Change of Pace: A New Intention

For years I was the type of person who got out of bed last minute, threw on some clothes, brushed my teeth (hopefully!), and grabbed coffee to-go before speeding off to work. Due to this routine, I was often physically and mentally tardy for work. Reflecting now, it seems like my mind spent the morning trying to catch up to my body! I was endlessly anxious, constantly checking my to-do list and focusing on what was next in the day. Although I still was being proactive in regards to my health through my daily spiritual practices, these activities were often just things to check off my to-do list as well. I knew I needed a change. For my Ayurvedic experiment, I decided to reconsider and rework how I was spending my mornings. Deciding to approach my daily routine, specifically in the morning, appeared to be a daunting task but it seemed necessary in order to balance a recent move to Denver, yoga teacher training, work, preparations for a 27-month Peace Corps deployment, mind, body, and spirit. In addition, I decided to modify some aspects of my diet and eating habits. I adhered to a primarily Pitta diet and worked on eating one meal a day in complete mindfulness.

Dinacharya, Ayruvedic Daily Routine

The daily routine which I decided to follow started off with a moment to look at my hands, give gratitude and/or pray directly upon waking up in the morning. Following this, I engaged in tongue scraping while noting the feeling and appearance of my tongue, oil pulling to remove built up ama or toxins in my body, choosing water (over coffee!), and meditation to start my day consciously. After work and in the evenings, I worked on eating a meal in mindfulness. I did not specifically decide to target a before bed routine as part of my experiment although, as a treat, I often drank milk with ghee and turmeric or gave myself a warm oil massage.