10 Steps to improve your Daily Routine

Daily routine for healthy lifestyle:

Here are the 10 steps to improve your Daily Routine

1. Pratahkalotthana (Weakup time)
2. Sauca vidhi (Cleansing)
3. Danta dhavana (Cleaning the teeth)
4. Anjana (Collyrium)
5. Nasya (Nasal drops)
6. Gandusa-kavala dharana (Gargles)
7. Abhyanga (Oil massage)
8. Vyayama (Exercise)
9. Udvartana (Powder massage)
10. Snana (Bath)

1.WEAKUP TIME:

• In order to protect his life, a healthy person should get up from bed in Brahma muhurat.

• Brahma muhurat is approximately at 4:24A.M.

• Brahma muhurat is the 14th muhurat kala of night (1 muhurat = 48 minutes).

• Whole night consist of 15 muhurat (15*48=720 minutes).

• It is the suitable time to study and obtain knowledge.

• Is also the time when all the three doses are in equilibrium stage.

2. CLEANSING:

• After considering the condition of the body (such as the food taken in the previous night has been fully digested or not etc.) one has to attend for the natural urges and clean the parts well

• Healthy person should eliminate the natural urges like faeces and urine etc. facing North in the morning hours and South in the night.

• During defecation one should be silent, sit and cover the head with the cloth.

• Avoid forceful expulsion.

• Avoid defecating at dirty places, centre of the road,heaps of ash, cowshed, burial grounds, scared places,in  front of woman and respectable person, facing sun and moon etc.

• But at the time of fear and sick person may avoid the excrements as they wish.

• At the time of earth one should not attend any other work.

• Suppressing the natural urges leads to vitiation of Vata, which in turn causes many number of diseases.

3. CLEANING THE TEETH:

• Twigs useful for cleaning of the teeth-

-Arka (Calotropis procera)

-Nyagrodha (Ficus bengalensis)

-Khadira (Acacea catachu)

-Karanja (Pongamia pinnata)

-Kakubha (Terminalia arjuna)

- Twigs having sweet, sour and salt tastes should not be used for brushing.

- Dry, hallow, putrefied twigs also should not be used.

• Even though tongue scraping is not mentioned in Astănga Hrdaya, it is clearly stated in Aştănga Sangraha, Caraka Samhitā and Suśruta Samhitä as under- 

*After brushing teeth, scrape the tongue with the help of tongue cleaners, which should not be sharp edged andis curved, made of metals like gold, silver, copper etc.

• Advantages of tongue scraping: 

- Removes the dirt of the tongue, bad taste and foul smell of tongue, mouth and teeth. 

- Produces better taste, cleanliness and softness of the mouth. 

• Contraindications for cleaning teeth:

- Patients suffering with the following diseases are contra-indicated for cleaning teeth: 

*Ajima (indigestion) 

*Vamathu (vomitings) 

*Śwäsa (dyspnoea) 

*Kāsa(cough) 

*Jwara (fever) 

*Ardita (facial paralysis) 

*Trsna (thirst) 

*Asyapāka (stomatitis) 

*Hrdaya, netra, širo, karņa roga (diseases of heart, eyes, head and ears).

4. COLLYRIUM:

• After danta-dhävana daily use of sauviranjana(Anatimony sulphide) as collyrium is excellent for protecting eyes. 

• Advantages of sauvīrāñjana:

* Eves become lovely and clean. 

* Able to see even minute objects. 

* All the three colored parts of the eyes will become well defined. 

* Eyelashes become smooth and firm. 

* As eyes are associated with tejo (agni) mahābhūta predominantly, continuous use of sauvīranjana provokes kapha doşa. 

* Therefore rasäñjana (prepared from darvī kvātha-Berberis aristata) is to be applied once in a week to alleviate the vitiated kapha for keeping the vision clear.

5. NASAL DROPS:

• After the use of collyrium application of nasal drops with anu taila and then gargling is advised.

• Advantages of nasal drops: 

-Nasya Regular use of anutaila as pratimarsa nasya(administering 2-2 drops in cach nostril)- 

* Keeps the shoulders, neck and chest strong. 

* Voice becomes sweet. 

* Mouth becomes fresh and free from foul smell. 

* All the sense.organs become clear and strengthy.

* Skin because wrinkle-free.

* Hair never becomes grey.

6. GARGLES:

* Holding the liquid drugs in buccal cavity for a specific period without moving the drug is known as gandūsa. 

* Whereas in kavala dhārana, kalka dravyais used and it is allowed to move in the oral cavity for a specific period. 

• Both gandūsa and kavalaare of four types as under- 

- Snehika gandūsa: In which unctuous drugs will be used and is indicated for vātadisorders. 

- Samana gandūsa: Drugs having sweet taste and cold are used and is indicated in pitta disorders. 

- Šodhana gandūşa: Pungent, sour, salt drugs will be used in śodhana gandūsa and is indicated for kaphadisorders. 

- Ropana gandūsa: Astringent, bitter and sweet drugs are used and it is indicated for vrana ropana. 

