Dinacharya is the daily routine and daily procedures that the ancient science of preserving and restoring health, Ayurveda, recommends for those who want to restore and improve their health. Claudia Welch, MD, Ayurvedic Practitioner, Ayurveda Teacher, Women’s Health Specialist, talked about why these simple regular actions have such a powerful effect on the body.
In this article, Dr. Welch offers directly a list of procedures and recommendations that make up the dynacharya.
Charaka Samhita and Ashtanga Hridayam are the oldest classical texts of Ayurveda that are still referred to today. They tell about the principles and manner of doing each day.
They begin their story with the morning routines described below and also discuss beneficial approaches to life in general.
Wake up during brahma muhurta
Brahma muhurta or amrit-vela (“fragrant hours”) are the names for the early morning of each day. My teacher included in these fragrant hours the time from 3 am to dawn.
The very first moments of the day – just like the very first seconds of a baby’s life – are the time that sets the tone for the whole day. If we allow our first impression to remain peaceful, grateful, and filled with a sense of joy, chances are our day will be pleasant.
Exemption
Early morning is a natural time for urination and bowel movement because the downward bodily energy becomes active at this time.
This is the time to take your time and let the natural rhythms of our body take over. a combination of three dried fruits crushed into powder is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine. The medicine contributes to the regular cleansing of the intestines and maintains the digestive tract in a healthy state. Triphala is recommended to be taken daily.
brush your teeth
It is said that chen is a bitter herb, especially useful for the oral cavity. Nowadays, there is a toothpaste on the market that contains bitter, tart and burning herbs. It is believed that the best help with dental cavities, as they soothe and often have an antibacterial and antiviral effect.
Scratch your tongue
To clean the tongue, a smooth tongue scraper made of gold, silver, red copper, pewter, yellow copper, or stainless steel is best. Scrapers are produced with a U-shaped profile. For maximum effect, it is best to hold both ends and clean the tongue several times, starting from the back and moving towards the front, each time freeing yourself from the collected material. Then rinse your mouth with clean water and spit out the contaminated water.
This procedure cleans and refreshes the mouth much more than just removing plaque. It also makes it possible to monitor the surface of the tongue and the thickness of the plaque on a daily basis.
If the plaque is thick, then it is better to take a simple, easily digestible food until the plaque disappears, because the plaque indicates the condition of the digestive tract and other organs of the body. Ideally, the plaque should be easily removed, leaving a pink, even tongue without coating, but it should not look rubbed.
If you don’t know what a healthy tongue looks like, then most young children have healthy tongues unless they have a cold, are on medication, or are sick. If your tongue does not look clean after the procedure, then you should consult an Ayurvedic specialist for simple ways to improve your health.
Drink a glass of warm water
It is good to drink water only after brushing your teeth and tongue – then you will not be able to swallow the bacteria that have multiplied overnight. Water helps to increase intestinal peristalsis, stimulating its movement.
Rinse your mouth with warm sesame oil
Rinse your mouth with warm oil made from unroasted sesame seeds to strengthen your jaw and voice, smooth your face, and fully experience the taste and pleasure of eating. The classical texts of Ayurveda say that this practice is good for the throat, lips, prevents cavities, strengthens the roots of the teeth, reduces enamel sensitivity and toothache, and helps to strengthen the teeth so that it becomes possible to chew even the hardest food.
Massage your gums with warm sesame oil
Ayurveda teaches us that if – the life force – circulates evenly in the body, then the blood will circulate evenly and deliver nutrients to the tissues and remove toxins from the tissues, which maintains the tissues in a healthy state. My periodontist seems to agree with this because he explained to me that the health of my teeth depends on the health of my gums. Massaging the gums with warm sesame oil also increases blood flow to the gums. If you have gum disease, you may want to try oil massage as this plant is considered antibacterial.
Apply a cooling balm to your eyes daily or splash with cool water
It’s best to have a balm recommended by an alternative medicine specialist, but anyone can enjoy splashing cool water into their eyes in the morning. The eyes have a lot of work to do during the day, especially in our computer age. Dr. Vasant Lad recommends regularly using a few drops of edible rose water or castor oil for each eye, and I have experienced the effects of this procedure myself, however, do not apply to the eyes without consulting a qualified doctor who knows you and your eyes. If you do not have the opportunity to consult a specialist or do not want to drip anything into your eyes, you can simply sprinkle your eyes with water to cool and refresh them.
