Sunshine Coast Hinterland Times

Instead of searching for the magic bullet herb or latest super food to ward off illness and strengthen immunity, simply living in accord with the daily cycles of nature has powerful benefits on general health and wellbeing.

Getting up in the morning, eating meals, exercising and going the bed around the same time each day helps the physiology to maintain regular appetite, elimination, energy, hormonal cycles and balanced emotions. If you are always changing your daily rhythm your mind and body exert a lot of energy just trying to maintain balance.

The value of a regular routine is enhanced when we follow the daily pattern of the doshas. From 2am -6am is Vata time which is light, quick and changeable by nature. When we wake up before or around 6am we experience this exhilarating quality. we feel more alert than if we sleep in to Kapha time (6am -10am) with its heavy, slow, stable qualities.

Kapha time is good for physical exercise or anything that requires moving, lifting, travelling etc. This physical activity offsets and is balanced by the steadiness of Kapha.

Pitta time from 10am -2pm displays Pitta’s fiery characteristics of dynamism and metabolism. It is best to eat the main meal of the day around midday when the digestive fire is at its strongest.

If we delay eating at this time we tend to get irritable or spaced out. If we wait until 2pm or later to eat, the digestive fire is weaker and we may feel that however much we eat we are simultaneously unsatisfied and yet we feel weighed down.

Changeable, light Vata time comes round again between 2pm and 6pm. When Vata is out of balance in the physiology this increase in Vata can give us a slump in energy and a craving for sweet, warm, heavy foods to offset the airiness of Vata.

We may also lose concentration and feel ready for a nap. Having a warm drink, some sweet fruit or nuts at this time can help to balance Vata.

Between 6pm and 10pm Kapha’s heavy, stable qualities are back. It is best to eat a lighter meal for dinner and to avoid cold, heavy, sweet food at this time. Ice cream, yogurt, cheese and chocolate may be favourites for after dinner but they increase the cold, sticky, heaviness of Kapha causing dullness or congestion in the morning. For a deeper sleep it is best to go off to bed while Kapha’s steady influence is still present.

If we stay up past 10pm we experience the dynamic qualities of Pitta and literally ‘fire up’. We start to feel more alert and may even get hungry again.

Pitta time at night (10pm-2am) is the time that our cellular metabolism takes place. The process happens best if we are asleep and not digesting a large meal. We wake up feeling lighter and mentally clearer when Pitta has had the chance to purify our physiology, ready to get up in Vata time and enjoy the day.

Wendy Rosenfeldt is a Maharishi Vedic Health Educator and Teacher of Transcendental Meditation.

Please call Wendy on 5499 9580 to book for an Ayurveda consultation or to find out about TM.