A RESTFUL NIGHT

A tranquil mind brings restful sleep

Dinacharya- A Schedule for Health (4)

DOSHA: KAPHA

TIME SEGMENT:

6 p.m. - 10 p.m.

FUNCTIONS:

Calming and slowing down of bodily processes. This is the ‘winding down’ phase to prepare you mentally and physically for sleep.

ACTIVITIES:

• People rest and relax in different ways. Some prefer to be with friends or family. Others prefer time to themselves for hobbies, listening to music, practicing yoga, watching T.V. etc.

• Other ways to calm down and relax the mind are to engage in spiritual activities such as prayers, meditation, spiritual reading or reflecting on things to be thankful for that day.
  
  Engage in activities that make you feel happy, contented and satisfied so as to put you in a positive frame of mind. These feelings and attitude invoke the parasympathetic system, which is ***anabolic.

• Do not eat supper because your body will divert part of its energy for digestion instead of concentrating fully on repair and detoxification in the next Pitta phase. However, it is alright to drink beverages high in ‘tryptophan’ (an essential amino acid found in food), which aids sleep and makes you feel relaxed and happy. (Check out HAPPY FOODS for foods high in ‘tryptophan’.)

The Pericardium meridian is strongest at 8 p.m. Although the pericardium is not considered an organ in Western physiology, TCM view it as the protector of the heart both physically and energetically. Its fire-energy shields the heart against strong, negative emotional fluctuations in the body that may disrupt the healthy functioning of the heart. According to Chinese medical theory, different emotions can generate energy. Strong emotions can generate high levels of energies. The Pericardium keeps energy flow to the heart stable.

• Before retiring, unclutter your mind.

• Brush your teeth. Wash and clean yourself.

• Some find a massage very relaxing before bedtime. You can do the same massage as you had performed in the morning. Alternatively, have a warm footbath or massage the soles of your feet with warm oil.

• Just before bedtime, sit on your bed and do slow, deep breathing. You may play relaxing, soft music or chants in the background.  Pleasant scents also aid sleep. See Scent Of Sleep- Lavender, Jasmine for more scents that relaxes you.
  
  All these activities help calm your mind and keep energy flow steady, which is good for your heart.

• Sleep by 10 p.m. For the next nighttime Pitta phase, refer to RHYTHMS OF SLEEP 1B.

***Anabolic – Processes that occur when the body heals wounds, restores energy and creates new cells.

USEFUL LINK: Go to TIBBIT 1C- THE CIRCADIAN RHYTHM IN AYURVEDA AND TCM and scroll down to TIME CHART OF THE BIOLOGICAL CLOCK for circadian rhythm schedule according to Ayurveda and TCM.

Dinacharya- A Schedule for Health (3)

DOSHA: VATA 

TIME SEGMENT:

2 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Functions:

See first article in this series.

Activities:

Afternoon is the creative energy phase according to Ayurveda. Your body is using its energy to create nutrients from the food you had eaten earlier. Use the time to engage in less demanding tasks.

• Heat of the afternoon saps the cold energy of Vata. Vata individuals may feel sleepy or tired and need to rest. Take a 15 – 20 minutes power nap.
  
  According to TCM, the Small Intestines Meridian is strongest at 2 p.m. Doing less demanding tasks allow your body to devote more of its energy towards digestion and transportation of nutrients to the spleen for transformation.
  
  Your bladder starts to get increasingly full and by 4 p.m., the Bladder meridian is most powerful. The organ is responsible for storing and excreting urine passed down from the kidneys. However, the bladder meridian is more than a storage and waste removal system. This meridian is closely related to the functioning of the *autonomous nervous system, which modulates vital functions in your body. A Portion of its pathway runs along both sides of your spine, enters the brain and resurfaces above the eyes and down the front of the body.
  
  The two branches of the autonomous nervous system counterbalance each other. The sympathetic branch promotes activity, alertness, shuts down or reduces digestive activities.
  