Meditate
Ayurveda, Ammachi, Swami Sivananda, my own background, Christian and other religious traditions emphasize the early hours of the morning as the best time of the day to meditate, pray and gain true knowledge.
At this time, nature is serene, the mind is more calm and directed inward. The wee hours are filled with peace and quiet, which help balance the mind and freshen the senses. During these hours the seeds are planted for the formation of a new day, and as darkness gives way to light, the spiritual seeker uses this transformative quality to activate his inner quest on the path to enlightened awareness.
Saints of many traditions have taught us to meditate with love during this time. One of my teachers always said, “Don’t understand meditation as a burden. Always meditate with love.” These are secrets that lie much deeper than the seemingly obvious meaning. The obvious meaning here is that love and spiritual impulse bring us closer to the Divine, while doing (spiritual practice) as a chore can be perceived as little more than an exercise in mental concentration.
However, we will see that by approaching sadhana with love, we are also helping to improve our physical, mental and emotional state and change the format of negative patterns that may have formed in the womb or at the time of birth.
Meditation with a loving mindset will have a healing effect on that which predominates in the wee hours and at dawn, and the resulting relaxation will allow it to flow unhindered. similar in Chinese medicine and martial arts; it is well known in these worldview systems that cannot flow freely unless the practitioner or patient is relaxed. This also applies to the practice of yoga: if the yoga practitioner is not relaxed, he will not be able to pour out. Therefore, if we are tense and result-oriented or in a hurry during spiritual practice in the morning, then either we cannot flow freely, and this leads to disturbances in the body, mind or spirit, where it pours out. On the other hand, if we are so relaxed that we fall asleep at this time, then we awaken either the force of inertia in our life, which creates obstacles for the free flow
Chew aromatic herbs
Cardamom or mint is easy to get today. They can be well chewed and swallowed. The classical texts of Ayurveda say that this practice leads to increased clarity, enjoyment of life and food, and refreshes the mouth.
Exercise
Exercising, which causes profuse sweating and leads to exhaustion, is a product of the widespread “more is better” approach often prevalent in many modern cultures. It can be easily assumed that not much is going on when we watch a yogi slowly move from one posture to another or an energy worker who is not even sweating or panting. However, if we simply observe restorative yoga practitioners, or we find that they are in fairly good – sometimes very impressive – physical shape.
Ayurveda teaches that ideally you give yourself half of what you are capable of exercising; that is, you stop when sweat appears on the forehead, on the nose, in the armpits, in the joints of the limbs, and when the mouth begins to dry out. It is recommended for a physically strong person, during the cool season.
In all other cases, moderate exercise is considered optimal. The classic texts of Ayurveda describe in detail the problems resulting from prolonged exercise, including circulatory disorders, breathing difficulties and extreme thinness. Excessive exertion, along with insomnia, excess sex, laughter, conversation and other energetic efforts that consume excess, exhaust a person.
As a rule, for people with a constitution, it is better to exercise with tension. Weightlifting, mountain hiking, running and active forms of yoga help to awaken energy and stimulate people in a positive way. People are better off exercising in moderation. Swimming, brisk walking, moderate hiking and strenuous but moderate yoga are good choices. People whose constitutions are predominant will benefit most from gentle exercise, such as walking, gentle toning yoga, or
Abhyanga or self-massage with warm oil
One of the unique qualities of Ayurvedic medicine is the extensive use of oils for therapeutic purposes. – this is the lubrication of the body with warm, most often herbal oils. Although it is beyond the scope of this article to describe in detail which oils to apply and how to perform, it must be noted that this is a powerful medicine.
Apply nasya – nose oil
it is a vegetable or herbal oil that is either smeared on the inside of the nostrils or is inhaled through the nostrils. It is believed that it is useful for the head, face, hair, vision, smell, hearing, helps to relax the muscles of the neck, with headaches, paralysis of the facial nerve, spasm of the masticatory muscle, with rhinitis, migraine, tremor of the head, problems with veins, joints, ligaments and tendons of the skull. As a result of its application, the face becomes cheerful, the skin is smoothed, and the voice sounds melodious, firm and low.
