Anita's Daily Ayurvedic Rituals (Dinacharya)
Morning Rituals
A typical weekday starts at 6.15-6.30am. Aside from brushing my teeth, I’ll tongue scrape remove toxins and oil pull to strengthen gums and release jaw tension. After, I head to the kitchen for hot water with a squeeze of fresh lemon; I’ll take this up to the top floor of my home, where I’ll do some deep breathing exercises, go through a mental gratitude list, read an uplifting passage from Vedic scriptures, settle for meditation and follow with a 20 minute yoga practice. Then comes a little head massage using our Kansa Comb and Grow Strong Hair Oil to encourage blood flow to the scalp, resulting in a calmer mind and stronger new roots. Once showered, I’ll give myself a light full body Abhyanga massage using our Serenity Oil in the summer and if time is short, I’ll on the belly, arms, feet and ears, but I’ll gladly sleep earlier to then wake earlier as this ritual sets my day up to be productive and positive.
Keep Balanced Through Work Week
Immune resilience should ideally come from eating right, getting enough fresh air, exercise and keeping the mind steady, but we all need a little support from time to time. When we feel depleted and a little low, as many people do now, we are more prone to hold onto physical and emotional toxins. My suggestion is to dip in and out of our herbal superfoods and as and when needed and as with all things in life, I favour the 80/20 rule. You don’t have to be a saint, but eat seasonal, local and organic most of the time and then occasionally indulge in a little treat. And remember to eat mindfully and to really enjoy. There is no point in eating that chocolate cake if you’re going to mindlessly swallow it while watching TV. Savour this day and rely on our supplements from time to time. I take a 45-minute break each day to walk my dog Star and listen to a podcast - often in the late afternoon when I need to get outside and the sun is not quite as intense. If you find yourself having an afternoon slump, now is the time to take a walk and be with nature – it will comfort and bring joy. I try to keep Fridays as a zero meeting and call day, so I can get my head down and tie up loose ends and plan for the week ahead. I'll then close the working day with exercise, be it a reformer Pilates session, or an online yoga class. If you haven't already tried the free yoga classes on our IGTV, then make sure you do. Grab our ‘at home yoga’ kit and settle into stillness.
Early Evening Rituals
I take baths all year round, as I find it a meditative and cleansing experience. Bathing in our award-winning Himalayan Healing Salts helps replenish lost minerals and gently soothes the skin. Read about the benefits over at our ‘The Ultimate Guide to Himalayan Salts’ here. Next, I move to gentle self-massage. When stress weights us down it can often manifest as puffy, dull, dehydrated skin. Firstly, massage the body using one of our ‘dosha balancing’ blends. Work inwards towards the heart. With body hydrated, we move to the facial routine. Our hand hand-crafted Anti-Ageing Skin Massage Tool works beautifully with our Supreme Skin Serum to release tension and leave skin looking sculpted, rehydrated and glowing with vitality.
Peaceful Thoughts
Meditation and gratitude journaling are the bookends to my days, so I'll always end the day listing all I am grateful for. These rituals are so simple, so intuitive and created to bring us back to our true nature. At most challenging times of my life I paid little attention to my physical and emotional wellbeing. I wanted to be there for those around me but was falling apart. What I realised is that the authentic way to give to others is to first give to ourselves. This body that houses our eternal soul is so very precious. That means being kind to yourself, using the purest products and eating organic food, surrounding yourself with people and things that lift you higher, and only subscribing to digital apps that do the same.
