MORNING ROUTINE The first order of business in the morning is rising. As already mentioned, one should rise before sunrise. Why should one rise before sunrise? This is the most harmonious time as it is the most physically, mentally and spiritually balancing period of the day. About ninety minutes before dawn, and again one half hour before dawn, there is a surge of energy which takes place. It is at this second surge that the balance of the body is established and the blood chemistry is set up for the day. By being awake, cleansed and aware it will augment this balancing and lead to a happier day with more stamina and equilibrium. Immediately upon awakening, before rising, one should take a moment to center oneself with a positive frame of mind, offering prayer and respects to ones chosen object of worship. This will help to eliminate that "getting up on the wrong side of bed" syndrome. Starting your day from the very beginning in a conscious frame of mind will do much to keep the rest of the day running smooth. After rising one should first take a glass of room temperature water with optional juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon added to it. This daily regiment will help to cleanse the system in three ways. First of all, by drinking the water it stimulates the gastrointestinal tract to help in the elimination of feces. Secondly the lemon is antiseptic and antibacterial and works to cleanse the entire gastrointestinal tract, especially the stomach, where we tend to accumulate excess mucus and kapha. And thirdly, the water also assists the kidneys and bladder in their functions of removing toxins from the system. All this will be helpful in the next duty of elimination. Generally no one has any trouble eliminating urine in the morning, but few people will have a good bowel movement. Our lemon water drink will be very effective for this and will be especially effective with the addition of a simple exercise. Bend your knees and place your hands on your thighs with the fingers pointing in. What you are doing is half supporting your upper torso on your thighs. Now blow out all of the air from your lungs, and while holding the air out, suck in your abdomen, pulling it in and up. Then push it out again and suck it in, doing this about 10 times, all while you are holding your breath out. What this does is to swish the water around in your stomach, helping to cleanse it, and stimulates the small and large intestines to move. It is also extremely beneficial for all of the organs of the abdomen, as it stimulates blood flow into these areas. The best method for naturally stimulating the bowel is to squat. Our modern toilet bowls are completely unnatural and unsuitable for healthy elimination of feces, and are part of the reason we have such a high rate of constipation, hemorrhoids, and other colon problems. It is best to squat actually on the toilet rim which puts one in the natural position for a bowel movement. At first it may take some time, but as the body becomes accustomed to this practice, one will easily and fully eliminate feces each morning. This practice insures a wholesome clean condition first thing, free from fear of reabsorbing toxins sitting overlong in the bowel. And assuming that one has risen just prior to dawn, the movement of vata, along with drinking the water will help in the effective elimination process. After one has evacuated it is time to clean the mouth and teeth. Of course in the west we generally use toothbrushes of which the soft variety are best. However, in other countries, or here if one prefers, a stick may be used. Generally a twig from a bitter or medicinal tree such as Eucalyptus should be used. It should be about half the diameter of the little finger and approximately 6 inches long. The end farthest from the tree should be chewed until soft and the soft, chewed end used in a manner similar to a toothbrush to clean the teeth and massage the gums and spaces between teeth. In general sweet types of toothpastes, as we have in the west, should be avoided, but rather an astringent tooth powder should be used, or you can make your own. The best tooth cleansers should include ingredients which are pungent, bitter, astringent, cleansing and course. Ingredients might include black pepper (pungent), cinnamon (astringent and pungent), salt (course), peppermint (cleansing), witch hazel (bitter), goldenseal (astringent) and mustard or sesame oil to hold it together. Oil may also be used to massage the gums with or without some of the above items. Next one should scrape the tongue. Standardly, a manufactured tongue scraper is used. This is a thin flat piece of metal about 1/2 inch wide and about 10 inches long shaped into a "U". The tongue is extended from the mouth and scraped starting slightly inside the mouth outwards or towards the front. In lieu of a tongue scraper a silver or stainless steel spoon may be used. This process cleans the toxins from the tongue which have accumulated over night and also helps to stimulate the digestive and other organs through reflex action. Generally the toothbrush is not suitable for scraping or brushing the tongue. At this time it is a good idea to examine the face and tongue, Ayurvedic methods of diagnosis. By examining the lines and wrinkles of the face one may determine if disease or disorder is present. Examples here would include vertical lines on the forehead between the eyebrows. A line on the right indicates repressed emotions or toxins in the liver while a line on the left indicates the same for the spleen. Puffiness of the lower eyelids indicates problems in the kidneys while a butterfly like discoloration on the cheeks below the kidney region, or on the nose, indicates malabsorption of iron or folic acid. In examining the lips, if they are (dry, rough and cracked this is an indication of vata derangement and dehydration, and a need for more liquids, especially water. Pale lips are a sign of anemia, while yellow or blue lips can indicate jaundice or heart disorders respectively. Colors of the tongue are also indicative of various disorders: pale- anemia; yellow-excessive bile or liver disorder; blue-heart disorder. If there is a heavy, whitish coating on the tongue it indicates undigested toxins in the digestive tract. If the coating is present towards the middle, toxins are present in the stomach and small intestines; and towards the back, in the colon. A vertical line down the center of the tongue indicates that emotions are being held in the spine. If there is a curve in the line it may indicate a curvature in the spine. If the curve is at the tip, it would indicate cervical vertebrae; towards the middle or back, thoracic or lumbar respectively. Impressions of the teeth along the front and forward sides of the tongue indicate unabsorbed nutrients while teeth impressions along the side of the tongue suggest delicate lungs. Dry, cracked tongue is indicative of chronic vata derangement in the colon. Small white patches on either side of the rear of the tongue suggest kidney disorder. After the examination of the face, and prior to the bath one should massage the body with oil. This may be done dally, or at least two or three times weekly. Massage helps