The classics of Ayurveda advise us to protect ourselves from the wind and keep warm, eat well and control the senses when we practice. Specific methods of application are given, including descriptions of many medicines that have been boiled 100 times in pure rainwater, and the remaining decoction added to the same volume of goat’s milk, etc. Although many people cannot get all of the listed herbs or do not have time to prepare such a concentrate, warm oil from unroasted sesame seeds or herbal oil can be useful. Again, it would be wise to consult with your doctor to determine what is best for you.
Lubricate your ears with warm oil
Some people really like to put 10 drops of warm oil in their ears and leave it there for 10 minutes, while others prefer to simply moisten their little finger with warm sesame oil, lubricating the inside of the ear.
accumulates in the empty spaces of the body and is especially associated with the ears and hearing, therefore this practice helps to calm Vata, especially in the ears. It is also effective in ear disorders caused by aggravated Vata, such as tinnitus, hearing loss, and local tissue problems such as stiff neck, trigeminal neuralgia, and temporomandibular joint syndrome.
Lubricate the top of your head with warm oil
Experts advise moisturizing the head daily with warm (not hot) oil to prevent headaches, hair loss, graying or thinning hair, as well as to keep the senses in a cheerful state and for good sleep.
Foot massage
It is believed that rubbing warm oil on the feet, especially the soles, is not only beneficial for overworked legs, but is also very beneficial for the eyesight. In a common massage practice called reflexology, each area of the foot is associated with some organ or system of the body, and therefore the microsystem affects the body as a whole. Since daily full body deep massage is not always available for many people, we can benefit by massaging our feet daily.
Halfway
Udvartana is a body massage with soft fragrant powders. It is said to pacify Kapha, dissolve fatty tissue, make the body firm, dense and strong, and keep the skin in excellent condition.
Bath and personal care
Ayurveda experts point to the cleansing nature of bath procedures, they increase sexual desire, cause interest in life and a good appetite; relieve fatigue, cleanse the body of sweat and pollution, restore vital functions and strengthen immunity, give strength and courage. Bath procedures relieve itching, dirt, extreme fatigue, sweat, numbness, thirst, burning sensation and even sin. It is possible that this is an Ayurvedic version of the statement “purity borders on virtue.” Despite the high appreciation of bath procedures, Ayurvedic experts advise adhering to some recommendations:
– Pouring warm water on the body gives strength, but pouring warm water on the head causes the hair to lose strength and weakens the eyes.
– Contraindications for taking a bath: paralysis of the facial nerve, diseases of the eyes, mouth and ears, diarrhea, flatulence, purulent discharge from the nose, indigestion and taking a bath immediately after eating.
– In addition to taking a bath, you should trim your hair, nails and mustache, keep your feet, sinuses and body openings (ears, nose, eyes, feet, urethra and anus) cleansed of toxins to increase mental faculties, maintain purity and longevity.
– After the bath, use natural fragrances, such as essential oils from flowers or other parts of plants. They smell good, promote longevity, make you charming, nourish, give strength and teach you good manners.
– After you have oiled yourself, put on clean clothes that do not look extravagant, but are pleasant to look at. This practice makes you more charming, increases your reputation, lengthens your lifespan, eliminates adverse factors and brings pleasure.
– Wear in your amulet gems that affect you hymns and herbs.
– Wear jewelry made of precious stones to maintain – a subtle bodily substance responsible for immunity, as well as spiritual development. Gemstones enhance the strength of some planets and lessen the influence of others when recommended by a competent Jyotish (Vedic Astrology) master.
Wear your shoes
Just as foot massage can benefit vision, Ayurveda encourages you to wear shoes to benefit vision and tactile senses, as well as to protect your feet. It is also believed that shoes keep good energy and a healthy libido.
Put irritating drops in your eyes once a week
The need to cause eye irritation may seem strange, but there is a reason for this. The eyes contain a large amount of warming and transforming bodily force. can come to the rescue and protect the eye canals from possible heat damage. Then it becomes lethargic. If a strong tearing occurs in the eyes once a week, then it clears the eye canals. This procedure must be carried out under medical supervision. Drops are used only in the evening, because the eyes are weaker during the day, and their t is enhanced by exposure to the sun.
In the following articles, we will talk about the recommendations that Ayurveda gives for life in general, as well as the tiling (oiling) procedure, which seems somewhat exotic for our latitudes, but the effect of its application is difficult to overestimate.