  The parasympathetic branch promotes rest, sleep and good digestion and waste elimination. Therefore, when you feel sleepy after a meal, your parasympathetic system is very active.

• By 5 p.m., the **Kidney meridian starts to assert itself. It is strongest at 6 p.m.
  
  If you hold a sedentary job, take a walk or do light exercise before dinner.

• Eat a light dinner before 6pm or transitional Vata-Kapha phase to allow enough time for digestion before bed.

• Do not sleep immediately after dinner as this may interfere with proper digestion leading to accumulation of ama. Allow at least 3 hours for digestion before going to bed.

*The autonomic system mainly controls functions over which we have less conscious control.  These include the digestion of food, blood pressure, respiration, heart rate, chemicals secreted by the body etc. 

**For more information on the kidney meridian, refer to TIBBIT 1C- TCM hair health.

USEFUL LINK: Go to TIBBIT 1C- THE CIRCADIAN RHYTHM IN AYURVEDA AND TCM and scroll down to TIME CHART OF THE BIOLOGICAL CLOCK for circadian rhythm schedule  according to Ayurveda and TCM.

In the next installment, we shall discuss the activities in the Kapha time segment. 

DAILY DOSHA SCHEDULE

Vata is active between 2 a.m. - 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Kapha is active between 6 a.m. - 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Pitta is active between 10 a.m. - 2 a.m. and 10 p.m. - 2 p.m.

USEFUL LINK: Go to TIBBIT 1C- THE CIRCADIAN RHYTHM IN AYURVEDA AND TCM and scroll down to TIME CHART OF THE BIOLOGICAL CLOCK for circadian rhythm schedule  according to Ayurveda and TCM.

 

http://jumblebox.webs.com/healthF/health12F/tidbit1clock.html

Dinacharya- A Schedule for Health (2)

DOSHA: PITTA

PIX: While people in the North are bundled up against cold winter, those in the Southern Hemisphere are frolicking on the beach.

Summer and the searing heat of noon that makes us sweat and aggressively burns our skin is reflective of the characteristics of Pitta.

Ayurveda advises eating the biggest meal of the day in this time segment as metabolism and digestion are strong. The meridians that are strong at this time also support this sagely Ayurveda advice.

TIME SEGMENT:

10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Elemental characteristics:

Fire and water: hot, fluid, liquid, sharp and aggressive.

(Heat, metabolism, transformation)

Functions:

Pitta governs bodily processes that produces or needs heat to occur such as metabolism and energy production. Its scope includes the digestive process, transforming nutrients into useful substances such as    red blood cells and formation of various secretions and excretions that are either the means or the ends of tissue combustion.

ACTIVITIES:

• By the time Pitta takes over from Kapha, the Spleen meridian is at its strongest. Some people may feel the need to snack at mid morning to fuel Pitta’s energy demand. If you want to lose fat, STOP YOURSELF FROM SNACKING!

When your body has used up its horde of sugar (glycogen) from your breakfast, it starts to use your store of fat and glycogen for energy. Your body's fat burning processes are controlled by your sympathetic nervous system (SNS). Your SNS is activated by both exercise and lack of food. That is why in the previous article exercise is scheduled before breakfast. Experts found that exercising on an empty stomach helps you to burn up your fat reserve stored in the muscles. Eating carbohydrates interrupts the process of metabolizing fat for about six hours afterward.

Peter Hespel, a professor of exercise physiology at the University of Leuven in Belgium suggested, “Exercising without eating produces muscles that are better at absorbing glucose — which is important for preventing diabetes.”

• By 11 a.m., the Heart meridian asserts itself to transport nutrient rich blood to all parts of the body. With nutrients pouring in, you get another energy boost to continue working or studying.
  
  
• Have lunch at around 12 – 1 p.m. According to Ayurveda, this is the peak period for digestion. Eat your biggest meal at this time to take advantage of the strong digestion.

