Easy Application of Ayurveda. It's Sleepy Time for the Doshas

A large part of Ayurveda is Dinacharya, or rhythmic lifestyle with appropriateness to Dosha, Triguna, and seasons.

Let's start by taking a look at the way the Doshas are associated with the times of day, and then the Ayurvedic view on sleep patterns.  Yea for Dosha fun......if you are unfamiliar with Dosha and Triguna please look at past articles that have been posted.

Every day two waves of Doshic change happen.  The following times are approximate and change with the seasons.  In the more northern and southern hemispheres the days become longer in the summer and much shorter in the winter.  These factors should be taken into consideration when planning an appropriate daily rhythm.

• 6 a.m to 10 a.m is the Kapha time of day.
• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. is Pitta time of day.
• 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. is Vata time of day.

The second cycle is:

• 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. is the Kapha time of day.
• 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. is Pitta time of day.
• 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. is the Vata time of day. 

 Early to bed and early to rise is healthy for all three Doshas!

The ideal sleep patterns for each Dosha are:

• Vata- awake with the sun and no later.
• Pitta-awake half an hour before sun.
• Kapha- awake one hour before sun

Having proper sleep patterns requires that we follow the rhythms of nature.  Sometimes we have to make adjustments and this is fine as long as we maintain a healthy lifestyle.  For example, it takes me more than 2 hours to do sadhana in the morning.  If I woke up with the sun and then did my required practice I would not have time for proper morning routine.  So I adjust and get up earlier.  Staying up late to gratify the senses with party, media, etc does not bring us in line with nature and moves us further away from harmony.

If all of life is sadhana then sleep becomes a spiritual practice as well.  Follow the natural rhythm and harmony will come!

Jay Shiv Shakti