Dinacharya: Morning Routine

The morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. Having a good morning constitutes of three things:

1. A gratitude prayer
2. Setting your intention for the day
3. Elimination

When we have those three in the morning, the day is already 70% better.

This is where modern life might get in the way. Some people do not have the luxury of staying in bed longer if last night's meal is still needing to digest. Most people have to be somewhere at a certain time every morning, so a good compromise could be an easy to digest dinner,  going to sleep earlier (if possible), and waking up at the same time everyday. This will create the environment in our body that meets our lifestyle. Food will be digested by the time we wake up if that is how we train our body.

Modifying what we can by taking responsibility for our own health and well being. If we have a deep fried cheeseburger at midnight and wake up at 5:00a.m with indigestion, then we cannot curse and say 'why!' because we brought this upon ourselves. We created that environment and allowed that to happen. If we want good health, then you need to create the environment for good health to thrive in.

After waking up early, one should say a gratitude prayer and set the intentions for the day. What do you wish to accomplish today? What do you wish to learn?  Whether you are Christian, Hindu, Jewish, etc. Saying thank you to God, the cosmic universe, the creator, what have you, is a perfect way to start the day on a positive note. Give thanks for a restful sleep, for another light of day, for another breath, for your bed, room, home, etc. I always say thank you for my health. If my health was not intact, I would not be here writing how grateful I am to get to do this everyday. Being thankful for what we have, makes the things we don't have less significant.

Lastly, elimination. Eliminating in the early morning is ideal since our body is ready to discard the previous day's load.  

I believe that there is credibility and merit behind facing the north and south during elimination, but again, that is not entirely possible when we may have one toilet in the house. It's not like we can switch the toilet every time we have to go to accommodate the time of day. We must do what we can and that is tending the urges alone, in private, and away from distracts. I hear and see so many people use their phones as they eliminate; that is something that we can surely change. Becoming present as we eliminate is magical, we actually see the inner workings of our body and are able to determine the current state of health within our body. When we become present to the functions of our body, albeit elimination or eating, we become connected to ourselves.

If the rest of the day is hectic and unpredictable, keeping a morning routine is better than none at all. Let the energy of the early sun energize you with positivity and creativity. Stay grounded in your practice and start the day on a good note; it will help tackle live's demands as they come.