Rhythm 1: Daily Rhythms

So in this module, we're gonna talk more in depth about the four foundational female rhythms, and this is important because it's gonna help you to understand what you can do to be supporting yourself every day, and how to really position yourself in terms of where you're at in your life right now. So the first rhythm that we'll start with is our daily rhythms. We call this Dinacharya in Ayurveda, and Dinacharya is basically aligning our body with the daily rhythms of nature, our circadian rhythm. So our daily habits have the greatest impact on our health, because this is what we're doing most often. And the way that we look at the day is that we look at the three primary doshas. So the energetics of the day are shifting every four hours, and the way that we understand the energetics of the day is we look at the energetics of the three doshas. So when we talk about these rhythms and what it means to flow in rhythm, it's that we're looking at what the primary energetics are of the time period of the day, and what activities are best supported during that time. What is our body primed to be doing, and how by living in a way that aligns with that, it helps to keep us out of a stress response and more running on what I call source energy. So we have a life force, and everything in nature has a life force. We're basically swimming with the current rather than swimming against the current with how we eat, sleep, move through the day, and I'll talk about those practices more specifically. So what are daily rhythms? We look at when and how you eat, when you sleep, when you wake, and what you do upon waking, when and how you move and exercise, and other practices—practices that support nervous system, digestion, and immune system health like self-massage with oil, meditation, and so forth. So this is the Ayurvedic Doshic clock. You're gonna see this image repeated in the other rhythms that we talk about as well. So let's start by looking at this through the 6:00 AM time of day around sunrise—these are the Kapha hours of the day. So Kapha hours of the day are times where we have more of a downward-moving energy, because Kapha is downward moving. It's composed of the water and earth elements. It is cold, wet, heavy, dull, and static. And as I said, it's a downward-moving energy, so we actually have more stability and stamina during this time. Kapha also rules sleep, so when we wake in the morning, we can still feel that heaviness of sleep. And that's why getting up and moving in the morning, even if it's for just a few minutes to get our prana circulating, is really supportive. So during this time, during the 6:00 AM to about 10:00 AM hours, this is a great time to have a light breakfast. We don't have strong digestive capacity during the Kapha hours of the day, because Kapha is water and earth. It's cooling by nature, and that water element in particular tends to put out the fire element, which rules digestion. It's important to have breakfast, particularly if you're more of a Pitta or Vata type. Kaphas can go a little later in the morning before they eat, but we do want to provide our body with some kind of sustenance and stability in the morning. This is a great time, as I said, to get moving. We don't have to do strenuous exercise during this time, but you're gonna have more stamina to be doing exercise during this time of day. So whether it's just waking up and dancing or moving around a little bit or going for a walk or doing something more rigorous, this is the time of day that we want to do it. And it's also a great time for yoga or doing some meditation practice, and then this is also a great time for doing work that requires more mental stamina. I tend to be more productive in the early hours of the day through around 2:00 PM. That's when I do most of my mental work. And then as you get into the 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM time of day, that is the Pitta time of day. So Pitta is the fire element with a little bit of water, and Pitta rules transformation. If you think about putting food into your body and there's this fire burning in your belly, that fire is gonna transform that. The fire element that rules digestion we call Agni in Ayurveda. Our Agni is the strongest during midday when the sun is at the highest point in the sky, because the external embodiment of the fire element is the sun. So Pitta is an upward-moving energy. It's like fire moving upward to digest and transform what we give it. Pitta dosha is hot, sharp, light, a little oily, and mobile by nature. So this is the time of day where we can do a lot of mental work. We can digest a lot of input, and this is where we want to be eating our largest meal of the day with more fats and proteins—so what we traditionally eat for dinner, at least in US culture, this is what we want to have for lunchtime. Many people worry it feels too heavy, but when we eat during this time, we find that we may not need as much food at dinner, and we are actually bringing in food in a way that our body can digest and use fully. Then we move into the 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM hours. This is the period of Vata. So Vata is air and space element. It's dispersing energy. It's cold, light, dry, and mobile. Vata doesn't have a lot of stamina or stability. So during this time of day, if you have some depletion, you may feel yourself get a little tired, particularly around that 3:00 to 4:00 PM time—those peaking hours of Vata. It's a good time for communications that feel simple and easy, maybe even some creative work that doesn't require a lot of mental stamina. This is the time of day where I like to check email and respond to things. I don't have to create a lot during this time—I'm more just responding and communicating. Then we get to the 6:00 PM time of day when we move into the Kapha hours again. The sun is going down, the moon is coming up, we have more lunar energy, and we don't have as strong digestion during this time. Energy starts moving downward because we're in that Kapha phase. So we want to be eating a lighter dinner that's more plant-based—though it depends on your constitution. Ideally eating that by 7:00 PM. Digestion is ruled by Pitta, so if we eat heavy meals late, we are digesting into the 10:00 PM hours, which are also Pitta hours. So if we eat late, we can't feel our tiredness. We're still working on digesting food. If we eat by 7:00, our food is digested by about 10:00 PM, and then we can feel the downward-moving energy of Kapha, which rules sleep. Ideally, we want to be getting to bed by 10:00 PM. If you've been sleep-deprived for a long time, maybe even closer to 9:00 PM. This taps into the