Dinacharya: Ayurvedic morning routine
Whether we’re aware of it or not, we all have a routine. As creatures of habit, there are things each of us do every day. The question is whether those daily habits are beneficial to our health, or if they’re keeping us stuck in patterns of being unwell. For many, their daily routine looks like waking up at 7:30 am, shuffling to the kitchen for a coffee, having a quick shower and grabbing breakfast to eat in the car. The trouble is that this doesn’t give us the space to set ourselves up for a good day. Our overall health is a culmination of the things we do each and every day to take care of ourselves – everything we engage with is leading either towards or away from our most radiant self.
Dinacharya is a sanskrit word. ‘Dina’ means day and ‘acharya’ means activity/behaviour. So together, they are the activities of the day or daily routine. Acharya also means a spiritual teacher or leader, a wise soul, and I like to think of dinacharya as following the wisdom of the day – when we engage with these Ayurvedic practices, they are propelling us towards living in harmony with the natural cycles of life. As we are a part of nature, this is the wisest thing we can do for our health.
Ayurveda empowers us to take our health into our own hands, prescribing simple daily practices we can incorporate into our day to help us stay balanced, healthy and strong. This becomes particularly powerful combined with Ayurveda’s focus on individuality and tailoring one’s daily activities to one’s unique mind-body type. We also all lead different lives, with different capacities, responsibilities and circumstances that influence our schedule. With this in mind, everyone’s daily routine will be different. Working with an Ayurvedic practitioner will help you understand what routines are best for you and your mind-body type, plus any imbalances or health issues you may be healing.
To inspire you to contemplate your own morning routine, I’m sharing my dinacharya. These are the fundamental practices I try to do every day for my own health. It’s by no means static and I am by no means perfect. Some days I only get some of these things done, and that’s ok. Transitioning from an all-or-nothing mindset to a mindset of simply doing what I can has made a big difference to my consistency with these practices, meaning better results overall. So if you feel your morning routine needs a bit of work, don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater and expect yourself to adopt a radically different routine by tomorrow morning. Take it slow, add things in gradually and experiment with what feels right.
And for all the parents out there, there’s a 99.99% chance that much of this won’t be available to you. That’s ok! Your routine doesn’t have to go for hours to be beneficial. The essence here is about taking what time each morning to do something that fills your cup and nourishes you. So do what you can with the time you have, and surrender the rest.
My Dinacharya ~ Ayurvedic daily routine
Wake at 5 am
Waking up before 6 am allows us to tap into the Vata time of day. Vata is characterised by movement, creativity and spiritual pursuits. At this time, the mind is beginning to stir from sleep, just as the world around us is beginning to wake. Energy begins to rise, helping us to get out of bed and begin our day. Compare this with sleeping in until 9am or later, when Kapha dosha is predominant, and we tend to feel groggy and lethargic – Kapha, by nature, is a slower, more still energy. Not quite the energy we want to be waking up with!
Elimination
The first thing I do is head to the bathroom for elimination. Even if I don’t feel like it, I try to go to the toilet first. If you find you’re constipated or aren’t usually able to go to the loo upon waking, start by just sitting on the toilet. This can gradually help to train your body to get into the habit of eliminating waste first thing. Naturally, sometimes elimination doesn’t happen until a little later and that’s all good.
Brush teeth & scrape tongue
Next, I brush my teeth, then take my copper tongue scraper to remove the accumulated ama, or toxins that have collected on my tongue overnight, during the body’s natural detoxification process. It’s important to brush first and then scrape, as you will dislodge impurities during brushing, and scraping helps to ensure they all get removed.
Warm water
I’ll then head downstairs and have a mug of warm to hot water to hydrate the body without impacting my agni, or digestive fire. It’s important to avoid cold drinks and ice throughout the day too, as these can significantly impair your digestive fire – I can palpably feel it if I have a cold drink now, it’s as if my insides contract and seize!
Morning detox drink
I then prepare my morning detox drink to assist with flushing out toxins. It’s a combination of ½ a teaspoon each of fresh lemon juice, freshly grated ginger and honey. I add them to a cup of warm (not hot! Honey becomes toxic when heated) water. These three ingredients combine to scrape, bind and flush toxins from the body as well as gently stoke the digestive fire.
Daily devotion
I then like to sit in front of my little temple space, light a candle and incense and offer my thanks to the divine teachers in my life. I take a moment to reflect on all I’m grateful for, and offer my thanks for all the blessings and challenges in my life.
