A daily routine is absolutely necessary to bring radical change in body, mind, and consciousness. Ayurveda focuses more on the internal and wellbeing rather than just topical teatments. Morning is the best time to kickstart your day and it is necessary to make sure that you do it in a healthy way. Ayurveda recommends that in order to be optimally healthy we should tune our bodies to the nature’s master cycle which in turn regulates the various other rhythms and the best way to do it in the morning! Here are some morning practises Ayurveda recommends:
WAKE UP TIME
The ayurveda recommend that we rise during the “ambrosial hours” of the morning, sometime between 3am and 6am. Though waking up between 5:30 am and 6:00 am is what we generally follow which is acceptable too. This is a vata time of day; the atmosphere is infused with lightness and clarity, which helps us to more easily awaken.
ELIMINATION
According to ayurvedic principles, it is preferred to evacuate the bowels in the morning. Our body’s clock leans toward following the cycles of nature. In the morning, when the sun rises, our body goes into absorption phase when agni- the active, burning and transforming solar energy dominates. If, during the day, we carry around the waste material we created at night, we may absorb some of that waste material (toxins) back into our system, weakening immunity and leaving us feeling fatigued, drowsy and irritable during the day. Feeling energetic and relaxed are signs of proper evacuation.
TONGUE SCRAPING
It is like brushing your teeth. Once you start, your mouth just doesn’t feel clean without doing it. It is also a great “meter” for ama, or digestive impurities (the result of incomplete or inefficient digestion). If you have a lot of residue, then think about your diet and routine and make changes. Tongue scraping, or Jihwa Prakshalana, has long been an important part of the recommended ayurvedic daily routine.
GARGLING
To strengthen teeth, gums, and jaw, improve the voice and remove wrinkles from cheeks, gargle in the morning with warm sesame oil. Hold the oil in your mouth, swish it around vigorously, then spit it out and gently massage the gums with a finger. Oil pulling for health and beauty >>
DRINKING WARM WATER
Drinking a glass of warm water cleanses and awakens the digestive tract, hydrates the tissues, and promotes peristalsis which can encourage a bowel movement, even when there is a tendency toward sluggishness or constipation. It is best to drink water only after the mouth and the tongue have been cleansed. Ayurveda tips to drinking water >>
MASSAGE
Abhyanga is the name for oil massage with sesame oil. This is typically a self-massage. It is one of the main ways that Ayurveda keeps us strong and prevents us from aging. This massage need not be long and cumbersome. Massaging the Scalp, forehead, temples, hand and feet for about 5 minutes is sufficient.
YOGA
As a sister science of Ayurveda, yoga is a natural part of an Ayurvedic daily routine. However, different individuals will benefit from different types of yoga, depending on their constitution and current state of balance. For pitta-kapha types, a more invigorating form of yoga such askapha-pacifying yoga practiced with relaxed effort (rather than strained intensity) is usually most appropriate.