Dinacharya for Mind Body & Soul

Nourish yourself & enhance your wellbeing

In Ayurveda daily health promoting rituals, known as Dinacharya – which translates as “Daily Routine” are part of the Ayurvedic approach to experiencing utmost health and wellbeing.

Here are four simple, yet effective practices to bring balance to the physical, emotional mental and spiritual levels of being. Abhyanga self-massage, oil pulling, aromatherapy and journalling.

Abhyanga - Daily Self-Massage Ritual

In Ayurveda the daily application of medicated oils in the form of self- massage represents one of the cornerstones of health.

Once you start with this, you will be amazed at the feelings of calmness and centeredness that daily massage has on you and the heightened levels of energy and vitality that accompany it.

This is such a profoundly therapeutic way to attend to your nervous system, for this reason it is one of the most effective ways of pacifying Vata, as it is the principal Dosha in charge of the nervous system. 

There is clinical evidence to show the benefits and effectiveness of self-massage to help boost our immune system and wellbeing. The skin is the single biggest regulator of endocrine hormones in the body, the daily application of massaging the oil on the skin, helps to switch the body from fight-flight to rest, heal, digest. Starting the day with this Ayurvedic practice, helps you to step out in your day with peace and calm.

The Benefits

v Brings feelings of calm, increases vitality

v Stimulates the immune, endocrine and lymphatic flow

v Helps removal of toxins

v Helps regeneration of the skin

v Increases the release of “feel good” hormones (oxytocin, dopamine)

v Reduces Blood Pressure

v Better Sleep Quality

v Reduces Stress and anxiety

Oils for Self- Massage.

Use organic, raw and unrefined base oils as these are the purest and most nourishing. Use warm sesame oil for dry skin (Vata), coconut oil for Pitta, or sunflower for Kapha, or a specially blended oil. Adding a few drops of essential oils can help to enhance the therapeutic effect.

You will only need a small amount of oil

You can pour a small amount of oil in your palm and then wet your hands in warm water and then massage over the body. This is a nice way to massage the oil easily over your body.

v Use flowing strokes over long bones

v Use small circular strokes over joints

v Use light superficial pressure, be present, breathe calmly 

Massage Sequence

1. Foot of one leg                                    6. Massage hand, lower arm and upper arm, both arms

2. Lower Leg                                           7. Ma ssage your head (without oil)

3. Upper Leg                                           8. Massage neck with oil to absorb into lymph

4. Repeat for other leg                           9. Massage shoulders and upper back

5. Clockwise around abdomen

Be sure to carve out enough time to practice abhyanga so you can keep your movements slow and consistent and leave the oil on your skin soaking in the bath or shower for 15 to 20 minutes. But even if you can only relax for 5 to 10 minutes with the oil on your skin, you will get a big benefit over not doing it at all.

The Daily Ritual of Oil Pulling

"Dinacharya" translates as "daily routine" designed to promote health and well-being. Oil pulling, also called Gandusha in Ayurveda terminology, is a recommended 5,000 year old oral hygiene technique with important health benefits.

Oil pulling has been shown to increase:-

·      Oral health & Hygiene

·      Heart Health

·      Brain Health

When you read about the health benefits below, you might wish to give it a try!

Synthetic mouth washes are alcohol based and typically kill the good bacteria as well as the bad bacteria. We know about the microbiome in the gut as being an important part off our immune system, but did you know that The microbiome in our mouth is one of the body’s first line of defence? It is a key mechanism important for our health, that if it drops can weaken immunity, ideally we don’t want to be using synthetic mouth washes that obliterate the good bacteria, so the Ayurvedic practice of oil pulling is effective as a natural mouth wash.

The beauty of using oil pulling, is that all you need to use is coconut oil, or organic sesame oil. There’s been a lot of Western research around this, clinical research shows that using oil pulling is as effective as using mouth washes, with the added bonus, that it doesn’t destroy the good bacteria.

Bad breath is caused by VSC, (volatile sulpher compounds). The bacterial compounds in the mouth proliferate as the day goes on.  Coconut oil is a natural antibiotic and prevents bad breath and has been shown to be good for treating gingivitis and bleeding gums.

There has been clinical research to show that the impact of oil pulling, also promotes brain and heart health.

Heart Disease

We have good bacteria and bad bacteria in the mouth, the most significant bad bacteria is something called S-Mutans (Streptococcus), it proliferates quickest and easiest in the mouth.  It is able to enter the blood stream through the gums, particularly if you have bleeding gums. It gravitates to 2 areas in the body, the heart and the brain, which can create a problem as they are the most important organs.

If it gets into the heart, it particularly lodges in the valves, and accumulates and has a big impact on valve disease. In people established with valve disease,  it is shown that they have an excessive level of S-mutans bacteria. The way this gets into the heart is from the mouth, so it is absolutely vital that we take care of our oral hygiene.

Brain Health

The increase of S-Mutans is the main cause of tooth decay, has been indicated in diseases such as Alzheimers, dementia, cognitive decline. Getting rid of S-Mutans through oil pulling, can potentially reduce the risk of these neurological diseases.

How does oil pulling work? Oils are lipophilic, meaning they attract other oils and fat-soluble toxins, “pulling” them out from any surface an oil is introduced to. To oil pull, take a table spoon of coconut oil or sesame and sluice around the mouth, making sure not to swallow any of the oil. Regular oil pulling has been found to improve gum health, strengthen the teeth and protect from decay. If you find you are getting an abscess or infection in the mouth, you can add 1 drop each of the essential oils of clove and myrhh and this may stop the infection in its tracks.

