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April 10 - May 7, 2018
According to Ayurveda, health is a perfect state of balance among the body’s three fundamental energies, or doshas (vata, pitta, kapha) and an equally vital balance among body, mind, and the soul or consciousness.
Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word that means “the science of life and longevity.”
Ether and air constitute vata, which is the energy of movement; fire and water constitute pitta, the principle of digestion or metabolism, the transformation of matter into energy; and water and earth make up kapha, the energy of structure and lubrication.
A pitta individual may become highly critical, angry, or perfectionistic, or may develop physical symptoms such as acid indigestion, heartburn, diarrhea, dysentery, hives, rash, or acne.
According to Ayurveda, our life has a purpose. Simply stated, that purpose is to know or realize the Creator (Cosmic Consciousness) and to understand our relationship with That, which will entirely influence our daily living.
This great purpose is to be achieved by balancing four fundamental aspects of life: dharma, which is duty or right action; artha, material success or wealth; kama, positive desire; and moksha, spiritual liberation. These are called the four purusharthas, the four great aims or achievements in the life of any individual.
Sushruta, and Vagbhata—wrote down the principles of this ancient wisdom.
Purusha, often associated with the male energy, is choiceless, passive, pure awareness. Prakruti, the female energy, is active, choiceful consciousness.
In the manifestation of nature from Prakruti, the first expression is Mahad (or Mahat), intelligence or cosmic order. (In human beings, it is referred to as Buddhi, intellect.)
Next is Ahamkar or ego, the sense of self-identity, the center in our consciousness from which we think, act, and react.
Man, a creation of Cosmic Consciousness, is considered to be a microcosm of the macrocosm that is the universe. Whatever is present in the cosmos, the same is present in human beings.
Space (ether) and air constitute vata. Fire and water combine to make up pitta. Water and earth constitute kapha.
vata–pitta–kapha are present in every cell, tissue, and organ. When in balance, they create health. When out of balance, they are the cause of disease.
Together, these three doshas govern all the body’s metabolic activities. Kapha promotes anabolism, the process of building up the body, the growth and creation of new cells as well as cell repair. Pitta regulates metabolism, which is digestion and absorption. Vata triggers catabolism, the necessary deterioration process in which larger molecules are broken down into smaller ones. Vata, the principle of movement, moves both pitta and kapha, which are immobile. Thus when vata is out of balance, it influences and disturbs the other doshas. The majority of illnesses have aggravated vata at their
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The two qualities in each pair influence or affect one another according to two fundamental principles of Ayurveda: 1. Like increases like. 2. Opposites decrease each other.
Speaking in very general terms, excessive dryness in the body—constipation, dry skin, emaciation, and so on—is frequently associated with aggravated vata;
excessive heat—burning urine, irritated eyes, fever, inflammation, anger, or a critical attitude—with aggravated pitta;
and undue heaviness—lethargy, overweight, congestion, and excess mucus—...
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General Guidelines for Balancing Vata Keep warm Keep calm Avoid raw foods Avoid cold foods Avoid extreme cold temperatures Eat warm foods and spices Keep a regular routine
General Guidelines for Balancing Pitta Avoid excessive heat Avoid excessive oil Avoid excessive steam Limit salt intake Eat cooling, nonspicy foods Drink cool (but not iced) drinks Exercise during the cooler part of the day
General Guidelines for Balancing Kapha Get plenty of exercise Avoid heavy foods Keep active Vary your routine Avoid dairy foods Avoid iced food and drinks Avoid fatty or oily foods Eat light, dry food
The cause is the concealed effect, and the effect is the revealed cause.
Ayurveda classifies the seasons according to their predominant dosha. The windy, cool, dry weather of autumn is largely vata, followed by the dark, heavy, damp, cloudy kapha qualities of winter. Early spring is still primarily kapha, but as late spring arrives, the increased warmth, light, and brightness express pitta qualities, which blossom in their full intensity in the summer. Each of
Emotions have an affinity with certain organs: grief and sadness with the lungs, anger with the liver, and hatred with the gall bladder. The kidneys may become the seat of fear, and the heart (as well as the lungs) the abode of grief and sadness. Nervousness is associated with the colon, while the stomach is the home of agitation and temptation, and the spleen may be related to attachment.
