healthy living – Well of Joy

Don't fancy yourself a morning person? Starting your day with this invigorating Ayurvedic self-care morning routine just might change your mind. This simple morning routine combines self-care techniques and Ayurveda to help you begin every day feeling your best. The Ayurvedic practices included are designed to wake up the senses, detoxify your body, and leave you feeling refreshed. 7 Steps of Self-Care: Your Ayurvedic Morning Routine Incorporating this Ayurvedic morning routine is a valuable self-care practice to help you begin every day feeling nourished, grounded, and joyful. When you make it a priority to take care of your well-being as soon as you start the day, you are reminding yourself that you are worthy and loved. What is Ayurveda? Ayurveda is the ancient sister science of yoga. It's over 5,000 years old! The name Ayurveda is Sanskrit, formed by “ayuh” meaning “life” or “longevity” and “veda” meaning “science” or “sacred knowledge.” Roughly translated Ayurveda means “sacred knowledge of life.” Simply put, Ayurveda is a holistic approach to health. Incorporating it into your life can have many benefits for the body, mind, and soul. It promotes harmony in life and can help you find balance on your path to wellness. Learning about Ayurveda gave me the tools to take care of my body. It also gave me an understanding of how our body, mind, and soul are connected. A healthy state of being requires tending to each. This self-care morning routine reflects that and contains ways to nourish our physical, mental and spiritual well-being. I think this knowledge is worthwhile for everyone to explore. If you want to learn more about Ayurveda I can highly recommend heading over to Banyan Botanicals. You can take the quiz to discover your dosha type and find a plethora of well-written, informative articles pertinent to your health needs. 1. Scrape Your Tongue Once I started tongue scraping, it quickly became one of the practices I couldn't live without. Everyone is familiar with unpleasant morning tongue fuzz. But, what you didn’t know is that white gunk is actually full of what is referred to in Ayurveda as ‘ama’. (And bacteria. Yuck.) Ama is an Ayurvedic term for the toxins that accumulate in your body as a result of improper digestion. When you choose to start your day by ridding yourself of ‘ama ', instead of reintroducing it into your system, you are helping your body do its job to detoxify itself. Simply get an inexpensive copper tongue scraper like this one from Amazon. Use it to scrape all the gunk away, moving from the back to the front, rinsing the tongue scraper in between each scrape. Ayurveda recommends scraping seven times. Seven is an auspicious number in Ayurveda and Yoga as it corresponds to the number of Chakras. >>You can find more information about tongue scraping here, at Banyanbotanicals.com 2. Brush Your Teeth Hopefully, everyone knows how to do this one.(: I've been using this 4-pack of bamboo toothbrushes from Amazon for awhile now and I love them. The bamboo is eco-friendly, and they also come with a travel case, dental floss, AND four toothbrushes. That way you can easily toss and replace your toothbrush when it gets old without worrying about ordering a new one. 3. Rinse Your Face and Eyes With Cool Water This step refreshes and re-hydrates. As you sleep, your body becomes dehydrated as it goes through its nightly detox routine. Your skin does too, especially if you live in a dry climate. As a bonus, the cool water helps to dispel any morning puffiness. Splash cool water over your face 7 times, making sure to clean the buildup that gathers in the eye corners. Your eyes are another place your body likes to get rid of ama. Bacteria can gather there as well, so it's best to wash it away and start fresh. Hey there! Don't forget to share and pin for later! 4. Massage Your Face with Organic Oil Now that we have clean fresh skin, it’s time to moisturize and protect. I like to keep it simple and use organic cold-pressed Jojoba oil. This bottle lasts me a long time and I love knowing exactly what I’m using on my face each day. 5. Drink Two Glasses of Warm Water This step is so important! It's crucial to get re-hydrated after 6-10 hours of not drinking. Starting your day with warm water also stimulates the gastrointestinal tract and peristalsis—the muscle contractions within the intestinal walls that help you eliminate waste. Helping your body get in the habit of eliminating waste soon after you wake up keeps your digestion running smoothly and is a key part of an Ayurvedic morning routine. 6. Yoga/ Stretching Begin your day with energizing sun salutations or keep it simple, and just feel into what your body needs. What is most important is to wake the body up and allow stagnant energy to begin to flow. Whether you're just starting out, or looking for a little yoga inspiration, check out Yoga with Adriene. She's an amazing yoga teacher, who inspired my own yoga journey and has tons of great classes and challenges on her YOutube channel. I love using my Eko lite mat from Manduka. It has a great grip, is super light-weight, and folds up easily so you can take it everywhere. I've also used Manduka's thicker pro mat. This mat is amazing and well worth the investment. The only reason I don't use this as my daily mat is that I am traveling often and it's a bit heavy for backpacking. Other than that, it's grippy, supportive, and long-lasting. It#s without a doubt, my favorite yoga mat so far. 7. Spiritual Self-Care & Self-Love Finally, take some time for self-love, to nurture your Self before diving into your day. Practice meditation, pranayama, or journal, and take a few minutes to be grateful. Learn how to craft the perfect spiritual self-care morning ritual here. Here are my 3 Favorite Short & Blissful Guided Meditations, perfect for starting your day with self-love. I like to write my ‘morning pages’, a free-flow journal exercise that allows you to pour your thoughts out on paper to allow for stillness and perspective, followed by meditation. You can learn How to Do Your Morning Pages: A Daily Self-Care Journal Ritual That Will Transform Your Life here. Tomorrow morning, start your day with self-care for the body, mind and, soul and commit to this Ayurvedic self-care morning routine. You are worth it. Thank you for being here, Rebecca Ready to transform your life? Get your free copy of my Intention Setting Workbook to align with your truth and call forth intentions from the heart. Get your Free Intention Setting Workbook Now! Click here to try Audible and Get A Free Audiobook Now!