“To everything there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under heaven.”
Ecclesiastes
“Of what is the body made?
It is made of emptiness and rhythm.
At the ultimate heart of the body, at the heart of the world,
there is no solidity … there is only the dance.”
George Leonard
A friend of mine was in his forties when he become a dedicated runner. Though twenty pounds overweight when he took up the sport, he quickly achieved a high level of conditioning and really seemed to have an affinity for running. Before long he was able to run weekly mileage equal to his age, and there were days when he felt he could have gone twice that far. Usually he ran in the late afternoon or early evening, when the temperature began to fall. Running was a kind of meditation, a genuine form of restful awareness. At the age of forty-five he signed up to run in his first marathon, and he trained diligently. Since the race would begin in the early morning, he rescheduled his final training runs for six A.M., rather than later in the day, as had been his custom. Running in the morning would be a new and enjoyable experience, with the sun coming up over the trees instead of setting behind them, and a morning run would be good preparation for the marathon itself.
By this time my friend was capable of running more than seventy miles in a week. But, almost incredibly, the first time he hit the trail at sunrise he was barely able to run a mile before his legs cramped and his stomach ached.
Life flows in patterns of rest and activity. According to the Bible, God’s first creation after heaven and earth was light, which led to the twenty-four-hour cycle of day and night. According to Vedic knowledge, the entire universe is a symphony of rhythms. We are healthy when we are in synchrony with the dance of nature; we feel dis-eased when we have lost our rhythm. Almost everyone has had the experience of feeling out of sorts when making a cross-country journey. Our biological rhythms need to be in harmony with the environment, and until this occurs, we feel dissonant.
Most societies across time have recognized the need to be in tune with natural rhythms. Festivals celebrating the spring planting and the autumn harvesting are universal cultural events, because we have a fundamental human need to be part of the eternal cadence of the cosmos. The evolution of life on this planet is inextricably linked with natural cycles, so that inherent rhythms can be demonstrated in almost every plant and animal on earth, from one-celled organisms to human beings.
A branch of science, chronobiology, has evolved over the last several decades, dedicated to understanding biological rhythms. Cyclical patterns have been discovered in almost every aspect of life, from the division of cells to the secretion of hormones to the metabolism of drugs to the timing of asthma attacks. From day to day, and even minute to minute, our bodies are undergoing constant transformation. Most of us are aware of the most obvious changes—gaining or losing weight, for instance—and we may even recognize that changes in our diet or exercise underlie them. But there are other influences affecting the mind body system that most of us fail to recognize. In recent years, research on the causes of insomnia, jet lag, and depression have brought heightened awareness of biological rhythms in the West. Ayurveda can be of great value in this area, for it has always recognized that the “temporal setting”—the time in which an action is performed—is as important as the physical setting or any other element of the undertaking. Here too the Ayurvedic viewpoint is a genuinely holistic one, emphasizing that one aspect of an experience cannot be separated or isolated from others.
There are at least four oscillations that take place in accordance with distinct rhythms in the human body. The first of these is a twenty-four-hour cycle that Western medicine calls circadian rhythm, from the Latin words circa, meaning “nearly” or “approximately,” and dia, meaning “day.” Like the earth itself, each of us has a cycle of day and night, and this circadian rhythm can be identified at many levels. Many hormonal fluctuations follow twenty-four-hour rhythms, including the secretion of cortisol, growth hormone, insulin, and the sex hormones.1 The enzymes in our liver wax and wane according to a twenty-four-hour cycle so that our ability to burn alcohol is greater at nine P.M. than it is at nine A.M.2 Interestingly, however, our brain’s response to alcohol also fluctuates throughout the day, so a glass of wine at eleven P.M. is much more likely to intoxicate than a glass at eleven A.M.3 Our body temperature also goes through a daily cycle, peaking at about five P.M., while reaching its trough in the early morning.4,5 Our moods, our mental agility, and our fine motor skills all cycle throughout the day with relatively predictable highs and lows. Our cells, even when removed from our body, have a twenty-four-hour rhythm with daily peaks and troughs of reproductive activity.6 The existence of circadian rhythms has important implications for the treatment of disease. Chemotherapy administered to animals may be lethal at certain times of the day, but at other times the same treatment can be administered with minimal toxic effects.7 Awareness of this principle can help us minimize the side effects and maximize the benefits of potent anticancer drugs, for malignant cells usually lose their normal rhythms, multiplying at high rates throughout the day.