restorative energy of Kapha. Kapha gives us stamina and stability. Once we get to the 10:00 PM to 2:00 AM hours, we're back in Pitta phase, and Pitta is trying to digest and purify everything we've taken in during the day—physically, mentally, emotionally. If we’re up late, this purification can't happen the same way. And then we get to the 2:00 AM to 4:00 or 6:00 AM hours, and this is when Vata is getting ready to gently wake us up. If we have high Vata, we may tend to wake between 3:00 and 4:00 AM. This is common in perimenopause. Vata is the opposite of Kapha—if we don't have enough grounded energy, we will wake up as Vata rises. Cortisol also starts to rise around 2:00 AM, which wakes us up in the morning. If we have high cortisol and low grounding, we will tend to wake during this time. So we wake up in the morning. Ideally, we want to be eliminating soon after, and then we start our day again. So I just gave a little synopsis here in this slide. Kapha: at 8:00 AM you would have a light breakfast, some exercise, work through your task list, and some productivity during that time. In the evening: light dinner, nurture relationships, connection, relaxation. Water element rules connection. Kapha hours between 6:00 and 10:00 AM are a great time to connect to your physical body—maybe taking a walk, or doing more physical tasks. It’s a great time for connecting to others—your loved ones, family, friends. It’s also a great time to connect with your deeper desires—maybe doing some journaling. This is a period of connection. You have grounding energy. This is where our deepest habits are established because Kapha holds things. So during Kapha hours, we can establish really deep habits. It’s also a period of time where there’s a liminal space—both in the morning and the evening—and in that space, we can really work to rewire our system to hold new habits. This is when our metabolism is slowest, and when we have the best stamina for exercise. Those Pitta hours in the morning are when we’d ideally eat our largest meal—late morning to early afternoon. We eat our largest meal ideally between 11 AM to 1 PM, and this is when we engage in intellectual work. In the evening, this is where we sleep, detox, and work with emotional integration. Overall, during Pitta hours, our energy is active; digestion and concentration are strongest midday; purification is strongest at night. In the Vata hours, we wake with or before sunrise, ideally meditate. This depends on your constitution and your level of depletion. People with more Kapha constitution do well waking up maybe an hour before sunrise. Even though it might be harder for Kaphas to get out of bed because heaviness wants to keep them asleep, waking up during the Vata hours can help get Kaphas out of bed early. Pittas can wake in the 30-minute window around sunrise. Vatas—especially if someone is really depleted—I focus more on helping them go to bed earlier at night and then, for a while, see how long their body naturally wants to sleep. If you’re going to bed at 9 PM and you really need to recuperate after sleep deprivation or sickness, you just want to see how long your body will sleep. Over time, as you restore yourself, you’ll likely start waking up with sunrise. I wake with sunrise. I’ve been doing this for so long that no matter what, I wake with sunrise. You get into this habit of thinking, “Oh, this is just what my body does.” It’s moving in rhythm with the cycles of nature, and that can be a really strong indication. In the evening Vata hours, we study, answer emails, work on creative projects, and rest if needed. During Vata hours, energy is variable. Vata is the wind—there isn’t a lot of stability or consistency. Creativity can be strong. Our nervous system is most sensitive during this time. So where do we start with this? I work with these habits more in depth in my programs, but I want to share the most important places to start. Habit 1 Eat lunch as your largest meal of the day with more fats and proteins. Have dinner lighter and plant-based by 7 PM. If you do one thing—do this. It can be hard if you're used to eating late dinners, but this has a huge impact on digestion, overall health, your mind, emotions, and especially your sleep. Habit 2 Bed by 10 PM—and earlier if depleted. Wind your bedtime back slowly and incrementally toward 10 PM. Habit 3 Wake before or with sunrise—but only once you’ve recovered from depletion or sleep deprivation. Drink up to 32 ounces of warm water and ideally eliminate. I know this can feel like a lot, especially if people tend toward constipation. Even drinking 32 ounces of warm water can feel like a lot—but this isn’t about hydration; it’s about getting your digestive system open. If you're not doing that, there are ways to be supported—through diet and herbs. There’s a lot you can do, but just know this is the goal you’re working toward. Habit 4 Move your body for at least 20 minutes. Keep it simple. One of the biggest challenges I see—especially in depleted women—is a tendency toward perfectionism. Like, “She’s given me four habits, I’m going to do them all at once.” That’s not what I recommend. The nervous system can’t hold that. What I recommend is asking, “Where’s the simplest place for me to start?” I usually recommend starting from the beginning—looking at the night before or the day before—and beginning with: “How am I preparing myself to have a great day tomorrow?” We start with eating lunch as our largest meal and dinner earlier. That sets up a domino effect. For movement and exercise: this doesn’t have to be intense. It’s about circulating prana and getting it flowing through your system. If you have the stamina to do a more rigorous workout later, you can—but often we need to do less when we’re moving at the time of day when our body can use it most. It’s addressing stamina, and also balancing Kapha. A note for busy women and moms: I understand how overwhelming it can feel to suddenly think, “This is a lot to change.” Iteration is key—giving yourself small bits of change and letting your system integrate them before doing the next thing. One small change has a big impact because it supports your prana, your life force. You make a change, you feel the impact, and then more energy opens up for the next change. These rhythms are not a to-do list. They are something you feel into. The rules exist to get you into rhythm—not to make you perfect. Think of it like a wind tunnel: it helps the wind move more efficiently. That’s what we’re doing with our prana—giving the body structure so it can flow with the rhythms of nature. Go ahead and look in the course hub; there will be a guide and an infographic of the dosha clock. See you in the next lesson