Balanced and Healthy daily routine or DINACHARYA

In all of creation there are no better and more powerful medicines, tools, techniques, methods etc. than to tune in with the rhythm and laws of Divine and Almighty Nature. That was boldly admitted by all holistic health Doctors and Practitioners.

To the extent that we tune our bodies, mind and spirit to nature’s master cycle, to that extent we can have optimally Wealthy, Healthy, Happy and Successful life. The Balanced and Healthy lifestyle daily routine recommends good hygiene, moderate exercise, healthy diet, efficient elimination of wastes and a positive mental outlook. This is the best and most sustainable and successful method for Stress management and “Successful Balanced and Healthy lifestyle program“. The word for Daily routine in the Sanskrit is Dinacharya, ‘Din’ means day and ‘charya’ means to follow or close to.

On every single day in nature there are two cycles of change: from 6am to 6pm and from 6pm to 6am. Within each cycle there are 4 hour periods that are dominated by air (Sanskrit: vata,), fire (Sanskrit: pitta) or earth (Sanskrit: kapha) energies. We also have vata, pitta and kapha energies within our bodies in various strengths and combinations, so it is good and a granted success if we can tune in to the Divine nature cycle with our own life activities and prevent activities that aggravate the cycle of vata, pitta, kapha.

First Cycle: 6am to 10am – Kapha, 10am to 2pm – Pitta, 2pm to 6pm – Vata
Second Cycle: 6pm to 10pm – Kapha, 10pm to 2am – Pitta, 2am to 6am – Vata

Therefore Dinacharya is basically an ideal daily schedule for us to follow, which analyzes the master cycles of nature and suggests optimal times for carrying out our daily routine. It is very helpful to follow Ayurveda daily routine or Dincharya in order to attain a healthy, happy and pleasant lifestyle. Ayurvedic Dincharya is one of the best things with which we can maintain our health at its best and stay balanced, prevent disease and remove almost any disease. According to Ayurvedic Doctors and Sages, Dinacharya is a stronger curative force than any other curative medicine.

Taking the above into account, to the extent that our daily routine comes closer to below written recommendations, to that extent we can expect healthy and successful life, better outlook, power, wealth and economic development, fame, beauty and sense enjoyment, knowledge, renunciation and noble duties.

After printing out, in the special place “_____” before each of the points, we can tick and write down which daily routine we will voluntary try to follow and to what extent. For example before point “Get up early; from 3am till 5am,” I can write down my present desirable level 4:45am.

Healthy daily routine or Dinacharya commentaries and notes

Before bed and Night sleep time
_____ Our Health and Supreme Success in life starts at the moment when we calm down from daytime activities, conclude the day and have a good, healthy and sound sleep – regeneration and rejuvenation for a new day.
_____ Sundown is the time for spiritual activities like prayers, meditation, spiritual reading etc. It is a special time of balance between night and day and it is a good time of the day for reflection between 10 and 100 min daily.
_____ Before going to bed sit on the floor or bed for a few minutes, take several deep and slow in and out breaths, or do pranayama in that mode, calm down the body, mind and soul.
_____ After breathing for a few minutes open your diary and tick off the work that you have completed, anything that has been left out or not completed add to another day and with gratitude say thanks to Supreme for this day. This will help to clear our mind and allow us to have a more peaceful and restful sleep.
_____ Bedtime before 10pm is ideal. In some special cases, when we are lacking sound sleep, it is recommended to go to sleep before 9pm.
_____ Sound sleep is recommended for mature, healthy people to last between 6-8 hours, depending on season, work specifications, tiredness, health, individual constitution etc.

