The 6 Pillars Of Ayurveda

This track lays out the mind-body connection as conceptualized by Ayurveda 5000 years ago. It makes an attempt to look at similar approaches that are arising in modern medicine today. Many conventional medical treatments focus on fixing the diagnosed problem in isolation - and while they might be successful, the aggression of the treatment often gives birth to several related ailments and side effects. Understand how Ayurveda looks past the obvious and immediately visible. It attempts to improve the complete health of a person beyond the gratification of fixing the original problem.

Transcript

Namaste dear ones,

Today I am going to be speaking about a very important principle in Ayurveda and any holistic medicine which combines our emotional mental health with our physical health.

So today I am going to be sharing some stories from my personal life and how it has impacted my understanding of holistic medicine.

When I was first introduced to backbending in my daily yoga asana practice,

I did not know that it would completely transform my life.

It opened me up to fascinating ways in which our body,

Emotions and sense of self are intimately connected.

Growing up,

I remember being shy and underconfident.

Entering adulthood with all its responsibilities and weighty choices,

I felt completely lost.

I had no idea who I was or what I wanted from life.

I had no sense of what I stood for and no belief in what I was capable of becoming and achieving.

But the simple act of backbending brought this all to a head.

Every day I would practice my backbends and they forced me to look honestly and directly at myself.

I had no choice but to confront my insecurities,

My fears and my lack of trust.

Every day I watched these fears come to the fore and I did as I was told.

I maintained my focus,

I breathed deeply and I surrendered.

In just a few weeks,

The changes that followed were remarkable.

I began to encounter a space beyond my fears and limited sense of self.

Every day I put myself through the discomfort and fear of backbending and it became easier to confront uncomfortable experiences in my daily life as well.

I began to take more risks.

I began to voice myself with more honesty and confidence.

I began to make choices driven by passion and ambition rather than fear and insecurity.

Eventually backbending created a deep sense of freedom in my life.

I remembered what it was like to be a child before I acquired so much fear and judgment.

The world became my playground.

I realized that my highest potential always lies on the other side of fear.

Just by being open to opportunities,

Opportunities appear.

Just by being open to the possibility of something bigger,

Something bigger appears.

Backbending taught me that the only worthwhile way to live is to constantly open ourselves up to the world and to keep showing up for our dreams.

The things we desire will not just walk into our lives,

We must create and nurture them.

When I speak about my journey with backbending,

I am aware that it could sound strange to some people,

Like I am committing to some kind of pseudoscience.

And yet,

There's no denying what I experience to be true.

But it also occurs to me that there's probably nothing esoteric or extraordinary about these kinds of experiences.

Maybe it only seems that way because the science of health has been woefully negligent in exploring the human being as an integrated whole.

Cartesian medicine was built on the foundation of Cartesian dualism,

Which takes the mind and body to be separate,

Distinct entities.

In some way,

This assumption was helpful since it allowed healthcare to separate itself from superstition and religious beliefs and begin a non-partisan inquiry into human health and disease.

But somewhere along the way,

Cartesian dualism went from being treated as a helpful assumption to a proven fact of our beings.

As a result,

A large and very important line of inquiry was entirely neglected.

Around two decades ago,

The scientific world began to embrace a more honest,

Complete picture of human health.

This approach,

Broadly termed holistic medicine,

Departs from conventional healthcare in the following six ways.

The mind and body are intrinsically linked,

Number one.

Holistic healthcare pays healthy deference to the mind-body connection,

The idea that our thoughts,

Emotions,

And behavior affect our physical health in a clear,

Measurable way,

And conversely,

Changes to the physical body can impact our mental states.

In many ways,

This idea is painfully obvious,

But as medical science embraces the mind-body connection,

Certain promising research areas have emerged that explore the efficacy of mindfulness-based practices,

Somatic therapies,

Yoga,

And contemplative practices on psychological disorders like PTSD,

Depression,

Anxiety,

OCD,

ADHD,

And addiction.

Additionally,

Behavioral medicine that studies the immune system through a person's mental states,

That is,

Their hopes,

Desires,

Memories,

And beliefs,

In addition to their anatomy,

Biochemistry,

And physiology.

