The routines and diets prescribed by ancient rishis form the basis of an ayurvedic lifestyle. Healthy habits bring the body in harmony with nature and keep imbalances at bay. As has been emphasized earlier, Dincharya or day-routine forms an important part of ayurvedic lifestyle and supports the body and mind through the entire day’s activities.
Cleanliness comes first and foremost, as it removes used-up prana or wastes from the system and prepares the body for absorption of fresh prana required for the day.
Every morning after emptying the bowels one should check the tongue for coating. A coated tongue indicates the presence of toxins (ama) in the body. The colour of the coating indicates the disturbed dosha in the body. The mouth and teeth should be thoroughly cleaned. Chewing and flossing the teeth with neem twigs is still the best and most effective remedy for strengthening and keeping healthy teeth and gums. Bad breath is indicative of decay, either in tooth cavity, gums or in digestive organs. Besides correcting the imbalances causing the decay one can also frequently rinse the mouth and gargle with mint tea. This can be obtained by boiling some mint leaves in water or steeping the leaves for 5 minutes in hot water. Dried and powdered mint leaves with some rock salt can be used as a tooth powder.
The tongue should also be scraped every day. This can be done using a neem twig, a wooden tongue cleaner or a silver spoon. This practice removes ama and is also effective in improving digestion. For the maintenance of healthy teeth and gums and prevention of tooth decay, sesame oil gargling and massaging the gums is very beneficial. Regular practice is good not only for the teeth and gums but the entire face, head and hair. Sesame oil gargling promotes hair growth and luster and retards premature graying and hair fall. It also strengthens sense organs and regular gargling prevents cough and throat infections. It nourishes skin and prevents early advent of wrinkles promoting glow and suppleness to the face.
Ashwini Guru ji is the guiding light of Dhyan Ashram and an authority on Vedic Sciences. His book, ‘Sanatan Kriya: The Ageless Dimension’ is an acclaimed thesis on anti-ageing. Log onto www.dhyanfoundation.com or mail to dhyan@dhyanfoundation.com for more
