SECRET TO BALANCING PRODUCTIVITY, PLAY AND PERSONAL TIME (EVERYDAY)

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In this blog, I’ll share how to achieve balance by matching your mealtimes, sleep cycle, kids tasks and daily mom activities to the cycle of the doshas.

You’ll learn why creating a schedule that’s in sync with nature’s cycle is a powerful lifestyle tool to de-stress the mind and body and experience true inner and outer balance.

** At the end of the blog I have a FREE Ayurvedic Routine print out you can start using to schedule the right tasks during each dosha time period.

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Why are some moms energizer bunnies 🐰 in the morning and others aren’t? (Yes they exist- I’m  admittedly a morning mama- don’t egg me please)

Have you ever found that if you sleep in past 7am, you feel heavy and sluggish even though you slept more?

 Why is it so hard to go back to sleep after a 1AM nursing session when you’re utterly exhausted? 🤷🏽‍♀️

Ayurveda has a fairly simple explanation for all this.

According to Ayurveda (aka the Science of Life), Vata, Pitta, and Kapha are not only names for the three mind-body archetypes that determine our physical characteristics and how we respond under stress.

They are also the energetic forces within every human that are connected with the universe and the ebb and flow of the rhythms of the natural world.

Yes we are all made of stardust. It’s not poetry. It’s science. It’s fact.

Our body responds to the moon cycles. The sun cycle the wind and the earth. All of the qualities of earth, water, air, fire, ether (space) and earth are all found within us.

The ancient wisdom of Ayurveda and yogic practices bring our body and mind into balance by reconnecting us to the flows of nature.

The easiest way to create balance in our inner and outer world, tap into unlimited energy and great health is by tuning our tasks, schedules and lifestyle to the rhythm of nature.

Each day has it’s own natural rhythms where some parts of the day we feel more energy, other parts more mental clarity, other parts more relaxed etc.

The closer you schedule your day to do tasks that follow the energy of the time, the more vitality and less stress you feel.

Likewise, the further you wander from them, the lack of inner peace, balance, rest and joy you experience.

According to Ayurveda, the stress of living against these natural cycles is the number one barrier to health, happiness and inner and out balance. Understanding how to connect our daily routine to these cycles is powerful medicine.

Once you understand these forces that govern all of life, you will be able to make wise, informed decisions about the activities, foods and lifestyle habits you choose and when to schedule them into your day.

But I know what you’re thinking. 🤔

Lots of motherhood is about embracing spontaneity, being flexible and rolling with the punches.

No matter how much you plan, you have little ones who can throw it in disarray in a matter of seconds.

So yes as moms we get plummeted by the tornado of tasks, unexpected stormy emotions and mountains of pressure.

And we set ourselves up for failure when we put a time limit on tasks, set goals that are unrealistic, over-commit and expect life to flow with no hiccups.

But there is something we can control.

Picking the right tasks and doing them at the right time when our energy and earth’s energy is aligned is within our power.  

I’ve been practicing this for about five months now, I have to say this is the first time I’ve ever found my schedule to flow, ease and feel balanced in the midst of the chaos I can’t control and having two kids.

When we organize our day and tasks to be in tune with cosmic energy our life flows more effortlessly despite the occasional hiccups which are a natural part of life.

Each dosha rules a certain time of day. Basically, the characteristics of that dosha will affect how you feel during the corresponding time of day.

Even tasks like paying bills to negotiating with the health insurance company for over-billing you can feel effortless.

Life becomes easier because we are swimming with the current of energy of the cosmos, instead of against it.

And the best part you have a practical and efficient way to schedule out your day without being over zealous and overpacking your day with tasks that aren’t aligned with your energy.

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL WITH THE AYURVEDIC CLOCK? 🤷🏽‍♀️

In a nutshell, it’s the cycle of the dosha’s throughout the day and depending on what time of dosha it is can affect your mood, your energy levels, and even your digestion!

In Ayurveda, the four seasons, days of the week, weather, and even the clock (times of the day) all have attributes of the dosha’s.

The Ayurvedic clock is all about learning which energy or dosha is dominant at various times of the day and how you can maximize their effects to your advantage.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:

You probably already break your day into work time, personal time and sleep time. But Ayurveda divides time into six 4-hour periods over the 24-hour day during which each dosha is repeated twice, once in the morning and once at night. So there are Vata, Pitta and Kapha two times in the day and night.

During each time period, the dosha that rules and their respective characteristics will influence your mood, energy, stress and inner peace. Understanding this allows you to choose activities, foods, and stress relief practices that  will support the dominant energy during that dosha time period.

During Vata times you are more likely to feel mental stress (anxious or racing mind), Pitta times more emotional stress (angry, short-tempered, frustrated), and Kapha time more physical stress (lethargic, fatigued or burned out).