We can also look at how therapy,

Mindfulness,

And changes in lifestyle or diet can affect the efficacy of traditional medical treatments for heart disease,

Diabetes,

Cancer,

Autoimmune disease,

Asthma,

AIDS,

And so on.

Everything in the body is interconnected.

Number two,

Many conventional medical treatments focus on fixing the diagnosed problem in isolation,

And while they may be successful,

The aggression of the treatment often gives birth to several related ailments or side effects.

Holistic healthcare looks past the obvious and immediately visible.

It attempts to improve the complete health of a person beyond the gratification of fixing the original problem.

The body possesses an innate ability to heal.

Number three,

Whenever possible,

Holistic healthcare treatments create the optimal conditions for the body to do what it does best,

Heal and regulate itself.

Such a treatment will focus on creating a supportive environment with the right diet and lifestyle to boost the body's healing capacity.

Sometimes the best intervention is an adjunct treatment that trusts and supports the body's natural intelligence.

Health is more than the absence of sickness.

Number four,

Ayurveda or any holistic healthcare is not just concerned with getting rid of sickness but with establishing and maintaining optimal health.

In some cases,

This care is preventive where the individual builds daily habits to create a body and mind where sickness is less likely to occur in the first place.

When treating disease,

Ayurveda is not just concerned with getting rid of symptoms but with returning the person to a state of optimal health.

True health should always empower the individual.

Number five,

When you go to a doctor with a stomach ache and they give you a diagnosis and a pill,

You become a passive abider in your own healthcare.

Modern medicine turned health into something that could only be understood by a select few.

The lack of knowledge coupled with fear-inducing diagnostic practices creates people who fall at the feet of their doctors,

Becoming easy prey for dishonest and greedy practitioners.

Holistic healthcare or Ayurveda gives power back to the individual.

When your treatment involves addressing your diet,

Lifestyle,

Beliefs,

Emotions,

And relationships,

You become an active player in your own health and are less likely to fall prey to fear.

The body always tells a story.

Number six,

Ayurveda involves the active participation of the patient who learns to interpret signals from their body and analyze the impact of changes in environment,

Food,

And medicine.

Such a person is better equipped to find the right mix of interventions to establish genuine and lasting well-being.

When I consult the burgeoning research around Ayurveda and holistic medicine,

My magical journey of backbending takes on a very rational explanation.

It is possible that by releasing the tensions in my shoulders,

Neck,

And chest,

And also by stimulating my nervous system,

My body released many pent-up emotions.

It's possible that the daily challenge of breathing through intense discomfort and fear changed my behavior patterns and gave me space to build new ideas about myself and the world.

Science has a long way to go to uncover each of these subtle connections,

But the transformations underway are fascinating.

We are witnessing the birth of a new era in medicine that gives primacy to the individual,

Their internal experience,

And their existence as a complex,

Integrated whole.

Thank you for staying with me throughout this session.

I would invite you if you are interested to dive deeper into Ayurveda and all that it has to offer to join my course,

Ayurveda,

The Science of Self-Healing,

A 21-day course here on Insight Timer where I delve into many different subjects,

Lifestyle tips,

Sleep tips,

And talking about how Ayurveda can support us regardless of where we are at in our health journey and our life today.

I hope to see you there soon.

Thank you so much.

Namaste.

Reviews

Loved this overview and will take the course to learn even more. I hope to find alternatives to the standard healthcare that is commonly followed.

I have books about this topic, however this talk was most clarifying and much more helpful. www.gratefulness.org, ahimsa
www.compassioncourse.org

Rohil, thank you for putting into words my beliefs. Such wise words. Your sessions have become a part of my daily practice where your wise positive guidance is creating such a place of positivity power and joy for me.thankyou for bringing me back to Ayurveda ~ Namaste

Nicely presented, I understand what you’re saying. Thanks 🙏

This was really lovely and informative. Thank you! 😊 🙏

Very concise and clear explanation of Ayurvedic practices vs western medicine and how one has the capacity to free oneself from the binds of western quackery. Thank you I will look forward to your course.

I appreciate these sessions. I’m learning a lot & it makes lots of sense. Namaste 🙏