How To Establish an Ayurvedic Daily Routine

Property of Healthy Ayurveda

Dinacharya, which is Sanskrit, is an Ayurvedic practice that looks at the cycles of nature and bases daily activities around these cycles. Ayurveda states that daily and seasonal routines help balance and promote optimal health. Routines covered by dinacharya include: waking time, elimination, hygiene, massage, exercise, bathing, meditation and prayer, meals, study, work, relaxation and sleeping, to name a few.

Once a daily routine is put into practice, it is easier to re-establish a connection to the rhythms of nature. Studies have shown that humans have lost the ability to tune into the rhythms of nature. Knowing this, we must be pro-active in balancing and connecting with nature. Dinacharya allows us to reconnect easily and with purpose, and this offers a sense of safety for easier growth and expansion. In addition to a daily routine there is also a seasonal routine, Ritucharya, which we'll discuss later on in the season.

According to Ayurveda, this is how a daily routine should look: 

MORNING

• Wake up in the morning before 6:00 a.m.
• Drink warm water with lemon or lime.
• Empty bladder and bowels.
• Wash your face.
• Eye rinse.
• Scrape your tongue, oil pull, brush your teeth, and rinse your mouth. 
• Neti - rinse the nasal passages.
• Nasya - oil the nasal passages.
• Dry brush the body.
• Perform abhyanga (warm Ayurvedic oil self-massage). 
• Perform Salutation to the Sun asana sequence.
• Practice deep breathing or Pranayama.
• Practice meditation for twenty minutes.
• Bathe or shower. Use warm rather than hot water.
• Have breakfast. 
• Take herbal food supplements.
• School or work.

MIDDAY

• Biggest meal consumed at noon time
• Lay down for 15 minutes, on left side, to aid digestion.
• Light walk after meal

EVENING

• Dinner
• Walk
• Self-Care (yoga, breath exercises, and meditation)
• Self-Reflection (reflect on the day and your actions, how did we achieve being our most loving self, how can we improve?)
• Go to bed by 10pm. 

Long list, right??!! Well you don't have to incorporate all of them at once, rather, pick one and start there. One will lead to two, and so on. You can pick which practices benefit you, and those which don't. 

I also have an Excel Spreadsheet for those interested. Email me and I'll send it over to your inbox asap. 

I'm also hosting a seasonal kichari cleanse over on Facebook starting next Monday - join us - it's FREE!!!!!!  

If you're feeling the need to chat, process, digest, or vent - schedule a chat with me - it's free! I wanna chat with you - Schedule your time here! 

Namaste