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 For
healthy life, the lifestyle should also be considered along with
the diet. We can control the diet to a considerable extent. But
we cannot control much of the lifestyle. It does depend on others,
but whatever lifestyle is under our control, if we try to control
it properly, we can become more and more healthy. Hence, we will
consider daily routine and seasonal routine in this chapter.
Ayurveda
has given a deep thought to the daily routine. The day starts
with getting up in the morning. The following shloka describes
when one should get up in the morning.
Brahmmuhurte
uttishthen swasthyaraksharthamayushah |
Tatra sarvarthashantyartham smareccha madhusudanam ||
One
should get up at Brahma Muhurta. It means one and half-hours before
the sunrise. At this time, the ozone necessary for the body is
adequately present in the atmosphere. The activities of the entire
world and especially of the living beings are yet to be started
so the pollution is at its minimum. The cheerful atmosphere does
have an effect on the body and the mind. Every one should get
up in the morning and try to take benefit of this.
While
determining the time of getting up, one should take into account
the time of retiring to bed too. Generally, seven hours sleep
is sufficient. People who can sleep deeply without disturbance
can do with just 5 to 6 hours' sleep. Common people dream during
the sleep and face the problem of disturbance from time to time;
hence for them seven hours' sleep is needed. This seven hours'
period and the time for getting up should be correlated so that
it is convenient. One should get up before the sunrise and keeping
that in mind should decide the time to go to bed.
After
getting up from the sleep, kardarshan (viewing the palm of the
hand) is advised:
Karagre
Vasate Laxmi : karmadhye Saraswati |
Karmule tu Govind : Prabhate kardarshanam ||
Laxmi,
Saraswati and Govind reside on the palm, so one should bow to
them with respect, this is the logic behind kardarshan. Of course,
with common sense point of view, to get hold of Laxmi ( money
) and Saraswati ( knowledge ) is in our hands only, to remind
one of this principle is the main logic behind kardarshan. Also,
our eyes are closed throughout the night, if suddenly they are
opened up in the morning and the atmosphere is viewed, then there
may be some strain for the eyes, so one should put both the hands
onto the eyes after getting up, so they do not suddenly come into
the contact with the atmosphere.
After
kardarshan, there should be bhoomivandan ( bowing to the land
). Our life depends on the land, before touching it with the feet,
one should apologize to that shakti (Energy Principle). There
is a moral support behind this. It is a western custom to apologize
after committing a mistake, it is Indian culture to apologize
before committing a mistake realizing that the mistake has to
be committed.
Samudravasane
devi parvatstanmandale |
Vishnupatni namostubhyam padsparsham kshamaswa me ||
Vishunupati
samutpanne shankhavarna-mahitale |
Aanek-ratnasampanne bhumidevi namo namah ||
The
writer of this aphorism has described the land very poetically
and with faith with the help of his high intuition. With these
kind of samskaras (training to mind), the mind can be raised to
a higher level.
After
the praying to the earth (bhoomivandan), it is stated that
"Chintayet aatmano hitam | " ( Think carefully about
your own benefits.)
After having slept for six to seven hours at night, one should
not get up suddenly in the morning and start his daily work. One
should sit peacefully and think about what is good for him. One
should plan his entire day program at this time. Mind is very
calm and enthusiastic when one gets up. The capacity to think
from all the angles is at its maximum at this time. So also there
are spiritual aspects of contemplation, which accrue.
Then
there is movement of bowels. Excretion immediately after getting
up from the bed is good, but due to inconvenient systems of the
chawls, reading fresh newspapers first, or due to some other reasons,
this natural order is not followed. In healthy people, there are
miniscule suggestions to excrete, but if these suggestions are
ignored, they go on weakening. Then the process of excretion does
not stay normal. Whenever there is some time, the process is hurriedly
carried out. Due to these habits, the health is affected.
After
the bowel movement, there should be Ushahpan (Drinking Water).
Nowadays, people are not even aware of it. They feel that bed
tea and ushahpan (Drinking Water) are one and the same. Tea, as
it is, is harmful to health. Bed Tea is even more harmful. Ushahpan
(Drinking Water) helps improve the health. Drinking water stored
overnight in a copper utensil, which is covered, in the morning
is ushahpan (Drinking Water). This water helps the excretion tendency
and purifies the intestines in the body.
After
ushahpan (Drinking Water), one should wash the mouth. Ayurveda
specifies dried twigs of from various herbs. Dried twigs of neem
are the best. If it is not possible to get them, then one should
use the ash of the cow dung cakes. It should be made clean after
removing stones etc from it. If it is ground, then the stones
in it also get ground and then it is harmful to the teeth. Those
who want to use the brush should use the softest one possible.
