Ayurvedic Advice For Your Daily Routine Part 2: Energetic Times Of Day

Ayurvedic Advice For Your Daily Routine Part 2: Energetic Times Of Day

In Ayurvedic advice for your daily routine part 1, we took a dive into the evolution of daily routines and how they’re inherently connected to the rhythms of nature. We looked at the basic ayurvedic dinacharya or ‘daily routine’, which may have provided some inspiration for your own morning rituals and daily actions.

In part 2, we’ll look at the reasons ayurvedic texts suggest doing certain actions at specific times of day, and the qualities that each part of the day holds. Do you feel more sluggish and tired when you sleep in late? Find it difficult to digest food eaten late at night? Do you find your focus is best around late morning, and your creative thinking better in the afternoon? There’s a reason for all of this, and it comes down to the qualities and doshas governing the rhythm of the day.

Within the realms of Ayurveda – and most other holistic health systems – each part of the day holds a different quality, and is therefore most suited to supporting different actions. Intuitively, we probably all feel the shifting of energy from morning to noon, evening and night, but tapping into that intuition and really putting it to use is the key to aligning our internal environment with the external environment, and cultivating a harmony between the two.

The Three Doshas

Each part of the day – ayurvedically speaking – is governed by a particular dosha. The word dosha refers to one of three types of energy or characteristics; vata, pitta and kapha. If you’ve ever taken a dosha test to discover your own ‘type’, you’ll have found that we all have some amount of vata, pitta and kapha within us, but most people have one or two predominant governing doshas. A person’s dosha is essentially their unique mind / body type, or psychological and physiological signature. Your dosha will govern your basic physical characteristics, body type, reaction to stress and many of the qualities and traits you hold.

Vata holds the qualities of air, ether, wind, dryness, change, creativity and movement. Pitta holds the qualities of fire, heat, digestion, dominance, acidity, order and anger, and Kapha holds the qualities of earth, water, coolness, heaviness, stability, growth, strength, endurance, but also laziness and sluggishness. With this in mind, lets look at the parts of the day governed by each dosha:

Doshas Through The Day

6am-10am – KAPHA: Qualities of heaviness, stability, calmness, excessive phlegm and mucus, supportive of growth and healing, caring, and tasks requiring endurance, strength or repetitive and methodical actions. If you’ve pressed the ‘snooze’ button one too many times, its likely you’ve awoken in the kapha stage of day, which can contribute to excess lethargy and sluggishness.

To rid the body of excess kapha energy, using a tongue scraper is recommended for removing toxins or ama, the build up of white material on the tongue. Spices to boost the digestive system and circulation at this time include ginger, cinnamon, cumin, clove, fennel and black pepper. Try drinking a morning cup of masala chai, or some fiery fresh ginger juice.

10am-2pm – PITTA: Qualities of power, dominance, digestion, focus, decision making, ‘getting things done’, anger and irritability. Supportive of digestion, tasks requiring focus, confidence and willpower. Digestion is at its peak at this time of day, and follows the arc of the sun (the ‘fiery’ quality of pitta located in the sky). Ayurveda encourages the largest meal of the day, as well as any difficult-to-digest foods such as raw or cold meals, to be eaten at this time.

If you notice an excessive amount of pitta energy at midday (such as anger, irritability, excessive dominance, heat or acidity), try cooling off with some organic lassi (a thin cooling dairy drink), herbs like basil, mint and coriander, or by spending your lunch hour walking in the shade by a stream if possible.

2pm-6pm – VATA: Qualities of lightness, change, movement, quickness, creativity and ‘out of the box’ thinking. Supportive of actions requiring quick reflexes, creativity, and the ability to think and move quickly.

If vata energy becomes excessive in the afternoon – especially during Autumn – try a warming cup of Golden Milk made with turmeric, black pepper, milk and honey, or take a short nap under a heavy blanket.

6pm-10pm – KAPHA: Qualities of heaviness, stability, calmness, and recuperation. Digestion begins to slow at this time. Supportive of relaxing, caring, and tasks requiring repetitive and methodical actions, social and family time, and sleep. Sleeping before 10pm supports optimal quality sleep with the biggest benefits. To calm the mind, try practicing alternate nostril breathing or a simple ‘so hum’ meditation before bed, silently chanting so on the inhale, and hum on the exhale.

10pm-2am – PITTA: Supportive of digestion of experiences, thoughts and emotions. It is important to sleep at this time to enable hormones help repair, heal and recover from the day. Memories become absorbed, and experiences and emotions are processed. If the person is still awake at this time, they’re likely to experience a ‘second wind’ and find it difficult to sleep properly or obtain good quality sleep.

2am-6am – VATA: The period of time when the ‘veil’ between earth and the spiritual planes is said to be thinnest. Also known as ‘amrit veila’, the ‘veil of nectar’, or simply the ‘sacred time’ of day. For many spiritual groups around the world, including traditions such as the Brahma Kumaris or the Sikhs, this is the time of day for meditation and connection to a higher power  / nature / the universe / god. The energy at this time of day is very light. Waking at this time of day also supports ‘lightness’ in energy throughout the day, as opposed to the ‘heavy’ feeling one may experience after snoozing or sleeping in late.

Try combining this knowledge with Ayurvedic Advice For Your Daily Routine Part 1 for some simple yet profound tools to have a healthier, happier and more harmonious day!

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