7 Steps to an Ayurvedic Lifestyle. Step 7 - Balanced Awareness.

The ancient Ayurvedic text, the Sushruta Samhita states “He whose doshas are in balance, whose appetite is good, whose body, mind and spirit are full of bliss, is called a healthy person.”  The opposite holds true for an unhealthy person.  Ayurveda teaches us how to live a happy, healthy, and long life, free of disease.

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Ayurveda believes that disease manifests from imbalance while wellness reflects harmony in all aspects of our lives.  Ayurveda observes our interconnectedness with nature.  All living things including human beings are composed of the five elements that exist in nature:  ether, air, fire, water and earth.  An understanding of these elements forms the basis of our three bodily humors known as doshas.  Vata dosha is composed of ether and air; pitta of fire and water, and kapha of water and earth.  We are all a combination of these doshas; our unique doshic constitution is determined at birth. 

Ayurvedic treatment focuses on balancing the doshas as aggravated doshas are the precursors of disease.  If there is an imbalance in the predominant dosha, this is of greater concern than an imbalance in a lesser dosha.  Therefore, Ayurveda is about wise living; it is about balancing your personal nature with the world around you.

Just as our bodies contain all the elements that exist in nature, our minds have each of the three gunas (qualities or tendencies):  sattva (knowledge, purity); rajas (action, passion), and tamas (inertia, ignorance).  In context, guna is the quality of the mind and the character of a person.  Like the doshas, the three gunas are present in each of us and can fluctuate depending on a number of factors. 

Our goal is to increase the sattvic (knowledge, purity) quality by making choices that are sattvic in nature.  The quality of our food and environment are critical to our mental health.  As our minds and bodies are inextricably linked, exposure to rajasic or tamasic impressions ultimately creates an imbalance in the mind, leading to bodily distress.  Just as mental imbalance can manifest physically in the body, physical illness contributes to mental suffering. 

Ayurveda is based on an understanding of various complimentary cycles and the synergistic properties of everything in nature, everything from body types, the seasons of the year, the time of day to foods and suitable activities, is described in Ayurvedic knowledge. 

Through proper food selection and preparation, you will promote healthy digestion and should reduce residual toxins (known as ama) that buildup in the body as a result of undigested foodstuff. 

Through gradual lifestyle changes, Ayurveda promotes the rejuvenation of internal bodily systems with activities like yoga asanas, which stretch and massage the body and help restore muscle and fascia.  Breathing techniques (known as pranayama) help balance the endrocrine system, which is important to remediating the negative effects of stress. 

Other ways to cultivate balance include getting enough sleep; eating in a quiet atmosphere; conscious living (practicing the art of being present); recognizing and practicing the power of positive thinking; meditating or participating in spiritual practices; and attuning your life to the body’s natural rhythms.  While the causes of imbalance are too numerous to list, some examples include:  continuous stress; an unwholesome diet; the weather; strained relationships.  Like Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda believes that our spiritual health and physical health are inextricably intertwined.  A truly holistic approach, Ayurveda treats the cause, not just the symptoms.  Ayurveda belives that:  “Cause is a concealed effect; effect is a revealed cause.”

In his book, Perfect Health, Deepak Chopra states:

The purpose of Ayurveda tells us how are lives can be influenced, shaped, extended, and ultimately controlled without interference from sickness and old age.  The guiding principle of Ayurveda is that the mind exerts its deepest influence on the body, and freedom from sickness depends on contacting our own awareness, bringing it into balance, and then extending that balance to the body.  This state of balanced awareness, more than any kind of physical immunity, creates a higher state of health. 

Ayurveda is truly a holistic system of healing meaning that it recognizes that perfect health can only be maintained when our mind, body and spirit are in a state of balance.  Thus, the fist step in living a life of balance is CULTIVATING AWARENESS.  This is different than a band-aid or a panacea.  It requires that we listen to our body’s own intelligence so that we can recognize and rectify imbalances as they occur.  Ayurveda gets to the root of the problem, “the root cause” and frequently recommends diet and lifestyle changes to help you move towards balance.  Real change, however, requires earnest commitment.  It is well worth it, however, if you are interested in making profound and enduring changes in your life.