A second biological rhythm is based on the twenty-nine-day cycle of the lunar month. Pituitary hormones that regulate the menstrual cycle, LH (luteinizing hormone) and FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone), have monthly peaks that are also associated with subtle but reproducible changes in a woman’s sexual desire.8 Women’s perception of pain also goes through a monthly rhythm, with peak sensitivity during the latter half of the menstrual cycle.9 Surprisingly, our ability to perceive orange and red colors also oscillates on a monthly basis, being more acute at the time of the full moon.10 There are also subtle changes in our body fluids and blood chemistry that seem to have a relationship to a monthly pattern.
Tidal rhythms are based upon the gravitational effects of the moon on the earth. These are the influences that govern the ocean tides, and in a sense each of us has an internal “ocean,” which behaves similarly to the ocean outside. It’s as if we, human beings, actually brought the ocean with us in our physiology when we emerged from the water millions of years ago. The tidal rhythms are most obvious in animals that live along the shoreline. Fiddler crabs, for example, hide in underground burrows during high tide but become very active during low tide, feeding, fighting, and mating. Amazing experiments have shown that you can remove these crabs from their natural environment and place them in containers with constant light and temperature, and they will still have bursts of activity during the times of the low tides even though they are far removed from the ocean’s ebb and flow!11
Annual cycles too affect us at all levels. People simply feel different during different seasons of the year, often falling in love in spring, getting depressed in winter, and tending toward laziness during the long, hot days of summer. In recent years a condition known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, has been recognized to cause depression during the short days of winter. Exposure to very bright lights can often benefit this problem.12 Animals that hibernate will have annual bursts of feeding activity that cannot be easily altered, even if temperature and light intensity are controlled.
When each of these biological rhythms is in harmony, there is energy, joy, and immunity to illness. When they are disrupted for any reason, there may be fatigue, emotional instability, and even serious illness.
Entrainment takes place when the rhythms of our mind body system are in complete harmony with the rhythms of the environment—when the music inside our body is perfectly synchronized with the music of nature.
Studies over the last several years have suggested that there are centers in our brain that are responsible for keeping and calling out the beat to keep the cells in our body aligned with the cycles of the environment. A place at the base of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, or SCN, receives input directly from our eyes and responds to changes in the amount of daily sunlight.13 Messages sent out from this biological conductor ensure that other parts of the brain are in tune with daily and seasonal cycles. For example, the chemical melatonin, which is receiving a lot of attention these days for its benefit in treating jet lag and insomnia, is regulated by the SCN.
Entrainment also takes place between people. Babies entrain to their mother’s heartbeats while still in the womb, and the process of infant bonding can be understood as a continuation of this. Falling in love is another form of entrainment, with new lovers often experiencing similar sleep-wake cycles and emotional patterns. In environments such as prisons, dormitories, and convents, where groups of women live together for long periods of time, there is often a synchronization of their menstrual cycles.
We can entrain with the environment, we can entrain with each other, but Ayurveda suggests that the ultimate entrainment is between our individuality and our universality. Whether we call it God, spirit, or the field of pure potentiality, entrainment is an attempt to establish an intimate relationship with the source of our own being. At some level, all mind body techniques are designed to foster this experience. These techniques are intended to help our awareness to reach the silent field within. Meditation procedures in particular can allow us to directly contact the realm of pure awareness, from which all the laws of nature arise.
Ayurveda very specifically describes the effects of daily and seasonal influences on our doshas. Once these environmental effects are understood, it’s easy to make life choices wh.
