DINACHARYA- Are we following a healthy lifestyle?

Dinacharya is an Ayurvedic term for daily routine or daily lifestyle.In today's busy and hectic schedules, the basic day to day activities are carried out without paying much attention to either the the proper time or the proper method of performing them.

Getting up late in the morning, having breakfast without taking bath, having untimely meals, sleeping late in the night etc are some of the unhealthy practices that many of us get habituated to without realising their ill effects. Though these irregular habits do not cause any harm immediately , they have a very destructive effects on our body and mind in a long run.

We see many people, that too in a very young age complaining of  frequent episodes of acidity, Heart burn, indigestion, constipation, tiredness, mood swings and so on. But how many of us know that by adopting  few simple but healthy practices can prevent these discomforts and help us to lead a very pleasant , peaceful and comfortable life.

Dinacharya is basically an ideal schedule for us to follow on a daily basis. There are several healthy and hygienic practices quoted by acharyas which can be implemented in our daily life that keeps us healthy and prevents diseases. However these dincharyas were listed thousands of years ago and obviously nowadays it would be challenging to live completely according to it. But I am sure it will surprise you when you initiate a few small changes that brings out the best in you.

Pick a few at least which are doable. You will enjoy a great life with it....

Here goes the list

1. WAKE UP IN BRAHMI MAHURTHA
          Wake up early in the morning at least 30 to 40 minutes before sunrise. However Brahmi mahurtha is 2 hours before sunrise and so if you can get as early as that , it will be the best start for the day.
Benefits:
The nature will have all the sattvik qualities and bestows the same .
Brings freshness to senses and peace of mind.
Tips :
Elderly person, children, during sickness and in indigestion, one can sleep for few more minutes and get up after Brahmi mahurtha.

2.  PRAY BEFORE LEAVING THE BED
          Right after you wake up, move your hands gently over your face, chest and down to your waist and pray the almighty for a good day.
Benefits :
This cleanses the aura
Boosts confidence

3.  DRINK WATER EARLY IN THE MORNING
          Always make it a habit to drink a glass of warm water early in the morning in empty stomach.
Benefits :
It cleanses the digestive tract
Flushes the kidneys
Stimulates peristalsis
Tips :
If you have any metabolic disorders, add a drop of lemon to the warm water or take jeera decoction  prepared by boiling a tsp of raw jeera in a glass of water
Never start your day with coffee , tea or any other stimulating drinks. It's a load on the kidneys and
also leads to constipation. They are also habit forming.

4.  MALA MUTRA VISARJANA - EVACUATION
          It is  better to clean your bowels by eliminating the accumulated waste of the previous day early in the morning before starting the other daily activities. I can even say it is a must to do thing without any compromise.
Benifits :
It is said that suppressing the  13 natural urges like hunger, thirst, sleep, yawning, sneeze, flatus, vomiting etc is very unhealthy as they pose discomfort to the body and in due course lead to various diseases like indigestion, constipation, sinusitis, headache , rhinitis etc.
Tips :
If you have problem in eliminating the bowels early in the morning, take triphala either powder or kashaya in the night before going to bed.
However drinking water early morning in empty stomach and sitting in the toilet in a set time
everyday help to regulate bowel movements in due course.

5.  DANTA DHAVANA - BRUSHING TEETH
         Teeth should be brushed  with soft to medium bristled suitable tooth brush using tooth pastes which have astringent, pungent and bitter properties. After brushing the teeth , thoroughly massage the gums with your index finger
Benifits :
It helps in dislodging the fine food particles from between the teeth
Makes the teeth and gums strong and healthy
Prevents dental problems in young age.
Tips :
These days you get tooth pastes and tooth powder having Khadira, babbul, nimba, madhuka etc
which have the above mentioned properties.

6.  JIHWA NIRLEKHA - TONGUE SCRAPPING
        Gently scrape the tongue for 7 to 8 times and rinse the mouth.
Benifits :
Removes the dead bacteria
Aids proper digestion
Improves taste sensation
Tips :
Use a good quality tongue scrapper
Quote tongue is also a sign of indigestion and low metabolic activity.

7.  MUKHA NETRA PRAKSHALANA - FACE WASH
         Wash your face with cold water by splashing water gently on your face and wash your eyes too. Gently massage the eyelids and try to blink your eyes in a palm full of cold water.
Benifits :
Clears the blemishes of facial skin.
Prevents eye diseases
Vision becomes clear.
Tip : people having frequent eye irritations can use triphala kashaya or rose water for eye wash.

I will continue the remaining dinacharyas in my next post as I felt too much together is not encouraging........
Till then just have a look at your daily routine , check what is right and what is wrong that you are doing . Also make up your mind to follow a proper Dinacharya in future.

Take care.......

Ayurveda for prevention

Mere absence of disease does not mean that you are healthy. Diseases strike us when we least expect them. So one can't wait till they get ill. As we all know " prevention is better than cure" .The ancient Samhitha of Ayurveda quotes

" Swasthasya swaasthya samrakshanam , athurasya vikara prashamanam." 

Samrakshanam means to protect. Thus the foremost objective of Ayurveda is to protect the health of an individual  and then comes the vikara prashamanam meaning to cure the disease.

If we go through the history of medicine, the conventional western medicine was primarily disease oriented. The focus was disease management rather than health management. However in the last few years we can see that even the western system of medicine is thinking about wellness and not merely the cure.

Thus any health system should first focus on the prevention of the ill health and later go for the treatment of the manifested disease. As already said, Ayurveda , the science of life is primarily a health management  system with its objectives like

Prevention of the disease

Promotion of the health

Cure and rehabilitation of the diseases.

What do we mean my prevention? 

There are thousand reasons why a person gets ill. Then what to prevent? How to prevent?And when to prevent ?

Yes , there is an answer for all these questions and Ayurveda has exclusive theories for each of these modalities of prevention.

What to prevent?

" Nidanaparivarjanam"  meaning avoid the causative factors of  diseases. So Ayurveda gives a detailed description of causative factors of all the diseases particularly the Ahara  (food) and vihara(activities)which may cause the disease. Thus to prevent the disease,one has to prevent or I Can say avoid those causative factors of the disease

When to prevent?

As I mentioned earlier, we get sick with least expectations. But there are certain conditions where in we can expect some health disturbances like, during climatic changes, during an epidemic, etc, in such situations we can always take precautions before hand and keep the diseases away from us. In Ayurveda, these aspects are extensively dealt under Rtucharya (seasonal regimen) and janapadodwamsa ( epidemics).

How to prevent ?

The answer is known to each of us - good immunity, a proper diet, a healthy lifestyle and timely repair and rejuvenation of the body keeps a man healthy wealthy and wise.

But these days people are really confused about a proper diet, lifestyle and various ways of revitalising their body. So we will have to brush up on these concepts of Dinacharya, Ahara krama, swasthavrtta and rasayana krama dealt in Ayurveda.

So there is no need for a distinct term "preventive" to describe Ayurveda as prevention is intrinsic to the very management of health Maintaining health and well being is the central agenda of Ayurveda