It has been sixty-seven days since we are under lock-down. There is a sense of frustration hanging in the air and everyone must be now fed up. And who knows how long we have to live like this. Only time will tell. But as depressing and hopeless the world outside maybe, it is our job to counter it with recurrent waves of optimism and hope. It is vital to keep yourself positive and enthusiastic about life in general, because there is a strong connection between our emotions and our health. That is why, today I want to distract everybody from the ‘new normal’ and bring your attention to something which I have found really helpful in the last few months.

In 2016, to everyone’s surprise (including myself), I decided to pursue a diploma course in Yoga. Even I didn’t know how I was going to complete it as the course required me to rise at 5AM and attend classes at the center. A guy like me, who at one time in life slept at 5AM, was expected to rise at that time. Thankfully my father was a fellow student in the course; so it was he who made sure that I woke up on time and attended the course! It was tough for me for the first few weeks as I forced myself out of bed each morning. But little by little, I felt the changes in my body. My lethargy vanished and I began feeling fresh again! This in turn made me realize that I didn’t actually need the multiple cups of tea and coffee in office. My perspective about life in general changed too. I realized that my grandparents’ advice was true. It’s an old saying in Marathi, ‘लवकर निजे, लवकर उठे, तया आरोग्य आणि संपत्ति लाभे!’ Which means those who sleep early and rise early are blessed with health and wealth in life! I used to get confused as a child; how would I get rich if I slept early? It was during this Yoga course that I realized that the wealth my grandparents meant was not materialistic!

The Yoga course also involved extensive theoretical studies and I absolutely loved it! I fell in love with Yogic teachings and began studying them closely. Our family has always been a believer of Yoga and Ayurveda! My grandfather practiced Yoga effortlessly till his last days. He would get up at 5AM and practice Yogasanas every day, without fail! Sometimes when I had to wake up early for exams or a trip, I would observe him, performing Shirshasana and Sarvangasana among other difficult Asanas without the slightest of discomfort! This was one of the reasons why I took the Yoga diploma course. My mom and dad always emphasized more on Ayurvedic medicine whenever any of us fell ill. I never questioned the presence of Yoga and Ayurveda in our lives, but I was not aware of the actual benefits. When I took up the course, I studied and realized that Ayurveda is closely aligned with Yoga. Like every field of medicine, it has its own limitations; but when it comes to prevention of the lifestyle disorders, I strongly believe Ayurveda and Yoga combined can help prevent them!

That brings me to the main topic of today’s blog! Through studies of Yoga and Ayurvedic practices, I realized that my life, my routine needed a complete revamp! So I had decided at the start of this year to take up some good habits and give up those which I felt were harmful to me! This lock-down kind of came as a blessing in disguise for me because it allowed me more time to turn things around for myself. That is what I would like to share with you today! Just by altering a few things in your daily morning routine, you can bring positive energy into your life. It seems trivial at start; but in the long run, these small things make a hell lot of difference!

Ayurveda says we must start our day on a positive note, because it decides the course of your entire day. That is why Ayurveda has suggested certain routines that anyone can follow, which will ensure the necessary dose of positivity at the start of the day. They are called ‘Dinacharya’ or daily morning routines. Similarly, Ayurveda has a set of ‘Ratricharya’ or night routine and ‘Ritucharya’ or seasonal routine. For now let’s focus on the Dinacharya. I have been trying to implement few things myself. Of course it is difficult to change your old habits. So I do find it challenging. But eventually I’d love to implement this whole routine and see how it affects my health, both physical and mental.

So here is a ten-step morning routine advised in Ayurveda which you can follow.

• Rise With The World & Observe Yourself

Ayurveda suggests one should ideally rise circa 60-90 minutes before sunrise. Predawn is the ideal time for starting your day. The energy at this time is rejuvenating! I’ve observed this myself during my Yoga diploma days and later when I used to go running at this time. It is actually the best time of the day! The sun hasn’t risen yet. So the earth and surrounding is still pleasantly cold. There’s dew on the grass and the air is light! It’s the best time to practice yoga and meditate.

When you wake up, lie still in your bed without opening your eyes and access your body, especially your stomach. At first, you may not notice anything. But the communication will become two way soon and you will start receiving signals. If the food is digested, if you are hungry, if you feel some pain, not just in your belly but overall, notice this and mark it in your head. You may have to plan your intake accordingly. During the first hour of your day, try not to speak with anyone. This should be your ‘Me’ time to silently go about your business and plan your day!

• Thank The Earth

Step two of the Ayurvedic morning routine is something I’m sure many of us haven’t done before. Get out of the bed stand upright and bend down fully to touch the floor. Say a little thank you to mother earth. This is such a beautiful gesture! I realized after reading this that we hardly thank the earth for tolerating our species and all our shenanigans. If she decided, she will wipe us off like the dinosaurs before we can even say sorry! So if the first thought after waking up is of being thankful to her, we might make better choices in the rest of the day which will not cause her harm! 

The more scientific approach for following this practice is that when you bend down fully for touching the floor, it puts pressure on your stomach and helps in clearing your bowels. Also when you bend, your head goes below your heart which allows some more blood to flow to your head, giving you the first morning kick of freshness!

• Sip Some Water

Boil some water the night before and store it in a copper container. Keep this copper container near you while sleeping as this is the first thing you should consume upon rising. The quantity as described in Ayurveda is as much water as fits in the palm of your right hand. In Hindu tradition, taking a palmful of water from the right hand is known as ‘Achamana’. If you feel this practice is not hygienic, you can sip a small amount of water from the copper container.

This early morning Achamana is important to flush down the residual acids from your stomach. The water along with trace quantities of copper help dilute the acids and the collective pressure of this water and the acids helps draining the bowels.

• Clearing The Bowels

Now a lot of people do have a problem here. But according to Ayurveda, one should get the urge to clear the bowels as soon as one wakes up. If you don’t feel the urge, then try some exercise to contract your abdominal muscles. Don’t force it too much. If it hasn’t happened for years, it surely won’t happen in a day! But as you start following this routine, you will realise that after a few days, you do feel like clearing your stomach first thing in the morning. I read somewhere, one who goes in the toilet and comes out smiling within five minutes is the world’s happiest and luckiest person! And I couldn’t agree more!

• Cleansing The Face

Wash your hands first after the bowels are emptied. Then splash some cold water on your eyes and ears. Clear your nose and swish some water in your mouth. Then brush your teeth. Ayurveda says not to use anything which creates lather. Sadly all toothpastes in the market today form lather. Plus toothpastes have artificial sweeteners and many harmful chemicals! If you read the toothpaste label, it says children should use it under observation, should not swallow and only use a pea-sized amount. Imagine how we are poisoning ourselves every day, one brushful at a time. Tooth powder is the best alternative. Ayurveda tells that you should use your ring finger to massage your teeth and gums with tooth powder. And don’t forget to scrape your tongue!

• Sudarshan

Ayurveda suggests that when you complete you are done with cleaning and come out of the bathroom, you should look at something which makes you feel good. The next few steps of the routine are related to each other and meant to fill all your senses with positive energies first thing in the morning! ‘Su’ means good, ‘darshan’ means to see or view. This sacred object can be anything. For some, it can be an idol of a deity they worship; for some it might be a photo of a real life role model, like Sachin Tendulkar for an aspiring cricketer or A. R. Rahman for an aspiring musician. For others it could be their family members as well. Sudarshan and the steps of the routine hereafter are completely personal and each one can decide as per their own choices.

• Sugandha

After Sudarshan comes Sugandha, meaning good smell. The second sense which can be filled with a dose of positivity is the sense of smell. It could either be some fresh flowers from your terrace garden, it could be the sweet smell of soil. It could be an incense stick or a fragrance candle. Again the choice is personal. Whatever makes you feel good, make sure you include it in your daily morning routine!

• Sumukh

It is a normal habit for us to not consume anything until breakfast. But a little bite of something is essential and must be included as a part of this routine. A small tulsi leaf is an ideal thing to eat as part of the morning ritual. If you don’t have a tulsi plant, buy one. If you can’t buy one now, you have to make do with a few grains of sugar. This small intake of food informs your stomach that you are completely awake and ready to start your day. As soon as you put a small amount of sugar or tulsi in your mouth, your saliva starts secreting. Similarly your stomach starts preparing fresh acids for you! Hence, Sumukh is an essential step of the routine.

• Sukatha & Sushabd

If you observe the routine so far, there is nothing that you have to say or hum. So ideally while following all previous steps of the routine, you should not interact with anybody or utter anything. Ayurveda suggests that you should hum a prayer or a mantra. Chanting of Omkar is a best way to start your day. This doesn’t have to be a loud chant as the purpose is to hear what you say and not make someone else hear it. Sukatha means to utter something good and Sushabd means to hear something good. When you chant Omkar in a low voice, both these actions are fulfilled. If you don’t want to chant Omkar, you can choose a poem, a verse of your liking and say it first thing every day!

• Ready Set Go!

It might have taken you 10-15 minutes to read thus far and that is the time it should ideally take you to follow all the steps described in the morning routine so far! Feeling energized and refreshed by following all these things, you look can look at your own reflection in the mirror and end your morning ritual feeling good about yourself and the coming day! 

Now you are ready to do whatever you plan to do. Once you’ve got the first fifteen minutes right, you will realize that little by little the whole day starts falling in place. You may not achieve everything you plan to; but rather than being frustrated and agitated about it, the morning dose of optimism that you provide your mind by following this routine will enable you to respond to any difficulty in a positive way!

I hope I was able to keep you interested till the end! And I hope you find this helpful and it inspires you to follow Ayurveda and Yoga! I intend to throw more light on Ratricharya and Ritucharya in the following weeks! So stay tuned!

If you liked this article, please share it with your friends and family! You can let me know your feedback in the comments below! Wish you a great day ahead! Jai Hind!

Abhijeet Jog