the ayurvedic mum
Ayurvedic morning routine
Find balance with this 10 step morning routine and discover your morning routine kit
If you have been craving for more balance & harmony in your body and mind, then Ayurveda is THE wisdom for you! Why?
Because Ayurveda is a holistic science that offers knowledge and tools to re balance and harmonise the body and the mind and they have worked for more than 5000 years!
In Ayurveda, the 3 pillars of a healthy and happy life are : Diet, Lifestyle and Mindset
Here, we will focus on the lifestyle and particularly, the daily routine called 'Dinacharya'.
This is a powerful lifestyle tool to optimise
health, energy and wellbeing.
The morning sets the tone for the entire day and...and potentially your life!
That is the reason, a positive and consistent morning routine can transform your health and life.
You are about the discover millenary traditions and rituals and an amazing kit to simplify your mornings!
1. Wake up early
The first step about a daily routine actually starts the night before!
Go to bed at 10 pm everyday so you can wake up before sunrise.
It is just before sunrise that Nature is filled with pure and positive (called sattvic) energies that bring peace of mind and freshness to the senses. According to Ayurveda, there are specific times that are best to wake for each different body type, your Prakriti.
Vata types: 6am
Pitta types: 5:30am
Kapha types: 4:30am
After waking up, set a positive affirmation to start your day.
It may be something as simple as 'I am healthy and happy today'.
Water stored overnight in a copper bottle is purified and alkalised naturally.
Before doing anything else, drink copper water which has the ability
to rebalance the body and mind.
Copper is an essential trace element that is vital for all living things and
has an active role in many functions of the body.
Warm water with lemon & honey may also be a good replacement
for caffeinated drinks. Honey can be added when the water has cooled down.
2. Drink copper water or warm water
3. Evacuate
What goes in must come out. Elimination is the key to optimal health.
Drinking copper water will help you urinate but help to trigger bowel movements.
Ayurveda recommends to evacuate all your waste to jump start your day feeling lighter, healthier and relaxed.
If you are not eliminating daily, be sure your diet includes of plenty of fluids and fiber. Self massage on the abdomen and deep slow breathing into the belly is a wonderful way to gently stimulate a bowel movement. If you struggle to set a routine, try taking 2 caspsules or 1 tsp Triphala before bed time or as per your Ayurvedic practionner's advise.
4. Wash your face
Clean all your senses and start by rinsing your face,
eyes and mouth with fresh water.
Splash water on your eyes several times
(open and close your eyes whilst doing that).
This is refreshing and energising for your body and your mind.
Dry your face gently with a clean towel. Spritz with rosewater afterwards.
5. Tongue scrape and brush
Brush your teeth with a bitter or astringent tooth paste/powder
(not a sweet one as this promotes bacteria) and clean your tongue with a tongue scraper.
Tongue cleaning is en essential part of the self-care rituals in Ayurveda.
In Ayurveda, the health of your tongue is a reflection of your overall health.
So tongue scraping will remove the white coating (toxins and dead bacteria) on your tongue, improve oral hygiene, remove bad breath and help overall digestion.
Method
Over your skin, stick your tongue out and scrape the tongue with the tongue cleaner from back to front several times until all the white coating is removed and your tongue looks pink.
6. Oil pull
Ditch the toxic mouthwash and swish 1 tbs of sesame oil in your mouth for a few minutes (10mins if possible) and spit it out in the food waste (oil clogs pipes). Oil pulling is said to 'pull' bacteria from the mouth, remove bad breath, prevent cavities, strengthen teeth, gums, jaw, and voice, while improving the sense of taste.
Which oil to use?
The best oil for oil pulling is sesame oil as it is slightly heating and its qualities help to clear out the bacteria and toxins and penetrate the fine crevices of the mouth.
The modern trend to use coconut oil does not help "liquify" the Kapha out of the mouth. Coconut oil has similar qualities to Kapha which is being heavy, cold, unctuous and sweet. With extended use of coconut oil, you may notice thickeneing and stickiness of the saliva, bad breath, loss of tatse, sinus congestion, headaches and insomnia.
Contra-indications
If you suffer from syncope, chronic constipation, muscle wasting, bleeding or clotting disorders.
7. Clean and nourish your nose
Just like we clean out mouth, its important to clean our nose as well. For this, neti will naturally clean the nasal passages which helps with nasal congestion, colds, allergies and many respiratory problems.
Method:
Add 1/2 tsp to 1 cup of sterile warm water into the neti pot. Stand over the sink, tilt your head and pour the neti pot in the superior nostril and keep your mouth open to breathe. Repeat on the other side. Practice kapal bhati to make sure no water remains in the nose.
This can be once or twice a week or daily if you are very congested.
Contraindications:
If you suffer from nasal polyps, sinus infection, deviated septum or nose bleeds.
Nasya
Make sure your nostrils are dry by breathing out several times. Add a 2-3 drops of Anu Nasya oil into your nose as this helps to lubricate the nose, clean the sinuses, and improve voice, vision, and mental clarity. Our nose is the door to the brain, so nose drops nourish our life force (prana) and bring intelligence.
Method:
Lie down and tilt your head back, use a dropper (or even your little finger) to drop few drops of Nasya oil (or pure sesame oil) into each nostril and massage your nose up and down for better penetration.
8. Self - massage or Abhyanga
Performing a self-massage is an essential part of the Ayurvedic routine and the best form of self-love.
Benefits
It nourishes and strengthens the body, improves blood circulation, delays ageing process (improves wrinkles, cellulite and scarring), stimulates lymphatic drainage, helps detoxification, lubricates joints and stimulates internal organs. It is very grounding for Vata and PItta and stimulating for Kapha. It also helps lower stress levels and in turn lower heart rate and potentially blood pressure levels.
Method
Slightly warm the organic Rose & Jasmine organic oil (or any other organic body oil) in the colder months and apply all over your body for about 10 mins.
Start with the extremities, like the head and apply generous amount on the crown of the head and work towards the face in circular upward motions.
Use long strokes on the limbs and circular motions on the joints. Massage the chest and abdomen in broad circular motions. Massage the feet and allow the oil to absorb for a few minutes before going for a shower.
10. Bathe
Soap contain surfactants that strip the natural moisture off the skin. Instead you can use pure plants such as aloe vera powder, rose petal powder or Ubtan powder to clean your skin.
This will remove excess oil from the self-massage, exfoliate and moisturise for a radiant and clean skin.
Method
If you have dry skin, wet your skin first, rub the Ubtan powder onto your skin and rinse off.
If you have normal or oily skin, you can rub the powder on dry skin which will help remove the dead skin and cellulite on your body (this can be done once or twice a week).
The day you have more time, treat yourself with a luxurious spa like treatment with a mixture of 1tsp of rose petal powder, 1 tsp of sandalwood powder, 1tsp of aloe vera with 3 tsps of milk/yogurt or rose water and 2 drops of rose essential oil. Your skin will be soft and supple after this!
After bath, dress with clean clothes made out natural materials like cotton, wool or linen. Comb your hair with our eco-friendly neem comb that has cooling properties that prevent hairfall.
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9. Yoga and meditation
Morning is the time where our energy levels are highest so the perfect moment to exercise! Practice yoga asanas for at least 10 mins or ideally 1h. 12 sequences of Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutations are the perfect way to start the day as it gives a quick and effective workout. The word “Surya” means “the one who expands and illuminates the world”.
So when we do Surya Namaskar, we bow with complete gratitude before the one who illuminates the world. Such a poetic way to start the day isn't, it?
Light up a ghee lamp to attract positive energies and complete your morning routine with meditation which will bring you peace of mind.