Kapha dosha predominates from six to ten in the morning, so between these hours your body is likely to feel slow, heavy, and relaxed. The period of peak metabolic activity and appetite occurs at noon, during the middle of the first Pitta period. Pitta, of course, is responsible for metabolizing food and distributing energy throughout the body. Vata dosha, which governs the nervous system, is predominant in the late afternoon, when mental activities and physical dexterity are most efficient.
The day’s second cycle begins at 6 P.M., when the Kapha influence tends to create a slow, relaxed evening. During the nighttime Pitta period the physiology metabolizes the evening meal, but since the body is asleep during this 10 P.M. to 2 A.M. period, energy can be converted into warmth and the rebuilding of tissues. The early-morning Vata time activates the nervous system in the form REM sleep, during which a high level of dream activity occurs.
According to Ayurveda, you can encourage good health by synchronizing your daily routine with natural rhythms. Awakening before dawn during the end of the Vata period allows you to take advantage of the Vata qualities of alertness and energy. Eating your main meal during the noon hour when Pitta fire is strongest ensures strong digestion. Going to bed by 10 P.M. at the end of the Kapha period takes advantage of the slow Kapha qualities and fosters sound sleep.
The schedule below is recommended for maintaining optimal physiological rhythms. Without becoming compulsive about it—which would create stress of its own—you should make an attempt to follow these suggestions.
• Wake without an alarm clock
• Brush your teeth and clean your tongue
• Drink a glass of warm water to encourage regular elimination
• Empty your bowels and bladder
• Massage your body with oil (abhyanga)
• Bathe
• Perform light exercise: Sun Salutes, yoga postures, breathing exercises
• Meditate
• Eat breakfast
• Take a midmorning walk
• Eat lunch (the largest meal of the day)
• Sit quietly for five minutes after eating
• Walk to aid digestion (five to fifteen minutes)
• Meditate in the late afternoon
• Eat a light to moderate dinner
• Sit quietly for five minutes after eating
• Walk to aid digestion (five to fifteen minutes)
• Perform light activity in the evening
• Go to bed early, but at least three hours after dinner
• Do not read, eat, or watch TV in bed
Ayurveda stipulates that it’s best to awaken without an alarm clock at about six A.M. However, there are people whose circadian rhythms have become so askew that they find it extremely difficult to get into this balance. If you have insomnia or if you have never paid much attention to any sort of lifestyle regularity, we recommend that you initially use an alarm clock and wake up very early (before five A.M.) every morning. If you follow this schedule for five days in a row and avoid napping during the day, you will definitely soon be drifting off to sleep by ten in the evening. This will reset your whole cycle.
Brush your teeth, gently cleaning the tongue if it is coated. The condition of the tongue in the morning is a gauge of how much ama, or accumulated toxicity, is present in the system. Ayurveda also recommends gargling with a small amount of sesame oil to lubricate the mucous membranes and protect your gums. Drink a glass of warm water after cleaning your mouth. This stimulates peristaltic motion so that you will be able to empty your bowels and bladder effortlessly.
You can perform a daily oil massage, or abhyanga, in just a few minutes before your bath or shower, and this has many benefits for your skin and general health (see this page–this page). We also suggest a light set of yoga postures followed by Pranayama breathing exercises and a half hour of meditation. Then eat breakfast if you are hungry and take a little walk after your meal if you can.
Because digestive powers are strongest during the early afternoon, the noon meal should be the largest of the day. This was the natural practice in most cultures until the Industrial Revolution, when it became inconvenient for employees to take off two hours to eat a large midday lunch. A balanced, well-cooked meal at noon can have a very positive effect on your entire daily routine. Sit for a few minutes after lunch and take a short walk if possible.
Your second meditation period should take place in the late afternoon or in the early evening before dinner. This facilitates the release of accumulated stress and prepares you for your evening activities. Ayurveda recommends a light-to-moderate dinner around six P.M. Again, you should sit quietly for five minutes after eating and take a walk afterward to aid digestion.
Activity after dinner should be light. Bedtime should be no later than eleven P.M., and at least three hours after your last meal.