So now if you’re tired, hangry or salty you can blame it on the dosha! #sorrynotsorry

YOUR PERSONAL CLOCK

In general: 

Kapha hours: slow, calm and connection whether ourselves or others. Ya know lets Netflix and Chill.

Pitta hours: active, efficient, organized and that let’s get-ish-done energy.

Vata hours: are connected to the spiritual. It’s about play, laughter, imagination and being your best self.

AYURVEDA CYCLE OF TIME

WAKEUP

Time periods always start with KAPHA dosha even though you should already be awake before Kapha time hits. Ayurveda teaches that it’s best to get up in the morning before 6:00 am when Vata energy is still lingering and your system is relaxed and calm. 6am is the start of Kapha energy which makes us feel heavy and sluggish.

Have you ever noticed if you wake up between 6-10am, even though you got more hours of sleep you feel, groggy, mentally dull and it’s harder to get going? Thats coz Kapha qualities increase within you at this time. You get that “I overslept and I still am  exhausted” feeling.

The way we start our day lays the foundation of the rest of the day. I’ll ask you- do you wanna start your day feeling calm or sluggish? Alright so I don’t wanna hear the I’m not a morning person stuff.

EXERCISE/MOVEMENT

Try to wake up before 6am (even if it’s 5:58am) and start the day with some stillness and a quick morning activity (jumping jacks) or workout to get your heart pumping, before you eat to give yourself a big boost of energy in the beginning of the day.

LIGHT BREAKFAST

Despite prevailing wisdom, breakfast is NOT time for a large plate of sausage, eggs, bacon and pancakes. Eating a heavy breakfast increases sluggishness and will take your mind a longer time to focus and your body to feel energized. 

Eat a light breakfast around 9-10 so you give your body at least 13 hours to digest, assimilate and eliminate the meal from the previous night. It’s kinda like a daily Intermittent fasting practice without trying.

NO SOCIAL MEDIA

Avoid social media during Kapha hours especially while you get out of bed. Since your mind is still sluggish it will be easy to get sucked in staying under the warm covers swiping away mindlessly through posts.

Trust me I know this from experience. Nothing sparks anxiety, hurriedness and impatience starting the day rushing cause you wasted 30 minutes on Instagram when you could have been getting ready

Kapha time flows into PITTA TIME, which begins at mid-morning at 10:00am. Once you eat a small breakfast it’s time to get down to business!

GET WORKIN’

Pitta governs the time of productivity, the time the sun is highest in the sky so you will have more energy, focus and more heat in the natural world. Harness this midday heat to be productive and accomplish goals. 

If you love ticking off those to-do’s this is when you’ll be the most productive at work or at home. This is when you’re the most energized, mentally alert, proficient and organized so use it to your advantage by tackling difficult tasks first.

SOCIAL MEDIA BREAK

This is the time we should look at social media and post if we are going to and set 10 minute timer so we don’t waste the energy of the day sucked into Instagram. If you’re a mommy blogger this is the best time to shoot videos, do Insta or FB lives because your energy will be the highest.

CHORES

If you are home, focus on the big chores like laundry, vaccuming, cleaning bathrooms, grocery shopping. Do one thing at a time. Finish one task before starting another.

LARGEST MEAL

Make sure to take a short break at noon to have your largest meal (comprised of foods that balance your particular Ayurveda mind-body type)

Kids are also most productive during this time, have the most energy and learn the best. So if you’re gonna take them out make sure its between the times of 10-12 when their energy is high.

CREATIVE WORK/PROBLEM SOLVE

The pitta time of day fades as VATA time begins at 2:00PM. Vata allows play, creativity, thinking expansively (imagination/visualization), pursuing creative endeavors and problem solving aka finding solutions in parenting and life that benefits everyone. #winwin

This is the best time to write your book, work on a blog or come up with catchy Insta captions.

SOCIALIZE

It’s also a great time to socialize with a late afternoon lunch date with a friend, chat on the phone, or catch up with your family.

Mental stress, overthinking, racing thoughts are at a high at this time. We might begin to stress about all the tasks we didn’t accomplish as we sense the day will quickly come to an end before we know it and the evening routine with the kids will start up.

MINDFUL RESET

Take a reset during this time before the evening rush begins with the kiddos and grab yourself a warm cup of tea, and spend 5 minutes to breath, ground and reset.

Vata is the most delicate of the dosha’s and most likely to get imbalances about the time you start stressing about all the stuff you didn’t accomplish and get done.

Keep Vata imbalances in check and be on the lookout for mental stress signs. This is key to make sure you practice grounding breathing, yoga posture and eat vata balancing foods for dinner.

KAPHA becomes dominant again at 6PM when you are getting ready to unwind. While the dull, heavy and slow traits of Kapha energy can cause a problem when you’re trying to get up in the morning, these same traits support you as you get ready for sleep.

These heavy qualities tells you its time to wind down, eat a light early dinner, and settle in for the night.  By going to bed during Kapha time, the heavy quality of this time of day will ensure that you drive off to sleep easily, naturally.

