5 Tips from Ayurveda to Ignite your Morning Routine
Ritucharya are seasonal routines and are central to staying healthy, according to yoga’s holistic sister science Ayurveda. In the Spring, the days are getting longer and the mornings lighter, and nature’s thaw after the cold, dark winter has a melting effect on the landscape and your body. Just in the same way that the snow caps fill our rivers with water, Spring can fill your sinuses with mucus.
Dinacharya are daily routines and give us a map to navigate each day with ease. In the Spring (known as Kapha Season in Ayurveda) we may experience physical and energetic heaviness and sluggishness as we fight to shed our necessary winter coat. More than at any other time, an energizing morning routine helps us to reclaim balance. Now is the time to take advantage of the earth’s tilt, awaken earlier each day, move more and start to shed some layers.
Here are our top five tips from Ayurveda to ignite your morning routine this Spring:
Wake up with sun! We tend to feel heaviest around 6-7am before melatonin secretion stops, so it is important to be up and active to move the sluggishness of sleep.
Upon waking, clean your tongue with a metal tongue scraper to remove any white coating - this is the natural byproduct of your body’s overnight detoxification process, and you don’t want to reabsorb it back into your body.
Sip a cup of warm water with the juice of 1/2 lemon and ½ tbs honey upon waking. This kindles your digestive fire and helps removes toxins from your digestive tract.
Evacuate your bowels. A healthy system eliminates every morning. If you are experiencing constipation, add more fruit (raisins, figs and prunes) and fiber to your diet.
Exercise between 6-9am (a brisk walk or yoga is great!) to promote lymph circulation and improve immunity.
