• The Perfect Chocolate Mousse

• ½ cup dates, pitted, soft
• 3-4 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon coconut butter, (optional)
• 1 ½ tablespoons non-alcohol vanilla extract
• 2 ½ cups avocado, mashed (about 3 medium)
• 1/2 cup raw carob powder
• 4-6 tablespoons cocoa powder

• Directions:

• Soak the dates in 1/2 cup fresh water for 5-10 minutes to soften. Drain soak water and set aside. In a food processor, blend dates, maple syrup, coconut butter (if desired), and vanilla until smooth. Spoon in avocado and blend until smooth. Add a few tablespoons of date soak water if necessary to aid in blending. Spoon in carob and cocoa powder and blend until smooth.
  Spoon mousse into parfait or wineglasses. Keeps fresh for several days.
  You may also choose to freeze for a decadent ice cream! Yumm!

Read my complete article at http://www.spiceflair.com/are-sprouts-an-every-day-food/

Chogyam associates the asura mentality with wind, which is also the element of the Vata Dosha.  Vatas are creative, enthusiastic  and generous.  Vata types are usually free in mind, quick in thought and fast to act. Often they are restlessly active, burn their energy quickly and can be brought out of balance quite easily. Vata dominated people have a good imagination, vibrant phantasy and change as easily as they make friends. Emotionally they can feel insecure or even anxious.(More about Ayurveda: http://ayurvedadosha.org/doshas/vata-dosha#ixzz20mrSZfSb)

I acknowledge that I am Vata through and through and have made dietary and other adjustments to avoid being “Vata deranged.”  Such derangement includes anxiety, irritabililty, change simply for the sake of change, and fear.  Still, I was shocked and surprised when I read Chogyam’s description of the paranoia.  He says, “the asura mentality speeds about trying to achieve everything on the spot, avoiding all possibilities of being attached.  It is trying constantly to attain something higher and higher.”

As a child, my mother asked me, “Why do you have to make life to hard?”  I did not hear this as an attempt to help me.  Instead, I heard her saying, “What is wrong with you?”  When as a child, I was an over-achiever, staying up late into the night, re-copying pages of homework because I thought they were too messy to turn in.  It was nothing for me to re-read an entire textbook in preparation for a test.  Odd, I just remember dreaming last night about taking a test and not being able to complete it in the time allotted.

Chogyam goes on to say that the asura type acts without preparation.  There is no time to get ready to put a plan in action or practice.  I do this every day when I write my blog.  I am so bound and determined to get it published that I do not take time to proof my writing.  I often push the publish button before I tag categories which help readers to find my blog on line.

Here is where it gets really good.  Chogyam describes the asura (paranoid) mentality as preoccupied with comparison.  “In a constant struggle to maintain security and achieve greater things, you need points of reference, landmarks to plot your movement, to fix the opponent, to measure your progress.  You regard life situations as games, in the sense of there being an opponent and you.”  Now, he has moved from the generic to the personal. He is using the pronoun “you.”  He is looking right through me.  I am embarrassed to admit how many times a day I check the ‘stats’ on my blog to see the number of people who have logged on.

When I first opened my yoga studio, I met every suggestion a teacher or friend made, with scorn.  Like a threatened dog, the hackles on the back of my neck rose, my teeth clamped shut, my heart pounded, and it was all I could do not to attack on the spot.  I soon learned I could not successfully run a business while constantly feeling threatened.  No doubt this paranoia is directly related to my childhood abuse, but as an adult, I have had to learn better coping skills.  Now my paranoia lies much deeper below the surface.

I am constantly dealing with them and me, me and my friends. How many times have I felt left out when some of my friends would get together without me.  But when friends call and ask me to do things, I often decline, feeling safer at home and out of the fray.  It can be hard for me to go out with a group of friends. I find it difficult to engage in conversation, because I am always listening to what others are saying and wondering if my participation is as meaningful as theirs.

“More from Choygam on paranoia:  ‘You are very direct and willing to come out and fight if there is a problem or if there is a plot or a seeming plot against you.  You just come out and fight, face-to-face, trying to expose the plot.  At the same time that you are going out in the open, you are distrustful of the messages you receive from the situation.  So you ignore them.  You refuse to learn anything that is presented by outsiders, because you regard everyone as the enemy.”  Whew.

So, on the one hand, I write claiming there is no real enemy while, at the same time, I am internally on guard, waiting for the next attack.  No wonder I often feel so alone.  Perhaps drinking was a way to mask this paranoia. I will definitely have to sit with this one.  I certainly do not want to spend the rest of my life unconsciously questioning everyone and everything that happens in my life.  My goal is to be truly vulnerable.  I cannot be vulnerable and, at the same time, be filled with distrust.

As my teacher, Rod Strkyer says, “You know what you know until you learn more.”  I am learning so much.  I am reminded of what Swami Rama teaches: The solution to all problems lies in silence.

Day 43.  I will not drink today.

In my last Ayurveda Foundations post, I described the main qualities of Vata dosha (the energy of Air and Space): dry, light, cold, rough, subtle, mobile and clear.

In human beings, Vata’s primary responsibility is to coordinate movement and communication. When Vata is in balance (i.e., when it is maintained at the original baseline level set at an individual’s birth), then that person’s movements and communications are effective and healthy.

However, when Vata dosha gets elevated above an individual’s unique “norm,” then signs of Air and Space emerge: cracking joints, dry skin, constipation, weight loss, insomnia, poor circulation, pain, stiffness, tremors, irregular heart beat, fatigue, and ringing in the ears.

In the mental-emotional realm, aggravated Vata can create fear, anxiety, worry, forgetfulness, and an inability to focus. “Spaciness” is a sure sign of excess Space element, a component of Vata.

What causes Vata dosha to get elevated? According to the law of “like increases like,” exposure to Vata’s qualities will cause Vata to go up. Some common culprits include windy weather and eating leftovers (incarnations of the dry quality), high altitude and caffeine (light), cold weather and frozen food (cold), crunchy chips and granola (rough),  repetitive thought patterns and recreational drugs (subtle), excessive exercise and travel (mobile) and staying up late (clear).

Since Vata is responsible for movement and change, it plays a critical role in maintaining overall balance – and it is often implicated when balance is lost. According to the ancient texts, more diseases arise from an excess of Vata than from the other two doshas combined.

During the particularly changeable and dry seasons of autumn (and sometimes winter), Vata is high, as it is in our elder years. Considering our cultural tendency towards constant movement (with air travel, commuting, and multi-tasking as our norms), most Western city-dwellers consistently experience high Vata. The persistent influence of cyber-”space” doesn’t help.

Therefore, it is wise to take extra steps to keep Vata dosha from getting aggravated.  The best antidotes contain the opposite qualities to Vata: oily (moist), heavy, warm, smooth/slimy, gross (substantive), and stable. Bring on the oatmeal with ghee, slow walks on the earth, and a steady meditation practice!

In the next post, we will dive into the intricacies of Pitta dosha, the energy of Fire.

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

A reminder… TOMORROW NIGHT is my free webinar:

“Stop PMS and Menstrual Pain with Ayurveda:

How to Create Boundless Energy and Feel Great All Month Long”

Tuesday, June 26, 7-8:30pm CDT

To register or for more details, click here

Vata – The Energy of Air and Space

The Sanskrit word vata is related to the verb vah, meaning vehicle, to carry or move. This meaning underlines the importance of mobility in describing Vata’s character. Like the Air element, Vata moves easily as it is light-weight and insubstantial. We can feel Vata’s presence in the wind and in the movements of our bodies and minds.

When Vata is present, it expresses its inherent qualities, causing the things around it to take on and reflect those same qualities. The qualities of Vata are dry, light, cold, rough, subtle, mobile, and clear. When these qualities are evident, we know Vata is involved.

