Ayurvedic Daily Routines for Heart Health
Heart disease - meaning heart muscle ischemia and heart attack - is the leading cause of death globally, and this is all the more true in the United States. Modern western medicine has developed incredible, life-saving interventions for acute cardiac events such as heart attacks over the past few decades, and developments and improvements in care for acute heart disease continue. However, as the saying (attributed to Benjamin Franklin) goes, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." And these days, there is a growing recognition that lifestyle - including daily habits both small and large - play a critical role in the development and progression of heart disease. In fact, lifestyle as medicine has the power to reverse full-blown heart disease - something that no medication or surgical procedure has the ability to accomplish.
Ayurvedic medicine has held for thousands of years that nutrition and lifestyle have the power to prevent and treat heart disease. And the modern evidence base bears this out: to date, the only intervention that we have seen reverse (not slow down, not pause, but reverse) developing or full-blown heart disease is lifestyle-based treatment. It was cardiologist Dr. Dean Ornish et al's landmark study that brought this to light anew in the modern day.
Writing as both a Western-trained and Ayurvedic physician in clinical practice, I can attest to this: I have personally seen how lifestyle and dinacharya (daily routine) complement - and often reduce the need for - the tools of modern cardiology in simple, yet powerful ways.
An Ayurvedic Window into Heart Health
The Ayurvedic concept of the heart goes beyond the notion of a physical organ alone; the Ayurvedic view is that the heart is also a seat of consciousness (chittam), and a center within the body for both physical and emotional well-being. The most cited Sanskrit word for heart, "hridaya," is used to connote both the physical heart and the emotional heart. Indeed, these are connections that modern science has validated more and more over time through research on the links between stress, emotions, and cardiovascular health.
According to Ayurvedic literature, the heart is also a secondary seat for all 3 doshas: vata, pitta, and kapha. All three can therefore be modulated and treated through the vehicle of the heart.
Simple - Yet Powerful - Dinacharya Practices for Heart Health
One of the awesome things about Ayurvedic daily routines is that they don't require expensive equipment or complicated protocols – just awareness and practice. Here are some of the preventive elements I most often recommend to my patients concerned about heart health:
1. Rising with the Sun
In Ayurveda, syncing with natural rhythms is fundamental to health. Waking before or with the sunrise (ideally between 5-6:30 AM) aligns the body with the natural increase in vata energy that occurs at this time (in part accounted for by the effects of naturally-spiking cortisol that precede awakening), supporting healthy circulation and setting a positive tone for the day.
Modern Application: If waking before sunrise feels unrealistic, try gradually adjusting your wake time by 15 minutes earlier each week to a sustainable time. Even small shifts toward earlier rising can yield benefits.
2. Hydration for Circulation
Begin your day by drinking a cup of warm water (boiled first - then let it settle a bit). This simple practice stimulates healthy digestion and helps clear ama (toxins) that can contribute to atherosclerosis over time. Then hydrate throughout the day in a thermodynamically-friendly way: with room temperature water, either taken from a room temperature source, or boiled and settled to room temperature. Avoid chilled water except as advised by your Ayurvedic physician. Proper hydration throughout the day is essential for maintaining healthy blood volume and blood viscosity, and for supporting optimal heart function.
Modern Application: Keep a thermos of warm water at your desk or in your car to make this practice accessible throughout your day.
3. Oil Massage (Abhyanga)
Self-massage with circular strokes using warm oil (abhyanga) is one of the most nourishing practices for circulatory health. It calms the nervous system, reduces stress hormones that influence the heart in distressing ways, improves circulation, and promotes lymphatic flow. For heart health specifically, offer extra attention to the chest, left arm, the palms of the hands, and the soles of the feet, which contain marma points (acupressure points) connected directly to the heart.
Always be sure to wash away the excess with warm water, both for additional circulatory benefit and to avoid having all of your clothes soak in oil that eventually goes rancid.
Modern Application: If a full-body massage isn't practical daily, consider a modified practice focusing on your chest, arms, and feet for 5-10 minutes before showering in the morning and/or evening.
4. Pranayama for Heart Strength
Breath is the bridge between body and mind, and a whole host of breathing practices directly benefit heart function. Nadi shodhana (channel purifying breath, or alternate nostril breathing) helps balance the autonomic nervous system and has been shown to reduce blood pressure and heart rate. Ujjayi (victorious breath, foundational yogic breathing) is also excellent, and it directly stimulates the vagal branches going to the chest, lungs, and heart.
