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Daily Regime (Dinacharya)

Daily Regime (Dinacharya)
By Shanti Gowans
The Vedic disciplines of Ayurveda (which means the science of life) and Yoga (which means unity), have served humanity for thousands of years.

Preserving the health of a healthy individual and treating the diseased has been the aim of Ayurveda.

Ayurvedic theory is both organic and sophisticated. It unpacks the energetic perspective of what causes imbalances and engenders disease.

Recognising the relationship of those habits which court disease is only half of the equation. Updating habits in real time is the crux and strategy of habit evolution.

According to Ayurveda, certain rituals help us maintain high energy levels and keep the body cleansed.

Dinacharya in Ayurveda plays an important role – dina means ‘day’ and charya means ‘to follow a routine.’  By combining this principle of daily routine with mindful food choices, we can improve the health of hair, skin and nails to radiate our natural outer beauty from within. In Ayurveda, the actions in a healthy daily routine, dinacaryā, are heavily weighted towards the morning cleanse and, among other things, involve giving attention to each of the five sense organs, namely, the nostrils, the tongue, the eyes, the ears and the skin. There are mysterious and scientific reasons for this. For starters, from a certain perspective, what we perceive through our senses adds up to what we know. Therefore, it behooves us to both cleanse our sense organs and refine our ability to sense.
Circadian Rhythms are daily cycles of biological activity based on a 24-hour period and influenced by regular variations in the environment, such as the alternation of night and day.

Circadian rhythms can influence sleep-wake cycles, hormone release, body temperature, and other important bodily functions. They have been linked to various sleep disorders, such as insomnia. Abnormal circadian rhythms have also been associated with obesity, diabetes, depression, bipolar disorder and seasonal affective disorder.

The importance of maintaining your circadian rhythms is well indicated by facts such as World Health Organisation’s recognition of night shifts as a possible cause of cancer. Research also shows how the times at which we eat contribute to the disruption of our circadian rhythms.

If we pay attention to our cycles then we see bio rhythms influence who we are. If we are in alignment with the rhythms then we experience life more deeply and with attunement. If we ignore them, we are out of step. So much of health arises from living in rhythm.

What would your life be like if you were in rhythm?

The reality is that the more we are in rhythm, the more we are in alignment, the more energy passes through us, the more vibrant, joyful, connected, vibrant and abundant we feel.

Long before any of these studies were conducted and discoveries were made, ancient sciences talked about these rhythms, about balance and synchronicity with nature, about being in alignment with oneself.

Through disciplined sleep routines, prescribed eating, cleansing, self-care practices and recommended exercise, Ayurveda and Yoga provide you with several tools to balance and restore your circadian rhythms.

The sister sciences of Yoga and Ayurveda delved into these unseen, intangible territories which open into a far “up-levelled” experience of wellbeing, and yet, they were always rooted in the very physical, daily, and practical aspects of life.

Align your sleep schedule with the Ayurvedic clock.

Wake an hour and a half before sunrise, between 4-6am, and go to bed by 10pm.

Conforming with the Ayurvedic clock can be challenging at first, especially if you are required to work later in the night. Just do the best you can, and allow yourself to ease into a new schedule. If you tend to go to bed between 12-1am, try 11:30pm, 11pm, and then 10:30pm over the duration of a few weeks or months.

The results will be amazing. You may be surprised to discover how easily the body will adjust to a new schedule once a pattern is repeated enough times, and you may be equally surprised by how much better you feel.

Your body is like a machine with its activities scheduled directly, and influenced by sunlight. However, people are able to accomplish more work late at night because of artificial lighting and flexible working hours. Unfortunately, this compromises the body’s maintenance routine and impacts your ability to properly digest food, repair cells, generate new ones and clear out toxins. The liver is most active between 10pm and 2am and requires us to be in a sleep state for optimal functioning.

Eat according to the Ayurvedic clock.

In Ayurveda, the digestive force is known as Agni. THis digestive fire is directly aligned with the sun’s daily course.

Ideally true hunger will arise between 6-8am, 10am-2pm and 5-8pm, though you may need to introduce these new mealtimes first in order to balance Agni such that hunger aligns with the universe’s clock. When Agni is weak, a person will feel hungry less frequently, or may experience hunger at less opportune times for digestion, such as late at night when the liver’s fire ignites. This is often confused as ‘time to eat’ when we are awake, instead of ‘time to detox,’ which is what should be happening.

The Ayurvedic clock is naturally expressed by your body’s needs when you create space for it with your sleeping and eating routines. Once aligned with this clock, you will find that any other schedule feels unnatural.

Compose your meals Ayurvedically

Every individual’s constitution is different when it comes to specific food choices, however, certain rules apply to everybody. Composing your meals wisely throughout the day ensures that you receive the best possible nourishment, digest food properly and fuel yourself with energy when it is most needed.

Whole, organic foods are recommended for the high quality nutrients they contain, and cooked foods are recommended for ease of digestion.

Snacking is generally ill-advised. Meals should be nutritionally dense and sized to fuel you to the next one; however, you should never ignore true hunger. When true hunger arises in-between meals, snack wisely: try dates, raisins, nuts or seeds.