For example, if someone has a thin body with dry skin, cold hands and feet, rough and irregular digestion, quick-moving thoughts and they can adapt easily to new environments, we would say Vata dosha is dominant in that person. If the weather is changeable or the seasons are transitioning from Summer to Autumn, Vata is dominant in the environment.

In the human body, Vata is responsible for all movement, circulation and rhythm. Its functions include speech, nerve impulses, flexibility, respiration, coughing, the heart beat, peristalsis, elimination, menstruation, labor, orgasm, clarity, and joy, to name just a few.

Image from aarmano

As a Vata dosha, routine and exercise help balance and ground myself.  So for the past few weeks, I have modified my work-out schedule and stuck to it.  Along with this new routine, an old routine that I still follow is giving myself a long Reiki treatment every Saturday.  During this weekend’s treatment, I didn’t feel a large amount of vibration or “buzzing” throughout my body like I have during previous treatments.

What changed from last week’s treatment to this week’s treatment?  Was it the way I was treating myself?  Well with Reiki, even though you do not physically feel vibrations, heat, or other sensations, Reiki energy still moves through you.  So, I knew it was not a question of my techniques.  But then I thought that it was my new exercise routine.

My hypothesis and evidence are based on the following; exercise decreases stress (this is scientifically proven), and Reiki decreases stress (although small, there is some evidence).  When I exercise, my body naturally decreases the stress level in my body; so there is less physical stress to treat when I have my Saturday treatment.

Hmmm……that’s great personal evidence that supports using Reiki to monitor my body’s stress level.

~Christine

Of course our honeymoon didn’t last and now we are experiencing winter weather.  Although not yet blustery it is chilly outside.  As the song says, it’s time to “button up that overcoat.”  This rapid change in weather has caused me to reflect on how seasonal changes affect the mind-body.

Although modern medicine is only beginning to consider the effects of annual biorhythms on the mind-body, teaching us how to transition from season to season has been an integral aspect of Ayurveda for thousands of years.

From the ancient medical system of Ayurveda we learn that nature and the body are part of a single continuum of intelligence.  This theme is the essence of how Ayurveda handles the change of the seasons.  Balancing the three doshas is the key for our adaptation to the effects of the seasons since each season exhibits the predominance of one dosha.

As you know, the doshas are the homeostatic or governing principles of the mind-body. The word “dosha” denotes the combinations of the elements of air, space, ground, fire, and water that make up the underlying intelligence of the universe.  Everything in nature, including the human physiology, is a manifestation of these elements.  Teaching us how to keep our unique elemental constitution in balance is the task of Ayurveda. Balance equates with health and the by-product of perfect health—happiness.

Albeit with different language, modern quantum physicists echo Vedic knowledge.  They tell us that five spin types (elements) form the most basic concepts in particle physics.  Physicists assert that everything in creation is derived from the combination of these five fundamental spin types into three superfields:  gravity, gauge, and matter.  Modern science and ancient wisdom agree on the nature of the universe.  But, only the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda gives us the practical advice necessary to roll with the seasons and keep our mind-body in balance.

Winter is Vata Time

Winter is the Vata (combination of space and air) time of year and the Vata qualities of dryness and coldness which exist in our physiology can easily become aggravated by the environment.  If Vata dosha becomes aggravated this can produce oversensitivity to colds, respiratory infections, insomnia, dry skin, indecisiveness, hyperactivity and worry.

Ayurveda offers many practical interventions to keep Vata dosha in balance.  If we follow these interventions we will avoid the physical and emotional ups and downs that can be triggered by an imbalance in Vata dosha.  In our book Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way, Sandra and I give in-depth suggestions for keeping Vata dosha in balance.  Today I want to highlight just one significant intervention that we can use to stay warm and calm during these cold Vata aggravating months.  This intervention is an oil massage with sesame oil.  The Sanskrit word for massage is abhyanga.

The abhyanga has, according to Ayurveda, profound health benefits.  Vedic tradition maintains that frequent oil massage promotes softness and luster of the skin, lubricates the muscles, tissues, and joints, and increases their flexibility.  Moreover, by stimulating the tissues in the body, oil massage is said to help keep impurities from accumulating in the system.  Daily abhyanga is recommended but if you cannot do the abhyanga on a daily basis even two or three times a week will offer you significant benefits.

Different oils work for different constitutional types.  But, in the cold of winter sesame oil works best for most people because sesame oil has particular properties that nourish and warm the body.

Massaging the skin with warm sesame oil pacifies all three doshas, but the soothing influence of warmth and touch on the skin’s many nerve endings calms Vata dosha especially.  This affects the whole system, because Vata leads the other doshas, and when it becomes aggravated, the other two will often follow suit. Abhyanga will benefit everyone at all times of the year, but it is particularly important in the winter.  Apart from the benefits mentioned above abhyanga will keep the skin from becoming dry and cracked, a frequent problem when Vata is aggravated in winter.

The oil must be organic and cured.  To buy high quality sesame oil go to Mapi.com or call Mapi at 1-800-345-8332.

Sandra and I want to remind you that if you keep Vata dosha in balance during the winter months you will transition into spring without encountering an excess of mucus that triggers allergies and springtime colds and flus.  As always we wish you perfect health and its by-product, happiness!

Image from http://www.care2.com/greenliving/ayurvedic-oil-massage.html

It’s been a few years since I watched Volver, but the idea of a wind so strong as to make people go mad has stayed in my mind since. In the film, it’s the east wind in La Mancha, Spain that has this dubious honor. Here in Wellington, it’s the northerly. As much as the cold, antarctic southerly can be unpleasant, there’s something refreshing about it as well. But when the northerly gale blows through, the warm air blasts our north-facing flat coming up from the valley to the top of the ridge where we are, and its howling kept me up most of last night. It’s hard not to feel a little unsettled this morning as a result.

The wind here makes me nervous on days when it’s this strong. Where I’m from in the US, gales like this would mean a tornado watch or a hurricane passing nearby. Here it’s just Wellington being Wellington.

The gales blast the branches of the pohutakawa trees, so instead of vibrant crimson flowers, all you can see are the white undersides of the leaves, and swirling red petals on the ground. The wind makes the water in the toilet bowl swish around– it’s a bit of an odd observation, but true. And with the wind pushing the clouds through so fast, one minute its a fierce rain squall, the next minute that cloud has passed, and a bit of sunshine and blue sky emerges from the above the grey mist, just to be covered again.

Of course, the velocity of the wind here also gives Wellington some of the cleanest air in the world since the air moves through so quickly.

Ayurveda, the sister science of yoga, teaches that we are made of 5 elements: earth, water, air, ether, and fire; and that each of us have different amounts of the five elements within us. If we are predominately air and ether, we have a Vata dosha (dosha means constitution.) Predominately fire and water means a Pitta dosha, and predominately water and earth creates a Kapha constitution in the body and mind. Vata, being composed of ether and air, is characterized by the wind, and excessive wind in our environment can cause our internal vata to become heightened and agitated. Vata out of balance can create dryness in the body, digestion troubles, insomnia, fear, and anxiety. Quite literally, the “madness” of Almodovar’s east wind.

Ayurvedic science has been around for 5,000 years. I’m continually fascinated by it, as it echoes what my own body and experiences are telling me, and provides reassurance that I’m not the only one who becomes agitated or feels a bit unsteady on days when the wind is so strong.

To soothe the nerves on windy days like today– or whenever vata is heightened in the body for whatever other reason– I’m keeping a cup of warm, herbal tea beside me and taking a few extra deep, calming breaths.

In the time that I’ve been sitting here writing this, the rain squalls have stopped, though the wind continues to howl through the trees. In the moments of stillness between gusts, it’s actually incredibly beautiful (though a branch did just go flying past my window!)

On my walk home from work earlier this week, I took a detour from Wellington’s city sidewalks into the Green Belt, as I often do. The first part of my walk is past shops and cafes; the second half takes you through a park and into the bush with a path that zigzags across a stream. The ferns envelope you just overhead, and massive trees rise up towards the sky.

