Dinacharya

Daily Routine – Sleep; a well-rested and recharged body

| herbalgeek

The body is a complex yet simple machine. It requires fuel (nutritious foods), time to regenerate (sleep), keeping it clean, movement, mindfulness and being in nature to unplug and recharge.

Daily routine, or as it is known in Ayurveda, Dinacharya, is a series of actions that we should do each day to nourish and detoxify our bodies. By creating an adhering to a daily routine, you can rebalance your circadian rhythm, digestive fire plus other health benefits.

This is the first in a series that I will be delving into the various practices for you to try to incorporate into your schedule. Who knows?  You might even find yourself with more energy, less brain fog and maybe even help with your digestive issues.   

Photo: Pixels.com

Let’s talk about sleep.                                        

It is important to get yourself into a regular sleep routine. My personal schedule is I stop looking at electronics about 9:30pm and generally I’m in bed by 10pm. I may read for a little while, but generally lights are out no later than 10:30pm and I will sleep through the night until about 6am. I do this every day, not just Monday through Friday.  Occasionally there will be events, parties or travel that will disrupt this schedule as we need to live in the world and enjoy all the experiences of this beautiful life.

If our bodies get used to going to sleep and waking at the same time every day (ensuring that you have had enough sleep according to what your body needs) you should wake feeling rested and not in need of caffeine to jump start your day.

Giving yourself a set schedule of rest also allows the body to perform its nightly repairs and cleaning that it needs to do. According to Ayurveda there is an internal schedule of time that your body goes through to clean each organ and system. For example, the time of 4am to 6am is associated with the descending colon and bladder. How often do you wake early in the morning before your alarm goes off to go to the bathroom?

Each individual is unique and you will have to experiment as to what feels right for you for the proper amount of sleep that your body needs to feel well rested and ready to conquer the day! If you sometimes suffer from insomnia, please refer to this post  for some solutions.

Next, we will look into what you can do in the morning to help ground and nourish you for your busy day.

                                                                                                         

What is Health?

| herbalgeek

According to Sushruta, who was an ancient Ayurvedic Indian physician, health is defined as:  

“The one who is established in self, who has balanced doshas, balanced agni, properly formed dhatus, proper elimination of malas, properly functioning bodily processes, and whose mind, soul and senses are quiet and content is called a healthy person.“

Ayurveda literally means the science of life. It is an ancient healing science that originated in India over 5000 years ago.  To be extremely basic, Ayurveda teaches us how to correct disturbances in the body through eating a seasonal diet, performing cleansing and rejuvenation treatments, getting exercise and practicing mindfulness all appropriate for your individual constitution.

The body and mind are controlled by the Doshas aka Vata, Pitta and Kapha. The Doshas are made up of the elements of Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth.  Vata is the combination of Ether and Air which is the energy of movement. Pitta is the combination of Fire and Water which are important for digestion and metabolism. Kapha is Water and Earth, which give the body stability and strength.

Agni is our digestive fire to transform both food and information into energy. If we are lacking in appetite or feel that we are mentally cloudy, we need to work on our Agni through the use of herbs, the type of food that we eat and breathing exercises.

Dhatus are the tissues of the body and relate to plasma / lymph, red blood cells, muscle tissue, adipose tissue, bones, bone marrow, nervous tissue, connective tissue, reproductive tissue. The tissues of the body are created from the foods we eat. We have the ability to create healthy or weak tissue depending on the foods we eat and our mental state while eating. Poor quality food will create deficient tissue which is more likely to create a defective space within the body for disease to move in.

Malas are the waste products of the body – feces, urine and sweat

To maintain or correct health, daily routines known as Dinacharya (deena-char-e-ah) and seasonal routines known as Ritucharya (rit-u-char-e-ah) should be performed to both the body and the mind. Daily routines include proper rest, eating seasonally, performing exercise, and practicing mindfulness.

From a western perspective, if we are not presenting symptoms of illness, we are healthy. There is no consideration of the state of the mind – is it calm? Or emotional state – is the person truly happy and content?

Eating healthy foods and not exercising, or living in a destructive environment can also lead to disease.

Take time to reconnect to your body ~ mind ~ spirit to ensure that you are both physically and mentally healthy.