How does a daily routine support your Nervous System
Daily Routine (known as Dinacharya in Sanskrit) is considered to be the foundation for an Ayurvedic Lifestyle.
When simple habits are repeated daily incredible benefits begin to establish with the nervous system, which in turn improves mental health, digestion and hormonal balance (e.g.).
With so many of us struggling with over stimulation of the nervous system, adopting a simple daily routine can help in the recovery and prevention of mental health hiccups.
Here are some points to consider in planning your own Dinacharya.
Waking, sleeping and eating at the same time each day creates a predictable rhythm for the nervous system to respond to with release of hormones to enable waking (ie adrenaline), sleeping (ie melatonin) and digestion (gastric secretions) (eg).
So basically bio-hacking by training your body clock.
Waking (and getting up) around sunrise and sleeping before 10pm helps restore our circadian rhythm
Again, another bio hack to train your body clock and return to natures rhythm of thriving.
Exercising before meals and at the beginning of the day is more effective to enable muscle growth and repair (e.g).
Ideally a little exercise upon waking also kick starts your lymphatic system, your draining network that will have become stagnant overnight.
Oral detoxification upon waking supports a healthy gut in preparation for the days digestion.
E.g. Brushing teeth, oil pulling, tongue scraping and spitting out the first saliva in the morning.
Start winding down 45 mins before bed to enable a good night sleep.
Eat your mail meal at midday, which is when your digestion is strongest.
Avoid eating later than 6pm if possible.
Filling your cup each day is essential and often overlooked. We’re all different, so here’s some ideas that attract the energy of Sattva*, which will fill your cup.
Walking in nature,
watching a sunrise/sunset,
laughter (eg watch a comedy show, exchange stories with a friend)
Creativity: knitting, writing, singing, dancing, painting (for fun not work).
The trick with establishing daily habits is to keep it simple and enjoyable so you wont want to miss them.
Here are some RESOURCES that might help establish a new habit today: (click the links)
Add this 30 min practice to your morning routine
Add this 40 min practice to your evening routine
Here’s a sample Dinacharya (daily routine) filled with simple healing habits.
What ONE new habit could you adopt today?
Here’s a little activity sheet to get you started on designing your own Dinacharya.
*Sattva is a pure energy that helps us feel vibrant and radiant. Including at least one Sattvic activity in your day repeatedly will compound in effect.
Struggling to establish habits? I highly recommend reading James Clear’s book: Atomic Habits, which provides a compelling case for keeping your efforts simple and small to begin with in order for habits to become sustained and effective in the long run.
“All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision. But as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts and grows stronger. Roots entrench themselves and branches grow. The task of breaking a bad habit is like uprooting a powerful oak within us. And the task of building a good habit is like cultivating a delicate flower one day at a time.” James Clear.
“Habits are the compound interest of self‑improvement.
The same way that money multiplies through compound interest, the effects of your habits multiply as you repeat them. They seem to make little difference on any given day and yet the impact they deliver over the months and years can be enormous”
James Clear, Atomic Habits
