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6 Morning Makeovers
By Vasant Lad, Yoga+
Do you hide under the covers when the sun comes up? Not to worry. With a few tweaks in your routine, you can transform your morning into the most nourishing, energizing part of your day. Try the seven simple rituals below for two weeks and see if ayurveda’s promises come true for you. According to the vaidyas (healers), these techniques will cleanse your body of toxins, balance your doshas, and infuse you with joy, peace, and strength–so that as dawn turns into day, you’ll be more prepared to face whatever comes your way.
1. Wake Up Before Sunrise
According to ayurveda, pure, tranquil, sattvic qualities dominate the atmosphere during the pre-dawn hours. That’s why yogis tend to meditate between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m., when it’s easiest to attain peace of mind. Although that’s probably too extreme for your schedule, try waking up about 20 minutes before sunrise and notice how alert you feel.
2. Rehydrate & Cleanse
With cool water, gently splash your face and eyes. Gently massage your eyelids, then blink your eyes seven times and rotate them in all directions (side to side, up and down, diagonally, clockwise, and counterclockwise) to foster alertness.
Next, drink a glass of room temperature water- ideally, from a pure copper cup filled the night before. The slightly bitter taste of this water kindles agni (gastric fire), flushes the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract, and stimulates peristalsis, which will encourage a healthy bowel movement.
Brush your teeth with ayurvedic toothpaste, then scrape your tongue with a stainless steel tongue scraper from back to front 7 to 10 times to remove ama (dead bacteria and toxins) and improve digestion.
3. Massage Yourself
Indulge in a five-minute gentle body massage, using warm (not hot!) organic oils to pacify your dominant dosha. (To learn more, take our dosha quiz) For vata: sesame oil; pitta: sunflower oil; kapha: corn oil. Then take a shower and scrub your skin with natural soap.
4. Anoint Yourself
Dab one drop of essential oil on your temples, nipples, and belly button. Then put your finger at the spot where your earlobe meets your jaw. Trace the line of your jaw downward just until it curves toward your chin. At the bottom of that curve, apply another drop of oil. According to ayurvedic tradition, applying attars (oils) at these areas, where prana (life-force) is pulsating, will give you the aura of a saint. For vata: tulsi or vacha oil; pitta: khus, sandalwood, or jasmine; kapha: amber or hina.
5. Move!
Walking in the fresh, early-morning air is the best way to get your mind and body in sync with the morning. Then loosen up with one of these quick hatha yoga routines. For vata: do 12 slow, meditative sun salutations followed by three rounds of nadi shodhanam (alternate nostril breathing) or ujjayi pranayama. For pitta: do 16 moderately fast sun salutations followed by three minutes of sitali (the cooling breath) or sitkari (the hissing breath). For kapha: do 12 vigorous, rapid sun salutations followed by five minutes of bhastrika (bellows breath) or kapalabhati. (For more information about sun salutations, click here.)
6. Meditate
Wind down with a systematic relaxation in shavasana (corpse pose) [for a guided shavasana practice click here] with and at least five minutes of meditation. Following this morning routine regularly will bring harmony, happiness, and health into your life.
World-renowned ayurvedic physician Vasant Lad, BAMS, MASc, is the founder of the Ayurvedic Institute (ayurveda.com) in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Yoga+ is an award-winning, independent magazine that contemplates the deeper dimensions of spiritual life--exploring the power of yoga practice and philosophy to not only transform our bodies and minds, but inspire meaningful engagement in our society, environment, and the global community.
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10 comments
add your comment »well i think the best way to start ur day is by starting it with a very big smile,let the mirror and the whole world see ur smile even if u dnt have teeth..just try it!!!!!!
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I wish I could find a way to get up this early. I'm a severe night owl I've been known to be up in those hours..... however it's from being up the night before not from waking up. I've been awake up early into the wee morning (recently while dealing with the swine flu as late (early) as 5 am.
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I can imagine the soul-wrenching peacefulness that could result from such early morning ablutions. And I immediately jump to creating excuses for why I couldn't possibly perform them. Then, I allow the spirit of God to pass through my mind and I think, hey, why not! Thanks for being part of this process.
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Your article is very very interesting, but I have to apologise in advance here perhaps. The dawn hours (3 a.m. to 6 a.m.) is a time that many many terminally ill patients pass away. I am wondering now, if this is because the peace, tranquility and purity of those hours enables their passing in the best possible way. I do know from personal experience, that the dawn hours are precious, pure, and uplifting - something I cherish, and hope to do a lot more of in the future. My body alarm clock is not co-operating at present. Thanks so much for this wonderful article. Annie. B
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This is a very good article! Thank you Megan, for sharing it with us!
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I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often. Thanks for sharing this nice article.
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I completely agree with the 6 morning makeover steps stated in the above article.If any person follows them sincerely he/she will stay healthy and live long in its LIFE.
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I'll lend out my pup, she'll bounce on you at 5.30 am regardless, but I can't find out how she can tell the time, the hour changed and the next morning it was still a 5.30 bounce!
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This is a great article. I always wondered while I feel so much peace in the morning. I try to wake up early every morning to experience it, depending on what time I go to bed! I jokingly tweeted one morning "The dawn of a new day brings so much clarity. After the sun rises, it's downhill from there." I never feel as peaceful after!
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This sounds GREAT!!! Thanks for sharing ~ Ayurveda is an ancient practice that's hard to argue with.. : O)
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