This is an era where everyone is busy running after money. You work for over 60 hours a week, get panic attacks because of bulk work at the office, and your life always seems to be a mess. This disrupts your routine. It is not a healthy way of living. While emotional, spiritual, and physical health is connected, there should be a balance in all these three aspects. Your body needs to focus on inner development to attain peace from within.
According to the Ayurvedic approach, your physical and mental harmony should match nature’s rhythm; meaning, the rhythm that the sun and moon create should be in tandem to your lifestyle if you want to attain a level of holistic living.
1. Wake up before the sun rises
If you follow an Ayurvedic routine, waking up an hour before sunrise is a must. As the sun rises, its energy awakens life and stimulates your activities. But waking up late accumulates dosh pitta or fire in the body that stimulates anger, grumpiness, and lust. Ayurvedic experts suggest that you should get up by 4.30 am as that is the happiest time of your day. It is the time when your mind is peaceful, and all senses are fresh.
2. Drink a glass of room temperature water and then start your day
An Ayurvedic routine involves starting your day after drinking a glass of room temperature water. Water tends to cleanse your inner waste materials, and that is why you should drink at least 3 to 4 liters of water every day. Apart from water, Ayurveda also promotes using organic herbs as medicine. It doesn’t believe in antibiotics and advanced allopathic medicine that you usually take. The idea is to cleanse your mind and body from external pollutants. Ayurvedic herbs are often derived from roots, leaves, flowers, and fruits of trees that you normally don’t see around you.
3. You should time your meals according to the movement of the sun and moon
Start by having your breakfast between 6 and 8 am. That is the time when you can still make use of the moon’s energy. This not only gives a better taste to your breakfast but also eases your digestion. You should have a light breakfast so that it doesn’t use up much energy from your body. Hot herbal tea, dried fruits like dates, prunes, walnuts, and almonds are perfect. You can also try smoothies made from fresh fruits.
You should have your lunch at noon. That’s when the sun is at its peak. The fire energy from the sun digests the food quickly. Try to have a meal that consists of all six tastes – sour, salty, sweet, astringent, pungent, and bitter.
Dinner is not usually recommended in Ayurveda, but if you feel hungry, you can have a light supper at around 6 pm. But make sure you go to bed between 9 or 10 pm.
In addition to this routine, you should find at least half an hour in the morning, preferably between 7 to 10 am for moderate exercises. This improves your memory, creative and intellectual skills, and concentration levels.