Ayurvedic daily rituals for health and longevity

Vedic Meditation comes from a tradition dating back centuries in India, but it’s not the only knowledge passed down from that time. 

There is also the related discipline of Ayurveda, which translates as “science of living”. Ayurveda looks to align the practitioner with laws of nature, mostly through daily routines and diet. 

Below are some common Ayurvedic practice that you can easily fit into your day to help improve your health and maybe let you live a little longer.  

Get up when the sun gets up

Wondering what the best time to get up is? No, not the very last minute before you have to so as not to be late for work. The best time is to follow the lead of the most powerful and life-supporting entity in the solar system: the sun. Rising with the sun – or before it – is a very Vedic thing to do. It also aligns with modern scientific understanding of circadian rhythms.

Tongue scraping 

This definitely seemed like one of the more bizarre Vedic rituals when I first heard about it, but now I can’t do without it. 

Ayurveda talks about a substance called “ama”, which is a toxic by-product of undigested food. This substance collects on the tongue overnight as white residue. Rather than re-absorbing these toxins into the body, we can instead scrape them off in a matter of seconds each morning before brushing our teeth. It looks like a bit of a medieval torture instrument but it’s surprisingly satisfying. You can do it before bed too. It's best to pick a copper tongue scraper and get a few as they get a bit gross after 3-6 months.

Lemon/lime water

Drinking warm or hot water with either lemon or lime is a great way to wake up and cleanse the digestive system before the day. Make sure to swill your mouth out with water afterwards so the citric acids don't damage your teeth. Also, it’s best to do it after rather than before brushing your teeth. 

Sun salute

Surya Namaskar is the Sanskrit name for the sun salutation, where we greet the sun. You would lively have done a version of it in a regular yoga class. The sun is the most powerful, life-giving object in our part of the universe and a good Vedic ritual is to pay our respects to it, facing its direction and giving ourselves an enlivening stretch at the same time. The "quick" version takes only about one minute and includes reaching up, folding forward, a lunge, downward dog, upward dog and back up. If you have more time you can repeat it as many times as you like, switching sides for the lunge and ending each round with hands together saying "Jai Surya!”, “Glory to the sun!”

Morning meditation 

Vedic Meditation is the cornerstone of our routine and we do it sitting comfortably, lower back supported, head and neck free for 20 minutes. The art is to see how nonchalant you can be while your mind drifts and you only remember to think the mantra occasionally. If you haven't yet learned to meditate with a mantra, check out my Sydney/Canberra courses or my online Not-Quite Vedic Meditation course.

Abhyanga

A key part of most Ayurvedic daily routines is to apply warm oils like sesame oil to your body – particularly the head and feet but all over if you have time.

To be honest, this is the only item on the list I don't do – I find it too messy! But many people like Ayurvedic expert Dylan Smith of Vital Veda swear by it. It is said to ground and balance you – and if you can get past the messiness it can be very soothing. You can also get oil treatments at Ayurvedic clinics if you want someone else to do it. My favourite is called Shirodhara, where warm oil is drizzled onto your forehead.

Eat for your body type

Ayurveda recognises three ”doshas” or mind/body types that benefit from different types of foods. I will do a separate post on this but the types, very briefly, are: 

Vata: slim build, tendency for erratic energy, air-y qualities, benefits from warming foods like stews and soups

Pitta: medium build, more fiery temperament, strong energy and digestion, benefits from cooling foods like salads 

Kapha: thicker build, slower energy but great endurance and loyalty, benefits from spicy or enlivening food. 

The doshas go in and out of balance and we can use food to move towards balance. Find out your type here: https://chopra.com/dosha-quiz#quiz

I generally follow the advice for my dominant type – Vata/Pitta but don't go overboard. I do follow general advice on certain foods or combinations to avoid though. 

Ayurvedic no no's

There are some food combinations that are considered bad for all types – here's a Top 3.

Iced drinks 

Iced drinks are said cool and diminish digestive powers. A strong digestion is a key element of health according to Ayurveda.

Banana and milk

Bananas and milk, although a common combination for smoothies are said to be a bad combo – banana is sour and milk is sweet and they combine to diminish digestive power.

When I learned about this I was having a frozen banana smoothie for breakfast every morning! Double whammy! 

Heated honey 

This is a tough one for all you honey-soaked Chai lovers out there but honey is said to become toxic if heated. A safe level is apparently 40 degrees centigrade or below (104F), so best to avoid as a sweetener for hot drinks.

Afternoon/evening med 

We meditate twice a day to get the full benefit and by mid-afternoon, you will have earned a rest. This meditation can be done anytime from about 2.30pm until dinner time. It will give you a second wind so ideally do it when you will benefit most from it. It is an enlivening practice so best not to do it within two hours of bed. Also, wait about an hour after eating to finish digesting if you have to do it after a meal. 

Bed by 10pm

If we got up to greet the sun we will likely be tired by this point – or earlier. It's best to be in bed by 10pm and heading to sleep soon after. If you stay up later you move into another more-wakeful circadian cycle that has more Vatta energy which will make it harder to fall asleep between 11pm and 1am. 

It's good sleep hygiene to avoid blue light from phones and laptops before bed. I charge my phone in another room so I can’t look at it first thing morning or last thing at night, which really helps. I also time my meditation with my Apple Watch (there’s an Insight Timer app!) so as not to look at my phone before meditating.

Do you follow any of these? What daily rituals work for you? Share in the comments section below. 

A great introduction to Ayurveda is Deepak Chopra’s book Perfect Health (not available for Kindle).