Ideal Daily Routine According to Ayurveda...                                 

Morning

• Arise before 6 AM

• Evacuate bowels and bladder

• Clean teeth, scrape tongue

• Abhyang –Ayurvedic body meassage

• Bath or shower

• Sun salutations and/or asanas and pranayama

• Meditation

• Exercise

• Wear clean, comfortable, natural fabric clothing

• Light breakfast followed by morning work or study

Afternoon  

• Warm cooked lunch with all six tastes

• Rest for 10 minutes after eating followed by a brief walk

• Afternoon work or study

• Sun salutations and Pranayama (breathing excersice)

• Meditation

Evening 

• Early, light evening meal

• Rest for 10 minutes after eating followed by a brief walk

• Pleasant, relaxing activity

• To bed before 10 PM with natural fabric clothing and bedding  

Living in harmony with nature’s rhythms - 

Dinacharya, the Sanskrit word for daily routine, is a simple and effective way to balance the body. Our daily activities have a profound effect on our health and a routine, practiced daily is stronger medicine than an occasional remedy. 

Daily routine establishes healthful habits through atonement of the body to the natural cycles of the day. The three doshas, vata, pitta and kapha, each have their own periods of time within a twenty-four hour day in which their energies predominate. 

By establishing a routine that “goes with the flow” of these elemental forces, we are able to more easily support the body’s natural rhythms and healing potential.

Waking

The first Vata period of the day ends around dawn with the first rays of sunlight. At this time of day Vata qualities are at their strongest and if we arise between 4–6am we will imbibe the positive qualities of alertness, vibrancy, enthusiasm, energy, clarity, strengthened intuition and motivation. 

It is the most pure, peaceful, and still time of day and is an ideal time for spiritual practice. If there are time constraints we can simply take a few deep breaths and adopt an attitude of gratitude for waking up to an exciting new day.

Elimination 

Our bladder and colon should be emptied upon rising. To facilitate this practice we can drink a glass or two of warm water with a slice of lemon added. This helps rehydrate the tissues, flush toxins that have accumulated overnight, improve the digestive fire and stimulates peristalsis. 

Cleansing the senses 

Ayurveda recommends purifying the senses each day in preparation for taking in all the rich, new experiences that life has to offer. Refresh and energise the mind by splashing the face and eyes with cool or Luke-warm water. 

Gently wash the ears and apply a thin coat of sesame oil to the inside of the ear with your little finger. Use a neti pot with saline solution to cleanse the nasal passages. 

Brush the teeth. Scrape the tongue using a tongue cleaner to remove any coating. Notice your tongue each morning. A thick coating is indicative of ama, or toxins in the digestive tract. 

Scraping the tongue helps to purify your sense of taste and benefits the internal organs. Finally, gargle with warm water, or salt water and turmeric to help purify and strengthen the voice and keep the gums, mouth and throat healthy.

Oil massage /Abhyanga

According to Ayurveda, abhyanga, or oil massage is an essential component of daily routine. This practice nourishes and strengthens the body, encourages regular sleep patterns, stimulates internal organs, enhances blood circulation and can significantly reduce vata. 

Bathe 

After you have massaged your entire body, enjoy a warm bath or shower using a minimal amount of mild soap. Towel dry with a towel you do not mind collecting oil with. 

Clothing 

Always wear clean clothing, preferably made from natural fibres such as cotton, wool, linen or silk. Ayurveda discourages wearing used clothing, particularly other peoples’ shoes, because of the polluted subtle energies which they collect.

Take your herbs 

Taking herbs at the same time each day will enhance their medicinal effect. Herbs taken on an empty stomach have the most potent action in the body. 

Mild exercise 

Daily exercise increases circulation and oxygenation of the tissues, strengthens digestive fire, tones the body, reduces fat and enhances vitality. 

Determine the best time to exercise and what form of exercise to practice with consideration to your prakriti (constitutional type) and the effects of the seasons. 

For example, in the fall, a vata person should exercise during the kapha time of day, to take advantage of kapha’s grounding and stable qualities. Choose an activity that is soothing to the nervous system like yoga or tai chi. 

Meditation

Just as we cleanse our bodies each day, we must also cleanse our minds of accumulated thoughts that no longer serve us. Be still. Direct your attention inward. Notice your breath. Practice pranayama. 

