Ayurvedic Routine - Tuning in to Nature's Rhythm
By Sangeeta Sirinthipaporn
Last Updated: 15/11/2022
Elements in Nature
Nature runs its own music, its own rhythm as day turns to night and night to day. With this constant flow, life is created and nurtured, from the moment we are born to the moment we end our journey on the Earth plane. As all life forms on Earth from plants to animals are sustained, we humans are also continuously nourished through the interplay of Elements present within us and outside of us, namely, Ether, Air, Fire, Water, Earth.
Let’s take a look at the presence of Elements inside and outside of us:
| ELEMENT | INSIDE US | OUTSIDE OF US |
|---|---|---|
|
Ether (Space) |
Body cavities - houses organs like chest cavity houses the lungs and heart. |
Outer space - houses planets |
|
Air |
Respiratory gas like oxygen, carbon-di-oxide and digestive gas. |
Gas (oxygen, nitrogen, etc.) present in our environment |
|
Fire |
Acids and heat in our body |
Sun - our main source of heat |
|
Water |
Fluids in our system - water, blood, lymph |
Water systems - rivers, seas, oceans |
|
Earth |
Solid structures - muscles, bones, organs. |
Anything that has form - soil, mountains, trees and so on. |
A good observation that really makes us realize this inner-outer connection is that we human beings are 80% water and our planet is 80% water too!
Now that we have grasped the idea that we are an inherent part of nature, let’s take a look at how we can step into its tempo and adapt ourselves with it. Ayurveda, the Science of Life, gives us an easy guide to set our day as specific Elements become active at different times of the day. Once we are aware of this, we can balance ourselves based on the qualities of the Elements.
The Rhythm of the Elements
Ether and Air are our life-force being active between 2 to 6 am/pm. The qualities of Ether and Air are light, dry and cold, so we balance ourselves with warm, moist and grounding foods as well as activities. Also, we could avoid all cold foods and drinks during this time as it would increase the qualities already active at that time. This is also a good time for meditation or stretching yoga as we are light, clear and flexible.
Fire is active between 10 to 2 am/pm. Fire is hot and is the energy of transformation. It is the best time to eat well during the day (10am to 2pm) and sleep well during the night (10pm to 2am), as our body can digest well during the day and absorb nutrients and rejuvenate well during the night. Digestion, assimilation, rejuvenation are all transforming activities which is the key function of the Fire Element.
Water and Earth give us structure and support and are active between 6 to 10 am/pm. Being cold, heavy, and moist in energy, (imagine a mixture of water and earth!) it is best to balance this time of the day with hot and light foods plus drinks. As for activities, the morning from 6 to 10am, we could do stimulating exercises and for the evening (6 to 10pm) we could use the heavy and slow attributes of these elements to help us slow down and get heavy or deep sleep i.e. sleeping before 10pm.
Getting into an Ayurvedic Routine
So, we can balance Elements with qualities that are opposite, like balancing cold with hot, when we wish to reduce the effect of the Elements. On the other hand, we could also use the qualities of the Elements to enhance our activities like bringing the lightness and mobility of Air and Ether Elements to help us do our stretching workouts better between 2-6pm.
Here’s a comprehensive guide to help us set our daily routines in alignment with Nature:
We could just start by changing one daily habit and feel the difference in our energy levels as well as our well-being. For example, for this week we could avoid carbohydrates after 6pm or sleep before 10pm. Even one little change goes a long way in sustaining your overall health and wellbeing.
Conclusion
Throughout my practice over the years as a Natural Wellness and Ayurveda Practitioner, a lot of the clients recovered from serious imbalances just by changing their activity or diet at a particular time.
One of my clients was suffering from severe knee pain even though he was exercising regularly every morning but would end his exercise routine with a glass of cold smoothie at 7am everyday. There it was: 7 am = water and earth active = cold + cold smoothie – it accumulated in his weak site (knee) over time as this was his daily routine. For a week, he just changed to a warm herbal drink at 7am and amazingly within a week his knee pain started to subside. So, here is a typical example of how one little change made all the difference!
Now that you have an insight to the wisdom of Nature’s timeclock, balance and experience an optimal life through dancing to its rhythm.
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