Daily self massage

A regular practice of self-abhyanga, or oil massage, in conjunction with at least one monthly synchronised abhyanga therapy by a qualified Panchakarma Practitioner is recommended to nourish the skin, firm the muscles, calm the nerves, improve circulation and assist in the elimination of toxins.

Leaky Gut

Leaky Gut by Shanti Gowans
The most common Ayurvedic prescription in India today is a gentle but powerful herbal gut-healer called triphala. With origins dating back 6,000 years, Ayurvedic medicine’s ancient healers have understood the importance of the gut or millenea. And they are right. Most medical disorders can be traced back to your gut.

If you don’t keep your gut healthy, you could end up with a condition called ‘Leaky Gut Syndrome’, which can cause many chronic diseases… serious health issues, such as celiac disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, cancer, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, arthritis, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue.

Sadly, Western medicine barely recognises Leaky Gut Syndrome, even though it afflicts millions of people.

A leaky gut can be the source of real discomfort. It often goes hand in hand with multiple allergies, as well as asthma, eczema, headaches, sinusitis, gas, bloating, gastroenteritis and inflammatory bowel disease.

Here is how it happens:

The lining of your gut is similar to a fine net, built of just a single layer of cells. It is this barrier that keeps food in your digestive system until it can be broken down safely.

If your gut is healthy, tiny holes in the lining allow nutrients to pass through. This is how your body absorbs vitamins, minerals and other vital nutrients..

The problem is, the modern world is hostile to your gut. Antibiotics, steroids and other prescription drugs wipe out the delicate gut microflora in your small intestine. These are the good guys you need to crowd out the “bad bacteria.”

Additionally, and to compound matters, making it worse, a western diet of processed starches, sugars and food additives, such as emulsifiers, feed bad bacteria and break down the integrity of these tiny intestinal holes.

When you have a leaky gut, these tiny holes become misshapen and enlarge.

Large undigested food molecules, yeasts, bacteria, toxins and invading pathogens can now flow freely into your bloodstream and damage your body.

If you have allergies, it may be a sign that you have a leaky gut…

Your body treats all that “sewage” as foreign invaders. Gradually, you develop reactions to foods such as milk, cheese, nuts, grains, eggs, and more.

Now, every time you eat these foods, your body launches an immune reaction. This leads to chronic inflammation throughout your body, the root of all chronic disease.

But Ayurvedic doctors know exactly how to treat a leaky gut, as well as the diseases and conditions that spring from it. The first choice of medication is a herbal remedy called ‘triphala’. It is named from two Sanskrit words that literally mean ‘three fruits’. Triphala is made by blending the dried and powdered rinds and flesh of amlaki (or Indian gooseberry), haritaki (from the terminalia tree) and bibhitaki (from the bahera tree).

This combination forms a powerful gastric healer and acts as a gentle, safe and highly effective detoxifier for the intestine, colon, blood and liver, and an ancient intervention for constipation.

It is packed with antioxidants such as gallic, ellagic and chebulinic acids, as well as flavonoids and polyphenols with potent antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antidiarrheal properties. And it is rich in vitamin C.

Ayurvedic doctors prescribe it for almost everything gut related and more, from constipation and indigestion to gastroenteritis to cardiovascular disease, mental health conditions, liver and pancreatic disorders and cancer. (A study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute confirms that triphala prevents and slows the growth of pancreatic cancer tumors. Studies also confirm triphala can repair the large intestinal holes caused by Leaky Gut Syndrome. It tightens your gut wall and rebalances intestinal mucus, which is key to protecting you from further intestinal attacks).

You can buy triphala powder from Shanti Yoga Health Institute Australia, and simply prepare a soothing cuop of triphala tea.
* Add ½ teaspoon of triphala powder into a cup of hot water.
* Taken on its own, it can taste very bitter. Try adding a little rice malt/maple syrup and ghee (Indian clarified butter) to the mix.
* Always take triphala on an empty stomach before meals or at bedtime.
Triphala can also be purchased as a supplement in tablet form or as a liquid extract.

Yoga Posture – Shoulder Bridge

Shoulder Bridge, in Sanskrit known as DVI PADA PITHAM or SETU BANDA ASANA is a  relatively easy supine backbend because the head, neck and top edges of the shoulders remain on the floor while the knees are flexed with the feet also flat on the floor.

• Strengthens any weak muscles in your lumbar region.

• Increases the suppleness of your spine.

• Strengthens your arms and wrists.

• Massages and tones your adrenal glands and kidneys.

• Gives you a feeling of vitality.

1. Lie flat on your back with both your knees bent. Hold your ankles.

2. Breathing in, press down on the balls of your feet, squeeze your buttocks

and raise them. Keep your head on the floor, without straining your neck.

3. Arch your spine up as high as possible. Breathe freely.

4. If necessary, support your back with your hands, and hold the pose for 5

to 10 breaths.

5. Breathing out, lower your spine, vertebra by vertebra.

6. Relax and rest.

Extract from Shanti Gowans’ book HATHA YOGA FOR BODY MIND SPIRIT

Heart Health