In this article, I’d like to explain the Ayurvedic perspective on the pre-dawn time and the healthy balance of activity and sleep.

The elements in our body and in the world are the same, the body is truely the child of Mother Earth. The rhythms of Nature effect our own rhythms. One of Ayurvedas recommendations is to harmonise our activities with the daily and seasonal cycles of Nature. The daily cycle of day and night establishes a rhythm of activity and rest for us.

Our blood chemistry affects our emotional and physical state. Modern medicine administers drugs based on this fact. But our mind states, our food and also our activities have a major input. The morning time is crucial to reset your body chemistry for a healthy, happy day; and life.

A surge of energy fills the atmosphere about 90 minutes before dawn. In summer you will often hear a ‘mini’ dawn chorus at this time. Then, half an hour before sunrise a second, stronger energy surge pervades the atmosphere and this sets body chemistry for living beings.

During the night waste matters are collected in the colon and bladder, including a quantity of waste gases. We should be up and have evacuated our bowels and bladder before this second phase resets our body chemistry. Otherwise these wastes pollute the bloodstream. This predawn time is called Amrit Bela in Sanskrit, nectar of life.

An ideal routine is:

Get up and empty your bowels and bladder. If this is not happening take some Triphala before bed.

Scrape your tongue and wash your mouth and face.

Do not eat or drink anything before dawn other than taking a glass of hot water (you may add some lime juice). Chemical stimulants like tea and coffee should definitely be avoided as they interfere with the natural reset of body chemistry. Tea pushes the waste charged gases upwards and interferes with the flow of apana.

Take a shower, practice Yoga, meditate and then have breakfast.

You will be calm, energised and focused ready for your day.

If you are going to bed late then slowly shift your sleep pattern by 15 minutes a week, going to bed earlier and getting up earlier. The most rejuvenating sleep time is 10pm to 2am so try to be sound asleep during this time. Staying up late increases tamas in the system and misses this crucial rejuvenating time.

Daytime is for activity, nightime is for rest. If you are dull during the day and can’t sleep at night then these rhythms are out of balance. A fulfilling happy day will lead to a contented nights rest. So do what you love with enthusiasm, and love what you do.

Our inherited reserve is given at birth so we can not alter that. We can work on the other two factors to improve our current condition.

The proper digestion and assimilation of food maintains our ojas. Eating wholesome food in harmony with our constitution and the season is important. Other supporting actions are healthy breathing habits, sufficient quality sleep and healthy, moderate sexual activity. These will all help to maintain ojas. Our diet and lifestyle are the first priority in maintaining our natural defences. A regular, appropriate Yoga practice including pranayama is crucial to give good circulation and correct flow and function of prana. These are the things to do to preserve and improve our reserve.

Avoiding actions that deplete our reserve is the other aspect of action. Incorrect diet and habits, lack of sleep and sleeping at the wrong times, excessive stress, overwork and excessive sexual activity are the actions to avoid.

Herbs and tonic foods can help to nourish ojas. Some examples are ghee, amla and ashwagandha. Herbs can also help to protect us from invading bacteria or viruses.There are three ways that they can do this. First there are herbs that disable the intruder such as elderberry included in our Organic Three Berry Tea. Other herbs can strengthen the cell walls preventing access to intruders. Echinacea is an example of this. Then there are herbs that stimulate the bodies immune response (they increase the white blood cell count) such as Andrographis. The first two are preventive to enhance our defenses and Andrographis is best taken at the first sign of symptoms.

Wishing you a healthy Autumn.

Yoga has a goal of optimum health without needing to depend on any external help. It was devised to support the Yogi on the path to spiritual fulfilment. So Yoga is a unique approach to health that is different to the medical approach. Many people’s perception of Ayurveda is medical treatment given by Ayurvedic doctors and spa treatments that are now becoming popular. There is another aspect of Ayurveda which is Sadhana. Sadhana is the means to a goal and is the sustained effort leading to accomplishment. I integrate Ayurveda with Yoga and encourage practices that promote good health rather than giving treatments as therapy. This is then in alignment with Yoga as an independant health practice. I am not suggesting that medical treatment and therapy should not be used but that we can seek to move toward and maintain a state of ultrahealth. Let me explain.

There are four levels of healing in Ayurveda.
1) Disease treatment
2) Disease prevention
3) Life Enhancement
4) Awareness Development

At level 1 we need healing from a disease state. Medical treatments (drugs and surgery)may be necessary and alternative therapies (herbs, massage, acupuncture etc) can be used.

At level 2 prevention of illness is the focus through lifestyle, diet, tonic herbs, living in harmony with nature, yogasana and pranayama.

Level 3 is the effort we make to promote vitality, immunity and longevity. Once we have attained this level our full potential in life can be realised.

Level 4 Many of our problems arise from lack of awareness, cultivating this leads to a spiritual approach to life which brings true peace, harmony and health.

The Yoga model is:
1) Cikitsa – Therapy
2) Raksana – Protection
3) Siksana – Development
4) Adhyatmika – transcendence

Viniyoga (application) of Yoga must be appropriate for the level that applies to the student.

Vyadhi (illness) is listed as an impediment to the accomplishment of Yoga in the Sutras, I:30. Effort is needed to overcome illness and cultivate vibrant good health and vitality.
Ayurveda suggests that each person should make efforts to improve their health all through the life.
Moving through the 4 levels of health by appropriate, life enhancing methods, we can arrive at a place of independance, radiant health, natural beauty and inner harmony far from the reach of illness.

Begin the journey today by making a commitment to Sadhana. May you find health, harmony and peace. Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.

Also it is accepted in Yoga and Ayurveda that food affects the body and mind. Food will increase, balance or decrease the three doshas of vata, pitta and kapha leading to health or disease in the body. Food will increase, balance or decrease the three gunas of sattva, tamas and rajas so leading to peace, dullness or pain in the mind. It is very important to understand this and apply it to be successful in Yoga. Many people leave Yoga and say that it does not give the promised benefits. Others continue to practise and do not attain the full benefits suffering from vacillation and instability. This needs to be investigated. If you only boil potatoes for 10 minutes they will not be cooked, they will only be cooked if you keep them boiling for 20 minutes. In the same way the practice of Yoga needs the correct conditions and application to come to fruition.

Krishnamacharya gave three reasons for practitioners not succeeding in Yoga.

1) They are not following the rules such as vinyasa.
2) Their teacher is not teaching them using the secrets and techniques that are in his/her experience.
3) The teacher has not instructed them properly about the place and time of practice, the appropriate diet and drink and activities for the practitioner.

We can benefit ourselves and others by our practice of Yoga. It is considered that meat imparts rajasic vibrations to the mind and alcohol tamasic vibrations. Rajasic and tamasic input is to be reduced for success in Yoga. It is also estimated that if the wealthy nations reduced their meat and alcohol consumption by 50% this would release enough grain to feed all the worlds hungry. So by reducing the consumption of these items we could improve our health, progress steadily in Yoga, help many suffering beings and reduce our impact on the earth.

To give all the elements of a balanced Ayurvedic diet and lists of foods according to the gunas is beyond the scope of this article. I recommend that you investigate this subject with your teacher or through books. The following book is highly recommended on Ayurvedic aspects of diet. The Ayurvedic Cookbook. The recipes are mainly very Sattvic, therefore also meeting the requirements of a Yogic diet.

Please give careful attention to diet for health, to support your Yoga practice and for the benefit of other beings and the earth.

May you enjoy peace and happiness.