7 Steps to an Ayurvedic Lifestyle. Step 6 - Surrender your Heart.

"And then you see things, the size of which you
have never known before."*

Ayurveda includes moksha as the fourth goal of life.  Moksha is a Sanskrit term meaning: freedom; liberation; emancipation; surrender; letting go; release; salvation.  While the other three goals of life (dharma, artha, and kama) are concerned with this life, moksha is the freedom of the soul from the compulsions of birth and rebirth.  It is the attainment of cosmic consciousness.  Moksha is freedom from attachment to the first three gross states (dharma, artha, and kama) and is a state of inner peace and joy.  This quadrant of existence is most frequently associated with religious activities and spiritual aspirations.

Moksha is achieved by fully surrendering to God’s will, subduing the desires of the ego.  The higher function of moksha is the evolution of the soul.  Ayurveda teaches us that the ultimate goal of life is moksha, liberation, which is our natural state and results from a sustained awareness of the divinity that resides in each of us.  Ayurveda offers a profound understanding of the components necessary to encourage our process of awakening.  It should be clear that the goal in achieving longevity is not to further indulge our senses but to attain liberation, which can only be achieved by becoming God-conscious.

Moksha means liberation of Samsara, the cycle of birth, death and reincarnation.  It is the final release from our illusion of duality, accompanied by the realization of our fundamental nature:  oneness with the Creator and all of its creations.  When there is ego, there exists the notion that we are separate.  When there is ego, every action we take is directed toward protection of this self, which we consider different from others.  Reinforcing the “self” only separates us more from others.  Only when the ego is dissolved can we see the ones surrounding us.  This is the ultimate destination of yoga.  It is easy, however, to become distracted along the path.

By including moksha as one of the four goals of life, Ayurveda enters the realm of Yoga and spirituality.  The combined study of Ayurveda and Yoga is of great importance for self-disclipline and helps us to understand the potential of life addressed in such a profound manner.  Together Ayurveda and Yoga are a complete discipline, which can transform our existence from the physical to the deepest spiritual level with creativity on all levels.

Ayurveda accepts the yogic principle that the health of the body depends upon the health and balance of the mind.  The mind is easily agitated and disturbed.  Regular yoga asana and the practice of pranayama or yogic breathing techniques help us control the mind and is used for this purpose in Ayurveda.

Without proper physical and mental health, we cannot effectively pursue a spiritual life.  Moving into the field of health, Yoga enters the domain of Ayurveda.  For maintaining health, Yoga recommends a diet and lifestyle following one’s Ayurvedic constitution.

There are four paths of attaining liberation from the cycle of birth and rebirth:  selfless work; self-dissolving love; deep meditation and discernment or good judgment.

We are divine at the cores of our being; we are one with the Divine.  Ignorance of this can result in bad karma and trap us in the cycle of reincarnation.  Ayurveda believes that moksha or salvation is achieved by our own efforts. Ayurveda works at healing and purifying the body and mind while Yoga aims at taking us to self-realization, which depends on a purified body and mind.  The foundation of Yoga is Ayurveda and the fruit of Ayurveda is Yoga.

Source:  Beayurvedic, Dr. Beena Vesikar

*Song Lyrics, Crazy (Seal)

7 Steps to an Ayurvedic Lifestyle. Step 5 - Fulfilling your Heart's Desire.

Everybody's got a hungry heart.*

In Ayurveda, the third goal of life is kama, a Sanskrit word meaning, “seeking pleasure.”  Always moving toward balance, Ayurveda believes that sensory pleasure is a necessary component of good health.  If our pursuit of pleasure is unregulated or becomes an end in itself, it is considered wrong action capable of producing physical and mental disease.  On the other hand, if we repress our sensory experiences, we will be unable to fully express our gifts, our dharma.

Kama comes from living our dharma.  When our attention is focused on our dharma, our life’s purpose, the other goals in life (artha-creating prosperity; kama-fulfillment of desires; moksha-spiritual freedom) become a natural extension of pursuing our dharmic foundation.  Sexual love is only the most basic form of kama.  Kama is enjoyment.

Kama is the emotional aspect of our lives, our heart and feelings.  It also includes our aspirations, the desire to accomplish what we came here to do.  While enjoyment is the primary goal of the senses, there is also the desire to procreate and experience joy.  Kama is more than the pursuit of sensual pleasures:  the ancient Ayurvedic texts refer to it also as the desire for health and wellness.

The spiritual dimension of kama is not to be overlooked.  All of our desires, both sensory and otherwise, play an important role as the soul witnesses the play of karma during this lifetime.  In opening our heart, we move closer to spiritual truth.  We become aware of the divinity in every living creature. 

By opening our heart, we experience kama on different levels, not just the physical.  Awakening our desire for truth is essential for spiritual growth.  Our sensory experiences become sacred.  Kama is a vehicle for us to return home to our true essence, our Divine Self.  Kama ultimately leads us to moksha, spiritual freedom.

Kama is a powerful force.  Ayurveda advises us to use it in a productive, positive and balanced manner.  It also reminds us that everything we experience is food and by ingesting nourishing sensory experiences, we accelerate our spiritual progress.

Source: Yoga Baba Prem, Kama - Desire and Spirituality, American Institute of Vedic Studies

* Song lyrics:  Hungry Heart (Bruce Springstein)