So Let Me Tell You About Integrating Ayurvedic Daily Routines with Yoga Training—Because It’s Been a Trip
Look, I didn’t plan on integrating Ayurvedic daily routines with yoga training. I just—burnt out. I was toast. My back hurt from sitting. My brain was soup. And my morning “routine” was basically doomscrolling while chugging cold brew straight from the Mason jar. In my hoodie. On the toilet.
So yeah, when I say I started messing with Dinacharya (that’s the fancy Sanskrit term for these Ayurvedic daily practices) alongside my yoga sessions, I mean I stumbled into it like, “Sure, let’s scrape our tongue at dawn and try sun salutations before checking Slack.”
And weirdly? It started making sense. Sorta. Sometimes.
Why I Even Started This Whole Dinacharya and Yoga Mash-Up
So picture it: I’m in Ohio. Winter. Dry AF skin. Can’t poop right. Anxious like I just snorted Twitter. I go to yoga twice a week, but I’m still stressed and creaky. Then I read this Ayurvedic thing online about syncing with circadian rhythms and I’m like—wait, is that why I keep waking up at 2 a.m. with existential dread and dry mouth?
That’s when I tried:
- Oil pulling. Literally swishing coconut oil in my mouth while scrolling Zillow.
- Tongue scraping. Kinda gross? Kinda satisfying.
- Abhyanga (self-massage with warm oil). Except I kept dropping the oil bottle.
- Drinking hot water in the morning instead of iced coffee (I cried the first week).
Pairing this mess with yoga? Oh buddy, it clicked. Eventually. Sort of.
Morning Dinacharya + Yoga (ish) = My New Not-So-Hot Mess
Okay so here’s what actually happens most mornings. Not the version I post on IG. The real deal.
I try to wake up at 6:30. That almost never works, especially if I stayed up doomscrolling till midnight (oops). But when I do manage it, I splash cold water on my face (which honestly just wakes up the part of me that wants coffee), then do the whole tongue scraping thing. Still makes me gag sometimes. Like why is it SO gross yet so satisfying??
Then I sip warm lemon water like I’m starring in a Goop video (except I’m sitting on a chair with laundry on it, in my giant “Camp Crystal Lake” hoodie). I light some incense, try to vibe. Sometimes it works. Sometimes the incense makes me sneeze and I knock over the oil bottle.
Yoga starts next. Which sounds so graceful but actually I just roll around on the mat trying to get my hip to pop. I aim for five sun salutations but usually stop after three cause I get distracted thinking about if I left the oven on or not.
Then it’s breathwork time — alternate nostril breathing — and I always forget which nostril to start with and then end up laughing at myself mid-breath like “oh my god I’m bad at relaxing.”
But then, here’s the wild part — even when I suck at all this, it still helps? Like my body feels less angry at me. My brain stops screaming for a sec. I don’t feel like a walking emergency anymore.
So yeah. Morning Dinacharya + Yoga = messy, sometimes oily, often off-schedule… but also, lowkey kinda magical in a way I can’t explain without sounding like I own too many crystals (which, okay, I do).
The Weird Stuff That Actually Helped Me
Here’s what I didn’t expect when I started combining Dinacharya with my yoga flow:
- Better poops. (Sorry. Not sorry.)
- Less joint pain. My knees are 37 going on 87—this helped.
- More energy. Like, I still crash at 3 p.m., but less hard.
- Wayyy less stress. Something about that predictability… my nervous system likes it.
Also, I like the ritual. Even when I do it badly. It feels like… mine. Like I’m not just reacting all the time.
Mistakes? Oh, Plenty.
- Used the wrong oil and got a rash.
- Tried meditating with scented candles—triggered my asthma.
- Woke up at 4 a.m. to be more “authentic” and then passed out during yoga class.
- Forgot to do any of it for like a week and spiraled back into doom scrolling and cold pizza breakfasts. (Oops.)
But that’s okay. That’s part of it, I guess? Like, it’s not about doing it perfectly. It’s about doing it… a little more than yesterday.
Should You Try Integrating Ayurvedic Daily Routines with Yoga Training?
Honestly? Yeah. Especially if you:
- Hate mornings but want to make peace with them.
- Are tired of feeling like a stress burrito by noon.
- Want a routine that’s both ancient and weirdly soothing.
- Don’t mind looking kinda crunchy granola at your local co-op.
Just don’t expect instant bliss. Expect weird textures. Strange smells. Minor oil spills. And eventually—maybe—feeling kinda better than before.
Wrapping This Up Like My Oiled Ankles in a Towel
If you’re like me—burnt out, American, trying real hard not to lose it—you might wanna try integrating Ayurvedic daily routines with yoga training. Even if you screw it up. Especially if you screw it up.
Start small. Skip days. Come back. Swish oil. Stretch awkwardly. Drink warm water like it’s a love letter to your intestines.
It’s not magic. But it’s… something. Something good.
Call to Action (But Chill)
Wanna try a janky version of this for yourself? DM me or drop a comment below with your weirdest morning health ritual—let’s trade stories. And maybe towels (I ruined three).
🔗 Useful References & Outbound Links
- Dr. Vasant Lad’s Guide to Dinacharya – Where I learned to stop microwaving ghee (oops).
- Yoga Journal on Ayurveda & Yoga – Pretty basic but helpful.
- National Ayurvedic Medical Association – Real-deal resources for nerding out.