On my walk on Monday, I found that one of the massive trees had been uprooted over the weekend and fallen across the path.

It’s amazing the power and intensity of something you can’t even see.

Winter is the season in which the Vata Dosha is most dominant. So, what is Vata you ask? Well, let’s back up and start with Ayurveda, the ancient East-Indian science of health, literally meaning “complete knowledge for a long life”. Sounds like a pretty good thing to me! According to Ayurveda, there are three main energies or doshas: Vata (Air-Space), Pitta (Fire-Water), and Kapha (Water-Earth). Each of these doshas can dominate our particular body-mind type, the time of day and even the time of year! In the Fall to mid-winter, the Vata dosha dominates because of its characteristics: cold, moving, quick, dry and rough.
Some people have a lot of Vata in their constitution (or mind-body type). When they are balanced, they tend to be creative, vital and have a great sense of health and well-being. However, when out of balance, Vata types tend to be plagued by worry, insomnia, dry skin, constipation and difficulty focusing. Ughhh! Do any of these symptoms sound familiar? Well, if they do and they tend to get worse in the Fall or Winter, you may have a lot of Vata in your constitution!

Vata is sometimes referred to as the ‘king of the doshas’ because it drives the workings of the other doshas. You can imagine it like a fan that feeds the balance or imbalance of the other doshas. It’s responsible for all the movement in our bodies and without it the other doshas cannot move. In Ayurvedic medicine, like increases like and opposites increase balance. Therefore, when the cool, dry weather of fall and winter is here and Vata is strong in the environment, the Vata in our constitution has a greater chance of going out of balance. However, the great thing thing about Vata is that although it tends to go out of balance easily, it also can quickly return to balance. Like the wind, it can simply change directions! So, how do we put things back in balance after they’re thrown off course?

Bringing things back together is a matter of using opposites to create balance. To counteract cold, chilly weather, indulge in lots of warm drinks. I suggest boiling up a cup of steamy ginger tea with fresh, grated ginger, lemon and honey! Ginger, nutmeg and cardamom are spices that are good for warming the body and counteracting an imbalance in Vata. So, go ahead and make some mulled cider, it’s good for your Vata! Eating lots of warm, cooked foods including root veggies is also a good thing to include on the menu in the winter. Who doesn’t love a hearty stew when it’s cold outside?

You can also allow yourself to indulge in warm baths, showers or steam rooms. They’re great for warmth and humidity which is lacking when it is so dry! Getting lots of rest and avoiding overstimulation is also a great way to bring Vata back into balance. Spending time reading, meditating, relaxing by the fire or candle light is very calming to an over-stimulated mind (which Vatas tend to come by naturally!). To counteract dry skin, oil massage is a good idea. In Ayurveda, Abhyanga, or self massage with sesame oil or other oils is believed to be good for health in general.

So, I think that creating balance this time of year comes down to this: Follow your instincts and indulge yourself in things that you wouldn’t normally do during the rest of the year. How will you allow yourself to be ‘pampered’? What kinds of things will you do to feel good and make your Vata happy? We’d love to know!

If you’d like to find out what your dosha is, here are two helpful sites which you can take a quiz on: What’s your Dosha and Doshaquiz.

If you’d like to learn more about doshas and how to create balance and vitality through yoga and delicious culinary creations, check out our upcoming Vata Workshop on January 21st, 2012!

This morning I stopped at my daughter’s house for a visit.  I found her kneeling in her living room, a bandana around her head, surrounded by boxes, dust and chaos.  We talked for a few minutes before I said I was going home to write my blog for the week.  As I left, I asked, “Molly, do you have any ideas for my blog.”  She barely looked up from her tasks as she replied, “Yes, I do, how about staying sane when you are moving?”

Of course I laughed as I scurried out of her house before she could put me to work on some onerous chore.  But, I thought, “She does have a pretty good idea.”

How do we maintain sanity throughout all of the changes life tosses our way; moving being one of the most disruptive?

Routine keeps our physiology in balance.  The body needs to sleep at approximately the same time every night and needs to be fed with regularity.  Exercise should be done at approximately the same time of day too.  Regularity in routine keeps the body in balance.

When we go through a time of transition our routine falls apart.  Physically we develop imbalances, psychologically we become ungrounded and we lose our spiritual anchor.  The totality of our being is disrupted by transitions. Whether the transition signifies a happy or a sad time matters not.

In addition, Ayurveda informs us that we digest experience as well as food.  Some of us have optimal emotional digestion and others have slower digestive abilities.  Haven’t you noticed that some people seem to bounce back from life challenges more quickly than others?   An experience is no different from a loaf of bread.  Both have to be taken in, absorbed, assimilated, digested and integrated into the physiology.  Undigested experience leaves a toxin residue causing cloudy thinking and an inability to move toward the next experience in a fresh and clear manner.  If our doshas are in balance we will be better able to digest experience in an optimal manner.

According to Ayurveda change can trigger an imbalance in Vata dosha.  Since we tend to lean in the direction of our imbalances once an imbalance occurs it can worsen because of our life style.  For instance, moving can trigger a disruption in routine, leading to a tendency to become increasingly irregular in daily habits.  Vata dosha becomes disturbed as a result of too much activity and not enough rest.  Excess activity stirs up the air that composes Vata, essentially turning a breeze into a tornado. From a Western medical perspective, this means that the nervous system is in a state of hyper –excitability.  A prolonged state of hyper-excitability can lead to an eventual collapse of the nervous system.  In these cases depression can ensue.

Psychologically and emotionally moving literally displaces us.  Newness signifies change, and adjustment to change is demanding on one’s entire being:   physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.  Furthermore, change and the demands of adjustment tax the physiology—-the nervous, endocrine, immune, and digestive systems.  Maintaining an Ayurvedic lifestyle is of the utmost importance during a time of change.  This lifestyle will help you to stay in balance and make a smooth adjustment to your new environment.  The better you feel the smoother things will go!

Eating regular meals, even during a time of transition is important.  Eat your food hot and make lunch the largest meal of the day.  Find time to continue your exercise routine, to meditate and remember that an oil massage is comforting and pacifying for Vata dosha.  Above all, don’t allow yourself to become exhausted.  Getting a lot done on one day but skipping sleep and becoming fatigued isn’t helpful in the long run.  Take your time with all those tasks on your list.  Remember to sleep, and you will feel energized and will accomplish more in the long run.  Remember that transition times are times of danger.  But if you take care to prevent depleting your nervous system you will arrive at your destination with a smile on your face, ready to embrace your new environment with enthusiasm.

I think I will close this blog here and hop in my car and go help Molly pack a couple of boxes!

Be well and if you are moving take care!

Image courtesy of http://www.everydayminimalist.com/?p=2766

I have nothing against raw apples but with the onset of Fall and Vata dosha taking the reigns, soft and easy to digest fruits will have a more nourishing and soothing effect on the stomach.

Vata dosha is very light, airy, and cold by nature. So is the Fall with its cooling temperatures and chilly winds. Since we are all part of nature, we are influenced by all the seasonal changes almost as much as the trees. As the leaves dry our skin gets drier and so do the trees. Our extremities, especially our palms and feet tend to get cold and our joints crack just like dry leaves crack when we walk in the park.

Trees don’t look as bright and happy once the foliage is gone and people tend to get gloomy and depressed when the days get shorter and colder. Whether you realize it or not, you are influenced by the oncoming of Fall, too. You might feel it literally in your gut if there is a tendency to get vata indigestion with bloating, gas, and irregularity. Vata can also show up mentally and emotionally as insomnia, restlessness, indecisiveness, and fatigue are all symptoms. It doesn’t have to be all that bad though. If you stay mindful and listen to your body’s needs you can reap the wonderful benefits of Vata dosha. Creativity, lightness, heightened clarity, are all signs of a balanced vata.

So what would you rather feel like: gloomy and constipated or light and creative?