Morning
_____ We will have more healthy sleep and morning, if we can get up peacefully by our inner-heart clock without external alarm-clock and other help.
_____ Get up early; from 3am till 5am, at least 2 hours before sunrise is recommended, if we can’t manage that, then we can try at least 30 minutes before. This is the time that vata is dominant, and it is the most fresh and pure time of the day, and it helps us to tune the body, mind and soul to nature.
_____ Don’t jump out of your bed as soon as you wake up. Take a moment or two to mentally identify your position on the bed, the room and the thoughts running through your mind. Touch and feel your body for a while and take two or three deep breaths before slowly getting up.
_____ Rinse the mouth, teeth, face, hands, feet, and then drink plenty of water in room temperature. Hot or cold water can stop our bowels and elimination and cause constipation. It is helpful to clean our bowels and eliminate the accumulated wastes before sunrise.
_____ The last portion of the night is being ruled by vata, which is involved in the process of elimination. Before dawn is the best time to eliminate the body’s physical waste.
_____ It is very unhealthy to suppress the 13 natural physical urges. If we suppress the natural physical urges as elimination, hunger, thirst, sleep, sneezing, yawning, vomiting, flatus and ejaculation, it leads to discomfort and in due course of time to indigestion, constipation, loss of sleep etc. and many other various diseases.
_____ Clean your teeth and scrape your tongue. Ayurveda considers a coating on our tongue an indication to toxins in the colon.
_____ Daily self massage with oil (coconut oil has cooling, sesame oil – neutral, mustard oil – heating effect on the body) from up to down of our body: our scalp, forehead, temples, hands and feet on average for 5 – 10 minutes. The oil massage makes the skin supple, balance vata by reducing its cold, dry, light, rough and erratic qualities, enhances blood circulation, encourages quicker removal of metabolic wastes and relaxes the body. Body massage is one of the best ways to prevent aging and develop immune system and flexibility in the body and mind.
_____ Bathe in comfortably warm water and purify your body’s 10 sense organs. Cold water bath shakes the body and increases stress level in the body, mind and spirit, warm (not too hot, not too cold) water bath positively energizes, comfortably hot water bath relaxes and makes us sluggish.
_____ Put two or three drops of Ghee or sesame oil in each nostril (nose) and then frankly massage with finger each nostril to purify the sinuses and the sense of smell.
_____ It is always recommended to wear neat, clean and fresh clothes, at least underwear.
_____ Do some brief yoga asanas, pranayama, exercise, aerobics, walking, swimming, stretching, breathing exercise etc. like Surya Namaskar. Regular daily exercises increase the body’s stamina and resistance to diseases by facilitating the immune system, clearing all channels, promoting circulation and elimination processes and destroying unhealthy fat. The early morning exercise removes stagnation in the body and mind, strengthens the digestive fire and gives an overall feeling of lightness and joy as it fills the body with good prana. Exercise should be done moderately, as too heavy, too aggressive and too much exercise aggravates vata resulting in imbalance. Doctors recommend 30 – 40 minutes exercise daily for Health Maintenance. It can be done in one run or divided 10-30 min morning, 10-30 min evening. It can be done before, after or/and in middle of spiritual activities.
_____ Time for Spiritual, Transcendental and Religious practices like meditations, prayers, chanting of Holy names, Deity Worship, reading of spiritual scriptures etc. up to 1-3 hours, but at least for 15 minutes. These activities are ideal for disciplining the body and mind and removing stress and strain. These activities help in satisfying the mind’s hunger, control desire and are the key to longevity and immortality. Daily transcendental activities help in maintaining health of the body, mind and soul. It increases the general awareness, provides clarity to the thoughts.

Breakfast
_____ Drink 1-2 glasses of warm water around one hour before and one hour after each meal. This will help to get freshness and new energy, help the digestion and metabolic processes and stimulate our bowels to move.
_____ Directly before and after every meal rinse your hands, face, eyes, nose, ears, mouth, teeth, gargle throat and rinse your feet. If it is possible, rinse your legs up to the knees, and your arms up to the elbows.
_____ Eat breakfast consisting of a diet balanced according to your personal requirements.
_____ Make it a habit to pass urine after each meal. This will help you to have a more peaceful and productive time after your meals.
_____ Please do not start your work or business activities, event planning, etc. before breakfast. After breakfast health peacefully calms down.
_____ Then it is helpful at least for 5 minutes to plan our day in our diary, prioritize our work load etc.

Employment
_____ Since work consumes at least one-third part of our lives and success or failure in our profession affects self-confidence, self-worth, it is important that the nature of our work match well with our natural nature or prakriti.

