The Energy of the Day: An Ayurvedic Daily Rhythm

There is a concept in Ayurveda and yoga called dinacharya, the daily rhythm or daily ritual (its seasonal cousin is ritucharya). Especially at this time of year, there is a settling energy in creating a nourishing daily ritual and sticking to it.

We have so many aspirations and goals in life, and they are manifested through clarity about our core values. To get clear, it helps to write down a list of what brings the deepest meaning to your life: things you can revisit daily. Once you know your core values, setting aside time in your daily ritual for them eventually gets everything done. It’s better to inch toward your goals 15 minutes a day than to get overwhelmed by meaningless tasks and do nothing at all, right?

It reminds me of the tightly packed school schedules of elementary school, high school and college, and how much I could learn and accomplish when there was systematic time set aside for each thing. For me, having a child meant that in order to care for her and everything else, we had to establish rituals. I had to prioritize my values to carve out time for them: family, my purposeful work in this world, eating healthy, organic, freshly prepared food, my sadhana (spiritual practice, which can include asana), time in nature, keeping a clean and tidy home, and creative endeavors.

Take a moment to think about this for yourself and write down what’s truly important in your life. From that, create a daily ritual. Include work, family time, meditation, food prep, gardening, housework, mealtimes, wake time and bedtime.

Many don’t realize that yoga is a full-life enhancement. It’s OK to stray from your ritual once you make it, but getting clear will surely bring you closer to a sense of stability, and your body, organs, endocrine, nervous and digestive systems will all thank you. Sometimes all we need is a gentle reminder to ground ourselves!

The hours of the day

Below is a loose guide. Times shift with the seasons and daylight saving time, so start to notice the energy change of the day for yourself to see when each new cycle begins.

2 a.m. to sunrise: vata (air and ether)

This is when we are usually sleeping and the body takes time to detoxify the organs and tissues associated with vata dosha. The yogis say to wake in this divine hour before sunrise, around 4:30 to 5:30 a.m., to take advantage of the energy of the day. It is a sattvic time, balanced and in the mode of goodness, and it’s easier to meditate now thanks to its peaceful energy. Washing up, oil massage and oil pulling, followed by pranayama and meditation, are a wonderful start to your day. The time you wake is the energy you pull with you through the day. The energy of vata is light, moving and buoyant.

Sunrise to about 10:30 a.m.: kapha (earth and water)

The energy now is more grounded, even heavy. If we wake during this time, we often need a kickstart to get going. Because of this grounding quality, it’s a great time for sweaty exercise or anything that uses supportive, cohesive energy: house chores, running errands, physical garden work. Breakfast should be medium-sized (eat like a prince or princess). Digestion is governed by fire, so we save our largest meal for when digestion is strongest, in the pitta hours.

10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.: pitta (fire and water)

A nice big lunch is advised now (eat like a queen or king). The incisive, organizing and transformative energy of pitta helps us get organized. This is the time to make lists and plow through them: get organized in your home, your work and your life while you have the focus to do so. For night workers who didn’t sleep through the evening pitta hours, this can also be a good time for a nap.

2 to 6 p.m.: vata (air and ether)

This is often when we start to lose focus as the airy nature of vata takes hold. Vata governs creativity, so this is a wonderful time to brainstorm at work, or to make art, dance or write. For children, unstructured play works best. Rigid focus is tougher now, so take advantage of your natural creativity. Dinner should be light, ideally between 5 and 7:30 p.m., because the digestive fire weakens once the next kapha cycle arrives. The later you eat, the harder it is to digest, so schedule heavier dinners earlier.

6 to 10 p.m.: kapha (earth and water)

Take advantage of kapha’s heavy energy to wind down your day. If you didn’t exercise in the morning kapha cycle, a sweaty yoga class now works well to help you wind down for bed. Aim for bedtime before 10 p.m., before you lose the sleepy energy of kapha. After class, take a bath, read in bed, sip golden milk or tea, and get as cozy as possible to lull yourself into a restful sleep. Avoid stimulating activity: dim the lights, put away screens and do some breathing exercises. Take it slow and calm, and sleep will come easily.

10 p.m. to 2 a.m.: pitta (fire and water)

If we’re not asleep yet, this is when the notorious second wind kicks in. Suddenly we have all this energy! We stay up scrolling the internet, doing work around the house or stressing as our minds get super active. But something else is supposed to happen now: we are meant to be digesting the events of our day and their effects on our body. The mind digests through dreams, and the body detoxifies and renews the pitta organs (digestion, skin, liver). Beauty sleep is a real thing! If you’re not using your energy for this, you’ll get the midnight munchies. Food eaten now turns into ama, undigested waste, so it’s best to be asleep.

Establishing a rhythm like this helps the body boost the immune system and head off all kinds of imbalances. Sleep is incredibly important, and we have to make sure we get enough of it to stay well.

Plan your own daily rhythm

Now that you know the energy of each part of the day, use this sample as a starting point and fill in your own plan: