Many people assume that anyone with an Ayurvedic practice spends an hour or two each day doing our “daily routine” or dinacharya activities. Dinacharya is the Ayurvedic term for a daily routine. I can tell you, I most certainly do not spend that much time. Would I love to spend all day giving myself an oil massage and practicing yoga? Sure, but that’s not my reality.
I’ll always come back to the idea that Ayurveda is about moderation and working with what you need and what is going to work for you. If it doesn’t fit into your life, you’re not going to do it. I’m going to go through some of my daily routine activities and you’ll see I often only do a few and I am perfectly happy with that.
To be completely clear, I have ZERO affiliation with Banyan Botanicals. I love their articles and I love their products so I often share them but I receive nothing from it.
Tongue Scraping:
Non negotiable and I do this every single morning as soon as I wake up. It takes less than a minute and in my opinion, should be just as natural as brushing your teeth! Once I tell people about it, I’m grossed out if they don’t do it. Just being honest!!! Our body naturally detoxes overnight and all the stuff it tries to get rid of ends up on our tongue, in our nose, in our eyes (eye boogers), etc. Once you see what comes off your tongue, you’ll forever tongue scrape. It’s straight up nasty and when you imagine it ending up back in your body, grosssss. I have shared a link about it because me sharing a video is kinda gross. You can find them on Amazon or any local pharmacy.
Oil Pulling:
This one I do not do daily, but a few times a week. This consists of swishing oil around your mouth for anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes and then spitting it out. It is believed to alleviate tooth decay, prevent bad breath, improves the healthy bacteria in our mouth, and overall improves teeth and gum health. I use plain coconut oil, sesame oil, or Daily Swish from Banyan Botanicals. I will put the oil in my mouth when I hop in the shower, switch the whole time, then spit it in the TRASH. Never ever put oil in any drain. It will clog it! Here is a great article on it. This is my favorite oil to pull!
Nasya (nose oil):
Typically I do this daily as it also takes less than a minute to do. This is an interesting one because traditionally you lie down, administer the drops in your nostrils, and let them sit for several minutes. For me, I’m often rushed so I’ll put a few drops in each nostril, sniff it up and squeeze, and go about my day. I love it for the drier months when my nose is crusty, raw, or dry. I always blow my nose first to remove the nasty boogers. Here is a great article.
Warm Water:
Warm water is non-negotiable for me. I ditched iced water a long time ago because it squashes your digestive fire and I need all the help I can get. That’s a topic for another day. But, after I tongue scrape, brush my teeth, and oil pull (if I do it), I have a glass of warm water (sometimes with lemon) before my coffee. Eight ounces is plenty. It kick starts your metabolism and keeps you regular, if you get my drift.
Abhyanga (oil massage):
This is a topic on it’s own but for now, I’ll share a super short tidbit. I wish I did this more, but I won’t lie and say I do. This happens every couple of weeks for me but my goal is weekly. This is an amazing practice. You literally take the time to massage yourself with oil and it’s divine. It helps with moisturizing your skin, circulation, digestion, nervous system issues, sleep issues, muscle weakness etc. When I do it, I use plain coconut oil or sesame oil. If I treat myself, I use a Vata oil from Banyan. Another cool article.
Meditation:
I will be completely transparent on this. I do not meditate. Why? Honestly, no excuse. I don’t know! I will say I’m working on it but I don’t currently do this nearly as much as I should.
Asana (what many know as yoga):
Every day. I do not do a full practice everyday though and you honestly do not have to. Some days I’ll move through some Sun Salutations and that is my practice. Other times, I’ll make up my own moves and just move in the way my body is craving. In yoga we would call that a “prana response”. Other times, it will be more structured. My goal is to move my body in some way other than when I’m teaching.
This could honestly be a book because there is so much you can do. I kept this short or I’d lose ya, trust me, I get it! If you have any questions, email me or reach out via IG. I’m happy to give some tips.
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