Ayurveda recognizes that seasonal rhythms have important influences on our biological cycles. Each season expresses characteristics of a specific dosha. Autumn and early winter is Vata time with the cold, dry, and windy weather; the hot, moist summer expresses the qualities of Pitta; and the cold, wet weather of late winter and spring are expressions of Kapha in the environment.
Certain common conditions caused by a particular doshic imbalance tend to become aggravated during the season that expresses that dosha. Arthritis, for example, tends to worsen during the cold, dry Vata season. Tempers tend to flare and skin rashes become inflamed during the hot summer Pitta season. Colds and sinus congestion become common during the rainy Kapha periods. If you’re a Vata type, you should be particularly careful about diet and daily routine in the autumn and early winter. This is the time to be certain to wear warm clothing, eat hot soups and casseroles, and try to get to bed at a regular hour. Pitta body types should be aware of the potential for Pitta aggravation during the summer. Here, the emphasis is on keeping cool. Regardless of your mind body type, you probably gravitate to the local Pitta-pacifying lake or ocean, eat cooling melons, and wear light clothing in the summer. For Kaphas, late winter and spring are times to take special care, making certain to stay warm and dry. This is a good time to increase your consumption of spicy foods.
Above all, we should never forget that the environment is our extended body and that nature has already provided everything we need in the appropriate place and at the appropriate time in order to sustain us. The more we are in tune with natural internal and external rhythms, the more we can accept and metabolize the nourishment that is so readily available.
Human beings evolved over millions of years in adaptation to a wide range of environments on this planet. Although our technology has been able to override many of the challenges of nature, our biology is still intimately connected with our pretechnological heritage. According to Ayurveda, many illnesses reflect a lack of integration with our extended body. When we lose connection with nature, we lose connection with an essential aspect of ourselves.
Knowledge of how the rhythms of nature influence our mind body physiology can be used in very specific ways to enhance healing. Studies on people with allergies show that their sneezing, itchy eyes, and coughing have a circadian pattern, with most sufferers having their most troublesome symptoms in the morning (Kapha time). This suggests that interventions, either natural or pharmaceutical, should be instituted immediately upon awakening.
Many common medical problems, including asthma, high blood pressure, angina, and ulcer pain, all fluctuate according to fairly predictable daily or monthly patterns.14 Knowing the specific cycle of an illness opens the possibility of new approaches to treatments that can take into account the rhythms of the person, the disease, and the therapeutic intervention.
This is particularly relevant to the treatment of cancer. Earlier in this chapter, I referred to studies on the application of chemotherapy at various times of the day. Unlike healthy cells, most cancer cells do not show a normal daily rhythm of rest and activity. They seem to be stuck in an “on” mode and consequently divide and reproduce in an uncontrolled manner. There are increasing efforts to time the administration of anticancer drugs or radiation therapy to take advantage of the resting phase of normal cells to minimize debilitating side effects.15 Cells from different tissues seem to have different patterns, so a uniform time to administer treatment is not possible. Normal human bone-marrow cells, however, seem to have maximal activity in the hours around noon, with relative periods of rest around midnight.16 Since chemotherapy attacks multiplying cells, providing treatment when normal cells are resting may minimize the toxicity. Although this effect is fairly well established in laboratory animals, it is just beginning to be explored clinically in people, so if you are facing cancer and possible chemotherapy, discuss the timing options with your physician.
Since it has apparently become so easy to ignore the natural rhythms around us, it may seem overly simplified to suggest that harmonizing with the rhythms of the earth, moon, and sun can improve our health. Yet, principles such as these can be found in every culture and every historical period. Benjamin Franklin’s counsel of, “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise,” may seem laughably naive today, but it expresses an important Ayurvedic principle. It’s so easy to stay up late at night, sleep in during the day, and eat at all hours. We may not notice the incremental negative effects of these behaviors on our health—but loss of harmony with natural rhythms is often the start of a shift from balance to imbalance that can eventually affect every aspect of our lives. I encourage you to try some simple shift in your daily routine—get to bed a little earlier or try eating lighter at dinner—and see if you notice some benefit through harmonizing with your environment.
