Dear Friends,
Namaste!
Let’s continue to understand why certain activities are best done at certain times of the day. So far, we have discussed ‘waking up’ and ‘meditation’ as the two activities we start the day with. The next activity is:
1. Brush teeth, empty bowels and bladder between 6 am to 6:15 am
One of the five “Niyama” (observances) is called “Shaucha” (cleanliness). This comes at three levels. Intellect, mind and body! Meditation is the best way to clear up your mind. Intellect is purified through self-study (as we shall see later). Now we come to “Shaucha” of our body.
The cleanliness of our body is to be done at two sub-levels. Internal and external. We can start with our mouth. Taking a face wash and brushing teeth helps us to keep our mouth clean. This can be followed by clearing our bladder and bowels.
Why should these be among the first few activities we do in our routine? Remember we have been well-advised to wake up during the “Vaata” (wind) period. This period is conducive to movement. If we empty bowels and bladder as close to getting up as possible, there is a good chance we will do these activities during (or very close to) the “Vaata” period. Result? Easier movement (read excretion) of stools and urine from our system! Also, these activities are a pre-requisite to the ensuing “Ashtanga Yoga” practice.
In her book ‘Don’t lose your mind, lose your weight’, dietician Rujuta Divekar talks about a very basic Yogic principle called “Prabhate Mala Darshanam” (See your stools in the morning). This habit is indeed one among the many keys to healthy living.
2. Drink a cup of hot water between 6:15 am to 6:20 am
Remember the principle “Nishante Jalam” (Drink water at the end of every night, i.e., in the morning)?? A cup of clean, pure hot water is the first thing we should partake during our day. For, there is only one thing that is a better cleanser than water in this world – hot water!
We have briefly discussed the benefits of hot water therapy. We should put it into practice by drinking hot water in the morning and following up with as many hot cups as possible throughout our day.
3. Have a light snack between 6:20 am to 6:30 am
We are supposed to have our last meal of the day at least a couple of hours before going to bed. So, except for the cup of milk we may have as supper, we may not have eaten anything for nearly ten to eleven hours!
Naturally our system is craving for some food – and nutritious food at that. (Water we drank in the morning is NOT food!).
Therefore it is important to have a light but wholesome snack. A fruit or some dry-fruits are ideal. They can be supplemented with a cup of tea (or we can reserve our cuppa for breakfast later).
Here a question may be raised as to whether we should not be performing our “Ashtanga Yoga” practice on an empty stomach?! Ideally, before starting the Yoga practice, our stomach should neither be full nor be empty. A full stomach messes up digestion as well as our practice so we get neither here nor there. On the other hand, an empty stomach may leave us weak and cause sugar level in our blood to dip towards the end of a rigorous one hour Yoga practice.
Even professional athletes taking food or drink supplements in controlled quantities before, during and after their training or performance is a common sight nowadays!
4. Practise “Ashtanga Yoga” between 6:30 am to 7:30 am
“Kapha” period starts at 6 am and lasts for four hours. It signifies predominance of element ‘Earth’ and is conducive to rigorous and heavy physical activity. Exercise is best done during this period – especially during “Sandhi Kaal” (joining of night and day).
Our body is well-rested and mind fresh after a good night’s sleep. “Shaucha” and other light activities leading to our practice have cleaned and warmed up our body to exercise. Worldly distractions are at their lowest at this time. What better time to have for “Ashtanga Yoga” practice?
If we belong to masses, we can perform Sun Salutations (“Surya Namaskar”) by incorporating all eight limbs of Yoga into our practice. If we belong to classes, we can perform “Power Yoga” which has all eight limbs incorporated in the practice. We can even alternate between the two for variety. Important thing, again, is to do this daily without fail.
One hour of exercise leaves us as bouncy as a freshly inflated football. Beryl Bender Birch says in “Power Yoga” - “If you do the practice in the morning, you feel equal to any task during the day.”
See you...
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