Let’s go over some general Vata balancing guidelines: …read more

It seems everywhere I turned this week, someone was announcing the arrival of Transition. On Friday we passed the autumnal Equinox when the sun appears to cross the equator from north to south heralding the first day of fall. Even in Texas, recent days have brought a palpable change in the temperature and the quality of light. At these times of seasonal transition, the buzz is that we are experiencing a moment of shift, a time-sensitive opportunity to let go and to prepare for the next season of our life – out with the old and in with the new.

I’m the Transition poster child, here in my new hometown with my new nephew, building a new house and a new private practice – I’m even physically in transit as I type this, writing from 30,000 feet in the air. And in truth, it seems everyone I know is in the midst of some fairly large transitional turbulence – a new marriage, a new job, a major remodel, a father’s death, an imminent relocation. Either I’m hanging out with a self-selecting crowd of transitioners, or there is a larger trend at work here. Being in transition seems to be the new black.

The implication of all this transition talk is that it’s somehow contained: we’re passing through a discreet blip on the calendar, an unsettled moment sandwiched between some larger, more serene moments. Pretty soon, we’ll get through it and be on the other side. We’ll be in the MIDDLE of autumn, in the full swing of the school year, firmly established in the second year of home-ownership. Things are gonna settle down. Any minute now.

What struck me today is that this sense of turbulence isn’t remotely unique to this spot on the calendar. The transitions just keep coming. There isn’t a period up ahead when life promises to stop delivering tectonic shifts. While I have caught myself blaming this condition on our modern lifestyle (“…we’re so addicted to speed and excess information and multitasking and hasty decisions prompted by marketing campaigns, no one makes time for stillness any more…”), in reality, it’s a fact of the human experience, just part of the package. The ancient Buddhist teachings on impermanence underline the ever-present nature of change. The only constant really IS change, and that was true even back when Heraclitus first said it in the 5^th century B.C.

As common as it is, that doesn’t diminish how uncomfortable it feels (to most of us) to be in transition for long. According to Ayurveda, as I wrote in my last post, transitions (even “good” ones) aggravate vata dosha, which can lead to a variety of discomforts like stress headaches, constipation, joint pain, indigestion, feeling off-center, ungrounded or outright panic-stricken. Teaching us how to pacify vata is one of the great gifts of Ayurveda as a health system, helping us to tolerate the turbulence of life’s passage with greater ease.

As I prepared to get on this plane (one of the most vata aggravating activities out there), I reminded myself what would help me feel grounded and comfy in my skin in the days ahead:

• Stick to my routines – to the extent possible, get up at the same time, eat at the same time, do my morning routine as usual.
• Eat vata-pacifying foods – warm, moist, soft comfort food. (Soup and oatmeal are good bets to seek out in the slim pickings of an airport.)
• Ask myself regularly, “Am I thirsty?” and then drink something, preferably something warm. At the very least, avoid ice.
• Stay warm. Keep a scarf in the car. Cover my head, and ears in particular, when it’s windy out.
• For God’s sake, don’t stop abhyanga (applying oil to the skin before showering) – this is an easy one to let drop by the wayside while traveling or feeling time-deprived, and all the more potent at those times.
• Create some mental stillness. People-watch instead of trying to accomplish something during my connection. Close my eyes and breathe. Look out the window and daydream.
• Think of something I’m grateful for, and then tell the responsible people. Dwelling in gratitude is the best anti-anxiety medicine there is.

So, welcome to autumn, my friends. Welcome to this time of transition – and to the one that’s coming right after it. Plato’s surprisingly timely words of advice remind us that humanity has been engaged in this turbulence all along:

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

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Lecture on Avaran

Shabda Vyutpati

‘Aa’ upasargapurvak

‘Vru’ dhatwatmak

‘Lyut’ pratayatmak

Shabdakalpadrum explains vyutpati of Avarana shabda from ‘Vru’ sanskirt dhatu which means valayita, vestita, ruddha and samvita

Nirukti

According to Ayurvediya shabdakosha the word avarana means avarodha gatinirodha ie. obstruction or resistance or friction to the normal gati of vata. Vata dosha is the gatyatmak dravya within the sharir. Hence its normal gati is hampered or vitiated thus vata becomes avrita.

          Shabdakoshkar says that balwan dosha due to its vitiation impedes the durbala dosha and hampers the normal gati of the avrita dosha.

Vaidyak Shabdasindhu says avaraka means achchhadaka while avrita means achchhadita.

Charak in context of madhumeha (C.Su. 17) has used the word avrita gati; Chakrapani explains it to be ruddhagati.

Dalhan commenting on the word avritamarga (Su.Sa.2) explains it to be pratibadha marga while Chakrapani commenting on the same word in ashtauninditiya adhyaya explains it to be avarudhagati.

In context of Kasa; Chakrapani says pratighat means avarana while in context of shotha says badhamarga means avritamarga.

Thus the word avarana can be understood as;

Achchhadan

Avaruddha gati

Sanga

Pidhan

Samvaran

Aakirya

Prachadana

Vestana

Valayana

Pravrita

Samvrita

To understand avarana firstly we need to understand the Gati-sidhant explained by our acharya.

GATI SIDDHANT:

          C.Chi. 28/4

Avyahatgati explains the normalcy of vata dosha and whenever vata dosha remains in prakritawasta the person lives a healthy life for hundred years.

Chakrapani commenting on the word avyahatgati has used 2 significant words aparityakta swamarga and anavritamarga.

Above, we have already discussed what do we mean by avritamarga; resistance to the normal gati of vayu. Whenever there is absence of resistance to a object, it moves in its own marga, srotas, dhamani etc. this is known as avyahat or prakrita gati.

Parityaktamarga means the sharir dravya is unable to maintain its swamarga. Vimarga is a synonymous word for parityaktamarga.

All the dosha have a normal shakha kostha gati which when maintained, dosha are able to maintain there normal function.

Vata dosha is raja guna dominated; it is the one which gives the initiating force (preraka) for the movement of all the other dosha. Hence its gati is very significant. If vata dosha gets avrita or vimargashrit, various disease proces begins within the body.

C.Chi.28/60

Causes of vata prakopa is either due to dhatu kshaya or due to marga avarana.

Pratibandha is the word used by Chakrapani in context of avarana. Vata has been explained to be sukshma-marganusari and preraka. Thus whenever movement of vayu through the suksma srotas is obstructed or the preraka karma is hampered the dravyabhuta vata dosha gets prakopita or vitiated.

Thus whenever avarana will take place it means it will hamper the following karma

-         Vikshepa

-         Samvahana

-         Parivahana

-         Chavan

-         Pargamana

-         Sravana

-         Visyandana

-         Ativedana, etc.

Charak in Vividhaashitapitiya adhyaya says that along with healthy food; jatharagni, anupahata dhatushma, anupahata srotas and anupahata vayu are responsible for healthy life.

Chakrapani says dhatu themselves are nutrient for the other dhatu and the urja of sharirdhatu depends upon anupahatadhatushma, dhatuposhak rasavahi vyanrupamarita and dhatuposhak rasavaha srotas

Anupahata dhatushma:-

Charak explains jatharagni is the one which gives bala to bhutagni and dhatwagni. For complete conversion agni is needed. Unless and until complete conversion of ahar into dhatuposhakansa does not take place they are not assimilated; such improperly converted dhatuposhakansa are called as the aparinamit dhatu or sama dhatu which offers resistance to the normal gati of vata dosha.

Hence, homeostasis in the content of dhatuposhakansa is brought about by the dhatushma it is therefore said to be responsible for dhatu urja.

Anupahata marita or dhatuposhak rasavahi vyanrupa vayu.

Amurta, subtle but dravyatmak vata existence in the sharir is understood by its vikshepana karma.

Charak in grahanidosha chikitsaadhyaya explain vyan vayu to be responsible for the continuous vikshepan of rasa raktadhi poshakansa.

