5 Quick But Powerful Ayurvedic Practices You Can Do In Under 15 Minutes A Day

The ideal Dinacharya (daily practices) for staying healthy occupy a generous amount of space in ancient Ayurvedic texts. A large part of the Ayurvedic literature details how to live in a manner that leaves no room for disease. The caveat is that if you worked every single practice into your life, you'd have very little time left to do anything else!

Growing up in a large Ayurvedic family and working with over 1,000 people as an Ayurvedic practitioner, I have spent my life thinking about how to carry these Dinacharya into the modern day.

Time: 1 minute or less

How to: Lie down, tilt your head backward, and prop it on a pillow. Instill two drops of Anu tailam (an Ayurvedic oil for sinus relief) in each nostril. It may feel a little sharp if you are new to Nasya, but it should settle within the week.

Benefits: "Nasa hi siraso dwaram"—Sanskrit, Carak Samhita... The nose is the only gateway to the brain.

The ancient texts of Ayurveda pointed out that the nose is the only organ that surpasses the blood-brain barrier, something that scientists in the West are discovering today.

This practice goes beyond lubricating your nostrils, preventing allergies, opening up your sinuses, and decongesting phlegm. In fact, the main benefits of this practice are deeper than your ENT region.

Time: A few seconds

How to: Use a copper tongue scraper with a curved edge, and hold the two sides. Extend your tongue and gently scrape your tongue with the arched side of the scraper. Ideally, this is done after brushing your teeth. Avoid if you have mouth sores.

Time: 6-7 minutes

How to: Take warm sesame oil or an Ayurvedic oil and massage your body, starting from the top of your head and moving down to your face, chest, abdomen, and limbs. The massage can be in a circular motion, especially over the joints or long movements for the limbs. Follow with exercise and a bath. Avoid Abhyanga if you are sick or have an inflamed skin condition.

Time: 4-6 minutes

How to: Alternate nostril breathing is best done on an empty stomach after yoga-asana practice. But it can be repeated a few times daily, especially when you feel less grounded. Start with four cycles, and move up to eight, 16, and so on. I like doing four complete morning rounds and eight before bedtime for deeper rest.

Benefits: This particular breathwork (pranayama) practice comes from the Yogic tradition but certainly deserves a place in anyone's daily routine. It is a specific breathing technique that involves inhaling and exhaling from the left and right nostrils while blocking the other. According to Yogic scriptures, the two nostrils carry unique subtle energies; the left carries masculine energies (water), and the right nostril carries feminine energies (heat).

Time: 2-3 minutes

How to: Walk 100 steps at a gentle pace right after meals. If you can, follow up with Vama Kuksi (explained below).

Benefits: Ayurvedic science leaves nothing to guesswork. It tells you what to eat, how, and when. Even when you have done it all correctly, it supports you through post-meal digestion.

Walking 100 to 200 steps after eating (Shad Pavli) is recommended to get the food to move and settle in the gut, stoke the agni or digestive fire, and gently enhance digestion.