Modern Lifestyle & Ayurveda
Ayurveda is the art of daily living in harmony with the laws of nature. Ayurveda is a practical medical science which promotes perfect health through prevention and cures health problems by recommending lifestyle changes. This knowledge of daily living was discovered by our sages such as Charak, Sushrut, Sharangdhar, among several others through intensive meditation and passed on from generation to generation. These were compiled in the Vedic era more than 5,000 years ago and are followed today in India and even worldwide.
Ayurveda, hygiene, lifestyle and diet are crucial to good and sound health. To attain good health, Ayurveda prescribes the specific daily routine called ‘dinacharya’ and the seasonal regime ‘ritucharya.’ Everyday, two cycles of change pass through us, each bringing a Vata, Pitta, or Kapha predominance. One way to describe the daily cycle is in terms of the doshas, Vata, the air element; Pitta, the fire element; and Kapha, the water element.
Vata is dominant from 2 to 6 in the morning and afternoon. Kapha is dominant from 6 to 10 in the morning and evening and Pitta is dominant during mid-day and midnight.
Good Morning, it’s time to wake up: From 2 until 6, or until dawn, the Vata element is dominant. Sometime during this period before dawn, you should wake up. The ideal time to get up is about 2 hours before dawn, around 4:30 to 5 am. This is the time when there is utmost sattva or purity in the air. It is the most fresh and pure time of the day. Some exceptions to this rule of rising are the very young, the old, parents with small children, and the sick.
Elimination : Before you get off the bed, drink a couple of glasses of drinking water. It does sound odd, and perhaps nobody likes to do it, but do it you must: It helps cleanse the bowels well, something that keeps you fresh all day long. If you do not empty your colon and bladder early enough, you are slowly poisoning yourself and creating an opportunity for chronic conditions to arise. So let’s avoid that.
Exercise : Vyayama is the name for physical exercise. This early morning exercise removes stagnation in the body and mind, strengthens the digestive fire, reduces fat and gives you an overall feeling of lightness and fills your body with good Pranavayu or oxygen, and yes, of course, joy.