LIGHT DINNER

Kapha evening hours are best spent eating a light dinner, settling down, soothing the body, and relaxing the mind to prepare for sleep. This is a great time to bond with family and friends and practice self-care.

TURN OFF TECHNOLOGY

Ayurveda recommends turning off all technology an hour or two before bedtime, don’t mess with your body by watching violent shows, ditch the Housewives, no gossipy texts or Insta stalking your ex.

SELF-CARE/ME-TIME

It also suggests detoxing the stress from the day by spending quality time with family, meditating, sipping hot tea, reading, journaling taking a warm shower, listening to soothing music, and otherwise preparing your mind and body for rest. It doesn’t have to be long even 10 minutes of one activity per day is enough.

SLEEP

When 10:00pm rolls around, hopefully you are snug in bed and sound asleep. Pitta time also occurs between 10 P.M. and 2:00 A.M and it is important you are sleeping before 10pm because you get the most restorative and restful sleep during those hours and your body goes through optimal cleansing at that that time.  This is time for internal cleansing of toxins from food, thoughts, emotions and experiences from the day, optimal digestion and energy rejuvenation.

If you remain awake during this important time, you miss out on the benefit of this cleansing. In fact, if you are still awake, you’ll ‘get your second wind’ and may find that the munchies kick in. And you find yourself at the refrigerator craving everything unhealthy like ice cream and left over pizza, since the digestive force will go looking for something to digest. Your body will thank you for skipping this, and being asleep instead!

That’s why moms who are nursing babies all hours of the night find that it’s harder to go back to sleep during these hours. So please do yourself a favor and do NOT look at your phone. The Blue light is sure to trick you and keep you alert and harder to fall asleep because Pitta energy will work against you.

Right at dawn, before sunrise and the first appearance of daylight, is Vata time. From 2:00 A.M. to 6:00 A.M. on the Ayurvedic clock is when the night brain’s impulses are strongest, when active dreaming takes place, and when deep insights from your inner psyche can be gleaned. Moreover, it is said that during Vata hours the curtain between Earth and the universe is lifted, allowing you to connect with spirit, the universal brain, the cosmos, and your highest self.

MEDITATE/YOGA/PRAY

This early morning vata time is not a time for creativity, but rather of receptivity. Yogis discovered a long time again that this time of day, when air and ether doinate, is the best time for mediation, prayer, chanting, yoga and other spiritual practices. By arising prior to 6:00 am, you are able to maximize this experience, spending this peaceful time of day in spiritual pursuits. If you are stallion bed, you may find that your sleep is light and disturbed or that you awaken and have a hard time to shut off your mind.

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There you have it how the dosha’s rule your day and your life and how to harness their energy.

Lack of balance is the source of so much stress, mom guilt and anxiety for modern mamas.

So maybe you’re not #killingit everyday, but it’s not like motherhood or life comes with a manual. Cut yourself some slack, woman!

Making our schedules in sync with nature’s cycles is a powerful lifestyle tool to de-stress our body and mind to feel more balanced and rejuvenated.

Understanding how to use our energy to flow with the rhythms of nature, instead of working against it will help us get our to-do-list done without that overwhelming feeling of chronic burnout and busyness.

When we match our activities to make the most of energies naturally present we have a routine for feeling vibrant, optimal health and truly alive. And we feel our best when we can get shit done, spend quality time with our kids and make time for ourselves. #goals

Try these useful tips to balance your time more efficiently and let your day flow more smoothly and balance productivity, play and personal time everyday.

REMEMBER: each day will be different. The tasks that need to be balanced are different but learning how to not overstuff your day and organize the task in the correct time slot is the most important lesson from this exercise.

Just try your best and don’t beat yourself up if you sleep past 10PM on a Saturday. Rules are made to be broken (SOMETIMES). Just the awareness of how they effect your mind and body will be powerful science to get your body back in balance.

Soooo you gonna remember all of this?

I mean mom brain is real folks! I can’t even remember what I did this morning so committing this to memory is probably a losing battle.

CLICK HERE FOR SHEET

DON’T FORGET to tag me on Instagram @tejalvpatel to let me see you printed out the sheet so I can cheer you on and repost to inspire other mamas to get on board with the Dosha Daily Routine.

YOUR NEXT STEPS

Wanna know the different breathing, meditations and dietary Ayurvedic practices to quickly you get in balance when you experience mental, emotional or physical stress?

That’s exactly what I plan to share in the book I’m writing. Yay!!!

But god only knows when that will get published!

If you’re impatient like me,  every few months I handpick a few mamas to personally coach. If you’re interesting in building simple Ayurvedic and Yogic practices into your life to become the most present, patient and peaceful mama you know, let’s see if we would be a great fit to work together..

Email me tejal@tejalvpatel.com to learn more about my Mindful Mama Coaching packages and if this coaching is right for you.