Whenever sama dhatu are formed they disturb the normal gati of vata. The normal force required by the vayu for the transportation of dhatuposhakansa is unable to carry-out its normal function. The gati is restricted and the poshakansa is not made available to the dhatu thus leading to urja hanan of the dhatu. This explains the significance of dhatuvahi vyan vayu or marita in context of sharir dhatu urja.

Anupahata srotas

Sushrut says whenever ‘kha’ vaigunya is made available to vitiated dosha sanga takes place leading to the utpatti of vyadhi

Kha vikruti itself explains that the swaroop of aakash mahabhuta in that specific area is change ie apratighat guna of aakash is reducd and pratighat is increased. Pratighat develops sanga and apratighat contributes in prasarana or circulation. At definite extent pratighat is required across the srotas to provide the ahara rasa to surrounding part, but it is a non significant or negligible or non recordable, occurs at fastest rate and do not interfere with apratighatatva which maintains the constant condition or homeostasis.

One can understand the role of srotas in context of kapha, pitta, raktadi dhatujanya avarana but is their any role of srotas in context of parasparavarana?

Vatakalakaliya adhyaya gives the solution. Although vata being amurta, asanghata, anavastita dravya, how does its prakopa prashama takes place? Kankayan rishi says the rukshata, laghuta, sheetata, darunata adi lakshana are seen in the sharir viz srotas which leads to the prakopa of amurta vayu while dravya pradhan in snigdha adi guna act on sharir viz srotas and do the prashama of vata dosha.

Thus srotas plays an important role in prevention of utpatti of any disease.

In nut shell we can conclude the above discussion as;

Paraspara Avaran

Vata dosha is the same everywhere but depending on karma and sthana we classify it into 5 types viz pran, udanadi.

All the 5 types interplay within themselves and maintain homeostasis for eg due to prayatna of udan assimilation function of pran vayu takes place; saman vayu later on absorb the ahar rasa from where it is transported throughout the sharir with help of vyan vayu. Excretion takes place with help of apana vayu. When they themselves hamper their own karma, utpatti of vatavyadhi takes place.

Acharya Vagbhat has given the dusti hetu and dusti lakshana of pranadi pancha prakar vayu.

Vishesha sthan has been explained for each vayu prakar but at each cellular level we can understand their functional activity such as assimilation of pran vayu, excretion of apan vayu, circulation and transportation of vyan vayu agnisandukshan or digestion & metabolism stimulants of saman vayu and prayatna of udan vayu. The concept is important because in case of paraspara avarana some symptoms have been explained which are not specific to their sthan for eg in saman avrita apana hridroga has been explained. There is  interplay between gati of different vata prakar. In normal condition they help each other to carry out various function but when there gati gets vitiated due to above hetu the balwan vata prakar impedes the gati of other leading to paraspara avarana.

Chakrapani/ C.Chi. 28/205

Concept of avarana in case of mana

Mana has its utpatti from avyakta. Avyakta being trigunatmak by satkaryavad siddhant mana is also trigunatmak swaroop. While satva is understood as guna of mana, raja and tama are understood as manashika dosha.

Mahabhuta also have origin from triguna as explained by Sushruta in sharirsthan first adhyaya.

Aakash is satva bahul

Vayu is raja bahul

Agni is satva raja bahul

Aap is satva tamo bahul

Prithvi is tamo bahul

All the 3 viz satva, raja and tama in balance state help each other although they have opposite qualities.

Satva guna is gyan prakashak

Raja guna is pravriti mulak

Tama guna is apravriti mulak

Mana and Panchamahabhuta both have origin from trigunatmak prakriti hence ahar which is panchabhautik in swaroop has its impact on mana and mana which is trigunatmak has its impact on sharir which is panchabhautik in swaroop.

In Sharirik vyadhi we find manas dosha lakshana while in manasik vyadhi we find sharirik dosha lakshana for eg in udavarta vyadhi mano vikar may occur as upadrava swaroop while in unmada we may find chhardi, karsnya adi sharirik lakshana.

Activity of satva and tama depends on raja similar to sharirik dosha where vata is responsible for kapha and pitta activity. All the 3 have abhibhava between them which in prakritavastha helps to maintain homeostasis while in vikritavastha cause various manasika vikar.

Hence in context of mada, murchha, sanyasa apasmara and attatvabhinivesh avarana has been explained.

Concept of gatavata and avarana.

Dhatu can be classified into two types asthayi dhatu and sthayi dhatu. Asthayi dhatus are the ones which are dravaswaroop and undergoing conversion (parinam aapadyamananam) and they are being vikshepita from their mulasthan throughout the sharir (abhivahan) for the purpose of poshan of the sthayi dhatu. This parinaman and abhivahan prakriya takes place in marga which are known as srotas; hence marga is one of the synonym used for srotas alongwith sira, dhamani, rasayani, rasavahini, nadi, panthana, sharir chhidra, samvrita-asamvritani, sthan, aashaya, niketa, sharirdhatu avakasha.

Prakopita dosha have the capacity to further vitiate both sthanasta dhatu as well as margagata sharir dhatu.

          When prakopita vata vitiates the dhatu it is called as gata vata, means vata prakop with specific nidan occurs as initiative factor to interplay with specific dhatu or vitiated itself in specific sthan (Amashaya gata vata etc.). In this context specific nidan for each and every gata vata related diseases must be observed to clarify why vitiated vata goes to specific part of the body or to specific dhatu to develop kosthagata vata, raktagata vata etc. Here dhatu functions like dusya.

In case of avarana pitta, kapha, rakttadi dhatu play the role of dosha or initiative factor to hamper the gati of vata, which in turn lead to avaraka and avrita components of avaraka respectively.

Comparative study of dhatugata vata and avritavata

In raktagata vata, rakta dhatu gets vitiated by vata dosha leading to shoshan of rakta dhatu; thus raktadhatu is unable to carryout its normal function of jeevan,varnaprasadhan, mansa poshan etc. Vaivarnya is caused due to loss ofvarnaprasadhan karma, due to improper mansa poshan krishata is seen, tivra ruja is seen due to depletion of poshana (Ischaemic pain).

Hetu explained in vidhishonitiya adhyaya are responsible for quantitative increase of rakta dhatu which impedes the gati of vata dosha hence normal parivahan is hampered and stagnation takes place leading to sanga this is the reason why in rakta avritavata raga yukta shotha, mandala, local daha and vedana have been explained. It can be compared with urticaria or vasculitis wherein we find rashes, burning sensation, pain, wheel & flare like presentation.

Treatment

Considering treatment we see use of sheeta pradeha, virechan and raktamokshan as line of treatment in raktagata vata while we see vatarakta like treatment in raktavritavata, where in treatment is given to reduce the quantitative increase of rakta dhatu and also normalise the gati of vata dosha with the help of basti hence importance of basti chikitsa in vatarakta has been explained.

(Na Hi Bastisamam kinchit vataraktam chikitsitam) C.Chi. 29/88

Mansa meda dhatu have similar characteristic both being snigdha, guru, sthira guna pradhan which gets vitiated by ruksha, laghu and chala guna of vata leading to disorder called mansamedogata vata. Various myopathies can be included under mansamedogata vata specially Carnitine palmitoyltransferase deficiency in which severe pain with fatigueness is seen. Myasthenia gravis can also be considered in mansamedogata vata.

Mansa dhatu is formed when vayu, ambu, teja and rakta ushma together bring sthirata to the mansaposhakansa. Sthira, kathina are the gunas of mansa while lepana is the karma of mansa dhatu. Such mansa when opposes the gati of vata kathina pidaka and shotha is formed. Nodules and tumours are defined as the solid, raised and firm growth.

When ambu, snigdha guna along with the dhatushma acts on poshakansa a soft, snigdha meda dhatu is formed. When such medadhatu will obstruct the gati of vata dosha it leads to origin of snigdha, mridu, ambulatory shotha. Lipoma bullae can be understood in context of medasavritavata.

