Swastha

Ayurveda

Developed well before 1000 BC, Ayurveda is East India's empirical science of medicine (Svoboda, 1992). Known as "the science of life," Ayurveda bases its theories and practices on the extensive, thorough examination of living, healthy individuals. It provides specific instruction on how to engage in meaningful actions that maintain physical health and happiness. It does this by suggesting actions that counteract imbalances that arise from the diet, lifestyle, environment, seasons, as well as emotional and mental stress. Every healing action is designed to return the delicate balance of an individual's unique physical and mental constitution as well as emotional and spiritual life.

Ayurveda's healing system utilizes an understanding of Yogic anatomy. This includes an understanding of both the visible, physical body and the subtle energetic systems of the self. The Ayurvedic practitioner holds a detailed knowledge of:

• dhatus (bodily tissues)
• agni (mental and physical digestive power)
• maha bhutas (the physical elements that create and sustain life)

• malas (bodily waste products)
• nadis (subtle nervous system)
• prana (life force)
• tejas (vital being)
• ojas (essence of life)
• koshas (subtle bodies)
• chakras (subtle energy system)

The body-mind complex is understood in Ayurveda to be a vehicle for the individuals perception and growth. The physical body is viewed as the gross form of our deep-seated mental tendencies (Chethimattam, 1971). The mind digests and interprets the experiences we collect through our five senses to facilitate our development as spiritual beings. The wrong use of the senses (such as over or under indulgences in food, media, and sex) results in a break down of the physical body. It is our mental habits that repeatedly expose the physical body to excesses and deficiencies. When we chronically make imbalanced choices such as a poor diet, or over exercise, we are headed down the slow path of degenerative disease.

Sister Sciences: Yoga & Ayurveda

Ayurveda is highly prized for its ability to cure chronic disorders and diseases through lifestyle changes. Its success stems from its detailed and proficient understanding of the mind. Ayurveda derives its understanding of the mind from the science of Yoga. Valued for both its preventative and curative forces, the  Yoga is viewed by Ayurveda as an important, natural and preventive measure to ensure good health, happiness and longevity. The practice of Yoga is thought to bring us back to our natural state of tranquility that is lost when our system become unbalanced. Originally, one and the same, Ayurvedic and Yogic psychology have diverged because people, particularly in the West, including Yoga teachers, do not always know the connection between Yoga and Ayurveda.

In their fullest expression, Yoga and Ayurveda are disciplines that promote development of the physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual and social self. Dedicated practitioners of both disciplines view their work as a combination of methodical science, philosophy and art. Each individual is viewed as a work in progress (Satyananda, 1989); both disciplines resist labels and diagnosis as these may negatively contribute to a persons idea of their own potential(Lad, 2001 & McLanahan, 2002) and because those trained in yoga/ayurveda are not versed in psychopathology. If mental illness is suspected it is best to work with a trained psychologist in conjunction with yoga. Though an individuals journey to health and wellness might be distant, he or she is always accorded respect for following their path towards inner balance, awareness and wholeness.

Although Yoga and Ayurveda are always used together in the understanding of mental unrest, their approaches are quite different (Frawley, 1999 & Lad, 1984). These differences must be understood to have a better knowledge of how Eastern healing modalities work. Yoga is, fundamentally, a process of self-realization. Yoga practices such as meditation, pranayama (breathing practices), and asanas (physical postures) will in and of themselves not create a cure. Yogic practices are always best used with individuals who have some stability of physical and mental health (Frawley, 1999). This stability is achieved through Ayurveda, which systematically removes excesses from the body to establish a state of physical and mental equanimity (Kumar, 1997 and Frawley, 1997).

The mind is understood as a tool for creating order or chaos. An Ayurvedic practitioner begins the process of assisting the individual to understand him or herself - why they make the choices they do and redirecting them to healthier habits. Responsibility for mental wellbeing is believed to occur through the individuals understanding of themselves. It is the Ayurvedic physician's role and responsibility to facilitate this understanding (Majumdar, 1999).

Ayurvedic practitioners are not trained to separate physical medicine from psychology. The body and mind are understood to be so vitally interconnected that one cannot be understood without the other. While some diseases may have an entirely physical cause, all long-term illnesses have psychological effects. Moreover, chronic psychological imbalances will always have physical effects (Frawley, 1997 & Sharma and Dash, 1986). Physicians, while vigorously trained, are not meant to work wonders or perform miracles. "A true physician is a teacher who helps his or her patients work through their problems at all levels" (Svoboda, 1989:2).

A yoga therapist who is trained in ayurveda, will systematically introduce the individual to new practices:

Stability     Removal     Body        Mind         Spirit

Yogic practices are added incrementally, for the mind has a tendency to revolt against sudden or drastic changes made without proper support. If too many changes are attempted at one time the individual is more likely to drop all proposed practices, and return to their previous lifestyle. To avoid this, the individual should understand the underlying reason for the change, desire to make the adjustment, and be given time to feel the benefits of the practice prior to adding another procedure. The Yoga therapist must think of the work as 5% education and 95% inspiration, for the crux of the healing process is to motivate the client to do the work for him or herself.

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The Daily Routine, by Dr. Vasant Lad: http://www.ayurveda.com/online_resource/daily_routine.html

National Ayurvedic Medical Association:  http://ayurveda-nama.org/

Banyan Botanticals, Ayurvedic Herbs: http://www.banyanbotanicals.com/