The way you start your morning sets the tone for the rest of your day. I started waking up at 5 AM about 6 years ago. I used to never be a morning person. I would do everything I could to sleep as long as I could and rush out the door. Since starting a morning routine with gratitude, meditation and/or yoga, working out, and quiet time for myself, my life has been much more satisfying. More recently I started adding some additional Ayurveda practices to detoxify my body and center my mind. Here are some easy ways to dabble into the Ayurvedic lifestyle.
Tongue Scraping
Morning breath.. Yuck. The tongue is a little Petri dish of bacteria. You can see the white coating (Ama) on the tongue. This bacteria spreads into your Gastrointestinal tract and into your body. Scraping the tongue with a metal tongue scraper helps to remove this toxicity before it gets into the rest of the body. It also improves dental health, enhances taste buds, improves saliva production for digestion, and promotes bowel elimination.
How to Tongue Scrape:
I recommend purchasing a stainless-steel tongue scraper. I got one that came with my Guru Nanda Ayurveda dental kit.
- Holding the scraper in your hand and looking in the mirror, stick out your tongue.
- Place the scraper toward the back of the tongue and gently scrape toward the front: the ama, white mucus, accumulates on the scraper.
- Rinse it off and repeat 10 times. Rinse and store in a clean place.
Oil Pulling
Oil pulling is another dental hygiene favorite. It is the act of swishing oil in your mouth to remove toxins. The oil helps improve breath, prevent cavities and tooth decay, whitens teeth and strengthens the gums. It also removes oil soluble toxins from your system, which improves digestion and your immune system. I use Guru Nanda Ayurvedic Pulling Oil. It is made up of a combination of sesame oil, sunflower oil, and coconut oil with added peppermint essential oil for breath freshening.
Oil for each Dosha
Vata: Sesame oil- warming and grounding
Pitta: Coconut oil- cooling
Kapha: Sesame oil- increases digestive fire
How to Oil Pull:
- Place 1 T of oil in your mouth and swish it around like mouthwash. I will do this while I’m showering or getting ready for work. You can start with 2-3 minutes and work up to 15-20 minutes.
- Spit it out in the trash can. Spitting in the sink can wreak havoc on your septic system and swallowing all those toxins and bacteria is just beyond gross.
- Rinse your mouth with warm water or brush your teeth after.
Dry Brushing
Dry brushing is an ancient practice to scrape dead skin cells off using a dry brush before showering or applying oil. The brush that I got was the PopChose Dry Brushing Brush on Amazon. It helps with detoxification, increases oxygen flow, improves circulation, reduces the appearance of cellulite, and stimulates the lymphatic system. It should be practiced daily.
How to Dry Brush:
- Using a firm bristle brush stroke toward your heart in long, slow motion starting at your arms.
- Move to your chest and stomach, which are more sensitive and don’t require as firm of a motion. Continue with the long strokes toward the heart.
- Move to your back. Target areas that accumulate dead skin cells.
- Next, move to the feet and legs brushing upward toward your body.
- Finish with a bath, shower, or Abhyanga.
Abhyanga (Self-Oil Massage)
Following dry Brushing, oiling the body in a massaging practice will help to hydrate the skin and body. It also promotes detoxification, tones the muscles, and helps relax the nervous system. Oil is recommended over water soluble lotions. I use Now Solutions Almond Oil that I buy on Amazon or from Grove Collaborative. They also have a coconut oil product for my Pittas.
Oil for each Dosha:
Vata: Practice at least 5 times per week or every day in the cold, dry seasons. Use a warming oil like sesame or almond.
Pitta: Practice 3 times per week, using coconut oil for cooling. The oil doesn’t need to be heated. Practice less frequently during the hot, humid months or environments
Kapha: Practice 2 times per week using sesame, olive or almond oil.
How to Practice Abhyanga:
- Warm up the oil by putting a glass bottle of oil in a pot of hot water, running hot water over the glass bottle or simply rubbing it between your hands. I do the latter, since I am short on time.
- Begin rubbing the oil on your arms, being mindful of any dry areas or sore muscles and spending more time on them.
- Add more oil and massage your abdomen in a counterclockwise circular motion to promote digestion and bowel elimination.
- Massage the oil up to your chest toward your heart.
- Add more oil and massage your back attending to any tense areas.
- Add more oil to your hands and massage your buttocks and down your legs and feet.
Neti and Nasya: The Nasal Cleanse
Nasal cleaning disinfects and moisturizes the nasal passages decreasing mucus, toxins you breathe in and allergens. Cleansing the nasal passages can help to prevent colds, flus and allergies. Clearing the nasal passages also can help with headaches and thinking clearer.
How to Practice Neti Cleansing:
I use a Baraka ceramic neti pot that I bought on Amazon. It’s beautifully designed with many different color options and has worked great. I’ve been able to mostly get off from my daily allergy medicine since starting this practice! It doesn’t have to be done every day, but I do because I have allergies and is good to be done frequently during cold and flu season.
- Wash your Neti pot before use.
- Bring 1-2 cups of water to a boil to disinfect. I do this ahead of time to save on the time it takes for it to cool down. I use the pre-boiled water and reheat it in the microwave for 20 seconds
- Add ¼ Tsp of sea salt per ⅓ cup of water and stir.
- Standing over a sink and with a tissue handy, place the tip of the neti spout into your nostril and tilt your head sideways so the water flows in one nostril and out the other. Breathe through your mouth. It took me a little practice to get the best angle and ratio of salt, water and temperature.
- Use half the water in one nostril and repeat on the remaining side.
How to Practice Nasya:
This is best to be done after a Neti cleanse. It is the act of lubricating the nostrils with oil. I purchased Nasya oil from Banyan Botanicals on Amazon. It’s thought to improve voice quality, vision, mental clarity, headaches, stress and sinus congestion.
- Lie down on your back and tilt your head backward off the edge or by placing a pillow at your mid back.
- With a dropper, place 5-10 drops in each nostril
- Inhale deeply and lie still for a few minutes to penetrate the nasal passages.
Alternate Ways to Apply Nasya Oil:
You can also do this by applying Nasya oil to your pinky finger and inserting it in your nostrils.
I save time in my routine by just tilting my head far back in standing and dropping the oil in from there. It may not be as effective, but I’m a busy mom and I don’t have the time to lay on my bed for a few minutes to penetrate the nasal passages before bringing my son to daycare and rushing to work.
It’s also important to note that it’s not recommended to use Nasya oil during pregnancy due to the toxins that it can release.
So that is my morning detoxifying routine that I have modified to get done in 20 minutes or less. It may not be the traditional recommendations from the ancient Ayurvedic texts, but it works for me, and I’ve noticed a lot of benefits since starting it. To learn more about your specific Dosha to customize your morning routine, be sure to check out the Dosha Quiz.