Timing is essential for total health and there can be no two ways about that! There are innumerable benefits to keeping our daily routine in sync with Nature’s rhythms as we read in a previous issue of Vaidya’s newsletter. Being aware of the cycles of time that keep life going around us can make things much easier in our days, because when we are in-tune with our environment the functioning of our bodies on all levels – physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual – is optimal. Why? Our bodies are made of the same materials that the environment we live in is made up of. The same energies that go into the making of the trees, the sky and the creatures that co-habit this planet also make up our bodies. As such, our bodies function optimally under specific circumstances rather than others. The SVA tradition explains the benefits of a specific daily routine protocol that has its basis in the vedic recommendations but that also addresses our modern daily needs. These are recommendations that can help improve your life overall. But remember: if it is not possible for you to stick by one or any of the recommendations due to specific conditions in your life, then stressing out to make changes can actually have the adverse effect! It is always good to know what the ideal we are all working towards is, without having to punish ourselves for not being able to live up to that ideal when it is not possible to do so…
Waking-up and sleeping on timeI
Wake up an hour and a half before sunrise – only IF you went to bed early enough (by 9pm at the latest!). Just forcing ourselves to wake up early to do our morning yogic practice is of no avail if we have not allowed our physiology enough deep rest in a daily cycle. It won’t work! You’ll be groggy, tired, and fall back asleep the minute you settle down into a slower physical activity, even while driving your car to work!
Why is it recommended to sleep early? Each day goes into specific energetic cycles (of Soma, Agni, and Marut) based on the motion of the Sun as well as on the seasonal differences that impact our climate depending on our geographic location. Nature is very systematic in terms of supporting our activities at different and distinct times of the day rather than at others. For example, it is always best to eat a nourishing full lunch meal between 11:30am and 1pm (latest) because this is when the Agni energy is at its peak in our environment and therefore in our bodies. We need peak Agni activity in our stomach and tissues to digest, metabolize, and absorb our meals to the fullest with no side-effects (i.e, toxic build-up). In The same manner, Soma energy is at its peak in the evening time, from about 6-9:45 pm. When we go to bed preferably by 9pm, our physiology goes into rest mode during a peak Soma time and therefore carries that Soma quality into the rest of our sleeping hours. As a result our physiology gets rejuvenated on a much deeper level and when we wake up in the morning we will feel much more refreshed. If you have a hard time falling asleep by 9pm, it is recommended that you start slowing down your evening and reducing EMF exposure and otherwise exciting activities (loud music or TV, intense stressful work-out or intellectual activity, etc). lowering the lights and the volume, doing a gentle peaceful activity (Marma massage) that will be soothing to the heart and the body, you will notice that you will start to yawn by about 8pm, and your body is then ready to hit the sack for a good night’s rest!
What’s Next?
Let’s say you slept by 9pm and woke up by 5:30am. What’s next? If you ate your meals on time the previous day, then chances are you will get the urge the discharge your bowels. When this happens before sunrise, it is great news! After the sun rises, the body’s Agni functions go high and absorption increases. When there are residual toxins (in the form of fecal matter or other) in your physiology, these will get inevitably re-absorbed into your physiology, and we don’t want that! Click here to watch Vaidya discuss this.
If you don’t get the urge to have bowel movement first thing in the morning, then no stress, just move on to the next item that may actually help you: eating a delicious dish of stewed fruits. This is a classic SVA recommendation that Vaidya has been guiding people with for the past 20 years.
Stew your fruits!
Why stewed fruits first thing in the morning? When we wake up after 6-8 hours of sleep/rest, our physiology is in a state of quasi-stupor. It has been running on “save mode” for the past several hours and needs to be slowly re-animated to run at full speed. And this is particularly true of our digestive system. Vaidya gives the image of slumbering embers, after the fire was used the previous day to cook full meals, it was abated at night but not quite fully put out. If we move the layer of ash on the top surface, you can see sparkling little embers still ignited and keeping some warmth going. You then have to stoke the fire, feed it, and let it grow to its proper dimensions again. This is what the morning stewed fruit does. Fruits in general are considered to be very high in Soma and to therefore need very good metabolic fire or Agni to be fully digested. But when you gently cook the fruit, you infuse Agni into it, you also make it easier to digest, plus when you add 2-3 cloves while cooking, you also infuse another Agni Vardana (agni enhancing) spice that also pacifies Pitta dosha and opens circulatory channels to discharge accumulated Pitta and gets things moving again. This is the magic of clove compliments of ayurvedic knowlege! And then you’ll experience the magic of stewed fruits (preferably apples or pears only) with clove.
