Category: Ayurveda

HEY !! CAN I HELP YOU??

When we are physically unwell we take time to allow the body to recover, so why do we not do the same for when our stress levels increase or our mood and emotions fluctuates?

Why do medical doctors easily prescribe a pill when we are feeling unhappy or anxious as a blanket solution?

We don’t have to feel burdened with mental health issues or feel embarrassed. With the foot flooring the gas pedal of life and exposure to more and more stressors, insomnia, anxiety and depression have become an epidemic. We see so many of these issues in parallel with physical conditions caused by an underlying imbalance. Don’t despair, there are lots of options in Ayurveda and help available before you even have to consider going to the GP to pop a pill!!

But is it really worth stressing on the things that do not even matter in the bigger picture called life? Ayurveda, the holistic science of natural living and enlightenment discovered the path to salvation thousands of years ago.

Whilst there’s absolutely no denying that sometimes mental health issues require and benefit from medication, there’s also an abundance of ways we can enhance mental well-being through our actions in simple yet powerful ways. Taking steps to balance the mind through daily actions is known in the Ayurvedic community as Achara Rasanaya.

Ayurveda has a treasure of several Rasayana therapies that enhance the constituents of health and quality of life. Achara Rasayana is one such therapy in Ayurveda that concentrates on the code of conduct and behavioural aspects to keep one healthy in terms of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.

Achara Rasayana described in Ayurveda encompasses behavioural medicines that focus on a person’s mental state, stress reactions, communication skills, relationship conduct, anger management, alcohol intake, sexual desires and other areas of behaviour.

For healing an ailing body it is important to heal the mind. If one does not heal their mental state, true health will never manifest.

For thousands of years, holistic traditions like Ayurveda gave equal importance to the use of herbs and lifestyle practices to enhance well-being. Whilst the Ayurvedic herb Jatamansi is often used to help balance mood swings, taking steps to balance the mind through daily actions like singing, laughing and expressing creativity is just as important and potentially equally as powerful. These daily actions and lifestyle changes are known in the Ayurvedic community as Achara Rasanaya, or ‘behavioural tonics’. Rasayana -meaning ‘path of essence’, is one of the eight main branches of Ayurveda, intended to help prevent disease, enhance longevity and rejuvenate the mind and body. From an Ayurvedic physician’s perspective, behavioural tonics are just as important as herbs and alchemical concoctions. They have an often equally potent affect upon the mind – they’re just ‘performed’ instead of ingested. Satvavajaya Chikitsa is also a unique non-pharmacological approach for treating the mental disorders. It is the first of its kind psychotherapy and if developed, can really prove much useful.

10 Commandments of Achara Rasayana:

1. Be positive even during stressful situations. A positive attitude helps in handling stress and anxiety with ease.

2. Let out your emotions, accept them and let them go.

3. Be truthful in words and actions

4. Focus on finding your call, your purpose and always do what you love to do.

5. Indulge in music as it exhibits a positive effect on emotions, improves the quality of life and prolongs lifespan.

6. Worshipping God and teachers, Mantras-religious prayers, meditation helps in stress management.

7. Serving elderly people, respect for the parents, avoid alcohol and smoking, walking in the path of Satya (truth), ahimsa (nonviolence), brahmacharya (observance of sexual discipline) are clearly linked with cardiovascular disease. It is scientifically demonstrated.

8. Listening to Vedic chanting, such as the Sama Veda, helps enhance coordination between heart and mind, senses and mind, and aligns our awareness with the laws of nature, to live a mistake-free life.

9. All of the facets of the ayurvedic routine (massage, exercise, yoga, eating the balanced diets) help to promote positive behaviour.

10. By practising the Meditation, open our mind to pure consciousness, releasing stress and strengthening the intellect to allow us to make healthy choices in life.