to balance the doshas and enhances the movement of energy within the body. It also acts to stimulate the lymphatic circulation, which is essential to the defense system of our body. Different oils should be used according to the constitution of the individual. Mustard seed oil is the all around best type of oil. However, as it can irritate some peoples skin, you may want to test it on yourself first. For vata types, sesame oil is recommend with strokes going against the direction of body hair growth. This helps the oil to penetrate into the skin as the vata type constitution generally has very dry skin. Stroke should be very light. For the pitta type constitution a cooling oil such as sunflower or sandalwood should be used. Again, massage strokes should be light. For the kapha person, they may use corn oil, calamus root oil, or no oil at all. Mustard oil would be especially good for the kapha type person due to its heat. Massage for the kapha type should be deeper. Finally one may take his bath, or in the west preferably a shower. Although seven types of bath are mentioned in the Vedic literatures, including bath of the mind, bath by mantra or prayer, rain/sun baths, etc. we will restrict ourselves to the more common water bath. It is suggested that amongst water baths, a pond is good, a lake is better, and a river is best. Translated into western civilization, a shower is better for general cleansing than a tub bath, as it has the advantages of washing away dirts and oils, as well as excessive psycho-electrical energies, massaging and stimulating the body. The bath temperature should be cool or slightly warm ending with cool, unless the bather is old, infirm, or diseased in which case warm water may be used. In no case should excessively hot water be used for general bathing and especially never on the head. Bathing with, or ending with cool water is extremely beneficial, as it stimulates the circulation,and nervous systems, and this one practice can do more towards making a personal feel vital and alive than almost any other simple practice. Bath should be taken at least each morning, while for some it is suggested taking twice or three times dally. EXERCISE/MEDITATION/PRANAYAMA Following the bath one should perform daily exercise. In Ayurveda it is felt that super strenuous exercises as are prevalent in the west can actually be detrimental to the body. They may result in physical strength but they can also lead to an imbalance of the doshas. Ayurveda recommends yoga exercises for its bodily benefits as well as mental and spiritual effects. Yoga is supreme for balancing the doshas within the body and can be used simultaneously for any of the purposes that more vigorous exercises are used. For instance, for losing weight the shoulder stand is excellent as it brings blood and stimulation to the thyroid gland in the neck, one of the primary organs responsible for weight balance and metabolism, especially in women. This one exercise is also beneficial for hyperthyroidism, constipation, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, liver disorders, excessive anger, sexual debility, sore throat, asthma, emphysema, and a host of other ailments. In addition to its effect of balancing the doshas and strengthening the body, yoga also has the result of calming the mind, for yoga postures are performed in a slow, peaceful manner, with a centered mind. This has both an immediate calming effect and long term result of a calm and peaceful countenance. A final result of daily yoga postures is their benefit in opening the various energy and spiritual channels of the body, most notably those purported to reside in the spine. According to Ayurvedic and yogic anatomy, there resides within the spinal column three subtle channels called the pingala, ida, and sushumna. Through the practice of yoga asanas or postures, meditation and pranayama (breathing exercises) the most subtle energies of prana and ojas are directed up the spine to the seven energy centers known as chakras (literally wheel). The practitioner of yoga experiences various levels of spiritual realization and consciousness as he is able to direct the energies to each higher chakra successively. On a more practical and mundane level there are many health benefits to the daily practice of both meditation and pranayama. First we will consider briefly pranayama. Pranayama (literally control of breath or prana) is performed prior to meditation. It has innumerable forms all based on the concept of prana which is both oxygen and a more subtle energy simultaneously tapped through pranayama practice. In addition to its more spiritual aspects, specific pranayama practices can be chosen for their benefit to particular diseases. For instance the cooling breath known as sheetali is performed by inspiring air through the curled tongue. Its cooling results help to alleviate pitta or heat disorders. The breath of fire, is as the name suggests, warming to the body and is recommended for those kapha disorders or overweight individuals. The practice of pranayama also is used in preparation for meditation, as it has the effect of quieting and clearing the mind, and awakening the subtle and spiritual energies. Of course, few if any of these claims can be scientifically proven other than through the personal endeavors and experiences of the practitioner. As the adage states, "the proof of the pudding is in the eating". One of the most common and beneficial pranayama practices is the alternating breath. This is especially beneficial before meditation to calm the mind, or when having trouble failing asleep at night. It works on the principle that the right and left nostrils correspond to the right and left hemispheres of the brain, as well as to the channels of the spine (ida, pingala, and shushumna) mentioned earlier. There is a whole system known as swar yoga, which is based on this principle, and allows people to perform all daily functions at the time of maximum potential, depending on which nostril (and therefore brain hemisphere) is predominating. The method for alternating breath is as follows. First, with your right hand you should place your thumb on the right side of your nose, and either the index or middle finger on the left side of the nose. Close the left nostril with whichever finger you are using and inhale through the right nostril. Hold the inhaled breath by plugging the right nostril, and then open the left nostril and exhale through it. Now reverse the process and inhale through the already opened left nostril, plug and hold, and open the right nostril and exhale through it. This is considered one "round", and you should do ten rounds at one sitting. There is some controversy amongst teachers as to the length of time you should inhale, hold and then exhale. Ultimately it should be in a 1:4:2 ratio. In other words, you would inhale for 8 counts, hold for 32 counts, and exhale for 16 counts. However this can be dangerous if done incorrectly, and should best be learned under the direction of a competent yoga teacher. You might want to try something more comfortable like inhaling for 8, holding for 8, and exhaling for 8, and gradually increasing the count as you feel comfortable with it.