Pranayama
Next up, I do 5 minutes of pranayama, usually good old faithful nadi shodana or alternate nostril breathing. Nadi shodana begins the process of energising the mind in a calm and balanced way, creating spaciousness for me to then drop into meditation.
Vedic meditation
Of all the practices, this is probably the one part of my dinacharya that I never skip. For me, beginning my day by nourishing my mind is just as important as nourishing my body. It connects me back into my Self, launders stress and allows me to start the day oriented in a place of calm and stillness.
Are you yet to learn a practice you can enjoy doing daily? Vedic meditation is a simple technique taught in a comprehensive course with ongoing support to help you integrate it into your everyday life. Book a free intro call to chat more or book yourself into an upcoming course.
Reading, learning & contemplation
Post meditation feels like the best time to read a spiritual or self-development book. Even just 10-15 minutes is a game-changer! At the moment I am studying Ayurveda, so I have been gravitating towards that, but take your pick from any of the books on our reading list and dive in.
Movement
I find consistency with movement challenging. I can get up and meditate twice a day without a second thought, but remembering to move my body doesn’t come so easily. It’s utterly essential though for detoxification, strengthening the muscles and maintaining cardiovascular health. The mental benefits are incredible too, and I notice how much more energised I feel on days I fit it in.
The key to exercise is to find styles that suit your constitution and that you enjoy. I like running, walking, yoga and pilates. People with a lot of Vata in their constitution will usually benefit from low-impact exercises like swimming, walking and bike riding, as well as styles that ground and calm them, such as yoga or tai chi. For Pitta-dominant folks, lean into movement that makes you feel challenged, such as hiking, pilates and hatha yoga, but doesn’t get you overheated. For Kapha friends, more vigorous exercise will help to break up sluggishness and stagnancy, so bring in more cardio and anything that works up a sweat.
Abhyanga
Easily one of the most luscious and nourishing practices, Abhyanga is Ayurvedic warm oil self massage. Herb-infused sesame oil (or regular cold-pressed black sesame oil) is warmed and then massaged into the skin. It supports the skin microbiome, aids in lymphatic drainage, calms a frazzled nervous system and helps us reconnect with our bodies. This is a great guide if you’d like to try it yourself. A couple of Abhyanga tips from me:
Keep an old towel in the bathroom that you can sit on to avoid getting oily. Also keep an old robe and old socks that you can pop on while you let the oil sink in so you can move about a bit without getting oily footprints everywhere.
Decant the oil into a smaller glass bottle. To warm the oil, simply fill a cup with boiling water and place the bottle in to warm up – it’ll be ready in a couple of minutes.
Shower
We’re all probably very familiar with showering, so I don’t think I need to go into much detail here! The main thing I will share is being careful to avoid very hot showers. Super hot water (anything that steams up the bathroom a lot of leaves your skin pink) is very aggravating for all doshas, especially Vata and Pitta. Make sure it’s warm, but not super hot.
Nasya
Some do nasya after tongue scraping, it feels right for me to do it after my shower. Nasya is placing a drop of herb-infused sesame oil into each nostril. It pacifies and balances the mind and protects the sinus passages. Ultra important especially during autumn when the extra wind can dry us out, creating a Vata imbalance.
Breakfast
For me, I want a breakfast that’s warm, nourishing and satisfying, but doesn’t take ages to prepare. I usually have oat porridge with ghee and sultanas, or savoury pancakes with some veggies. Whatever I go for, I make sure it’s warm, reasonably easy to digest and satiating. I’m lucky that my strong Pitta digestion is usually raring and ready to go, but if you find your tummy is slow or sluggish or you struggle to eat in the mornings, go for simpler, easier-to-digest options like stewed fruit with spices.
Daily work intention
When I sit at my desk, the first thing I do is pull a card from my Delta Venus deck. It encourages me to stop and consider my energy for the day, and offers a jewel of wisdom I can carry into my activities and interactions.
That’s my morning routine! It might seem kinda long, and to be honest, some days it is. But it sets me up for a good day, and every single one of these activities brings me joy and fills my cup. And as I said before, there are plenty of mornings where a lot of it doesn’t happy, and that’s ok.
I hope this inspires you to reflect on your own morning routine and how you can optimise it – whether you have 10 minutes or 3 hours – for your own health and wellbeing.