Source:  Perfect Health, Deepak Chopra, 1991, 2000. 

*Song Lyrics, Save the World, Michael Jackson.

Meditation: Like an Empty Bowl.

In the Empty Bowl Meditation, time stops.

Meditation fosters positive changes in one’s personality and behavior.  Whether you are seeking general relaxation and stress reduction or want to explore the pathway to higher states of consciousness, a daily practice is most beneficial.  While there are many techniques to quiet the mind, the Empty Bowl Meditation emphasizes breath awareness and the natural stops at the end of each inhalation and exhalation.  In these two stops, time stops.  You are surrounded with peace and love.  You become like an empty bowl.  By practicing this meditation morning and evening for 15 minutes, the inner and outer will merge.  Everything will happen to you.

To practice the Empty Bowl Mediation, sit in a comfortable position with palms up and open, placed on your knees, like empty bowls.  If this is not comfortable, you may practice this mediation in the prone position. 

Open your mouth slightly and touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth, behind your front teeth.  Breathe naturally and notice the rhythm of your breath.  Notice the tip of your nose.  Be aware of the air as it travels through your nose, cool air going in; warm air going out.  Sit quietly, observing your breath for about 5 minutes. 

After 5 minutes, follow your breath.  Follow the air as it travels through your nose, throat, heart, diaphragm, deep down into the belly, behind the belly button where there is a natural stop.  Stay in this stop for a few seconds.  Then follow the breath on exhalation as it travels up from the belly behind the diaphragm, heart, throat, out through the nose until it reaches a place outside your body about 9 inches in front of the nose, the second stop. In these two stops, your breath stops.  Time stops.  In these two stops, only existence is present.  You are surrounded with peace and love.

Source:  Dr. Vasant Lad, The Ayurvedic Institute, Empty Bowl Meditation (Kevala Kumbhak) Handout, 1994, 2005.

Wrinkles Be Gone! Keep your Forehead Young, Tight and Radiant with Kapalabhati Breathing.

By age 25, many people show the first signs of aging when little wrinkles appear on the forehead.  Regular practice of the kapalabhati breathing technique will keep your forehead young, tight and radiant.  Sanskrit terms, kapala means skull or forehead and bhati means shine or light. Loosely translated, kapalabhati is “skull shining breath”.   It is a vigorous cleansing exercise that bathes the brain in fresh blood and oxygenizes all of the cells in the body. It also cleanses the lungs and respiratory system.  With its emphasis on the exhalation, it enhances the ability of the lungs to expel wastes and toxins.  In most breathing exercises, inhalation is active and exhalation passive.  Kapalabhati reverses this pattern.  A miraculous breathing technique, it was developed by the yogis thousands of years ago for complete fitness.  Proponents believe it cures many diseases including:  (1)  respiratory conditions such as asthma, allergies, and sinus conditions; (2) diseases of the heart, lungs, and brain; (3) blockages in the arteries and elevated cholesterol; (4) female conditions such as uterine and breast cancer; (5) Parkinson’s disease, liver cirrhosis, hepatitis B with devoted practice; (6) snoring and sinusitis; (7) depression and (8) obesity.  Swami Ramdev claims it can used to control cancer when combined with the anuloma viloma (the alternate nostril breathing technique).

An energizing and vigorous breathing technique, it should be learned from an experienced practitioner and it is also advisable to check with your physician before beginning any pranayama (breathing) practice.  High blood pressure and heart conditions are the most common contraindications, but there are others.  Starting with 3-5 minutes a day, you can work up to 5 minutes daily and eventually 15-20 minutes.  Chronic ailments require a minimum of 15 minutes.  Check out this video on YouTube for a demonstration of kapalabhati, a breathing technique for optimum health.

