Routine helps establish balance in one’s constitution. Therefore, a daily routine is necessary to bring about a radical change in body, mind, and consciousness. It also regularises a person’s biological clock, aids digestion, absorption and assimilation, and generates self-esteem, discipline, peace, happiness, and longevity. Establish your routine by following these Ayurvedic tips:
1. Arise early in the morning, preferably before sunrise. The mind will be peaceful, alert and the senses fresh.
2. Clean the face, mouth, and eyes—splash water on your face, massage the eyelids, blink the eyes and rotate them for few moments.
3. Brush your teeth with natural tooth powder or paste.
4. Clean the tongue with a tongue scraper made of copper or silver, not plastic. This procedure stimulates internal organs, helps digestion and removes dead bacteria.
5. Hold sesame or coconut oil in your mouth, and swish it around—preferably for 3-5 minutes— and then spit it out and gently massage the gums with your fingers. This strengthens the teeth, gums, and jaw and also helps remove wrinkles from your cheeks.
6. Apply herbal collyrium—eye drops—in the eyes.
7. Administer two drops of medicated oil into each nostril. This helps with lubrication, cleansing and enhancing mental clarity and improves vision.
8. Burning herbal medicines and inhaling the fumes helps treat and prevent the onset of diseases in the neck, throat, and head.
9. Drink a glass of room temperature water, it flushes out toxins and digestive waste and activates the system.
10. Gently massage the body, especially the head, ears, and feet with oil. This prevents baldness, greying of hair, can induce sound sleep and keeps the skin soft, supple and wrinkle-free.
11. Regular exercise such as yoga improves circulation and strength, promotes sound sleep, and improves digestion and elimination. Always exercise on an empty stomach, light snacks are fine.
12. After the exercise, sit quietly and do some deep breathing exercises—Pranayama—for about ten minutes.
13. Meditate morning and evening for at least 15 minutes. Meditation brings balance and peace into your life.
14. Take a bath with lukewarm water, cleansing yourself of sweat, dirt, and fatigue, bringing energy to the body and clarity of mind. No hot water on the head, no bath soon after eating, wait for 1-2 hours.
15. At breakfast, eat a small amount, but at the same time enough to get you through to lunch without needing a snack. Quantity may vary according to body type.
Aparna K. BAMS, MD, PhD
Aparna is one of the few specialists in the world with a PhD in Ayurveda. Born into an Ayurvedic family which operates a traditional Ayurvedic Panchakarma hospital in Kerala, India, she grew up observing her father, the renowned Dr. Padmanabhan
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