Most people know what Yoga is, but not so much about Ayurveda. What you might not know, is that it is the sister science to Yoga. Ayurveda loosely translates to "life science". So it's safe to say if you're practicing Yoga, you should be practicing Ayurveda. They compliment each other nicely and with a few tweaks in your daily routine, you can find more energy, peace and balance among the chaos of modern life.
In my most recent newsletter, I spoke about how routine can help decrease Vata. We will say Vata is the King of all Doshas (and a big trouble maker too)! Vata governs the sensory organs (and the processing of that stimuli). In the routine below, I mapped out typical Ayurvedic self-care practices to help keep that trickster Vata at bay.
First, i'd like to encourage you to take all of this with a grain of salt. As my friend once said, "if you're trying too hard, then you're doing it wrong". So, start small, stay curious, and journal about the effects.
Early Morning Routine:
Wake with the Sun (Ideally before 6am)
Scrape the tongue (to improve digestion) and brush your teeth
Rinse the eyes with Rose Hydrosol (cool tap water is fine too)
Clear nasal passages using a neti pot, neti salt (blow your nose afterwards)
Lubricate nasal passages with Nasya oil
Sip warm water with fresh squeezed lemon and grated ginger (no honey!!)
Daily self-massage (Abhyanga) use coconut oil (for warm weather) or sesame oil (for cool weather)
Light Breakfast
Journal / meditation or spiritual practice
Late Morning / Early Afternoon Routine:
Between 6-10am include some type of movement or exercise (30mins)
10-2pm Eat your largest meal of the day
Late Afternoon / Early Evening Routine:
2-6pm Rest your senses (unplug to recharge)
Options: turn off your phone or any other electronic stimulation, go for a walk in nature, practice some breathing exercises, meditate, restorative yoga poses like legs up the wall, lie down with an eye covering for 5-20min
6-10pm Is a great time for another light workout, a light meal afterwards and bed time preparation
10-6am Ideally you're snuggled up in bed by 10pm so you can wake up around 6am to do it all over again! :)
I know this can be a lot at first. Remember to keep it simple, use what you already have around the house. If you're unsure of where to start, adapt the morning routine first. It doesn't have to be "all or nothing". Perhaps you start off by just waking with the sun, scraping your tongue and rinsing your eyes. Then see how you feel after a week. The following week, you add something else. Play around with it. The most important part here is to notice how you feel as you move through the routines. Notice any shifts of energy or mental clarity.
As always, let me know how it goes! Ask questions as they come up; I'm here for you!
Interested in picking up a morning routine bundle? Check this one out from Banyan Botanicals.