When you get up in the morning, what dictates your every move? Your kids? Work? School? Truth be told, it probably shouldn’t be any of those things. It should be you…and what makes you whole and well. Granted, there will be days where life simply lays waste to your best-laid-plans. But generally speaking, taking control of your health begins with prioritizing your daily routine around habits and practices that best elevate your physical, mental, and spiritual state of being.
Dinacharya translates to the “law of nature,” which consists of positive daily structure. Routine brings order and balance to your life, helping reduce stress and giving you a solid foundation to take on everyday challenges with success and confidence. Your morning routine sets the rest of your day’s routine in motion. Here are some basics to consider:
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Wake Up Early
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Plant Your Feet Firmly On the Ground to Connect with the Earth
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Meditate/Focused Breathing
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Movement/Exercise
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Eat Well
As you carry on through your day, look inward to your biological clock. Not your baby clock, ladies. Your internal timing device that dictates your circadian rhythms, the physical, mental, and behavioral changes experienced in a daily cycle. That’s essentially science talk for why you might get drowsy around 3 p.m., consistently each day. Or, feel a snack coming on at 10:30 a.m. See, in addition to environmental factors (like light and dark) and social norms, your body is already predisposed to react certain ways at certain times of the day. Some seem universal, but others are inherently unique to you.
Understanding the nuances of your own biological clock can help you build a routine that leverages those daily changes to your advantage. Your dosha also plays a key role in identifying timeframes where you should be active or at rest.
Vata
Transitional times where you should be active:
2 a.m. - 6 a.m.
2 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Kapha
Transitional times where you should be active:
6 a.m. - 10 a.m.
6 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Pitta
Transitional times where you should be active:
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
10 p.m. - 2 a.m.
While order allows your body and mind to function at an optimal level, it also gives you permission to improvise and say yes to change because you are firmly grounded in a routine. So, don’t forget to have some fun and throw caution to the wind from time to time.
Your clock’s running, go enjoy. And make the most of your time.