Morning Routine For Optimal Gut Health

INTRODUCTION

A day in our lives primarily depends on our mental state being influenced by our physical status. To maintain the freshness and enthusiasm all day long, the routine we follow since waking up along with the kind of thought processes we cling onto have a great deal. Even a small change in those could result in huge variations in our psychological and behavioral patterns. The incomplete evacuation of the bowel within the morning itself could always bring about discomfort and may ruin the whole day. And if it is satisfactory, it makes us feel light and active throughout. Thus your morning routine defines the health of your body and mind.

Koshta- An Analysis

In Ayurveda, the gut may be related to koshta which could be explained as the behavior of the digestive tract, the pattern of bowel movements and the way of elimination of stool.

Types of koshta : 3

1. Kroora koshta – dominated by Vata dosha, stools eliminated with difficulty.
2. Madhyama koshta – dominated by Kapha dosha, or when tridoshas are in equilibrium, stools are eliminated easily.
3. Mrudu koshta – dominated by Pitta dosha, stools may be watery or semi-solid.

In addition to koshta, agni is also taken into account in matters connected to the gut. Agni refers to the factors like digestive enzymes.

MORNING REGIMES TO BE FOLLOWED FOR MAINTAINING A HEALTHY GUT

A. Consistent practise of dinacharya & ritucharya

Ayurveda has explained a specific order of regimes to be followed by a person for maintaining his health, starting from dawn to dusk. It includes proper evacuation of waste products outside the body, ushna jalapaana (intake of ushna jala), vyayama (the exercise regimen), snana (taking bath) etc.

Ritucharya here may refer to the timely administration of shodhana procedures in order to remove the malas or aggravated doshas from the koshta and thereby ignite the digestive fire helping the metabolism.

B. Intake of food & water in the proper way

Food is always to be taken in a required amount or quantity ie, if heavy meals then up to half the satiety levels and if light meal, then not up to the normal satiety levels. Also, care is to be taken while eating to adequately chew the food and have it at neither too fast nor too slow a rate so that it helps in easy digestion. Drinking plenty of water is to be promoted to aid the absorption, assimilation and passage of stool.

C. Practicing yoga and meditation

Yoga is considered useful for our well being physically and mentally. Asanas like pavanamuktasana, bhujangasana, dhanurasana etc could be followed for enhancing the digestive power and thereby promoting the normalcy of the gut. Along with these, meditation procedures like Pranayama are also convenient to avoid stress and hence relax the mind.

D. Need for good sleep

A night of good sleep provides you with all the energy and presence of mind needed to keep up the pace of everyday challenges. It gives enough time for different systems of our body to relax.

E. Avoid suppressing the call of the nature

Suppressing the natural urges like flatus, feces, urine etc could result in serious ailments due to the aggravation of Apana Vayu in the body that could alter the gut functions and hence causes distress all day long.

F. Slow emptying of stools in toilet

One should not hurry to evacuate the stool, it must be slow enough so that the bowel is eliminated and there is no residue remaining inside. Heart Disease. Also, we should not make the passage difficult and painful by speeding up the process.

IMPORTANCE OF MORNING ROUTINE

In order to preserve our health and happiness, we must try to stick to these regimes as far as possible.

The benefits of having a proper morning routine are:-

• They rejuvenate our body and enable us to be productive throughout the day.
• They help in the proper elimination of waste materials, which gives us a sense of relief and promotes the lightness of the body.
• Most importantly, they reduce the chance of getting affected by diseases and hence imparts longevity.
• Along with the above, it kindles the digestive fire and enhances the appetite thereby promoting nourishment of our body which results in better complexion, sense and overall strength.

CONCLUSION

Ways to attain optimum gut health must always be followed by a person for a better structural, functional, emotional and social well being. As we all tend to believe in our gut instincts on different occasions it might be better to manage its normal atmosphere regularly. It is said that how we spend our morning hours decides and controls the rest of the time of that day, therefore we should be wise and conscious to plan it accordingly along with executing it nicely. This could prevent us from being weakened by chronic illnesses. Making your gut healthier in all aspects can always help us lead a better life.