When to oil pull

Always do it after brushing your teeth, as the brushing of the teeth starts to dislodge bacteria and the oil acts like an emulsifier to draw those toxins out.

How long?

5 – 10 minutes has been shown to be effective in the management of mouth bacteria. It is best to spit the oil out in the bin, or outside,  or in the toilet and immediately flush, as coconut oil solidifies, you want to avoid blocking the drains.

It can be an unusual thing to try if you are not used to the oil swishing around the mouth, however, it is easy to  get used to and just like brushing your teeth, easy to incorporate into your morning routine. You will find that your mouth feels fresher and cleaner.

Aromatherapy to nourish your nervous system

Aromatherapy is one of the most effective and safe ways to balance the nervous system. Essential oils contain complex potent and volatile chemicals, naturally produced by plants to thrive and survive. They are the core essence of a plant. They contain medicinal properties that can be sedative, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, antiseptic and more.

The first effect of Aromatherapy is through our sense of smell. The nose is a portal of direct communication with the inner functions of the brain.

Smell affects and triggers a response in The Limbic System which houses the primal responses of the senses and is linked to the emotional brain. Scientific research indicates that the human nose can detect at least one trillion different smells. This is significantly higher than the previously estimated 10,000 scents. The ability to distinguish between such a vast array of smells is attributed to the complexity of the olfactory system and the way our brain processes and interprets these smells.

When we smell an essential oil, it triggers and sends a neurotransmitter to the brain that elicits a particular emotional response, depending on the chemistry of the plant. Citrus essential oils tend to be light and have a refreshing uplifting quality such as grapefruit and lime. By understanding which essential oil characteristics to call upon, we can use essential oils to elicit the release of endorphins, oxytoxin and dopamine.

Effective ways to use essential oils

When inhaled/infused in the air, they directly affect our mood and our emotions.

Dermal absorption through the skin, is a highly effective way of being able to utilise the medicinal properties of the essential oils. Think about how the skin is used as a delivery system for HRT, nicotine patches and other medicines.

Essential oils need to be diluted and blended in a base oil for safe use. It is thought that about 40% of whatever we put on our skin is absorbed through the layers and taken up by the blood capillaries and then circulated around the blood. This is why we need to be aware of the synthetic ingredients in skin products, such as micro-plastics, fillers and other toxic chemicals that the liver, lymphatic and digestive systems find hard to process. The organic compounds of the essential oils and a good clean organic base oil, that hasn't been highly processed, is absorbed well by the skin and recognised by the body as organic material it can process and breakdown and then eliminate. Here are a few tips and useful blends to enhance your emotions and vitality. The recipes below are for 30ml base oil.

Carrier oils to use

• Organic Sunflower oil

• Fractionated coconut oil

• Jojoba

• Sweet Almond oil

Hormonal Balance Blend

This is a classic woman’s blend that can help regulate periods, ease cramps, PMT, PMS, and ease lower back ache.

3 drops Chamomile Roman, 4 drops Geranium & 5 drops Lavender

Sleep Well Blend

This is a calming relaxing blend which is good to rub into your feet before bed to have a promote a good night’s sleep.

4 drops Frankincense, 5 drops Orange, 3 drops Ylang Ylang

Refresh Your Mind

Keep your mind focused and motivated with this refreshing blend. Great to use in the morning for that get up and go vigour.

4 drops Tea Tree, 3 drops Peppermint, 5 drops May Chang

Ultimate Calm and Peace

Rub into neck, shoulders or feet to completely relax your nervous system.

3 drops Patchouli, 4 drops Spanish Marjoram, 5 drops Pettigrain

JOURNALING – Purging Negative Thoughts and Emotions

Writing your thoughts and concerns down, is a way of clearing up the mind-space so it doesn’t ruminate and turn into worry. This is such an effective way of dealing with emotions that are negative and keep circling around the mind.

How to Clear the Mind

Take a loose sheet of A4 paper and simply write down worries, doubts and concerns that may be creating stress and tension. Let your thoughts and the pen flow. The words do not have to make sense or be in any particular order, write the words down as the thoughts come up.

When you are done, tear up and throw it away or burn the piece of paper. It's as simple as that!

The physical act of transferring your negative thoughts onto paper, is a tangible way to release the mental clutter of thoughts and let them go. This is a great way of processing worrying or negative thoughts that end up taking up space and blocking the flow of prana.

In the Yogic and Buddhist tradition there is an important teaching, "You are not your thoughts". The Buddha taught that attachment is the root of suffering. Ayurveda and Yoga encourages us to create distance by observing the thoughts and not becoming them. In clearing the mind space, meditation and positive mind training can be cultivated.

You may like to explore “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron where she encourages a morning exercise called “morning Pages”. Here is an excerpt from her book.

“Put simply, the morning pages are three pages of longhand writing, strictly stream-of-consciousness: “Oh, god, another morning. I have nothing to say. I need to wash the curtains. Did I get my laundry yesterday? Blah, blah, blah …” They might also, more ingloriously, be called brain drain, since that is one of their main functions.

There is no wrong way to do morning pages. These daily morning meanderings are not meant to be art. Or even writing. I stress that point to reassure the nonwriters working with this book. Writing is simply one of the tools. Pages are meant to be, simply, the act of moving the hand across the page and writing down whatever comes to mind. Nothing is too petty, too silly, too stupid, or too weird to be included”.

Try this out to feel lighter, brighter and more upbeat!

Installing these rituals into your daily life will help you to feel well on all levels, and is a great way to manage and process stress and connect to your inner peace and wellbeing.