Night
The night sky and rest.
Wellness
Cosmic routine
A daily routine shaped by your chart: the best times for prayer, work, rest and exercise.
Ritual
Wellness
A daily routine shaped by your chart: the best times for prayer, work, rest and exercise.
Dinacharya
Dinacharya, the daily routine of Ayurveda, arranges the day around sunrise, noon and sunset. This routine follows your local times and the ruling planet of the weekday, with suggestions for waking, prayer, work, meals, movement and rest.
The hour and a half before sunrise is Brahma Muhurta, valued for meditation, study and prayer. The routine shows its start for your city, about ninety-six minutes before sunrise.
After waking, the tradition advises cleaning the teeth and tongue, drinking warm water, a short walk or Surya Namaskara facing the rising Sun, and a bath before prayer. Offering water to the Sun at sunrise, Arghya, is a simple practice for every day.
The main meal is best taken around noon, when digestion is strongest in Ayurveda. Abhijit Muhurta around local noon is also a good window for important work.
The afternoon suits steady work and errands. At sunset, light the lamp and pause for prayer, then keep the evening light and calm.
Each weekday has a ruling planet and a colour. Sunday is the Sun's day, suited to Aditya Hridayam and red or orange; Monday the Moon's, to Shiva worship and white; Tuesday Mars's, to Murugan or Hanuman and red; Wednesday Mercury's, to Vishnu and green; Thursday Jupiter's, to Dakshinamurthy and yellow; Friday Venus's, to Lakshmi and white or pink; Saturday Saturn's, to Hanuman or Shani and dark blue.
The routine adjusts gently with the Ritu: lighter food and early rest in summer, warm meals and oil massage in the cool months.
Begin with two habits, waking before sunrise and the evening lamp. Add others as they become natural.
Ayurveda divides the day by the Doshas. From about six to ten in the morning Kapha is strong, so movement helps clear heaviness. From ten to two Pitta rises, which is why digestion is best at noon. From two to six Vata leads, a good time for creative and mental work. The cycle then repeats through the night: Kapha from six to ten in the evening, which makes it easy to fall asleep before ten, Pitta from ten to two while the body digests and repairs, and Vata from two to six, which is why waking in Brahma Muhurta feels light and clear.
Some families keep a fast on the day of a planet they wish to honour: Monday for the Moon and Shiva, Thursday for Jupiter, Saturday for Saturn. The routine marks the fast day if you choose one.
The Ayurvedic daily routine.
The period of about ninety-six minutes before sunrise.
Yes, from your local sunrise, noon and sunset.
Offering water to the rising Sun.
Around midday.
The colour of the weekday's planet, shown on the page.
It is recommended, but a walk also serves.
Yes, gently, with the Ritu.
Yes. Begin with waking early and the evening lamp.
No. With it, your Dasha planet's practice is added.
Yes, for Brahma Muhurta, sunrise, noon and sunset.
Yes. Each step has a short version.
No. It is traditional guidance for daily life.
The Vata hours before dawn bring lightness and clarity, which tradition values for study and prayer.
Hanuman prayer, a sesame oil lamp and service to elders or workers.