Modern Application: Even 2 minutes of conscious breathing once or twice daily during your commute, before meetings, or before bed can help regulate heart rhythm and reduce stress.
5. Heart-Friendly Movement
While intense exercise has its place, Ayurveda emphasizes the importance of movement that nourishes and provides gentle support, which for most people is more moderate in character. Of course, some folks do very well with regular vigorous exercise, but they are not the majority.
Walking after meals, and particularly after dinner, is highly recommended for cardiovascular health. Physical yoga postures of many kinds are healthful for circulation and heart muscle tone, as well; while postures that gently open the heart center - like supported backbends and gentle twists - are some of the more obvious ones, virtually all are helpful. And various forms of calisthenics, as well as Pilates, tai chi, qigong, well-paced bicycling, and more are also highly advised. The evidence-based goal is around 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, moderate intensity meaning brisk enough that you cannot comfortably sing a song while active, but gentle enough that you can carry on the bulk of a conversation. Ideally, those 150 minutes are divided up fairly evenly throughout the week - for example, 30 minutes 5 times per week. And those 30 minutes of movement don't have to happen all at once!
Modern Application: Try a 10-minute post-dinner walk and/or incorporate 15 minutes of morning yoga postures into your existing exercise routine.
6. Mindful Eating for a Happy Heart
It is both what we eat and how we eat that affects heart health. The less processed and more plant-based one's diet is, the lower - consistently, per modern scientific evidence - their risk for heart disease. Importantly, that does not have to mean strictly vegetarian or vegan! It means whole food, plant-centric, and always tailored to one's doshik constitution and present state of health.
And meal timing really does matter! Eating the largest meal of the day at midday when digestion and metabolism (agni) are strongest is key. Whenever possible, avoiding eating after sundown (admittedly harder in the wintertime) helps keep glycemic load and oxidative damage to the blood vessels to a minimum. And mindful eating - meaning siitting down without distractions, chewing thoroughly, breathing in awareness, and eating until you feel a sensation of satisfaction, but not fullness (about 75% capacity) - supports the heart by promoting optimal digestion and nutrient assimilation, and also by preventing the formation of ama.
Modern Application: If restructuring your entire eating schedule isn't feasible, focus on creating a distraction-free environment for at least one meal per day.
7. Evening Wind-Down Rituals
Quality sleep is essential for cardiovascular repair and renewal. Ayurvedic medical science recommends completing dinner at least 3 hours before bedtime, and engaging in calming wind-down activities as evening approaches. Gentle self-massage of the feet with warm sesame oil before bed can be particularly beneficial for heart health, as it grounds vata energy and activates those heart-connected marma points. Similarly, good dental hygiene - especially in the evenings before bed - helps to lower risk load on the heart.
Modern Application: Develop a 20-minute pre-sleep ritual that includes putting away electronic devices, gentle stretching, and maybe some quiet time for mindful breathing and/or meditation.
The Power of Consistency
What makes these practices powerful isn't their complexity - because they are not complex - but rather, their simplicity and their consistency. In my practice, I've seen patients achieve remarkable improvements in markers like blood pressure, heart rate variability, and metabolic and inflammatory bloodwork markers by incorporating even a few of these elements into their daily routines.
Personalizing Your Heart-Centered Care
While these recommendations provide a solid foundation, true Ayurvedic care is always completely personalized. Your constitution (prakriti) and current state of imbalances (vikriti) will influence which practices will benefit you most. This is where working with an Ayurvedic Physician (like yours truly) can be invaluable in creating a routine that's sustainable and effective for your unique needs.
What I find most beautiful about these practices is how they bridge the gap between ancient wisdom and modern living. They don't require rejecting contemporary medicine or living like a monk – they simply invite us to bring greater awareness and intention to the rhythms and behaviors of our daily lives.
In my own journey as a physician, I've found that patients are most successful when they take changes and adaptations one step at a time. Begin with one practice that resonates with you and that you find accessible, establish it as a habit, and then gradually incorporate others as you have room for. Even small shifts in daily routine can yield profound benefits for heart health over time.
Your heart sustains you through every moment of your life. Taking time each day to care for it intentionally isn't just good medicine – it's also about self-love and gratitude. And we believe that you deserve good medicine, self-love, and gratitude!
If you are curious about how our Ayurvedic, integrative health approach can support your health (or the health of a loved one), you can completely free 15-minute consultation.
Dr. Matt Van Auken, MD, MPH
Dr. Matt is an Ayurveda-trained, triple board-certified physician.
