milk and almond milk both contain tryphtophan which converts to melatonin) - add a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Massage soles of feet with oil
Off to sleep by 10:30 p.m.
*Meals should be eaten mindfully and should be constitution-specific
Getting Started
Looking at the list of practices for the morning may look a little daunting at first. When starting a daily routine, it is best to only add 1 or 2 new habits at a time to avoid overwhelming yourself. Try them for a couple of weeks until you get used to doing them and understand how much time it will take. Once they become second nature, then you can add a new habit.
Remember that how we spend our mornings can set the stage for the entire day. Starting the day off in the right way puts you in a much better position to cope with whatever life decides to throw at you.
If practiced over time, a daily routine can result in profound positive changes to your health. Healthy habits are a sure way to see consistent health improvements a little bit each day.
References
Welch, Dr. Claudia. [2016]. Dinacharya, Changing Lives Through Daily Living (drclaudiawelch.com). 3rd edition.
Fishbein, Anna, Knutson, Kristen L. and Phyllis C. Zee [2021]. JCI - Circadian disruption and human health
Hou, Wai Kai et al. [2020]. J of Global Health. Regularizing Daily Routines For Mental Health During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic. jogh-10-020315.pdf
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