Nowadays, the world can feel overwhelming. It’s all too easy to get caught up in fear, anxiety, and worry, or let our endless to-do lists and social media feeds make us feel like we’re not doing enough. We can quickly fall behind, feel unproductive, and get distracted.
Ayurvedic living helps us create a morning ritual that aligns with nature and our inner rhythms, making it incredible relevant in these modern times for managing anxiety and maintaining grounded-ness.
That's why starting my morning with a ritual based on Ayurvedic principles, which centres and balances me before diving into the day's demands, has been crucial.
Below is a morning routine based on Ayurvedic principles, which may seem overwhelming at first but remember these are guidelines for designing a personalised daily routine that works for you.
I suggest you start with a simple routine. Choose something that will take less than 5 minutes and try it out each day for a week before checking your phone or computer. Then, if you like how you feel, add on one more! The ideal routine below is not exhaustive – mix, match, and choose whatever feels good to you. The important part is that it centres you and puts you in a positive mentality to tackle the day.
Here's a step-by-step guide to start your day:
Morning Routine:
1. Wake Up Early
Waking up early sets the tone for a peaceful and productive day. By rising before 6 am during the Brahma Muhurta, you align with the natural rhythms of the universe, allowing for a calm and centred start to your morning.
2. Warm Lemon Water
Starting your day with a glass of warm water infused with lemon juice and honey is a gentle way to kickstart your metabolism, hydrate your body, and aid digestion. Warm water stimulates your digestion, helps with easy elimination, lemon alkalizes your system and honey flushes out toxins, leaving you feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on the day.
3. Oral Hygiene
Gently scrape your tongue from back to front 5-7 times. This helps remove toxins (ama) and stimulates digestion. Using a Copper tongue cleaner helps remove bacteria and toxins that accumulate overnight, support digestion, and freshen your breath for a brighter start to the day. improving oral health and enhancing taste sensation.
4. Oil Pulling
Incorporate this tradition in your routine after you brush your teeth every day or a few times a week. Swish about a tablespoon of Sesame Oil or our Daily Mouthwash in your mouth for 3 -5 minutes. Spit it out and rinse with warm water. Oil pulling helps detoxify the mouth, strengthen the gums, and improve overall oral hygiene. Arimedadi Tailam is the medicated oil recommended to prevent Gingivitis, Gum disease and dental caries.
In Ayurveda, the nasal passage is the pathway to our brain and therefore Nasya is a traditional daily ritual, used not only to cleanse the sense organs, but improve memory and promote mental clarity. Our Anu Tailam also helps clear the sinuses, enhance breathing, and protect against allergens and pollutants
Tilt your head back slightly and put 1 -2 drops of our Anu Tailam in each nostril. Breathe deeply to allow the oil to penetrate. Spit out any mucus or oil drip at the back of your throat.
6. Anointing the Crown Chakra
Anointing the Crown: In Ayurveda, applying oil to the crown chakra, or "Sahasrara," can help calm the mind, reduce stress, and enhance mental clarity. Often done with oils like Brahmi or Bhringaraj, it nourishes the nervous system, promotes better sleep, and supports spiritual growth by balancing energy flow in the body. It’s a soothing ritual that can help you feel more centred and connected.
Apply a few drops of the hair oil to the crown of your head, gently massaging it in.
Head Massage: For a more thorough treatment, warm the oil slightly and massage it into your scalp using gentle circular motions. Leave in for at least 60 minutes up to 3 hours before washing it using a gentle shampoo.
Massaging the scalp with hair oil nourishes the hair roots, promotes hair growth, and relaxes the mind. Our Healthy Hair Oil also prevents early greying and hair loss.
7. Abhyanga (Self-Massage)
Abhyanga nourishes the skin, calms the nervous system, improves circulation, and enhances overall well-being. Our Daily Massage Oil is suitable for all 3 Doshas. Warm the Oil slightly and massage your body, starting from the head and moving down to the feet. Use circular motions over joints and long strokes on limbs. Leave the oil on for 15-20 minutes, allowing the oils to penetrate, before taking a warm shower. Use a mild, natural soap to avoid stripping away the beneficial oils.
8. Morning Yoga or Stretching
Spending just 10-15 minutes each morning practicing gentle yoga or stretching exercises awakens your body, increases flexibility, and improves circulation. This helps release tension and stiffness accumulated during sleep, leaving you feeling invigorated, balanced, and prepared to tackle whatever lies ahead.
9. Meditation and Pranayama
Spend 10-15 minutes in meditation or practice pranayama (breathing exercises). This helps centre your mind and balance your doshas. Meditation is not about trying to quieten the mind, its about slowing down the breath and becoming mindful of our emotional and mental state. Starting the day with awareness.
10. Light Breakfast
Have a warm, nourishing breakfast suited to your dosha. For example, oatmeal with warming spices like cinnamon and cardamom is great for Vata types. Quinoa porridge for Pitta and a spiced Millet porridge for Kapha.
Designing Your Own Daily Routine
One of the primary principles of Ayurveda is that we are each different, when designing your own daily routine, consider the following:
- Listen to your body: Each of us has a unique body constitution. Trust your judgement and sense of what feels right as you establish a morning routine.
- Personal Needs: Take into account, your schedule, responsibilities, and health needs.
- Choose a non-negotiable: Think of one or two things you can squeeze into your morning to be your non-negotiables. Having a simple but non-negotiable option helps you get in the habit of a morning routine. Once you feel so off if you skip it (like, if you skipped brushing your teeth or taking a shower), you’ll know it’s truly a habit.
- Consistency is Key: Finding your why. Why are you doing a morning routine, anyway? What motivates you to do that every morning? Having a why so deep that it’s nearly impossible to skip is a surefire way to make your morning routine more consistent.
- Flexibility: Allow for flexibility to accommodate unexpected changes or special occasions.
- Self-Reflection: Regularly assess the effectiveness of your routine and make necessary adjustments.
My non-negotiable daily morning routine consists of a healthy oral routine of tongue scrapping and mouth wash before brushing, a 20 min Yoga stretching followed by chanting and Pranayama. I use Nasya Oil daily before showering. These rituals help me navigate the demands of the day with greater ease and vitality.
Weekend Rituals: I tend to keep the longer rituals of head massage and self-abhyanga for my weekends when I have more time in the morning and feel less rushed to start my day.
Maximise the Support Of Your Self-Care Rituals
A morning routine based on Ayurvedic principles can provide stability, balance, and self-care into our daily lives, allowing us to navigate the demands of modern life with greater ease, balance and focus.
However, it's important to remember that these are guidelines, and the key is to tailor a routine that suits your individual needs and lifestyle.
Our Self Care Rituals range provides everything you need to kick start your morning routine. You can buy each individually and add as you go along or buy the full kit here. Also available in a travel size if you wish to trial it first.
Would you like to know more about Ayurvedic principles or need further assistance? Reach out, If you find yourself wanting further direction on which of our morning rituals Ayurvedic oils would be best suited for you.
We also offer consultations, at our clinic or online, where you can get a chance to discuss your health, symptoms and goals to get a more personalised health plan including diet, lifestyle recommendations including daily rituals and a herbal prescription.
