You may have taken a yoga class recently and gotten excited about its potential for well-balanced exercise, appetite control and weight reduction. Chances are, you have also had serious health issues come up to which you went to your Western allopathic doctor.
You were frustrated to find out that he could only prescribe a pill or recommend surgery. Conventional Western doctors have been exclusively trained to identify disease, prescribe medication and cut-away infected tissue. You might call it the “ill to the pill” syndrome. You may be wondering, “Surely there are better options!”
Have you heard of Ayurveda?
What Is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is the Sanskrit term for the “Science of Life,” which comes from the 5,000-year-old Vedic tradition. Ayurveda has gone through a recent revival, and is emerging as a major health industry to rival Swiss pharmaceuticals. It is increasingly recognized worldwide as an important option in complementary medicine, used in conjunction with standard Western medicine.
Health in the East is focused on balance. This is as true of Ayurveda as it is with Traditional Chinese Medicine. Ayurveda is a holistic approach to health that assumes disease is only a malfunction. Rather than treat mere symptoms, it strives to identify the root cause and adjust it. Ayurveda maintains that wellness is our natural state, and we get sick only with disequilibrium.
We all have unique body types, roughly corresponding to thin, heavy and medium, or what has been called ectomorph, endomorph and mesomorph. These body types are dominated by the five elements in Hindu cosmology: Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. As you become more conscious of how these elements intermingle, you can be more skillful in maintaining your health.
How Ayurveda Got Started in America
In the 1960’s and 1970’s, a long series of gurus came from India, China, Japan and Korea. Hatha Yoga introduced Americans to a more conscious approach to exercise and relaxation. It brought with it an overall interest in meditation, which the great Maharishi Mahesh Yogi capitalized upon in introducing his TM method, a simple mantra meditation done morning and evening.
The Beatles popularized Maharishi, turning him into a global celebrity. Millions around the world adapted his technique. Comprehensive studies conducted in prominent universities, such as Harvard, revealed an impressive array of clinically tested health benefits. A few years later, Dr. Deepak Chopra arrived in the U.S. as a general allopathic surgeon, as the U.S. had a shortage of MD’s, due to the War in Vietnam.
Initially, Dr. Chopra was a heavy smoker and drinker, more Western than Eastern. He adopted TM only to calm down his nerves. When he met the Maharishi in a backstage session in Washington D.C., Maharishi suggested that he check out Ayurveda. Only to be polite, Dr. Chopra agreed that he would. On his flight back, Dr. Chopra happened to sit next to an old friend of his who, when seatbelts were fastened, proceeded to ask Dr. Chopra if he had ever considered Ayurveda. Dr. Chopra was hooked!
Meditation Opens Up Infinite Possibilities
As one practices any form of meditation, it has a calming effect if repeated for any length of time. The mantra meditation may be the most powerful, as it has the practitioner silently repeat the mantra. Having a definite point of concentration focuses your mind, rapidly reducing all the monkey chatter.
Maharishi had people keep to just 20 minutes, morning and evening. Who cannot spare 20 minutes out of their busy schedule? Out of this, you find yourself naturally slowing down and being more present to what is going on around you… without the need for mind-expanding drugs.
From there, a conscious life becomes natural. Your appetites, values and priorities begin to change. You become more positive, and open up to infinite potential. While meditation is healing in itself, it also leads you to seek natural remedies for any type of illness.
Every Body Is Different: The Three Doshas
One of the geniuses of the Vedic tradition is the recognition that no one size fits all. We are all different, and our differences need to be respected and appreciated. The idea that there is only one way to God seems ludicrous to many Hindus, as they realize that every road eventually leads to the realization of God. So, also with health.
The idea that there is only one way to God seems ludicrous.
Human bodies have three broad types, corresponding to different constitutions.
1. Vata: This is the principle of movement, composed of air and space. It is dry, light, cold, rough, subtle, mobile and clear. It oversees all bodily motion.
2. Pitta: This is the principle of transformation, composed of fire and water. It is sharp, penetrating, hot, light, liquid, mobile and oily. It oversees all digestion and metabolism.
3. Kapha: This is the principle of stability, composed of water and earth. It is smooth, dense, soft, static, liquid, cloudy, hard and gross. It oversees the skeleton and supportive tissues of the body.
We all have a mixture of these three types, but one type will predominate over the other two.
Six Tastes, Along with All the Colors of the Rainbow
Ayurveda recognizes six separate Rasas, or tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent. Ideally, every meal should contain all of these tastes, not just one or two, such as sweet and salty. The sweet taste dominates American cuisine, as sugar in all its forms is routinely added to most packaged and processed foods. This is clearly unhealthy and a major cause of imbalance.
Furthermore, it is suggested that we choose the full spectrum of fruits and vegetables according to the rainbow: ROY G. BIV (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet). For example, in fruit, we can pick cherries, oranges, bananas, limes, blueberries, etc.
Some tastes and some colors will be better for some doshas than others. Thus, a study of Ayurvedic foods, herbs and spices can help. Giving attention to this can make a big difference in digestion.
Well-Being: More Than Absence of Disease
In the West, we have been focused more on wellness than wellbeing. If we are not explicitly sick, we feel that we are OK. The Hindu tradition encourages us to go way beyond that into a state of well-being that approaches bliss. In fact, the ultimate descriptive name for God in this tradition is Sat (Being), Chit (Consciousness) and Ananda (Bliss).
Hindu gurus keep introducing their great tradition to Western audiences with the invitation to simply be happy, because happiness is meant to be our natural state, well beyond any specific conditions. Given the success of the West in creating consumer societies, many of us have forgotten this important principle, and have lost our spiritual birthright.
Happiness is meant to be our natural state, well beyond any specific conditions.
We are now at a point where increasing numbers of Western doctors, along with complementary and integrative physicians, are waking up to importance of mind / body / spirit. These three are closely interlinked. The spiritual dimension of life is just as important as the mental and physical.
Ten Steps to Tuning Up Your Metabolism
Rather than relying on a quick fix to a troubled stomach, such as Alka-Seltzer, live consciously.
- Meditate or contemplate every day.
- Eat when calm and relaxed.
- Eat when definitely hungry.
- Eat sitting down, not when driving.
- Eat a variety of health foods with different tastes and colors.
- Drink hot water or tea every day.
- Eat slowly and consciously. Enjoy your food.
- Exercise moderately and then relax every day.
- Treat yourself to a daily oil massage, even if self-administered.
- Give yourself a detox every so often with herbs like ginger, turmeric and neem.
Try Out Ayurveda with Two Mind-Body Masters
While it could take years to get thoroughly grounded in Ayurveda, you can learn the basics of Ayurveda in just minutes-a-day. Rather than simply read a book on the subject, you might consider a quick course from two world-class instructors.
Dr. Deepak Chopra is widely recognized as the ultimate authority in mind-body medicine, one of the ten most popular speakers in the world. Dr. Suhas Kshirsagar, is a master with five years of schooling in Ayurveda beyond his bachelor’s degree. Together, they will teach you with 90 minutes of video, dozens of complementary articles and a variety of resources. For more details on what their Ayurveda teachings cover click here.
You will find that your entire life becomes informed with Ayurveda with little effort on your part. The whole process will be fun, stimulating and deeply rewarding.
How To Tune Up Your Metabolism with Ayurveda appeared first on http://consciousowl.com.
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