Morning Routine: Ayurvedic Dinacharya
One of the best ways you can implement Ayurvedic practices, is through settling into a morning ritual, that you practice MOST days. Ayurveda teaches the 80/20 rule, live your life Ayurvedically 80% of the time, then the other 20% live your life. Life is meant to be ENJOYED, within balance of course. The Sanskrit word for routine is Dinacharya, Diii-na-char-eya.
Wake Up: If you can around the same time everyday. This gets your body in a rhythm, resist screen time, give yourself time to wake up, without anyone else entering your psyche. This is a great time to work on some breathing or meditation practices.
Scrape Tongue: Use a tongue scraper first thing to remove any ama, or toxins that build up throughout the night. This also helps to kick start your digestive system, activating agni.
Brush Teeth: Ideally, use a fluoride-free toothpaste or tooth powder.
Drink Water: Warm water is easier on the digestive system early in the morning but really a glass of any temperature water is better than nothing at all or better than coffee. Now I’m not saying you can’t have coffee BUT if possible wait at least an hour after waking to pour your cup o’ joe.
Oil Pull: Swishing around oil in your mouth (coconut in the summer, sesame oil in the winter) helps to strengthen the teeth, gums, jaw and voice, while improving the sense of taste. It helps to clear out the sinuses and removes ama, toxins. Swish around for anywhere between 5-20 minutes. Spit into trash. Rinse face and mouth with cool water after.
Now, remember this is NOT an all or nothing situation, integrate what you can and what feels right. Once that has been established maybe add another piece in. If it’s not working, skip it and maybe try again later. Ayurveda is all about the individual, so some things might not work for you and that’s totally okay. Ayurveda is an ongoing life experiment with yourself. That’s what makes this ancient practice so powerful.
