Self-care is an essential part of becoming your best self. The ancient wisdom of Ayurveda teaches us that nourishing our unique energy pattern is the key to a balanced life.

In order for self-care to be effective, it needs to be part of your daily routine. This brings radical change to your body, mind, and consciousness. Routine helps to create balance in your own constitution. It also regularises a person’s biological clock, aids digestion, absorption and assimilation, and generates self-esteem, discipline, peace, happiness, and longevity.

Sounds great, right? Here are some self-care practices you can add to your daily routine.

1. Wake up before the sun

Ayurvedic philosophy says that waking up an hour and half before sunrise helps you synchronize with the rhythm of sun, which is a time of pure consciousness.

2. Morning meditation

Because of this state of pure consciousness, Aryuveda teaches us that the morning is the best time to meditate. Meditation is beneficial no matter when you do it, but many say morning practice is particularly fruitful. After a night of rest, your mind is clear and ready for new day to come.

3. Start your day off sweetly with hot water, ginger and honey

According to Ayurveda, drinking hot water, ginger and honey first thing in the morning cleanses you from the inside by aiding digestion. Rituals’ Rose Wisdom tea with a dash of honey is a delicious cup of self-care. 

4. Plant your feet in nature

Feeling natural ground beneath you – be it dirt, sand or sea – connects us to our essential selves in a way that staring at computer screens and smartphones never can.

5. Discover the magic of Abhyanga (self-massage)

It boasts a variety of benefits, including increasing circulation and lubricating joints. Make sure you use the right kind of oil to ensure you get the most out of your massage.

Want to know more about Abhyanga? In this article we explain how a daily Abyanga practice restores the balance of the doshas and enhances your well-being. (More on doshas later on.)

6. Care for yourself by getting those zzz’s

We spend roughly 1/3 of our lives asleep, and Ayurveda recognises this as a perfect opportunity to restore your balance. Sleep is the time when your body is able to repair and heal itself. Your mind also become balanced through sleep.

7. Bathing for balance

A morning bath is part of the Ayurvedic dinacharya, or daily routine. Ayurveda experts claim that bathing heals you by relaxing the muscles, unclogging the pores and restoring moisture to tissue. The Ritual of Ayurveda collection was designed with this wisdom in mind.

8. Exercise

The type of exercise you should do depends on your dosha type, but according to Ayurveda, all exercise brings balance to body and mind. We particularly like yoga as a way to keep our body and mind balanced.

What are the 3 Ayurvedic doshas?

Ayurveda is India’s ancient system of health and healing, and it supports the idea that every person is born into this world with a set of certain mental and physical traits. These traits compose your constitution. Your constitution is expressed through three different doshas – vata, kapha and pitta – biological energies found throughout the human body and mind. They govern all physical and mental processes, and a person’s unique ratio of the three doshas is said to define their physical and mental constitution, personality and characteristics. It’s like an individual blueprint for health and fulfillment. Known as dynamic energies that constantly change in response to our actions, thoughts, emotions, and any other sensory inputs that feed our mind and body – living in the fulfillment of our individual natures means creating balance within our doshas. When we live against our intrinsic natures, we support unhealthy patterns that lead to physical and mental imbalances. Ayurveda teaches that we live most optimally by observing cycles in nature, and utilising practices that align ourselves with them.

How do you know which mind-body type you are and what action serves your energy at best? We gathered some indicators that can give a rough sketch of what type you are. Are you ready to do the test?