Noon or midday
_____ Best time to eat lunch is between 12 noon and 1pm as this is the peak Pitta period and Pitta is responsible for digestion. Ayurveda recommends that lunch should be the largest meal of the day. Try to eat fresh food and make an effort to eat consciously, concentrate on how the food tastes and on fully chewing your food up to 30 times.
_____ After the meal it is healthy to take a short walk to aid digestion for 5-10 min or at least 100 steps.

Evening
_____ 6pm – If we do physical type of work, it is a healthy recommendation to spend at least 20 minutes doing relaxing yoga or meditation. If our work is not physical then at least 20 minutes physical yoga, exercise etc. would be beneficial.
_____ Evening meal is recommended to be lighter than lunch and be taken before sunset, the latest before 7pm or/and at least three hours before bedtime, as it gives the body ample time to digest the food. Sleeping just after the dinner with a heavy stomach is not conducive to our health, digestion process, sound sleep etc. and increase unnecessary sensual and sexual desires.
_____ Many have the habit to take only hot milk for dinner or to have no dinner at all, especially the transcendental practitioners, as the dinner is sometimes interfering with our spiritual practice, meditation etc.
_____ After the meal it is healthy to take a short walk to aid digestion for 5-10 min or at least 100 steps.
_____ Sundown is the time for spiritual activities, like prayers, meditation, spiritual reading etc. It is a special time of balance between night and day and is a good time of the day for reflection between 10 and 100 min daily.

Night sleep
_____ Taking a glass of comfortably hot milk (but not so hot as to burn our tongue) with cardamom, black pepper or ginger 10-15 minutes before sleep improves and deepens sound sleep. In poor health conditions it can be diluted with water up to 10% milk and 90% water.
_____ Before going to bed or just before sleep it is healthy to wash the hands, feet and face, as it improves and deepens sound sleep.
_____ Before going to bed sit on the floor or bed for a few minutes, take several deep and slow in and out breaths, or pranayama in that mode, calm down the body, mind and soul.
_____ After breathing for a few minutes open your diary and tick off the work which you have completed, anything that has been left out or not completed add to another day and with gratitude say thanks to the Supreme for this day. This will help to clear our mind and allow us a more peaceful and restful sleep.
_____ It is good to massage the soles of the feet with oil before going to bed, particularly if we have: no sound sleep, disturbed sleep, dreams etc. This will calm the system, give mental relaxation and promote well-being.
_____ Before sleep it is good to thank the Supreme for giving and providing everything we have in our life. It is also a good practice to stay mentally happy and healthy.
_____ To fall in sound sleep before 8pm is ideal, 9pm is good, 10pm is good enough, if we are strong and our health is still quite good. In some special cases, when we are lacking sound sleep, it is recommended to go to sleep even before 6 or 7pm. “Early to bed, early to rise, makes one healthy, wealthy and wise,” an English proverb recommends us.
_____ Night is the natural time to sleep, and mid-day naps are not recommended to be more than 15 minutes long, except for the very young, very old, very weak and intoxicated, diseased, exhausted or traumatized people.
_____ Sleeping on the right side is the most relaxing and good for yoga. On the left, it is most conducive to digestion and increases body temperature, interest in food, sleep and sense gratification. Sleeping on the back indirectly and on the stomach directly encourages disease. Sleeping with crown of the head facing east or north and feet into the west or south promotes the best relaxation, rejuvenation, meditative and healthy sleep.
_____ Sound sleep is recommended for mature, healthy people to last between 6-8 hours, depending on season, work specifications, tiredness, health, individual constitution etc.

This Daily Routine is one of the most influential in our offered “Successful Balanced and Healthy lifestyle program“.

The material in this article is based on Ayurvedic Dr. Liladhar Gupta lecture cycle “Self Healing class” [Listen or/and download] and His website: www.AyurvedaAsItIs.com. It is also based on Ayurveda professionals Dr. Vasant Lad, Dr. Sunil V.Joshin, Dr. Nanasaheb Memane recommendations and other resources.

Download this “Balanced and Healthy daily routine or DINACHARYA” in doc format here.

Your ever well-wisher with love and encouragement BVG Janaka das
10 July 2013, https://bhls.wordpress.com