Healthy Daily Routine – Dinacharya
An ayurvedic daily routine (Dinacharya) will help you to remove toxins from the body and be healthy and full of energy. Accumulation of toxins is the root cause of all diseases according to ayurveda.
MORNING ROUTINE
- Wake-up between 4 to 6 a.m.
- Brush your teeth with a herbal toothpaste and gently scrape your tongue.
- Do oil pulling with sesame oil (til oil) by swishing oil in your mouth for 4-5 minutes.
- Floss teeth, massage gums, clean the teeth with toothpowder.
- Drink a cup of warm water.
- Clear your bowels. You can use Triphala powder at night to help with elimination.
- Place 2 drops of warm oil in each ear. You can use Karna Binduk or Karna Rakshak.
- Do a gentle warm sesame oil massage all over the body. You can use coconut oil in summer.
- Take a warm bath. You can use a little bit of cow dung soap.
- Do some meditation like mantra meditation.
- Do Jal neti with lukewarm water under the guidance of a proper Yoga teacher.
- Do 12 rounds of Surya Namaskara and 60 rounds of Anuloma Viloma and 5 rounds of 20-30 breaths of Kapalabhati under the guidance and consultation of a proper Yoga teacher. You can complete this during the day as well.
- Take breakfast according to your predominating dosha and season of the year.
THROUGHOUT THE DAY
- Drink at least 12 cups of room temperature, warm, or hot fluids each day. Drink more water in hot season.
- You can sip CCF (cumin, coriancer and fennel) tea throughout the day.
- Take lunch according to your predominating dosha and season of the year.
EVENING ROUTINE
- Try not to eat after 7 pm.
- About half an hour before bed, take triphala as a tea or in form of tablets.
- Go to sleep before 10pm. Take sufficient rest, at least 5-6 hours. Do not sleep during the day.
HEALTHY EATING HABITS
- Toxins build up in the body when food is not properly digested, when it is not healthy and when we do not help toxins to come out of the body.
- Avoid processed food, white sugar, white flour, fried foods.
- You can drink a little water slowly in little sips while eating, that will improve digestion but do not drink a full cup. Do not drink water 40min before meals and 1.5 hours after meals.
- You can drink hot water or water with lemon/ buttermilk, which also helps digestion.
- Use spices that help digestion like ginger, asafoetida, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, mint.
- Eat only freshly made food.
- Do not eat cooked and raw food together.
- Do not snack between meals, give yourself at least 3 hours to digest the meal.
- Sit cross-legged and use your fingers to eat.
- Use digestive aid for your dosha:
- Kapha: Pachanamrit, Ghanvati, Hingvati.
- Pitta: Amla sharbat (amla juice), Triphala.
- Vatta: Saunf (fennel), Hingvati.
COMBINE FOOD CORRECTLY:
- It is best to drink milk alone. Milk is more digestible when taken hot and with a little turmeric. You can only take milk with dates and almonds, also as rice pudding or oat porridge.
- Take melons alone and it is best if you take each type of melon separately.
- Take fruits alone and it is best to take each type of fruit separately or combine fruits with similar qualities.
- Lemon can be used in small amounts with most food, except for cucumber, tomato, milk and yogurt.
- Yogurt and cheese goes well with grains and vegetables, not other foods.
- Vegetables do not combine with fruits and milk.
- Nightshades (potato, tomato, eggplant, bell pepper) also do not combine with cucumber, cheese and yogurt, even though it is in general not considered healthy.
- Grain combines with all food, except fruits.
- Beans do not combine with fruit, milk, cheese and yogurt.