You can eat cool, raw food such as salad if you have good digestion (strong digestive fire). Those with weak digestion, stick to warm, easily digestible food. You can take small amounts of fermented food with your lunch to aid digestion. Examples of beneficial fermented foods are miso, temper, kin chi and sauerkraut.

Concentrate on your meal and chew your food well. Do not do other activities while you eat such as reading, watching a show or work in between each bite.

• Wash your face, ears, eyes, hands and feet just before and after each main meal. Rinse your mouth as well. Brush your teeth after the meal.

• Drink water an hour before and an hour after each meal. People with Vata constitution should drink warm water. Kaphas and Pitas can drink tepid water.

• Stroll around after your meal for a few minutes to help the food to go down for digestion. Moreover, walking assist the pumping action of the heart to carry blood and lymph throughout the body.

The Small Intestines meridian is active from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The function of the small intestine is the digestion of food and absorption of nutrients and minerals found in food.

Hey! Isn’t the food supposed to go to the small intestine first for digestion and absorption before their nutrients are moved to the spleen for transformation? Aha! Western translators (not the Chinese) do all the labeling of meridians in English according to organ names! There is some doubt whether the ‘Spleen meridian’ as named by Westerners was appropriate!

Let us follow the pathway of the Spleen meridian. From the Big Toe, the meridian goes to the Abdomen and enters the Spleen, continues to Stomach then up to root of the Tongue. Another branch continues from the Stomach to the Heart. As you can see, the Spleen meridian goes to a number of organs. The ‘Spleen meridian’ is involved in digestion, transformation, transportation and distribution of nutrients. Digestion starts in your mouth when saliva breaks down starch and continues in the stomach.

Other meridians may go to a number of organs, glands and/or body extremities including toes, fingers, crown of the head etc.

The information I gave about function of specific organs is culled from modern scientific sources, not traditional Chinese ones. As one Zen master once said, a word/name is like a finger pointing to the moon. The word/name is not the moon itself.

Dinacharya provides a skeleton with some recommendations for an ideal routine to harmonize your body’s circadian rhythm to the Master clock in Nature for a healthy lifestyle.  Consider your own constitution and be sensitive to your own biological rhythm when fleshing out your personal Dinacharya.

NOTE: This Dinacharya is for adults. Growing children who are not obese can take healthy snacks for brunch and tea (Tiffin) in addition to their main meals.

Dinacharya- A Schedule for Health

Dinacharya is an ideal daily schedule devised by the ancients for optimal times to carry out our daily activities in sync with nature’s cyclical rhythm. According to Ayurveda, Nature has two natural cycles daily from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. And from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Western scientists called these two times of day the catabolic phase   and anabolic phase. Humans tend to be catabolic during the day (the body breaks down food, fat stores, glycogen stores to create energy) and anabolic at night (the body heals wounds, restores energy and creates new cells as we sleep).

PIX: You can see and experience the cool and watery characteristics of Kapha in the early morning through dew and slow moving mist.

Through Dinacharya, Ayurveda aims to align our daily routine to that of nature, thereby optimizing health and minimizing diseases and the ravages of the aging process. This is achieved with good hygiene, moderate exercise, healthy diet attuned to one’s constitution, good elimination and a positive mental attitude.

According to this system, the day is divided into six segments with each lasting 4 hours in length. Each segment of the day has subtle qualities and is dominated by a dosha.

The doshas are biological energies that govern our mental and physical processes. Called Vata, Kapha and Pitta, they are active at specific times and perform specific functions. Therefore, you will get optimum benefits if your activity at a particular time is aligned with the bodily function of the dominant dosha at that time.

DOSHA: VATA

TIME SEGMENT:

2 a.m. - 6 a.m.

ELEMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Air and ether (space): Cool, light  and dry.

(Quick thinking and fast moving)

FUNCTIONS:

Everything associated with motion related processes such as circulation of blood and lymph, nerve transmission (central and sympathetic nervous systems), respiration and elimination of waste from the body. It is also responsible for mental processes such as information processing, memory and thinking as well as speech.

ACTIVITIES:

This is the time for elimination and mental rejuvenation. Vata is moving toxins and impurities out of the body. According to TCM, the liver is strongest at 2 a.m.  It is an important organ for detoxification.

Your brain is very active, condensing experiences and unresolved thoughts of the previous day into vivid dreams and assimilating them into memory.

• Ayurveda recommends waking up between 4 a.m. – 5.30 a.m. to answer the call of nature. The specific recommendation is for Kapha to get up one and a half hour before sunrise, Pitta an hour and Vata half an hour before sunrise.  Blow your nose to expel any mucous. The Liver starts to weaken by 3 a.m. and transitions to the Lung Meridian, which is strongest at 4 a.m. followed by the Large Intestines Meridian. Both organs are eliminating any stagnant waste and toxins.
  
  
• Due to the influence of Vata, your mind will be fresh and pure like the early morning with its clean, fresh and pure air- a good time to do breathing exercises such as qigong or pranayama.
  
  
• Cleanse your body, wipe yourself, brush your teeth, and scrape your tongue of debris that had accumulated during the Pitta metabolic processes in the previous segment.
  
  
• Do Jala Neti (sinus irrigation with salt water) to get rid of all trapped dirt and accumulated mucous. Some Indians apply oil (ghee or sesame oil) in the nostrils and gently massage to purify the sinuses and improve the sense of smell.   
  
  
• Drink a glass of warm water to aid elimination. According to Ayurveda, drinking hot or cold water can stop the bowels action leading to constipation.
  
  
• Do calm activities such as meditation, read motivational or spiritual text to focus and get ready mentally for the day ahead.
  
  
• There is varied opinion on bathing. Some people bath in unheated water to strengthen the body and boost immunity. Others advise using warm water to relax the body and aid removal of waste from the skin’s surface. Still others recommend bathing at the early kapha time segment. Whichever your choice, take into consideration the health status and age.

DOSHA: KAPHA

TIME SEGMENT:

6 a.m. - 10 a.m.

ELEMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Earth and water: Cool, heavy and wet.

(Slow moving, govern structure, fluid balance and heat regulation)

FUNCTIONS:

Earth gives solidity and shape to our planet and water nourishes all life on it. Life on our planet is possible because the temperature is regulated. Kapha is the regulator of temperature (thermo-taxis) in our body. Its second function is formation of the various preservative fluids, e.g., mucus, sebum, synovial fluid etc. the third function is to

Ensures the integrity and strength of your cells, tissues, muscles, bones and organs by lubricating, moisturizing and nourishing them. It builds up immunity and the body’s natural defenses.

Therefore, this dosha governs bodily functions concerned with heat regulation, physical structure, immunity, lubrication and fluid balance.

ACTIVITIES:

• At 6 a.m.  (the transitional period between Vata and Kapha) Massage your scalp, forehead, temples, hands and feet for five to ten minutes to improve circulation that is slowing down under the influence of Kapha. If you have dry skin, the massage oil moisturizes and softens your skin, making it more smooth and supple. Massage also reduces the cold, drying and erratic qualities of Vata. Relax for a while before bathing.
  
  
• The Large intestines meridian is strongest at 6 a.m.  – time to answer the call of nature.
  
  
• Schedule your main exercise at this time segment to counterbalance Kapha’s slow moving influence. Moreover, kapha gives you the strength and stamina to do vigorous exercise. Exercise improves your stamina, mood, immunity, clearing all channels, promoting circulation and elimination. It also builds up muscles and burns up unhealthy fat. Early morning exercise clears up stagnation of body and mind as well as improves the digestive fire. Exercise in moderation as over exercise beyond your body’s capacity can aggravate Vata resulting in imbalance. The recommended daily amount of exercise is between 30-40 minutes for maintenance of health. You can split up the exercise regime into two- during morning and evening if desired.
  
