Ayus Ayurveda & Massage

   If anyone had told me in my early 20's that one day I would get up before 7, on purpose, and do an hours worth of wake-up rituals before breakfast, I would have laughed, and then reminded them never to call me before 10am. I was not what you would call a "morning person." 

Morning routines or Dinacharya as they are referred to in Ayurveda are many, individualized practices intended to get the body and mind awake, balanced and ready for the day. They include hygenic practices that you already perform, such as brushing teeth, washing the face and body and drinking water... but they also include some practices that are crucial to a balanced mind and body, such as mild yoga asanas and meditation.

This Blog is not intended to replace the advice of an Ayurvedic Practitioner or Yoga Teacher, but to peak your curiosity and give you the basics to begin an exploration of the dawn.

One of the main texts of Ayurvedic Medicine, The Charaka Samhita recommends the following to be done daily:

• Arise early in the morning.
• Drink a large glass of warm water.
• Wash your face.
• Scrape your tongue with tongue scraper (stimulates digestion and elimination).
• Brush your teeth.
• Evacuate bowels and bladder.
• Do 10-15 minutes of morning yoga and/or 15-30 minute brisk walk or exercise with nasal breath.
• Neti/Nasya Daily nasal washing and nasal oil application
  
• 5-10 minutes of breathing exercise (pranayama).
• 5-15 minute meditation or sit in silence.
• Enjoy your daily abhyanga (oil self-massage).
• Shower or Bathe
  
• Breakfast
  

Many of the clients I work with have high stress jobs and family obligations that keep them busy from Morning to night. So HOW on earth can they include all these things into an already packed day?

First thing to know is that not every practice is necessary for every person. Abhyanga self-massage is best for people who are dry, anxious or otherwise depleted. For those who are moist, strong or overweight, this therapy is not needed daily, but could be incorperated weekly, monthly or not at all!

Most of these activities are no-brainers and we do them every morning anyway. The difference is when we make the entire wake-up process into a conscious activity, a sadhana, or ritual practice. We brush our teeth and scrape our tongue with the understanding that we are preparing the mouth to eat and the lips and voice to speak. We wash our face and pay special attention to the eyes, washing out the eyes and looking in each direction to wake up the muscles.

The warm (or hot, depending on Dosha) water helps to stimulate your morning Elimination, which is central for starting a balanced day.

The part of all this that most people find hard to incorperate is the Yoga, Pranayama and Meditation. I can relate to this because as I said earlier...I am not a morning person.

This, however, is the irony: These practices although you might have to force yourself through the first few, are the best way to fall in love with the morning!

Busy parents of young children may feel that this is impossible, after all, it seems as though you have no time to yourself anyway, let alone a whole precious hour in the morning.

While I am not in your shoes, I would offer that there are a few solutions, should you desire to undertake them. First, observe the rhythems of your childs sleep cycles. What time do they usually wake in the am? Most young children seem to be budding Yogis, waking up already between 5-7am! Try to beat them by 30-60 minutes, if you can get 15 minutes of yoga and 15 minutes of mediation in before they awake, you will be more centered, patient and ready for them when they do!

The Morning Yoga practice need not be a Bikrim style 1.5 hour sweat session to be effective, but rather start with 15 minutes of sun salutations, or Surya Namaskar, as seen in this video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMT85LuV-_U

,to wake the body and prepare you for your precious minutes of meditation.

Meditation, itself, stirs in some images of the straight backed Yogis in deep trance, but if you are new, try closing your eyes, breathing gently, with awareness, and simply sitting, with yourself. Consider it a nice time to check in with an old friend. You.

These practices, at the core of the Ayurvedic lifestyle, have made me more focused, more awake, more motivated and more flexible in body and mind. Try it out for one week. Every day, just for a week and take note of  how you feel. I think you just may become a morning person. All it takes is the first thankful step out of your warm bed. You won't regret it.

If you would like to learn Pranayama, orNeti/nasya, if you are interested in implementing these practices, andfurther exploring the ayurvedic lifestyle, I recommend that you speak directly to a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner for detailed instructions. Please contact Andrea with questions, or for referrals to Practitioners in your area.

Om Shanti