Starting your day the right way, is something very essential. The best way to do so is by following a good morning routine. Starting your day with a proper morning routine can set the tone for the day and eventually you’ll feel like everything else is falling in place.
Here’s how an ideal Ayurvedic morning routine looks like:
1. Waking up early:
Ayurveda suggests that waking up at 6 a.m., before the sun rises is ideal. Well, in the present day, not many of us feel like waking up too early. But ideally if one sleeps early, waking up early can be easy. According to Ayurveda, waking up early makes one feel light, fresh and can benefit your overall health and well-being.
2. Outer and inner cleansing:
Step 1: Drink a glass of water on an empty stomach as soon as you wake up. This step can be tweaked a little if you wish to and consume water by adding some ingredients like – lemon and honey. Squeeze half a lemon into a cup of warm water, add in honey if desired and have it on empty stomach first thing in the morning. You can also eat different types of seeds like fennel seeds, jeera, ajwain, chia seeds, etc (which were pre-soaked overnight). This step helps to detoxify the body and flush out all the toxins easily. READ MORE – EAT OVERNIGHT SOAKED NUTS and SEEDS EVERY MORNING
Step 2: Wash your face with a mild face wash.
Step 3: Perform ‘Gandusha’ or ‘Oil pulling’ with coconut oil, before brushing your teeth.
Oil pulling is a method where edible oil is swished around in the mouth (gently) for a period of time, before being spat out. It is a similar method of how one uses mouth wash. Oil pulling is also known as ‘Gandusha’ (in Ayurvedic terms) which means holding liquid in the mouth/ oil pulling in order to prevent tooth decay, bad odour, cavities, gum inflammation, bleeding and infection etc.
Here’s how oil pulling is done –
Step 1: Pour 1 tbsp of liquid coconut oil into a glass or a spoon and then take it into your mouth.
Step 2: Swish this in your mouth for around 15 minutes. When you are swishing the oil inside your mouth, the oil will start mixing with your saliva and the liquid in your mouth will increase in quantity (as the oil becomes thinner) and therefore you can spit out a little of the liquid if you aren’t able to hold in so much liquid in your mouth or feels uncomfortable and then continue the process.
Please Note: For first timers, it may be hard to hold it within your mouth for 15 minutes, so slowly work your way up over the span of a few days. Start with just a few minutes and day by day increase the amount of time you retain the oil in your mouth.
Step 3: Spit out the oil and then wait for a few minutes before rinsing your mouth with warm water or warm salt water and then spit it out.
Caution: Do not swallow the oil as it can cause stomach discomfort or diarrhea as it contains toxins and bacteria from the mouth.
Step 4: Brush your teeth, like you would normally do.
Step 5: Clean your tongue:
Tongue scraping is very important oral health practice. Tongue scraping refers to scraping off and cleaning the surface of the tongue on a daily basis after brushing your teeth. This process can help reduce bad breath, reduce the risk of cavities, as bacteria and dead cells can build up on the surface of the tongue over time. Scraping the tongue can improve the sense of taste and also promote mouth freshness for longer hours.
Caution: For those who are doing this for the first time, the gag reflex (the feeling of vomiting) is a common side effect. Therefore, for first timers, until you get used to this habit of tongue scraping, it is better not to place and scrape too far at the back of your tongue. Start at the tip and once you get used to it, you can work your way up.
3. Pranayama and meditation:
Pranayama is the practice of breath control in yoga. It helps relax the body and energizes you for the full day. It can also promote health and increase lung strength. Meditation enhances your awareness; helps prevent stress and anxiety and can boost your overall health and well-being.
Following these ideal steps as part of your morning routine can be very beneficial to both your physical and mental well-being. READ MORE – Ayurveda Miracle CCF Tea Recipe with Three Ingredients