Morning Massage
By this point, if you have not yet had a bowel movement you can move on to the next step and do a quick morning Abhyanga massage. An Abhyanga massage is usually done with an oil that is infused with specific herbal extracts and aromas. The function of an Abhyanga massage and its benefits are countless, but put in a nutshell, ayurvedic oil massages rejuvenate through the skin, re-invigorate by enhancing circulation again in the morning, and aid in the discharge of toxic built-up resulting from the night of sleep. It is recommended to do a quick massage with circular motion on the joints and outward long movements on the limbs. You can leave the oil on for about 10 minutes and then hop into the shower.
By this point, if you still have not had a bowel movement, you do not stress out, as stressing out about it will only delay it further! The mind and the gut have a very intimate relationship, and while you can train your gut to discharge in the mornings by following a good routine during the previous day, nothing works better for bringing about constipation than a worried mind! So when bowel movements are not occurring when they are supposed to, we do not mind, we keep going about our business of maintain the daily routine, ignoring the delay! Drinking warm water with some fresh squeezed lime in it can also help with the process.
Time to Eat
After your shower and the morning stewed fruits, Pitta dosha is under balance, channels are open and flowing energy again, so this is the best time to do a yogic practice or to connect with the spiritual within. Whether prayer or meditation or contemplation. By this point it is probably about 6:30am. By 7 or 7:30am you are ready to start your day. You will start to feel hungry as well. For something a little more nourishing. This is the time to have your oatmeal (with or without milk as you prefer) with a natural sweetener. If oatmeal is too heavy, then Vaidya recommends a savory quinoa flake Upma. (Recipe in the right column). At this point you can also prep for your early morning protein snack that will consists of a thin dahl (masoor, mung, or French lentils). The early morning protein snack is to be consumed around 10am lastest ideally, otherwise it will interfere with your appetite for lunch which will then interfere with the rest of your daily routine! If your Pitta dosha is out of balance and you are experiencing sharp hunger pangs between 10am and 12pm, you can have a fresh sweet juicy pear regardless of the season. If pears are not available, you can go for some soaked raisins.
Lunch should be consumed between 11:30am-1pm latest. You will feel that when you eat an earlier lunch you will have more and better energy to keep on working through the afternoon as the meal will get digested better. A balanced lunch will consist of at least one green vegetable dish, one protein dish, one grain dish, some bread (preferably yeast free flat breads), and some fresh yogurt.
When lunch is consumed at the right time, by 3pm a little craving for something to snack on will be there! This is a good time to have a sweet juicy raw fruit that will pacify the Pitta and Vata doshas during hot summer weather, or you can have a handful of soaked nuts (almonds, walnuts) and soaked raisins or dates during colder weather. Soaking makes it more easily digestible for the stomach, reducing the sugar content.
Winding it down
As the day winds down, we have what the Vedic Shastras call the second Sandhi of the day. A Sandhi is a transitional point, also known as a gap because it is exactly that, a, interim state in-between two states. This happens once in the morning, when the sun is breaking, and night is giving place to day, and the air is fully and magically charged with Prana. In the evening, the same happens in reverse mode, as the activities of the day slowly give place to the quiet of the darkness coming on as the sun sets. These Sandhi times are the best times to do your yogic practice. That is why it is advisable to wake up before sunrise and to prep yourself with shower etc and be ready for when the Sandhi arrives. In the evening, as the sun is setting, we sit down to gather ourselves again and signal the end of a day of activity to our physiologies. After yogic practice, we eat a nourishing but lighter dinner, perhaps ideally a kicheri, with enough protein and well-balanced spice-wise but not too much pungent, specially for people with high Pitta constitution, so that we can have a nourishing Somagenic sleep.
Soft pleasing activities to the heart and mind to conclude our day so that we can let go fully and replenish our physiologies for another day of blissful activity…
