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Why You Need a Daily Self-Care Routine (Dinacharya)

Creating a practice of daily Ayurvedic rituals for your well-being can help you live your healthiest, happiest life.

Person placing oil from bottle with hand next to foot

Ayurveda teaches that a daily routine can help you live abundantly well. This practice is known as dinacharya, which focuses on daily rituals that cleanse and nurture your mind, body and soul.


Practicing dinacharya will help your mind stay calm and focused. Plus, with go-to daily self-care rituals, the amount of decisions you need to make are reduced because your routine is already established. 


Tendencies build habits. It takes 30 to 40 days of dinacharya to change your tendencies and get you into the groove of a refreshed wellness routine.


What Should Be Included in Your Dinacharya?

Establishing a daily routine that’s manageable and that works for you is a must so that you’ll keep it going. Like the time you spend on your yoga mat, the more you do it, the stronger the practice becomes. Below are self-care rituals you can incorporate in your dinacharya.


  • Stick to a regular bedtime and wake-up time.

  • ​Clean your tongue with a tongue scraper before brushing your teeth in the morning. Using a tongue scraper, gently scrape from the back to the front of the tongue five to seven times. Tongue scraping removes toxins, called ama, and stimulates digestion.

  • Practice pranayama, asana and meditation according to the season of the year, your stage of life and your dosha.

  • Before a shower or bath, brush your skin with a cloth if you have thinner, sensitive skin. Try dry brushing if your skin is stronger.

  • Follow dry brushing with Abhyanga (self-massage with oil).

  • Drink warm or room temperature water with lemon (to create more warmth) or lime (for a cooling effect).

  • Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at consistent times every day.

  • Create a bedtime routine that may include applying oil to your feet, journaling and a gratitude practice.


To begin dinacharya, start with self-care practices that you are most drawn to or that you already do. From there, gradually build your daily rituals until you find a nourishing, sustainable routine for what you need right now.


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