Thick and hard brush is harmful for the gums. The toothpaste,
which is used with the brush contains various chemicals, so one
should use the paste as per the advice of an expert doctor. One
expert dentist has stated that water is the best paste available
and the best brush is your finger. After cleaning teeth, there
is Jivha Nirlekhan Vidhi ( tongue cleaning process ). The tongue
should be cleaned with thin copper or silver plate. Lemon twig
is better for this purpose. First the tip of the twig should be
chewed to make it look like a brush, and then one should brush
the teeth with that, divide the twig in between and clean the
tongue with it. After washing the mouth like this, one should
do nasya and anjan. One should put some oil or drops from other
herbs into the nostrils according to his natural tendencies (prakruti).
One should decide these materials with the advice of the Ayurveda
consultant (vaidya). Also, to maintain the health of the eyes,
it is useful to put certain materials in the form of anjans (helpful
herbs to put in eyes). After this, certain essential herbs should
be put in boiling water and the vapour should be inhaled through
the nose and the mouth, this is known as dhumrapan (smoking).
Different types of this dhrumapan eliminate different types of
problems (dhoshas) in the body. From all this description, we
realise that Ayurveda has gone into details to maintain the health
of the body and the precautionary measures have included under
the daily routine.
After
all these processes, exercise and Abhyanga Snan (bath followed
by oil massage) have to be undertaken. The ranking depends on
the type of exercise done. If it is yogasana or pranayama, then
it should be done after the bath. If the exercise involves tiring
sessions such as push-ups, it should be done before the bath.
Abhyang means massage with the oil. It should be done before the
bath. There is no need to say that in a hot country like India,
one should have a daily bath. But one should massage the body
with oil and the soles of the feet with ghee. If it is not possible
to massage the entire body with oil, then one should massage the
head, ears, soles of the feet etc. The head should be massaged
with the fingertips after removing the grown up nails. One or
two drops of oil should be put into the ears so that the brain
becomes calm. The sleep is improved and the eyesight gets better.
The complaints of the eyesight are reduced. The oil ghee or butter
to be used for such massage should be kept in a copper utensil.
It should be churned a bit with water and used after removing
the water. Rubbing it with a utensil is effective than rubbing
it with hands. While rubbing one should rub towards the direction
of the heart. Abhyang is useful in winter season and rainy season.
The bathing water should be cold. At least water to be poured
over the head should be cold and not hot. Cold water means water
having the temperature as that of the body. Water, which is colder
or warmer proves harmful.
After
abhyanga, personal upasana (prayer, meditation etc) is important.
Due to such upasana, the mind becomes cheerful and the spiritual
power increases. The mental strength starts growing and there
is confidence in the life. One should take guidance as to which
prayer should be done and in what manner. But no doubt it proves
useful.
After
all these processes, one should do pratrashan. Pratrashan is morning
drink. Milk is the best pratrashan and tea the worst. If milk
required for tea is consumed on its own it will prove useful.
Tannin, a poisonous substance in the tea harmfully affects the
nervous system and the digestive system.
At
the time of pratrashan, those who feel hungry can have breakfast.
Fresh preparations made up of rice and wheat is good for breakfast.
Now a days, bread and biscuits are used, but they are harmful
to the health because these substances contain salts and they
are fermented. Of course, those who consume enough milk and ghee
or butter can have them without bad effects. But to avoid them
is the best.
After
this one should carry on the daily routine.
The
lunchtime in the afternoon should be from 11 AM to 1 PM. That
is the time of pitta, so appetizers are secreted in the stomach.
The food consumed at this time is easily digested. If this time
is not possible, then one should have food before the 11 AM, but
not after 1 PM. What should the meal contain is an independent
topic which we have already considered elsewhere. After lunch,
one should not run around or carry on strenuous work. A Sanskrit
verse by Sushrut states as under in this regard.
One
who sits idle after lunch, becomes lazy. One who sleeps turns
obese. One who walks around hundred steps, becomes healthy and
one who runs, the death runs towards him. That means his life
span is rapidly reduced. Now a days, many people complain of indigestion.
There are many reasons for that, but one main reason is this running
around after lunch.
In
the evening, one should consume only liquids, not solid diet,
because that lengthens the dinnertime. The dinner should be around
sun set. Because it is good for health to have an interval of
three hours between the dinner and retiring to bed. To sleep immediately
after dinner is injurious to health. The dinner should be minimal
i.e. easily digested. It should not contain heavy preparations.
The
sleep at night is also thought provoking point. The place where
one should sleep should be free of all insects. The bed should
not be too soft or too hard. It should not bend in between. A
bed with thick, narrow strips or wooden strips is better. One
may take a pillow, but that also should not be very thin or thick.
The pillow should have the same thickness as that of the distance
between the head and the shoulders while sleeping on one side.
This avoids the neck from getting stiff. Due to improper pillow,
one can suffer from cold too. The bed sheet and the inner coverlet
should be washed after every three to four days. Earlier one item
of clothing known as uparane, which was, used daily was attached
to a sheet while sleeping. The same was washed daily. While thinking
about the behaviour at night, one should think about marital life
too. The science writers have said that generally to retain health
even at a later age, one should have sex once a week during the
youth. Otherwise, the bad effects occur at a later stage.
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LIFESTYLE
: DAILY ROUTINE
