In Ayurveda, a daily habitual ritual of self-care is called dinacharya (dine-eh-char-ee-ah), which is designed to maintain and reconnect us to our natural circadian rhythm, which is our natural internal process that regulates our sleep-wake cycle that repeats itself every 24 hours.
Din means day and charya means to follow or close to.
Every 24 hours there are 2 - 12 hour cycles of change 6 AM to 6 PM & 6 PM to 6 AM
During each 12 hour cycle there are three (3) - 4 hour periods, with each 4 hour period dominated by air (vata), fire (pitta) and earth (kapha). These are the three (3) dosha’s, which are the three (3) substances that are present in the human body. Vata, pitta and kapha actually end with a silent ‘a’, which means they are actually pronounced in Sanskrit - Vat, Pitt and Kaph.
To help you remember the three (3) Doshas think of it this way - air vent (air vata), fire pit (pitta) and earth cough (kapha).
We all have varying combinations and strengths of Vat, Pitt and Kaph, so if we can tune-in with our in-tu-ition to our Divine nature we can live and enjoy a healthier and more active Life simply by knowing our body and being in-tune with it.
The First 12 Hour Cycle - 6 AM to 10 AM (Kaph), 10 AM to 2 PM (Pitt), 2 PM to 6 PM (Vat)
The Second 12 Hour Cycle - 6 PM to 10 PM (Kaph), 10 PM to 2 AM (Pitt), 2 AM to 6 AM (Vat)
Dinacharya is basically the ideal daily habitual ritual (aka mindful schedule) to follow in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The keyword here is ‘lifestyle’. Dinacharya analyzes and follows the natural occurring cycles in nature giving us the optimal time for carrying out our healthy routine.
Morning Dinacharya:
Arise early in the morning, preferably before the sun rises.
Drink a large glass of warm water with lemon out of a copper cup is best. You can find copper cups and mugs to order online.
Wash your face.
Scrape your tongue with a tongue scraper which stimulates digestion and elimination, preferably a copper scraper. You can also use a stainless steel scraper. We will get into which is best for you depending on your dosha on a future page that is being created specifically for tongue scraping.
Brush your teeth with a natural tooth powder or paste.
Evacuate bowels and bladder, ideally within the first hour of waking.
Do 10-15 minutes of morning yoga and/or 15-30 minute brisk walk or some sort of exercise while consciously aware of your breath.
5-10 minutes of breathing exercise (pranayama). Techniques will be on a future page.
5-15 minute meditation or sit in silence. Meditations will be on a future page.
Shower or bathe.
Perform oil pulling – swish herbalized coconut or sesame oil in your mouth for 10-15 minutes while showering.
Daily abhyanga (self-massage using oil). Best with our Lymphatic Massage Oil or Tri-Doshic Massage Oil, which can also be done in shower.
Breakfast: eat a small amount, but make it big enough to get you through to lunch without needing a snack. Quantity may vary based on body type.
Midday Dinacharya:
Lunch: relax and make it the largest meal of the day. Do not snack until dinner.
Brief rest on the left side and light walking (10 to 15 minutes) after lunch to facilitate digestion. How wonderful to give yourself permission to lay down after lunch. The reason why you lay on your left side and then move your body is because the involuntary peristaltic wave flows counter-clockwise through the intestines (from right to left).
Evening Dinacharya:
Supper: the lighter and earlier, the better.
Evening yoga, breathing exercise, and meditation.
Go to bed by 10 PM to insure you have had plenty of sleep to arise before the Sun.
From an Ayurvedic perspective, following this dinacharya will reconnect you with the rhythm of nature.
Exercising is optimal in the AM hours between 6 AM and 10 AM, when the body is in its Kapha (earth) phase and at its strongest physically.
Eating the largest meal of the day at lunchtime aligns with the Pitta (fire) time of day, from 10 AM until 2 PM, when the digestive fire is strongest.
Engaging in more calming activities such as meditation, mental work or centering is best between 2 PM and 6 PM, which is the Vata (air) time of day, when the nervous system is most active.