How are you? How is your body today? How is your mind? Your heart? Sometimes we are just too busy to stop and even really find the answer to the question, aren’t we?
In fact, perhaps for many of us, we have lost touch with how we “really” are. We have forgotten the art of listening to our body, our hearts and the deeper layers of our minds, right? And so, sometimes we can find ourselves at a loss as to the next best step to bring us into a happy physical and mental-emotional equilibrium. Is this familiar?
With so many external forces pressing in on us, especially currently, we might find we have little inner or outer space for real reflection and connection with the pointings from our innermost being. Our being is calling to us and yet we don’t have the space or the wherewithal to really stop and hear. Instead, under pressure, we let ourselves be pulled into knee-jerk or confused decisions, which may or may not have good outcomes.
I’m going to be posting a practice soon which will guide you to rekindle the art of pausing and listening to your body and the deeper layers of your mind. This practice is going to support you to hear again the soft whispers of that wise, knowing part of your soul and the unsurpassable wisdom of your body.
Whether you have physical symptoms which you just can’t seem to remedy or distressing mental-emotional states that constantly rear their head and rob you of your happiness and peace of mind, this practice could be of help. It’s called “Listening to The Bodymind”.
Ayurveda and Yoga both understand very well, the impact of the mind on the body, and the body’s impact on the mind. In fact, much Yoga practice is essentially and originally in truth intended to positively impact the mind, quietening the mind, whilst bringing clarity, space and receptivity to the mind.
Ayurveda understands the important role creating positive impact on the mind plays in treatment and restoration of our all-round health and well-being.
Ayurvedic texts describe the multi-dimensional aspects of the mind. The “Ayu” of Ayurveda is translated as “life’ and this “life” encompasses the whole being: body, sense organs, mind, and soul.
Ayurveda knows that mental l well-being not only includes a happy state of mind, but also connection to a sense of soul or Self, and a healthy relationship with the sense organs. This is because mind is not a separate entity but is always joined with the body and soul. It is understood that the mind influences our physical and sensory functions, and our spiritual wellbeing. And likewise, mind is influenced by all these: body, senses and soul.
And so, Ayurveda emphasises the importance of mind in treatment, and in prevention. We are invited to “mind the mind”, not only for our mental-emotional well-being, but also for our physical and spiritual health. In taking care of our psychological well-being, we can also support our physical and spiritual welfare. And Ayurveda shows us how.
For example, the mind plays a vital role in digestion and metabolism. That is, it impacts the functioning of our agni (digestive and metabolic fires). When we eat, a positive state of mind and being present to the act of eating, are seen to be essential for proper digestion. “Eating eat” is the saying, meaning when you are eating do not do anything else. Maybe we have conversation when we are eating socially with others: but this should be positive and congenial otherwise our digestion will be adversely affected.
Distraction from the act of eating or stressed and negative thoughts and feelings impair digestion. And impaired digestion leads to the production of metabolic toxic wastes. We can eat the best foods in the world but if we cannot digest them properly, they generate toxicity inside us. These toxins combined with ongoing poor digestion become the cornerstones for poor health and even disease.
Ayurveda has always advocated a balanced state of mind for proper digestion and metabolic function and understands which part of the gut the different mental-emotional states are likely to impact due to their connection to the doshas.
And as recent research is proving, Ayurveda understands that our habitual mental state will affect the health of our digestive system, and the health of our gut, will affect our state of mind. There is in fact a relatively recent dietary protocol called the GAP diet which is based on this premise: gut influencing mind. Ayurveda actually takes it a step further by advocating eating in alignment with your individual metabolic nature or dosha type to support optimum digestive function. And this is not only for our physical but also for our mental-emotional well-being, for balanced sensory function and for spiritual wellness.
We are probably all only too aware these days of how the mind impacts our capacity to sleep and the nature of our sleep, yes? And have you noticed that when the body is disturbed, this affects the minds capacity to let go into sleep or return to sleep also? I recall that before I became ill with chronic fatigue syndrome, eleven or twelve years ago, I would wake up most nights due to cramping stomach pains.
Ayurveda understands disturbed digestive and sleep patterns very precisely. They indicate which dosha(humour) is in excess and therefore the origin of the body-mind disturbance. And so we are called on to take care of our lifestyle and diet so that we keep our doshas in balance, as well as our agni (metabolic processes) strong, to support our physical well-being and also our mental-emotional health.
In supporting our mental well-being, we are supporting whole person equilibirum, And Ayurveda advises us to do this through:
In diagnosis, Ayurveda will assess the mental strength of the person presenting. This is because the stronger the person psychologically, the less susceptible the mind will be to be thrown off balance by life’s ebbs and flows. And so, the less likely the mind will be to generate illness (physical and mental-emotional).
Mental strength is categorised in three ways: strong, mediocre and weak and strong is of course favoured.
Some of us are born with more mental strength than others. It can be a physiological and dosha related thing. It can also be generational. And our early upbringing can affect our degree of mental resolve.
However, acting on all the 8 points above and living in alignment with your Ayurveda type and the seasons, alongside daily practice of Yoga, meditation, pranayama and self-enquiry can go a long way towards strengthening and/or supporting your mental resolve. As you now know, this supports not only your mental health but also your physical well-being.
As the mind affects the body, and the body affects the mind, likewise the physical treatments in Ayurveda – not only diet and lifestyle, but also herbs and body treatments – can make a great impact on the mind. And as mind is linked to the balance of the sense organs and the happiness of the soul, Ayurveda treatments reach the whole being.
I have experienced this myself first hand. After three tough years I felt like my heart and soul were broken. I went on an Ayurveda intensive cleanse and rejuvenation programme. During this programme, I not only recovered physical strength and well-being, but I started to feel my heart again. That was the most joyful part of the process, and more impactful than any physical benefits. And I awoke to a connection with the soul again and a remembrance that the soul is never broken. It is never in pieces. With the right building blocks, we find our way back there. And once we find our way back there, we find ourselves more aligned with our soul than ever. Take heart, my friends!
If you would like to experience the whole person benefits of an Ayurveda intensive cleanse and rejuvenation programme, we offer 1-1 programmes and group rejuvenation retreat programmes.
If you would like to learn how to adapt an Ayurveda Lifestyle and Diet for your dosha type, to optimise physical, mental-emotional, and spiritual well-being, check out our Ayurveda Living Course, You will have the know how to do this for the rest of your years.
If you would like to speak about the best way forward for you, to address mental-emotional and/or physical issues with Ayurveda, please book a discovery call. Sara would be honoured to talk with you about how Ayurveda might help y