| *Dinacharya
- The Ideal Daily Routine*
Dincharya
Researchers
have long discovered that our body has many inbuilt rhythms or cycles.
Most
of our body functions follow a daily cycle. our weight fluctuates
during the day and is maximum in the evening, our body temperature
is highest in the evening, most of our hormones have their well
defined periods of high and low secretions during the day and the
most obvious of all the sleep – wake cycle.Therefore
intrinsically the emphasis in our body is on natural cycles.
In
Sanskrit the daily routine is called the Dinacharya. Din means 'day'
and ‘acharya’ means 'to follow' or 'close to'.So
Dinacharya is basically an ideal daily schedule for us which takes
into account the nature’s master cycle and suggests actions to follow.
Ayurveda
recommends that in order to be optimally healthy we should tune
our bodies to the nature’s master cycle which in turn regulates
the various other rhythms.
MORNING
From
2 until 6, or until dawn, the Vata element is dominant. Waking up
an hour before dawn you utilize the Vata qualities in the nature.
Vata is light, subtle and clear and this helps in tuning the body
to the delicate messages the nature sends. This is the time when
there is the most sattva in the air. It is the most fresh and pure
time of the day.
Drinking
a glass or two of warm water helps in the elimination.
Brush
the teeth and scrape the tongue. Ayurveda considers the coating
of the tongue as an indicator of ‘Ama’ or toxins in the colon.
Massage
the body(abhyanga) with sesame oil. This massage need not be long
and cumbersome. Massaging the Scalp, forehead, temples , hand and
feet for about 2 – 3 minutes is sufficient
Bathe
in water which is neither too hot nor too cold.
Exercise
a little doing some Yoga postures and breathing exercises(Pranayam).
Meditate
for about 15 minutes.
Breakfast
should be warm, nourishing and wholesome
NOON
Lunch
should be taken early between 12 and 1P.M. this coincides with the
peak Pitta period, Pitta is responsible for the digestion. Ayurveda
recommends that the lunch should be the largest meal of the day.
After the meal it is good to take a little walk, a couple hundred
steps only, to help the food digest.
Anything
more than a short nap should be avoided because sleeping in the
day is prohibited in Ayurveda.
SUNDOWN:
Sundown
is a special time of balance between day and night. In this balance
it is easier for your mind to stop long enough so that you can see
your Self. This is the time for evening prayers and meditations
in many cultures around the world.
DINNER:
6-7 P.M.
It
should be taken around 6 – 7 P.M. It should be lighter than the
lunch. The dinner should be at least three hours before bedtime
as gives the body ample time to digest the food. Sleeping just after
the dinner with a heavy stomach is not conducive to a sound sleep.
Walk
to aid digestion for about 10 – 15 minutes.
BEDTIME:
9.30 – 10.30 P.M.
Search
to sleep so that you can get 6 to 7 hours of sleep before 4:30 am.
A
good practice is to massage the soles of your feet with a calming
before going to bed.
This
will calm your system and promote well being.
All
of this might have sounded dull and dreary but the fact of the matter
is that one should try to keep the routine as close to the recommended
Dincharya as possible.
The
body might resist the change for a few days or weeks but if you
do manage to persist then you are bound to get rewarded with a much
healthier and satisfying life.
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