A Yogi’s Toolbox of Morning Rituals
One of the most grounding and loving ways to treat yourself is by implementing a few sweet and juicy morning rituals into your day. It’s relaxing for the nervous system not to jump immediately out of bed and onto the computer to check your e-mails or Facebook page. Instead, treat the morning as sacred – because it is. Treat your body as sacred every morning – because it is. While you may be familiar with some of the following techniques, you may not have them already firmly established into your routine. Bring these simple and loving actions into your life for a sense of sacred, self-care.
1. Scrape Your Tongue!
First things first, take care of your mouth. We often underestimate the importance of oral health, but it is enormously important to the rest of our body. Tongue scraping is an Ayurvedic technique used to remove ama (toxins) from the body. You’ll need a tongue scraper, which you can buy online or in health food stores. Upon waking and after using the restroom, scrape your tongue, from back to front. You’ll see a bit of residue on the scraper, so rinse that off and repeat. Do this several times until your tongue comes clean, so to speak.
2. Oil Pull Like You’re Worth It (Because You Are)!
Have you ever heard of oil pulling? If you run around in yogic circles you probably have. It’s an ancient Ayurvedic technique that does wonders for your oral health, and it’s what you’ll want do do after scraping the tongue. Oil pulling also helps eliminate built up ama (toxins) from the mouth, while getting rid of unwanted bacteria, fungi, and candida. Take 1-2 tablespoons of raw sesame oil or coconut oil and let it melt in your mouth. Swish it around for 15-20 minutes, being careful not to swallow it. When you’re finished, spit it out into the trash rather than the sink so as not to clog it. Oil pulling boosts the immune system, decreases inflammation, brightens the teeth and drives mucus out. Oil pulling may seem a bit strange at first, but with time you’ll find yourself loving it and sharing the ancient self-care technique with your friends.
3. Sip the Lemon
Next you’ll want to brush your teeth and make yourself a nice cup of warm lemon water. Like tongue scraping and oil pulling, warm lemon water works to detox the body after the night’s accumulation of ama. Coming to the aid of your digestive system, it works to get those bowels moving in order to have regular elimination – a cornerstone of good health, according to Ayurvedic medicine. It even promotes beautiful skin by helping to prevent wrinkles!
To be continued in our next blog post…