* Mutton juice and gingily oil can be used for gandüşa regularly. 

• Advantages of gargles: 

* Gives strength to the mandibular joints. 

* Voice will becleared. 

* Gives strength to the mouth. 

* Dryness in the mouth and cracks in the lips are relieved. 

* Relieves toothache and strengthens the gums. 

* Khadira, kşīrī vrksa, irimeda etc. are the drugs of choice for kavala-dhāraņa. 

* Anorexia, foul smell of the mouth, salivation etc. will be relieved. 

* Gandūşa with luke warm water will make the mouth clean and cheerful.

• Duration of gandüşa/kavala-dhāraņa: 

-Gandūsa and kavala should be done till the person gets watery discharge from the nose and eyes. 

* After nasal drops and gargles, inhalation of smoke (präyogika dhūma), use of perfumes and garlands are advised. 

* By the use of präyogika dhūmapāna, diseases pertaining to E. N. T. (ear, nose and throat) originated by väta and kapha will be relieved.

7. OIL MASSAGE:

• Conducting body massage on a regular basis will be beneficial. It: 

* Delays aging, relieves fatigue and mitigates vāta. Imparts good vision and promotes strength. Increases lifespan and relieves insomnia. 

* Bestows toughness as well as prettiness to the skin and body becomes strong. 

* Oil should be applied especially to the head (head massage), ears (ear drops) and foot (massage on the soles), along with the whole body.

• Contra indication: 

- Massage should not be conducted to: 

* The persons suffering with kapha disorders. 

* During the course of śodhana therapy. 

* And also in the state of indigestion.

• Advantages of head massage: 

* Relieves headache, baldness, graying and falling of hair. 

* Strengthens the sense organs. 

• Advantages of eardrops: 

* Prevents lock jaw. 

* Hardness of hearing and deafness. 

* Ache in the ears. 

•Advantages of foot massage: 

* Foot becomes strong. 

* Promotes sleep and vision. 

* Relieves numbness, stiffness, contractures and cracks on the soles. 

8. EXERCISE: 

• Activities, which produces tiredness to the body is known as vyäyama. 

• Advantages of exercise: 

* Body becomes light. 

* Able to perform normal duties with enthusiasm. 

* Increases the power of digestion. 

* Reduces the fat and body parts become distinct and firm.

• Contraindicated persons for doing exercise:

* Patients suffering from väta and pitta disorders. 

* Children, aged persons and persons suffering from indigestion.

- Strong persons, those who are habituated to take unctuous food and in cold and spring seasons (hemanta, šišira and vasanta rtu) do exercises to half of their capacity. Others and in other seasons (grişma, varşāand Sarad rtu) it should be done still less.

- After doing exercises, whole body should be gently massaged.

• Disadvantages of excessive exercises:

- Excessive exercises leads to the following complications like trsnä (thirst), kşaya (emaciation), pratamaka (severe dyspnoca), raktapitta (haemorrahage), śrama (exhaustion), klama(tiredness), kūsa (cough), jwara(fever), chardi(vomitings) etc.

- Due to excessive exercises, not sleeping in nights, walking long distances, excessive coitus, too much talking & laughing, acts of exertion etc. will destroy the body as a lion fights with an elephant and dies.

9. POWDER MASSAGE:

- Massaging (with fine powder) in the opposite direction of hair follicles with high pressure is known as udvartana.

- By the regular conduction of udvartana-kapha is mitigated, fat is liquefied, body parts became firm and the skin becomes healthy. 

• Udvartana is of 3 types:

a) Udvartana: Drugs used in udvartanacreates pravilayana and vimläpana.

b) Udgharşaņa : Here dry and rough drugs are used.

c) Utsādana : Unctuous pastes are used.

• Uses:

- These help to dilate the channels and increase the power of bhrājaka pitta in the skin. So that the complexion is enhanced.

- Utsādanais indicated to enhance the beauty of females.

10. BATH:

• Advantages of bath: 

* Increases appetite. Heat exerting from the body through sweat pores is being obstructed and sends back to the original place and enhances the power of digestion. 

* Improves sexual vigor.

* Enhances the life span.

* Improves body strength.

* Removes itching, dirt, exertion, sweat, fatigue, thirst, burning sensation etc.

- Normal bath with hot water gives strength to the body but head bath decreases the strength of the hair follicles and eyes.

- Hence head bath with hot water is contra-indicated.

• Contraindication of bath:

- Persons suffering from:

* ardita vāta (facial paralysis)

* netra roga (eye disorders)

* āsyaroga (mouth disorders)

* karņa roga (ear disorders)

* atisära (diarrhoea)

* ādhmäna (abdominal distension)

* pīnasa (coryza)

* ajīrna (indigestion)

* bhuktavastu (immediately after having food) etc.

 are contraindicated for taking bath.

• Notes: Don't have bath in the rivers and ponds when the water is insufficient and never take bath nakedly.

BY FOLLOWING THE ABOVE MENTIONED 10 STEPS TO IMPROVE YOUR DAILY ROUTINE YOU CAN EASILY LIVE A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE.