Dr. Gillian's Pick - The Daily Routine
Happy New Year!
Around the world, New Year's traditions abound. Even the dates honoring the New Year change by culture, country and according to solar or lunar accounting. The Iranian New Year is the spring equinox, Chinese New Year happens late January or early February and the Jewish and Irish New Years happen in the fall, around harvest times. Australian New Year is still January 1st, but happens at the height of summer and calls for swim suits and beach parties. Although here in the United States, we agree that the New Year begins on a date named 'January 1st', which occurs in the middle of winter, this plethora of tradition gives us lots of room for interpretation.
The commonalities: each New Year is a time of celebration, renewal, and a clear point at which we often collectively reset our clock. In Ayurveda, transitions are called sandhis, they are the sunrises and sets that link day and night and the joints of the body that link bone to bone. They are points of vulnerability with opportunities for great change. It is an excellent time to set our intentions for our year.
With such a far-reaching plan, it seems wise to start small and form a strategy to carry us through all the cycles, personal and seasonal, of this coming year. Ayurveda calls the Daily Routine dinacharya, and it has formed the backbone of health for over 5000 years on the Indian subcontinent. By developing a solid daily routine, our body and mind can develop a rhythm that anchors us during challenge and allows us to pace when we stretch and grow, and when we retreat and regroup.
CLICK HERE to get a free copy of Fern Life's most complete version of the daily routine. It includes guidance on awakening, morning cleansing, meditation, exercise, meals, dressing, breathing, attitude, and rituals for closing the day and going to bed. The best plan for stability and continuity is to pick a few elements off the daily routine handout, or create your own, that are reasonable to expect of yourself every day for the next 365. This may include things you already do, like brushing teeth and eating breakfast as well as some new habits, such as deep breathing practices or a few minutes of morning meditation. Make it reasonable, make it enjoyable and see what happens!
We are also available at Fern Life for any needed assistance. This might include lessons in pranayama, the traditional Ayurvedic breathing practices, nutritional counseling (perhaps your daily routine will include daily green vegetables?), physical cleansing through colon hydrotherapy, emotional cleansing through hypnotherapy, or both through panchakarma. We also have delicious spa services which may be a wonderful treat!
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