Dinacharya… what is it?
One of the many beautiful, lovely and amazing things about ayurveda is this concept of dinacarya. Dinacharya is a Sanskrit term that translates to daily practices. These daily practices fall under a larger category of Ayurveda called Svasthvrtta- The Science of Prevention. The goal of svasthvrtta is to preserve and maintain the health of a healthy person. There are three different facets of preventive science but for the sake of not overwhelming you with too many things all at once, I’ll focus just on dinacharya. Also, to be honest, I think dinacharya is super fun to have in my life and it has been SUCH a game changer in my day to day life!
Wooden toothbrushes in a glass jar, waiting to clean your pearly whites!
Our daily routines really should aid us, not drain us! There are some really basic ones here that we all likely do, right? These include brushing our teeth, having a ‘clear’ bowel movement within a few hours of waking and this also includes exercise, when to exercise, how much to exercise…. Dinacharya also includes oil massages. Oil massages, or abhyanga are the hallmark of Ayurveda… if you are at all familiar with Ayurveda, some other things I consider to be hallmark: CCF tea and warm/cooked meals. I will do a whole explanation of the amazing benefits of abhyanga in another post, but just know 1) it is amazing and 2) as long as it is meant for your body constitution (prakriti), you will likely find it amazing too!
Okay, I got a little distracted there. But the point is that there are certain things we want to do everyday and with those certain things…. We also want to engage in them at intentional times with the natural world around us so that we are best equipped to weather all the chaos of the society around us!
A few teasers to get you really thinking about your day to day patterning…
What are the natural cycles around you?
Is your routine based on the natural cycles around you?
If not, can you make small (or large) changes to flow more naturally?
What are some of these changes (you don’t have to commit to doing any of them right away, just simply note them down!)
Do you have consistent times when you wake up and go to bed?
What times are you generally waking up and going to bed?
Are you able to eat 3 meals a day? When you eat these meals and are they at consistent times day to day?
Here are a few of the practices I engage in and these are really the ones I am able to literally do every day. I add in more from time to time especially if I am traveling or experience (or think I may experience) more stress, I change things around based on the season and as I learn more, I will add more as needed!
Image of an ideal bedroom to wake up in!
Wake up: usually on my own around 6am
Practices: brush my teeth, scrap my tongue, oil pull in my mouth, sip on hot water, full body abhyanga (unless I’m on my cycle, then I do mini abhyanga), 10ish minutes of pranayama, 10ish minutes of gentle yoga, shower, walk my dog and make breakfast.
Breakfast: best for me before 8 (usually 730)
Practices: this one really varies, but I will occasionally take myself through a posture practice (what we know of as ‘yoga’ in the west). Nothing overly strenuous, just something to get me moving and to stretch out as I’ve likely been sitting at my desk or reading (or both!).
Lunch: between 12-1230, heavier meal meaning… if I am going to have meat that day, this is where I will plan to consume it.
Practices: generally I will do a yoga nidra meditation to have more productive rest time in the vata hours, often this is a time when we feel a little bit of a slump.
An image of a pot on a stove, simmering with something magical for a meal!
Dinner: 6-630, usually rice with steamed/sauteed veggies.
Practices: walk my dog post dinner, journal, bath, restorative yoga and then bed!
Bedtime: no later than 10!
Please know, this lifestyle did not happen overnight. I was not able to just wake up one day and be like ‘oh I’m gonna do all these things all at once!’. Negative! Making changes in our daily routine is hard work! Start small! My longest standing practice is taking a bath every night. This may not be for everyone and ayurveda actually suggests taking a bath in the morning time. I started this habit when I was working in a stressful position as a parole officer. I found the literal use of water helped to cleanse not just my physical body but also was a way to cleanse my energy body from so much stress during the day. The next longest standing practice is my abhyanga… if you are living in a dry climate and if you are living in a dry climate AND run dry (vata) like me…. Abyangha is going to be such a lovely and caring shift!
There is so much more to share on this topic and I’m so excited to bring you more information!
In my podcast with @ayurvedajagath on Youtube, we talk more in-depth about our own dinacharya feel free to check us out!
Otherwise, thank you so much for taking time to read this and to reflect on your day to say routine!
Much love, friends!
Image of lovely fluffy, pink colored clouds, instilling a sense of love and lightness!
