You can start your day in many ways. Traditional Indian wisdom offers a scenario to make this start a successful one. If the whole path looks too complicated, perhaps at least one ritual will prove inspiring. The Przekrój editorial staff bets on waking up at dawn.
The way you spend your time significantly affects your health and quality of life. In addition, it’s the factor over which you have the most control. You can’t control the weather or the quality of the air, yet your own actions either strengthen or weaken your stamina and resistance to disease. Everything you decide—what and how much to eat, how to respond to others, whether to exercise or not, how long to stay up reading a book—affects your mental and physical health.
Ayurvedic morning rituals will help you not only to stay healthy but also to feel better throughout the day. At first glance, the schedule may seem tight, but once you try it, you will feel for yourself that it is worth sticking to. Better digestion, easier focus, serenity—a good start to your day can give you so much.
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Wake Up Early
Waking up early improves health, mood, and focus (there’s tons of research to prove it). Yet, when you wake up, don’t get out of bed right away: take a moment to look at your hands and then gently run them over your face, neck, and chest, down to your waist. This will allow you to focus on your body and on what you feel.
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Say a Prayer
Do it your own way (instead of calling it a prayer, you may dub it, for instance, a moment of reflection, if you prefer). Or you can take your time to think with gratitude about your life, with kindness about your loved ones, or with attention about the challenges of the day ahead.
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Wash Your Face
You can do this with water or, for example, with rose water (it soothes irritation). Wash your eyes and lightly massage your eyelids. Blink several times, then do eye exercises: look from side to side, up and down, diagonally right and left. These activities will help you wake up.
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Drink Some Water
Before you reach for anything else, drink a glass of hot or warm water—it will stimulate your digestive tract and kidneys. You may add lemon.
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Have a Bowel Movement
Sit on the toilet (better still: squat down). Even if you don’t feel you need to, stay like this for a few moments. But don’t strain yourself to do anything. If you repeat the routine every day after drinking a glass of warm water, the body will form a habit.
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Clean Your Tongue
Your tongue can tell you a lot—especially in the morning! Look at it before you eat or brush your teeth. A coating is a sign of toxins in the body: perhaps your last meal the day before was too heavy, or you ate too late, or your digestive system is not working properly. Brush your tongue from back to front several times. Do it every day, and your taste and digestion will improve.
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Rinse Your Mouth
Instead of water, use oil—sesame or coconut. Take a teaspoon of oil, rinse your mouth, and spit the liquid out. The practice prevents dry lips and throat, strengthens facial muscles, whitens teeth, and improves taste.
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Moisten Your Nose
Tilt your head slightly and put a few drops of sesame oil into each nostril using a dropper (you can do this lying down).
The procedure clears the sinuses, calms the mind, and prevents upper respiratory infections.
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Massage Your Body with Oil
Heat a bowl of oil (100-150 g) in a water bath and rub it all over your body. Start with your hands and feet and move toward your chest, not forgetting about the head (if you’re short of time, just massage the head and the feet). This ritual improves blood circulation, calms the mind, prevents headaches, and makes the skin supple and smooth.
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Take a Bath
After the massage, let the oil work on your skin for a while, and then take a bath or a short, lukewarm shower.
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Exercise a Little
Gentle stretches or a short walk are good for most people. You don’t need to get tired to feel better—what matters is that you are invigorated and joyful.
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Breathe
Once you have completed your gentle morning workout, sit in silence and begin breathing exercises (pranayama).
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Meditate
Finish your pranayama with a few minutes of meditation. If you don’t have your own meditation practice, use one of our suggestions.
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Have Breakfast
The earlier you have it, the better (breakfast alone is reason enough to wake up at the crack of dawn). It’s good to be up by 9 a.m. Don’t eat in a hurry; relax and sit at the table. Breakfast is a good opportunity to practice mindfulness: chew slowly and savor every bite.
- Leave the House
After breakfast, you can leave for work, school, or to take care of other responsibilities.
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