  
• Before 8 a.m. eat a nourishing, warm breakfast suited to your constitution because the Stomach meridian segment start at 7 a.m. therefore, the food will be well digested.
• It is an ideal habit to urinate after each meal.
  
  
• After breakfast, plan your activities and work for the rest of the day and beyond.
  
  
• By 10 a.m.  The Spleen meridian is at its height. The body is busy    transforming nutrients into red and white blood cells.

Since ancient times, people have noticed this stable daytime Kapha phase is very conducive to learning activities. The mind is steady, making it more able to absorbs and retains information. Students and workers alike will find this to be a productive period of the day as they can concentrate better at their task.

NOTE: This Dinacharya is for adults. The routine for different age group varies as their sleep needs and sleep-wake cycles are different.

The next article will continue with the remainder of the daytime Dinacharya schedule.

(For comparative information based on Time chart of the Biological Clock refer to TIBBIT 1C- THE CIRCADIAN RHYTHM IN AYURVEDA AND TCM)

THE CIRCADIAN RHYTHM IN AYURVEDA AND TCM

Since the dawn of time, the cycles of nature have directed our internal biological clock called the circadian clock or circadian oscillators. The circadian rhythm governs our body’s daily fluctuations of temperature, blood pressure, muscular strength, levels of circulating hormones, neurotransmitters and numerous other metabolic compounds and physiological processes as well as sleep and wakefulness. These processes are influenced by the natural patterns of day and night. When our circadian rhythm is in tune with that of nature, we can maximize our health, mental capacity, immunity and regenerative powers. Disrupting the timetable set by the master clock may speed up the aging process.

Workers who did not follow the natural rhythm of nature such as shift workers upset the body’s metabolic processes. Research showed that frequent extended sleep deprivation (experienced by workers such as long distance truckers and tour bus drivers) could have very detrimental long-term effects physically and mentally. These people have a much higher chance of developing chronic diseases and mental health problems that can shorten their lifespan.

Besides the daily rhythm, different cultures around the world have also identified weekly, monthly, seasonal and yearly cycles that influence birth, growth and death. Besides that, there are also the 7-year, 8-year cycles (notice the major changes humans go through every 7 years (for female) and 8 years (for male) physiologically and mentally) and the twelve-year cycle.

Some examples of aligning our daily activities with the circadian rhythm are:

•Study or do mental activities when the mind is clearest, most able to absorb and analyze information.

•Eat when the digestion is strongest.

•Sleep and wake at regular times. In the tropics, align the sleep-wake cycle to nature because darkness and daylight trigger very different hormones and bodily processes. As one moves towards the poles, this is not easy, which is why having regular sleep-wake times will help the body to release the necessary chemicals for different body processes.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) associates every two hours of the day with an organ system when its energy (chi) flow is strongest and it is functioning optimally. The TCM system shows the peripheral clocks, most of which are in our organs.

In the Indian system, Ayurveda divides the day into four hourly segments. Each segment has its own distinctive bodily functions. Ayurveda uses the tridoshas, Vata, Kapha and Pitta to identify and describe each time segment.

Think of the circadian rhythm as successive waves of intelligent energy. A new wave is very small and steadily increases in size until it peaks. It is biggest and strongest at its peak and then starts to weaken and become smaller and weaker, followed by a new wave.

There is a transitional period with the first wave getting increasingly weaker and the next wave getting stronger until the first wave disappears completely. This process is repeated continuously.

TIME CHART OF THE BIOLOGICAL CLOCK

For a comparison between the two ancient Ayurveda and TCM systems of the daily cyclical rhythms of the body go to:

TIBBIT 1C- THE CIRCADIAN RHYTHM IN AYURVEDA AND TCM

• http://jumblebox.webs.com/healthF/health12F/tidbit1clock.html

Ayurveda uses its time chart to plan an ‘Ideal routine or schedule’ for a healthy lifestyle. The Chinese uses theirs to aid diagnosis for treating diseases or disharmony in the body.