Mansa medas avritavata may also be a complication of prameha since mansa and meda are the avaraka along with kapha and pitta to develop avritavata in basti and in turn leading to madhumeha as in C.Su.17. It indicates when mansa and meda become more vitiated and cause more kleda genesis or become kledanvita, they lead to different micro and macro angiopathy related complication. Meda-avrita vata can be compared with Diabetic nephropathy.

Pippilikanam cha sanchar are the abnormal sensory positive phenomenon or it may be the late complication of microangiopathy.

Treatment

-         Virechan, niruha and shaman is the chikitsa sidhant for mansamedogata vata.

-         In case of mansa avrita vata swedan, abhyanga, mansarasa, kshira and sneha prayog have been explained which will regularize the gati of vata as well as create normal poshakansa.

-         Pramehagna, medogna and vatahara chikitsa have been explained for amavritavata or for adhyavata

Thus avaraka and avrita both are being treated.

Due to external injury or due to pressure the asthi majja dhatu gets deranged leading to pain mainly at ashti parva or at the level of joints. The pain is continuous and it may later on show periarticular muscular atrophy as its late complication. It can be collectively understood under osteoarthritis where in focal loss of articular hyaline cartilage is seen with simultaneous proliferation of new bone with remodelling of joint contour. (sclerosis).

In asthyaavrita vata asthikshaya is observed (decrease bone density) increasing the symptoms of pain along with chances of fracture. Eka sthana vridhi anya sthan kshaya is other sidhant which explain the concept of osteophytes Osteophytes may compress the nerves root causing tingling or suchivata vedana (entrapment or compressive neuropathy).

In majjavrita vata the majja dhatu impedes the gati of vata (nerve conduction) leading to the symptoms like vinama; pain etc. Diffuse bulging of cord may be considered as well spinal canal stenosis.

Treatment

In asthi majjagata vata bahya aabhyantar snehan are the line of treatment so lubrication is maintained at the joint and results in prakritisthapan of vata.

Mahasneha prayog has been explained in asthi majja avritavata.

Note that a common treatment is explained in both the avaran and gata vata clinically too we see that Compressive Neuropathy or compressive myelopathy occurs in both the condition.

In shukragata vata shukra are formed but either the count is less or there is some anomaly with its structure. Hence along with early ejaculation there is also abnormality in the foetus. Anomalies caused by extra sex chromosomes or less sex chromosomes can be included under this group (Aneploidy or polyploidy).

In shukragata vata sperms are formed but the count may be reduced in viral Orchitis, TB, STD, Chemotherapy, Ionizing radiation and drugs in which testesterone levels remain normal. It may cause premature or delayed ejaculations and also may cause abnormality in the foetus.

In shukravrita vata immature sperms are formed which loose their forward movement activity. Ciliary dyskinesia (kartagener syndrome) can be included in this group. Since motility is reduced it leads to infertility. Y chromosomes microdeletions and POLG variants are increasingly recognised as a cause of azoospermia or oligospermia. Primary gonadal deficiency with low-testesterone and decreased spermatogenesis are the reason for infertility.

Patients with normal hormonal levels and low sperm count may be found in obstructive anomaly of vas deferens and epididymus.

Treatment

Harsha and annapan responsible to increase bala of shukra is given. Virechan is advice if the marga is obstructed followed by above treatment.

In shukravrita vata too virechan has been explained followed by shukra bala vridhikar ahar and aushada.

Annavrita Vata

Bhukte kuksho cha ruja

Jirne shamyati

Ahar when taken in excess the prokinetic movement is reduced and the ahar is not propelled forward leading to strech reflex. The pain of obstruction of hollow abdominal viscere is classically described as intermittent food related abdominal pain followed by remission is seen.

Treatment

Vaman, deepan, pachan and laghu bhojan are the line of treatment.

Vaman causes gastric emptying thus avaraka is removed and with deepan, pachan aushadhi digestive capacity as well as vata gati is maintained.

Laghu bhojan is an important pathya which is followed in annavritavata

Mutra-avrita vata

Mutra apravritati

Aadhmanam cha basto

These symptoms are seen in mutra vega dharan. Normal urine formation takes place but the patient does not evacuate it timely leads to the avarodha of vata gati. Vata is unable to contract the detrusor muscle thus there is mutra apravritati and inturn bladder distension. This condition may also arise in neurogenic bladder.

Atonic bladder – Micturition reflex contraction cannot occur if the sensory nerve fibres from the bladder to the spinal cord are destroyed, thereby preventing transmission of strech signals from the bladder. When this happens, a person loses bladder control, despite intact efferent fibers from the cord to the bladder and despite intact neurogenic connections within the brain. Instead of emptying periodically the bladder fills to capacity and overflows a few drops at a time through the urethra. This is called overflow incontinence. Crush injury is the common cause.

Treatment

Swedan between bladder and nabhi pradesh alongwith uttarbasti

Purishavrita vata

-         Ati vibandha

-         Parikartika

-         Sneha ansa shigra pachana

-         Bhojan jirnortar aadhman

-         Shuska shakrit visarjan

-         Shroni, vankshana prishtha ruja

-         Viloma vata.

Dietary fibres adsorb water and this increases the bulk of stools and helps reducing the tendency to constipation by encouraging bowel propulsive movements. Diet low in fibres content reduces the healthy bowel movements. Stools are formed but due to slow transit there is hard and pelty stool formation which finds it difficult to pass out.

Malavega dharan may also cause the above symptoms. In Diabetes mellitus whenever there is neurogenic involvement, peristalsis are reduced creating the above symptom. Spastic colon may also be considered.

Treatment

Erandataila

Swedan

Udavartanashak Chikitsa

Treatment is given first to soften the stools and increase the intestinal motility so painless anuloman takes place.

Due to intake of pittakar hetu quantitative vridhi of pitta takes place. It starts accumulating and now opposes the gati of vata which is unable to get rid off the pitta dosha so pitta vridhi lakshana are observed. Symptoms like daha etc are observed. The symptoms can be compared with heat stroke where the failure of heat regulating mechanism takes place.Giddiness, syncope may be observed, heat cramps may occur due to loss of sodium, potassium, chlorides in the blood. Hyperthermia reduces blood flow to brain causing giddiness.

While in case of Kaphavrita vata effect of cold stress should be considered. Muscular weakness is observed along with hypothermia. Symptoms may also arise in morning hours of cold seasons and rainy season. Working in air-conditioned rooms for longer hours can also create such symptoms. Even in common cold without pyrexia such symptoms may be produced.

Treatment:

The treatment is classified depending upon the sthan where the avarana takes place. Alternate shit & ushna in pittavrita vata.

If vitiated kapha and vayu are in aamashaya, vaman has to be followed, virechan is directed if it is pakwashaya sthita.

If pitta is vitiated throughout sharir virechan is adviced.

If by swedan kapha or the pitta reaches pakwashaya basti is to be adviced.

Gomutra is added in basti if kapha is involved while kshirabasti is given if pitta is involved.

Dhumpan and nasya is advice if kapha takes ashraya in shira pradesh.

After the shaman of kapha and pitta vatahar chikitsa has to be followed.

Pitta avrita pran

-         Murchha

-         Daha

-         Bhrama

-         Shoola

-         Vidaha

-         Shit kamana

-         Vidagdha anna vaman

Pran vayu is said to be controller, it helps in assimilation of ahar etc.

