A Conversation with Dr. Pallavi Hegde, Assistant Professor, Aroor Lakshminarayan Rao Memorial Ayurvedic Medical College, Koppa
Remember the last time you woke up slowly, bathed in sunlight on your terrace, living in the moment, and feeling no rush?
In today’s fast paced world, we are forgetting our natural rhythm, the simple rituals that once kept us truly alive. That’s why it’s important to understand the essence of Ayurveda’s Dincharya: living in harmony with time and nature. It’s not about doing more, but about doing things that nourish your energy and keep your spirit young.
To get a better insight on this topic, we had a talk with Dr. Pallavi Hegde, who shared her valuable tips and practical ways to make this ancient wisdom a part of our everyday life.
Understanding Dincharya:
The word Dincharya comes from Sanskrit दिनेदिनेचर्या or दिनस्य या चर्या meaning “the routine that can be followed every day.”
Over the years, Dr. Pallavi has always emphasised on one thing that: “Health is not just about treating illness, it’s about preventing it before it even arrives.” That’s exactly where the power of Dinacharya comes in.
In our ancient granthas it’s always mentioned, “When the doshas are balanced, you are in true state of health.” Even ayurveda tips for daily life also mainly focus on the prevention of diseases as a golden rule. And it is categorised in different forms like:
To maintain balance in the Tridosha (Vata, Pitta, Kapha). Ayurveda describes it as practices like dinacharya ayurveda (daily routine) and Rutucharya (seasonal routine).
But when the Doshas are imbalanced, it is called Roga (disease), and when they are in balance, it is called Swasthya (health). Which signifies that a person’s doshas are in balance and he is healthy. Dinacharya ayurveda is the most recommended for healthy individuals to maintain their well being for a longer period of time. In the case of illness, the ayurveda daily routine may be adjusted according to the type and stage of the disease.
The Connection Between Ayurveda and Gut health:
As mentioned earlier, Ayurveda daily routine plays an important role in managing our body’s Doshas. Dosha balance is closely linked to our gut and smooth functioning of our digestive system.
For example, in Shoucha Vidhi (morning cleansing routine), when we wake up early in the morning, the first thing we do is to go to the washroom to be fresh. Ever wondered why?
Dr. Pallavi explained that we have these natural urges to urinate or pass stools in the morning, and these should not be ignored, as doing so can disturb the Doshas, especially increasing Vata Dosha. If we have excess Vata, it can slow down our digestion and make the gut less absorbent, which can lead to heavy constipation.
Similarly, other Dinacharya (daily habits) also affect digestion and gut health. For instance, Danta Dhavana (brushing teeth) can also trigger your indigestion (Ajeerna), if you have ongoing digestive issues.
Other things like Abhyanga (oil massage), Vyayama (exercise), and Snana (bath) should be done before eating. If you are doing it after a meal, while food is still being digested, it can disturb your digestion process. If you follow the correct timings, it helps you get maximum benefits.
Food (Bhojana) itself is also part of Dinacharya. The Ayurveda daily routine says we should eat only after the previous meal is digested. The role of the food is to give you energy and support good health, not the other way round.
Ayurvedic Daily Care Practices for Eyes, Skin, and Overall Well-being
Dr. Pallavi shared a very simple self-care routine to keep your eyes and skin healthy. She mentioned one can apply Anjana to get bright and sharp vision.
And for good healthy skin, daily oil massage (Abhyanga) is especially recommended to slow aging, reduce fatigue, improve vision clarity, nourish the body, promote longevity, and improve sleep. It’s an all-in-one solution one can go for.
Building Mental Clarity and Better Emotional Balance with Ayurveda
Our mental and emotional health is one thing that is being overlooked a lot in this fast paced world. Even though it’s actually the foundation of how we think, feel, and live each day.
But this can easily be worked upon if we simply stay away from any kind of Adharma. Dr. Pallavi says that this is the only way to maintain that balance within us.
Improve your sleep with Ayurveda. Does timing really matter?
Dr. Pallavi stated that in ayurveda’s daily routine both food and sleep are included. And there are certain rules that we strictly follow here like:
- One should avoid sleeping immediately after taking food, as it impairs the process of digestion.
- As we already discussed, it’s better to take the next meal when the previous meal has already digested properly.
- We should always avoid late night dinners. It is best to have meals before sunset, as the process of digestion slows down after sunset.
In addition, Ayurveda describes 5 types of nidra where Ratri swabhava Nidra is described as the normal kind of Nidra. When the mind and sense organs get tired, they stop perceiving objects through sense organs. That’s when the person sleeps.
Hence, nidra is listed as a natural urge in Ayurveda. There is no mention of an exact time period for Nidra. But it said that when you wake up fresh, that is the sign that you had a good sleep.
Now, talking about the timings:
Ayurveda advises one to get up at Brahma Muhurta. That is ideally known as the best time to wake up in the morning. If one gets up after sunrise, then that timing is added as Diva Swapna/daytime sleep, where the person is highly afflicted with doshas of Diva Swapna, as it hampers the sleep-wakeup cycles known as the circadian rhythm.
Ayurveda tips for daily life that you can follow easily:
Ayurveda works on certain principles, says Dr. Pallavi.
And one of those is Padamshika Krama. This is the easiest and most well-implacable principle that one can follow if they are willing to adopt an ayurvedic daily regimen.
First things first, there is no need to hurry up when you start something new. It should be in a gradual manner. Hence, a person can start getting up in Brahmi Muhurta and can start Abhyanga and Vyayama, etc., on a daily basis.
But it’s better to take opinions from Ayurveda Vaidya before you start all these. They will help you to customise your routine so that you can easily follow it for a longer period of time.
Final words
This humble conversation with Dr. Pallavi has reminded us that by honoring our body’s natural rhythm, we can start with a few simple, easy and mindful steps for our good health and wellness. If you need any guidance, you can always join Habuild’s 14-day free yoga to start your wellness journey.
This way you are not just making yourself healthier and more vibrant but also giving yourself a gift of life.
Ayurveda isn’t really about rushing, it’s more about embracing a gentle, slow journey that enriches your mind, body, and soul every single day. So, let’s embrace it to the fullest.