Calming Breath: Alternate Nostril Breathing

One of the most effective breath techniques for an overactive mind, alternate nostril breathing helps to balance our right brain and left brain and results in a greater feeling of calm and mental clarity.  Our nasal cycle (we alternatively breathe through one side of our nose every few hours) is linked to brain function.  By oxygenating our brain, our creative and logical brain functions are at their prime.  Like all forms of breath work (known as pranayama in Sanskrit), it helps direct the flow of prana, the life force, throughout the body.  The yogis believed that many health conditions were due to imbalances between the ida and pingala nadis.  Nadis are energy channels in the body.  The pingala nadi is the right nostril or the sun principle or  body.  The ida nadi is the left nostril or the moon principle or mind.  Alternate nostril breathing balances our physical and mental energies, thus alleviating or preventing many health conditions.  By soothing our nervous system, it contributes to improved sleep; a calmer emotional state; a greater ability to relax; lesser feelings of anxiety or tension; and better management of stress.  It is best to consult with an experienced teacher before starting any advanced breathing technique.  Consulting with a physician may also be advisable to ascertain if such breath work is contraindicated.

In order to practice alternate nostril breathing, sit in a comfortable cross-legged position with your back straight.  Your left hand should be positioned in chin mudra and your right in Vishnu mudra.  Close your right nostril with your right thumb and inhale through your left nostril.  Close your left nostril with your right ring and little fingers.  Retain your breath.  Releasing your thumb, exhale through your right nostril.  Generally, beginners start without retaining the breath.  Your exhale should be longer than the inhale.  Inhale for a count of 2, retain for 8, and exhale for 4.  When comfortable with this, increase the count to 4, 16, and 8.  For a demonstration, check out this video (without retention) on YouTube.  

Yoga and the Breath: The Body's Built-In Stress Reliever

In yoga, we coordinate our movement with breath, inhaling when the body expands and exhaling when it contracts.  The difference between exercise and yoga is the breath.  The breath is considered to be the bridge between our body and mind.  Breath awareness allows the mind to become steady and strong and increases awareness (the ability to “live in the now”). 

The benefits of breathing in a yoga posture include: (1) increases focus on the pose; (2) improves overall concentration; (3) helps eliminate stress; (4) calms emotions; and (5) improves physical coordination.

Most of us breathe shallowly; depriving our bodies of oxygen while insufficient exhalation causes toxins to build up in the body.  In yoga, we learn how to use a three-part breath to engage the lungs in the abdominal, intercostal and sub-clavicle regions. 

Unlike modern medicine, which is largely based on disease and treatment, yoga encourages us to improve our health and vitality.  Regular practice of yogic breathing techniques will calm and relax the mind.  A recent NPR piece promotes the breath not only as the body’s built-in stress reliever, but also as scientifically proven to affect the heart, brain, digestion and immune function.  “And the best part is that the ingredients are free and literally under your nose.” 

Meditation: So Hum, So Hum, So Hum.

While meditation can help you to reduce stress and bring peace and tranquility, its regular practice can enable you to realize your divine nature.  The “so hum” meditation is a mantra meditation meaning that it is a word or phrase that can be repeated to quiet the mind.  The repetition of a mantra will bring out the qualities of the phrase being cultivated.  For example, if you chant words of compassion, the repetition of the mantra will bring forth the energy of compassion. 

So hum is a natural mantra meaning that it is a reflection of the sound of the breath and therefore can be repeated without effort.  Sit in a comfortable position and place your palms upward, fingers in jnana mudra (forefinger and thumb touching).  Let your mind become absorbed in the sounds of your internal chanting, “so” on the in-breath and “hum” on the out-breath.  So hum is a mantra of breath.  By quieting your breath, you will quiet your mind.  Pause between your in-breath and out-breath.  Bring your focus into this space.   Allow the energy in this pause to expand.  Focus on your breath, then on the vibration of the tones.  This begins to open the doorway of balance and healing.

In meditation, you are trying to quiet your mind and detach from your everyday thoughts and emotions.  By sitting quietly and focusing on your breath, you will feel more relaxed even if you don’t quiet your mind completely.  Meditation will allow you to go beyond your intellect and enable you to access your spiritual self where you will begin to feel a oneness with other people and things.  With regular mediation, an expansion of consciousness occurs which will bring forth inner peace and joy.  Like mastering an instrument, however, regular practice is required.