In pittavrita pran there is quantitative increase of pitta and it opposes the gati of pran, hence ingested food is vomitted out and since the ahar is not completely digested it comes out in the vidagdha form, as pitta has increased there are symptoms of daha, vidaha, murchha, bhrama and sheet kamana

Whenever food is ingested it stimulates the pharyngeal sensory receptors which send the impulse to the swallowing centre from where the motor impulses are sent with the help of 5^th, 9^th, 10^th, 12^th, cranial nerves to the pharynx and upper esophagus similarly sensory signals that initiate vomitting originate mainly from the pharynx, esophagus, stomach and upper portion of small intestine. The impulse traverses by both vagal and sympathetic afferent  nerve fibres to the vomitting centre from where motor impulse that cause vomitting are transmitted by way of 5^th, 7^th, 9^th, 10^th & 12^th cranial nerves to the upper GIT causing vomitting. Thus vomitting may be initiated by nervous signals arising in the brain. Stimulation of the floor of 4^th ventricle called chemoreceptor trigger zone with the help of administration of certain drugs initiate vomitting. If the gastric contents are incompletely digested are vomited out with a burning sensation associated with abdominal pain, vertigo, etc. Viral encephalitis may also be considered which is associated with high grade fever, focal neurological signs and seizures. These emergencies are difficult to treat so as said by Charak that pitta and kapha avritapran are difficult to treat.

Kapha avrita pran

-         Kshthivan

-         Kshavathu

-         Udgar

-         Nishwas Uchhwas sangraha

-         Aruchi

-         Chhardi

Vridha kapha opposes the gati of controller pran hence nishwas uchaswas karma are hampered at the same time chhardi, ksthivan and kshavathu symptom increases in frequency.

Depression of respiratory centre in the medulla should be considered.

Abnormal ventilation may be considered as in case of COPD where in mucus plugs prevents the gases exchange. The mucus accumulated in nasal and throat cavity obstructs the gati of pran causing irritation, the afferent impulses passes to the medulla where the reflex of kshvathu and ksthivam is triggered the same impulse also stimulates the vomitting centre causing chhardi.

Pitta avrita udan

-         Murchha

-         Daha, Bhrama

-         Nabhi Ura daha

-         Klama

-         Ojo bhransa

Karma of udan vayu is to generate urja, it is vaka pravritai mulak, prayatna balavarnakarak along with srotas prinan, dhi dhriti smriti mano bodhana are the karma of udan.

The pitta which has increased quantitatively along with its tiksna, usnadi guna are responsible for avaran of udan vayu. Thus prayatna, bala, varna nasha take place similar to the ojo bhransa explained by Sushruta, body gets fatigue as there is reduced energy and burning sensation between nabhi and ura along with murchha, daha bhrama adi vridha pitta lakshana.

As ATP production is hampered (Urja hani) metabolism gets hampered leading to GERD (Gastro Eosophageal Reflux Disease) causing heart burn and associated symptoms like fatigueness vertigo etc.

Kapha avrita udan

-         Vaivarnya

-         Vaka, swar graha

-         Daurbalya

-         Guru gatrata

-         Aruchi

Sheeta, guru, manda guna yukta vridha kapha has qualities opposite of vata. Especially when vitiated kapha impedes udan vayu, vaka pravritati, bala,varna, utsaha are loss thus creating the above symptoms. Panini has explained swarotpati in which he says atma and budhi come together and they give prerna to the mana which further stimulates vayu and it moves upward through the thorax cavity and with the help of astasthan helps in shabdhotpathi.

Vayu prakar which is moving in thorax cavity in upward direction should be understood as udan. Kapha obstructs this particular gati causing vakswargraha, thus muscular movement in larynx mouth and respiratory system does not occur in succession causing dysarthria.

As ATP is unable to generate energy, daurbalya and gurugatrata symptoms are enhanced.

Pitta gives ashraya for agni while saman is said to be agni uttejak bhava. When avaran of saman takes place abhava of agni uttejana occurs but it takes with the help of pitta hence we have sarvadaihik symptoms of pittavridhi with ushma upaghat. Hence we see excessive sweating leading to trishna associated with daha murcha aruchi which are pittavridhi samanya lakshana.

Zollinger Ellison syndrome may be understood in this case wherein gastrinoma secretes large amount of gastrin which stimulate the parietal cells of stomach to secrete acid to their maximal capacity.

Increase aldosteronism may also be considered under pittaavrita saman.

In kapha avritasaman the sheeta, manda guru guna obstruct gati of saman. Thus agni uttejak abhavata is seen leading to agnimandya. Difference between the above too is the excessive drava gunatmak vridhi which prevents agnivridhi in case of pittavritasaman while incase of kaphavritasaman the enzymes are absent and there is no conversion of ATP.

Vyan vayu is responsible for all gati, prasarana, aakunchana, utshepa, avakshepa, nimesha unmesha adi kriya.

Whenever avarana of vyan vayu takes place sanga or restriction of sarvanga gatra occurs & daha, santapa are the samanya lakshana of vridha pitta while guruta adi are samanya lakshana of vridha kapha.

Inflammatory myopathies may be considered under pitta avritavyan. Systemic features like fever and fatigue are common. Other systemic autoimmune disease such as SLE (Systemic lupas erythomatosis) or vasculitis can also cause myositis. Polymyalgia rheumatica may also be considered where in muscular pain and stiffness is present. There is no true vasculitis but there is close association with giant cell arteritis, fatigueness, fever and depression.

In case of kapha avritavyan fibromyalgia may be considered. In this disorder there is no structural, inflammatory or endocrine abnormality. Marked fatigability, pain along with signs of osteoarthritis is also observed.

The quantitatively increased pitta offers resistance to the gati of apan. Role of apan is dharana of the sharir. Mala bhag is excreted out with the help of apan vayu, raja pravartan, garbha nishkraman are also functions of apan.

The vridha pitta imparts its haridra peetavarnato mutra and purisha. Due to its ushna and tikshna guna santapa is felt at guda or medra sthana. Pitta is mala bhag of rakta and rakta helps in poshna of raja dhatu. Both pitta and raja have samana gunadharma hence pitta vridhi also leads to raja vridhi causing raja atidarshan.

This condition may be compared with infective inflammatory changes in urethra, anorectum and vagina.

HSV (Herpes simplex virus )  increases vaginal discharge along with vulval pain and dysuria. In trichomoniasis infection there is vulva and vaginal inflammation along with froathy yellow / green discharge. HSV and trichomoniasis may also be responsible for proctitis and urethritis.

The snigdha, guru, pichchhila, drava guna yukta kapha has its resemblance similar to meda and kleda does the bahudrava kapha when gets basti prabhava and along with meda and kleda reach the mutravaha srotas and get settle at glomerulus (Aasadya pratirudyate gatwa awatistate) leading to utpatti of kaphaj prameha.

This condition can be compared with alimentary glycosuria, a rapid but transitory rise of blood glucose following a meal.The concentration exceeds the normal renal threshold; during this time glucose will be present in the urine.

Vridha kapha by its snigdha, pichchhil, aama swaroop, guna changes the consistency and physical appearance of the mala converting it into bhinna, aama, kapha sansrista guru varcha.

Prognosis of pitta and kapha avritavata prakar

-         Acharyas beleive  aavaran of pran and udan vayu by both kapha, pitta are a serious condition.

-         Anabhisyandhi, snigdha and srota shodhak dravyas should be selected.

-         Yapana basti with madhur rasa pradhan dravyas

-         Anuvasan basti

-         If patient is balwan mrudu anuloman is useful

-         Rasayan chikitsa to be followed

-         Shilajeet and guggulu should be administered along with milk

-         Chyavanprasa and abhayaamalaki rasayan should be given.

-         If apana vayu does the avarana then dipana grahi, vatanulomak and pakvashayashodhana dravyas should be selected.

-         In avarana due to pitta, therapy which alleviates pitta but does not work against vayu should be given.

-         If kapha does the avarana then therapies which reduce kapha and which do anuloma of vata should be selected.

Paraspara Avarana

Pran avrita Vyan

-         Sarva indriya soonyatwa

-         Smriti kshaya

-         Bala kshaya

Pran vayu acts like a controller. It is responsible for the aadana karma. Gyanendriya perceive their objects with the help of pranvayu.

Vyan vayu is responsible for gati or conduction. Hence vyan vayu plays a significant role in rasavikshepan. Conduction is not only related to cardiac cycle but all types of neural conduction should be considered.