At the moment the feeling comes up, look into it. Let’s suppose it is a feeling of anger. Take a long, deep breath, let yourself feel the anger, and exhale it out. Give the feeling total freedom to express itself within you, so that you look at it honestly and feel it. Breathe into it, surrender to it, and be with it. Breathe into it, and breathe out. Soon it will dissolve by itself.
So the ama has to be eliminated from the body by panchakarma or other means.
If you’re cold, have some hot soup or take something warm to drink. If you’re agitated or upset (perhaps you watched that violent movie against your better judgment), sit down and do some meditation to calm your mind and emotions. If your pitta has been provoked and you’re feeling hot under the collar, take a swim or have some sweet cooling fruit.
Rejuvenation
Thus self-esteem is important for maintaining immunity. If you love yourself as you are, you will develop confidence, and that will heal disease. That is why cellular immunity, or natural resistance, depends upon self-esteem.
Our body is a clock. Or rather, it is several clocks at once. According to Ayurveda, every organ has a definite time of maximum functioning. Morning time is the lung time. Midday is stomach time, when we feel hungry. Afternoon is liver time, and late afternoon is when the colon and kidneys operate at their peak.
Morning and evening (dawn and dusk) are the times when the influence of vata is greatest. In the early morning, from about 2 A.M. to sunrise, vata creates movement and people awaken and tend to excrete waste. Again in the late afternoon, from about 2 P.M. until sunset, the influence of vata makes one feel light and active.
WAKE UP EARLY
SAY A PRAYER
WASH YOUR FACE, MOUTH, AND EYES
DRINK A GLASS OF WATER
EVACUATION Sit (or better, squat) on the toilet, and have a bowel movement. Even if you don’t have the urge, sit for a few minutes, without forcing. If you do this every day, following your glass of warm water, the habit will develop.
CLEAN YOUR TEETH AND TONGUE
GARGLE To strengthen the teeth, gums, and jaw, to improve the voice and remove wrinkles from the cheeks, gargle twice a day with warm sesame oil.
NOSE DROPS (NASYA) Now put 3 to 5 drops of warm ghee, brahmi ghee, or sesame oil into each nostril.
OIL MASSAGE Take 4 or 5 ounces of warm (not hot) oil, and rub it all over your head and body.
Best Oils by Body Type For Ayurvedic oil massage, use one of the following oils, according to your constitutional type: Vata = sesame oil Pitta = sunflower oil Kapha = corn oil
Take a cup of water (preferably warm but definitely not iced), and just take a sip between two mouthfuls of food. Drinking a little water improves digestion. One can drink a cup of water an hour before lunch or an hour after lunch, but not immediately afterward, as that slows down digestion and creates ama.
TAKE A WALK
SUPPER TIME At around six o’clock (see “Mealtimes for Each Dosha” box) have your supper. If you like to cook, you can cook according to the Ayurvedic Cookbook for Self-Healing that I have written with my wife, Usha Lad (see the Reading List
AFTER DINNER Sing songs while you wash the dishes. Be happy. Keep smiling.
BEFORE GOING TO BED Before you go to bed, some spiritual reading is important, even if only for a few minutes.
Finally, before you go to bed, do a few minutes of meditation.
BEDTIME It is recommended that vatas go to bed by 10 P.M. and sleep on their left side. Pittas should sleep on the right side, retiring between 10 and 11 P.M.
Always wear a hat outdoors in winter. More than 60 percent of the body’s heat is lost through the head. Also cover your neck and ears.
If you like to eat meat, Ayurveda says that winter is the time to eat it, because agni (digestive fire) is strong. Chicken and turkey are good choices.
