An intro to dinacharya

daily practices

what is dinacharya?

In Sanskrit, din means ‘day’ and charya means ‘behaviour’ or ‘discipline’ so Dinacharya is the healing tools that we practice that make up our Ayurvedic daily routine. Through the dedication of this daily routine, we can live life in a more connected and more balanced state so that we can maximize our health and wellbeing. These daily tools help keep the body and mind in tip top shape so that may live to our upmost potential. 

Dinacharya offers us an in depth but doable schedule, outlining what time is the best to wake up and all of the wonderful to-do’s that follow that allow us to great each day with our most balanced self.

Examples include: bringing our body back into alkaline, morning routines like tongue scraping + oil pulling + Neti Pot, Nasya Oil, Abhyanga Self Massage, showering + bathing rituals followed by:

Movement practices, mantra, meditation, Pranayam (breathwork), when to eat, sleep, etc.

As with most Ayurvedic practices, your unique Dinacharya will vary according to your dosha constitution but we have outlined a Tridoshic (good for all 3 Doshas) Dinacharya that is practiced by most people. As you learn more about your Dosha, you will learn where you might want to make subtle changes.

Dinacharya - daily morning routine

These practices are best to do between the hours of 5-9am since we are practicing mirroring the awakening of the Sun in our lives. These early morning times are when we are most open and naturally welcoming for both self care and spiritual connection.

First practice is a short but potent gratitude practice, this happen when we first open our eyes before we even place out feet on the ground. Appreciation for the day ahead, the fact that the Sun rose for us and that we have clean air to breathe are all great things to be grateful for. This practice is yours so get creative with it.

Good Morning!

Head to the ole loo and do your thing. Wash your hands and then splash cool water over your face and eyes, this helps to awaken your senses for the practices ahead. Since you are most likely looking in the mirror, go ahead and give yourself a little self love. I’ll wait…<3

Tongue Scraping

Tongue Scraping

First thing before you brush + floss is glide over your tongue with your copper Tongue Scrapers anywhere from 5-10 light passes until your tongue appears clear. It’s quite shocking how handy this little tool is. Quick question just to make sure you understand how important this practice really is…would you eat your own poop? Our guess is probably not ha!

Well you know that white/yellow/grey (depending on your Doshic imbalance that shows up on your tongue in the morning after a good night’s rest? Don’t swallow that, it’s toxic waste (bad bacteria) chillin on your tongue left over from your undigested food.

When we sleep, our digestive system remains awake. If we don’t remove + scrape these toxins they get reabsorbed by the body and can cause a rollercoaster of harmful diseases + digestion issues + emotional imbalance and definitely a compromised immune system. This simple practice can help remove all those unwants. All you need to do is get your hands on a tongue scraper and use it everyday!

(We have wonderful copper ones in the shop you can purchase here)

First thing in the AM scrape your tongue from back to front and see the funk that comes off- wash it away and repeat a few more times. Rinse you’re scraper and head to the kitchen for a warm glass of lemon water to start your day.

What is Oil Pulling?

Maybe you’ve heard of an Ayurvedic oil pulling treatment, but you’re not sure what it means or how oil pulling works. Or maybe you’re wondering whether there is any actual benefit to putting oil in your mouth? Oil pulling grants us such health benefits as improving oral flora, preventing tooth decay, alleviating bad breath, and strengthening the tissue of teeth and gums. In addition to brushing your teeth, flossing, and scraping your tongue, oil pulling with sesame oil, coconut oil, or one of our specially formulated Daily Swish oils is a safe and effective bonus to a healthy oral hygiene routine. Both Western medicine and Ayurveda use the tongue as an important diagnostic tool, (a roadmap) indicating the fact that a healthy mouth and a healthy tongue is interrelated to the health of the entire body, supporting our oral hygiene is a benefit for our general health.

In fact, our mouths are host to over 600 different species of bacteria which populate the teeth, tongue, soft tissue of the cheeks and palates, and our tonsils. The oral cavity further adjoins the esophagus, nasal passages, sinuses, and the intricate ear cavities. So you can see why bad bacteria in the mouth is a big deal!

INSTRUCTIONS

* Start by putting 1 tablespoon of oil in your mouth.

* Swish and pull the oil in the mouth, moving it around both sides, and in front of, behind, and through the teeth.

* Continue the process for anywhere from 5-20 minutes, until the oil has become thin and whitish in color.

(You will want to work up to this time frame, but to start, try to swish for at least 5 minutes for best results.)

* Spit out the oil in the trash or toilet, rather than down the drain, to avoid clogging the drain. Do not swallow the oil.

* Rinse the mouth with warm water.

Warm water and lemon?

15 exciting examples of why drinking warm lemon water in the morning on an empty stomach

is one of the simple things you can add to your daily routine which has a large impact on your overall health.

This gorgeous fruit is a great source of vitamin C, vitamin A, beta-carotene, folate, calcium and potassium - just to name a few of incredible vitamins it contains. When you drink lemon water first thing in the morning, you’re bring your body back into alkaline and feeding your skin an important dose of vitamin folate. Found in all citrus fruits and juices, this vitamin helps to eliminate toxins from your body, helping to prevent acne and can even give your skin a natural glow.

Here are a few more amazing reasons we suggest adding morning lemon water to your daily routine.

*  As a rich source of vitamin C, lemon juice protects the body from Immune system deficiencies.

• Drinking lemon juice with warm water every morning helps in maintaining the pH balance of the body.

• With its powerful antibacterial properties, lemon juice helps fight infections

• Acts as a detoxifying agent.

• Helps with maintaining digestive health, preparing the digestive tract for the day

• Along with vitamin C, lemons are also a rich source of potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium etc.

• Helps fight the common cold

• Lemon juice with warm water helps us balance excess weight as it promotes digestion and increases the metabolic rate

• Lemon juice is also very effective at cleansing the liver as it promotes the liver to flush out toxins

• Lemon’s anti-inflammatory properties help in fighting respiratory tract infections, sore throat and inflammation of tonsils

• Lemon juice with warm water helps keep the body hydrated as it provides much loved electrolytes to the body

• Drinking lemon juice with warm water also helps reduce joint and muscle pain

• Lemon juice with warm water is good for your dental health as it helps with toothache and prevents gingivitis

• Lemon juice with warm water helps with digestion and hence, helps regulate natural bowel movement

The honest truth is that our bathroom habits and especially our stool

tells us a great deal about what we need in order to return to balance.

Ayurveda helps up to realize that digestive tract is usually the very place that imbalances begin in the body and because of this, our stools show us early warning signs that something is out of balance. Most of the time the imbalance is fairly minor at first, so it’s important that we stay on top of it.

When these imbalances are not addressed, they tend to make home in the digestive tract as a more stubborn and serious condition, or worse off, they manifest in other tissues and cause larger more long term disturbances. When we tend to the early indications, we take a proactive stance, we have the ability to quickly course-correct and heal ourselves.

It’s pretty radical what we can understand about ourselves by paying attention to our bowel habits and checking out the ole poo ha!

What Defines Healthy Elimination?

According to Ayurveda, healthy elimination occurs one to two times daily.

Balanced stools are typically:

well-formed, about the consistency of a ripe banana.

Are a light brownish to yellow color.

Tend to float.

Are a little oily.

Are not sticky; is easily cleaned and it doesn’t stick to the toilet.

Is only mild in odor.