Meditate for twenty minutes or simply invite calm and relaxation into the body if time is limited. This practice acts as a protective shield to the destabilizing influences of the external environment. 

Aerobic exercise 

The next morning period is Kapha which has the qualities of heaviness, slowness and stability – the later a person awakes after dawn the more of these qualities he imbibes within his physiology and carries with him for the rest of the day. 

Kapha time (especially between 7am and 10am) is the best time for more physical exercise, such as jogging, swimming or cycling. 

Work and lunch

10am to 2pm, when pitta predominates, is the most productive time for work, especially for problem solving or completing tasks that requires your full attention and focus. 

It is also the time when the sun is at its peak and when the digestive fire or agni is at its strongest. It is therefore the ideal time to eat the largest meal of the day. 

Eating at this time will allow efficient and maximum digestion, assimilation and metabolism. Proper absorption of minerals, vitamins, proteins and carbohydrates will result in efficient energy production and feelings of strength and alertness. 

It follows that there will also be less desire for snacking and overeating if the diet contains adequate nutrition and the ability to properly assimilate it. A short, leisurely stroll shortly after lunch will also aid digestion.

Creative work 

Vata comes around again during the afternoon. This is a good time for mental agility and creative work. Vata types may experience a drop in energy at this time and a small snack is valuable for them. 

Evening meal 

Only light meals should be eaten in the evenings (toast, rice, semolina, milk drinks, noodles, soup etc). It is important to have allowed enough time for your previous meal to have been digested thoroughly (generally 4 hours) but should ideally be taken before sundown and at least three hours before bedtime. 

Relaxation

The next Kapha period begins in the early evening. The heavy, slow, stable qualities of this dosha increase as the evening progresses and reach their peak a couple of hours before midnight. 

In order to imbibe these qualities and ensure a sound, heavy, undisturbed and restful sleep one should be in bed before this period ends. Evening is a kapha energy period and is a time to relax, engage in pleasant conversation with family or friends, read light novels or play gentle, soothing music. 

It is a time to unwind from the stimulation and activity of the day. About half an hour before bedtime is the perfect time to take Triphala tea to gentle tone and balance to the digestive tract. 

Bathing

Ayurveda sees bathing as a therapeutic activity and the evening is a good time to partake in this therapy. A leisurely bath relaxes tense muscles, irons out a creased brow, opens clogged pores, restores moisture to the tissues, and adds a healing dimension to your day. 

It enhances physical energy levels and improves mental clarity. It helps remove sweat, dirt and environmental toxins from the skin. It helps relax the mind and balance the emotions. 

Ideally begin with a full-body warm oil massage. Then bathe, using water that is neither too hot nor too cold. Apply a cleanser to your skin gently. Do not bathe in a hurry. Take your time and try to relax so that both mind and body benefit from the bath. 

Use gentle aromatherapy oils such as lavender, sandalwood, patchouli or orange (do not use harsh or artificial fragrances that strip moisture from the skin and damage the delicate wisdom that facilitates the reflection of the inner glow, called prabha in ayurveda). 

The ancient ayurvedic texts also recommend adding rose petals, milk, honey, and turmeric to your bath. After you towel off, spritz your body with rose water.

Sleep

Finally, the next active Pitta period runs from 10pm until about 2am. If one is not asleep during this period the body begins to wake up and one attains a second wind around 11pm, which may have you up until 1am! 

Sleep is then impaired and the elimination of impurities and toxins within the body suffers greatly. Being in bed by 10pm will ensure 6-7 hours of refreshing, detoxifying sleep that will leave you revitalised and re-energised.

It is a good practice to apply oil to the scalp and the soles of the feet before bed to calm the nervous system and promote sound sleep. 

This Pitta period is also a second ‘digestive phase’ but it is not intended for digesting large quantities of food or heavy foodstuffs. The metabolism work differently than at midday and is far less efficient in terms of breaking down the contents of the stomach and intestines. 

It will try to digest them as well as possible but usually leaves the process incomplete leading to a further build-up of undigested food or ‘Ama’ (hence the very furry, white tongue in the morning after a late night of alcohol and heavy food). 

This is why the evening meal should be light and easily digestible.
Following daily routine is a way to bring more awareness to all of the habits and choices we make throughout the day. Conscious awareness in our daily lives enables us to be whole and healthy beings, bringing us closer to our true selves. 

Living in harmony with the cycles of nature is not only the path to health, but to true freedom.