Whenever the controller pran will restrict the gati of conducting vyan vayu the indriya will not be able to perceive its vishaya. It may happen in one indriya (homonymous) or in all indriya (heteronymous) together. If it happens in all indriya it can be compared with the vegetative stage or deep coma.

Rasarakta vikshepan is karma of vyan vayu. In case of eye; vascular disease related to retina / optic disc causes visual loss.

Alzheimers Disease may also be considered. Macroscopically, the brain is atrophic, particularly the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. Many different neurotransmitter abnormalities have been described in particularly impairment of cholinergic transmission through noradrenaline, 5 H-T, glutamate and substance P is also involved. Inability to retrieve information (smriti kshaya) is the symptom. Later apraxia, visuo spatial impairment and aphasia is seen.

Treatment – Urdhwa  jatrugata chikitsa.

Vyana avrita pran

Sweda atipravriti

Lomaharsha

Twak vikar

Supta gatrata

Sweda sravan is normal karma of vyan vayu thus whenever vyan gets vitiated it causes sweda atipravriti. It explains sympathetic overactivity or cholinergic effect. This may happen in anticholinergic side effects seen in poisoning. Sweat glands secrete large quantities of sweat when sympathetic nerves get stimulated. Visha is one of the hetu of vyan prakopa.

Perception is the function of pran vayu when it gets avrita its perception function is reduced. It is negative sensory feeling caused in disorders like diabetes mellitus

Excessive sweating may cause twakvikar due to dehydration.

Treatment

Sneha yukta virechan

Sneha helps to reduce vyan and virechan helps in bringing anuloma gati to pranvayu.

Pran avrita saman

-         Sharir jadatva

-         Gadgad

-         Mukata

Panini has explained that atma alongwith budhi activates the mana with the help of pran. Mana stimulates the kayagni with the help of saman vayu and gives prerna to vayu in upward direction which depending on ashtasthan produces various sounds. Thus vitiation of pran or saman leads to symptoms like gadgad and mukta.

Dysarthria, Mutism is associated with perisylvian region of left hemisphere. Posterior pole being Wernickes area and anterior pole of language is known as Brocas area. An essential function of this area is to transform neural word representation into their articulatory sequences so that words can be uttered in the form of spoken language. Both the poles are interconnected with each other and with additional perisylvian, temporal, prefrontal & posterior parietal regions making up a neural network subserving the various aspects of language function. Damage to any one of these components or to their interconnections can give rise to language disturbances (aphasia)

Treatment

Chatusprayoga sneha – gives bala to saman

yapana – gives bala to pran.

Udan avrita apan

Chardi

Shwas adi

In above condition we need to emphasize on gati of vata prakar. Udan has its urdhwagati while apan vayu has anuloma gati. In udan avrita apana; the later changes its gati and now becomes udan bhava aapana as commented by Chakrapani ‘Urdhwagati swabhava aapana’. Thus urdhwagati is increased causing symptoms like chardi, shwas etc.

Cigarette smoking often results in mucous gland enlargement and goblet cell hyperplasia. Goblet cell increase in number but in extent through the bronchial tree. Bronchi undergoes squamous metaplasia which disrrupts       mucociliary clearence leading to COPD.

Antiperistalsis means peristalsis up the digestive tract rather than downward. This may begin as far down in the intestinal tract as the ileum. It can push the contents upto duodenum and stomach leading to their over distention which becomes the exciting factor that initiates the actual vomiting act.

Treatment

Basti

Vata anulomak annapana

Apan avrita udan

-         Moha

-         Agnimandya

-         Atisar

Apan has it adogati and is responsible for kitta utsarjan while udan vayu is responsible for urja and has urdhwagati.

Apan when resist udan the udan vayu becomes apan bhava aapana. As udan vayu gets avrita urja or agni is reduced causing agnimandya. The increase kitta and reduced urja gives rise to moha and alpagni.

Uraemia may be understood in the above condition where the concentration of blood urea (kitta bhag) increases in blood.

Treatment

-         Vaman

-         Agnideepan

-         Grahi annapana

Agnideepan and vaman to increase bala of udan and normalize its urdhwagati and grahi annapana to compensate the vridha gati of apan.

Vyan avrita apan

-         Vaman

-         Aadman

-         Udawarta

-         Gulma

-         Arti

-         Parikartika

Apan vayu has to own anuloma gati and its role is to eliminate the faecal matter, urine etc.

In this avaran vyan opposes the gati of apan thus anuloman does not take place. Features resemble adovega dharan vyadhi like aadman, udawarta, gulma and vedana. When the person stresses while passing motions the hard stools cause painful condition called the fissure.

G.I. has its own intrinsic set of nerves known as intramural plexus or the intestinal enteric nervous system located on the walls of gut. Both parasympathetic and sympathetic stimulation originating in the brain can affect gastro intestinal activity mainly by increasing or decreasing specific actions in the gastrointestinal intramural plexuses. Strong sympathetic stimulation inhibits peristalsis and increases the tone of sphinctures. Net results in slow propulsion of food through tract sometimes decrease the secretion as well even to the extent of constipation. As the peristalsis are reduced the food remains in stomach or early part of small intestine which send the strech impulse to vomitting centre causing the vomitting.

Treatment

-         Snigdha anuloman

Saman avrita apan

-         Grahani

-         Parshwa / Hridgada

-         Aamashaya shoola

Saman vayu helps in agni sandukshan also it has role in anna dharan, pachan, vivechan and taking kitta downward.

Saman vayu is agni-samipasta vata prakar. Grahani avayava helps in apakwa ahar dharan and pakwa ahar is pushed forward in parshwabhag. In saman avrita apan vridha saman does not help in dharan of apakwa ahar. Grahani vyadhi is so called because grahani is unable to do dharan of ahar. As apakwa ahar moves forward parshwa shool begins.

Due to vitiated saman the number of intermediate metabolites increases and it obstruct gati of apan causing ischemia causing hridroga.

Treatment

Agnideepak ghrita

Pran avrita udan

-         Shirograha

-         Pratishaya

-         Nishwas Uchshwas sangraha

-         Hridroga

-         Mukhashosha

Role of udan vayu is to give urja, bala, increase prayatna, srotas preenan etc. They get hampered when pran does avaran over udan vayu. The pran vayu has adhogati while udan vayu has urdhwagati does mismatching takes place leading to sangraha of nishwas and uchshwas.

Failure of control over the immune system leads to autoimmune disorder. The above condition can be seen in rheumatic heart disease and also in allergic rhinitis.

Treatment

Aashwasan chikitsa

Udan avrita pran

Karma Nasha

Oja Nasha

Bala Nasha

VarnaNasha

Mrityu

Bala,varna, oja, prayatna depend on Udan vayu while controller and assimilator is pran vayu.

In udan avrita pran the pran gati is restricted does perceiverance and control is lost while udan vayu being prakopita oja,varna, bala nasha is seen.

The above symptoms are seen in terminally ill patient in which fatigueness and weakness is commonly seen associated with psychological symptoms like hopelessness, meaninglessness, confusion, delirium which are similar to oja nasha.

Underlying various disorders reduce the energy store. It occurs due to disease induced factors such as TNF, cytokines and from secondary factors such as cachexia, dehydration, anemia, infection hypothyroidism and DKA. Changes in muscle enzymes also plays an important role. RAS system may get involve later on causing semicoma followed by coma and lastly death.

Treatment

-        Shanaihi Sheetavarina Shinched

-        Ashswashan

-         Sukham cha upapadayet

Apan avrita vyan

Purisha                 Atipravriti

Mutra                             Atipravriti

Retasa                   Atipravriti

Karma of apan vayu is nissaran of purisha, mutra, artava and shukra at a specific interval.

Apan when gets vridha and restricts the gati of vyan the utsarga vriti of avaraka is seen. Thus atipravriti of purisha, mutra and retasa is seen.

There is interplay between gati of apan with gati of vyan. The srijan karma and gati karma of apan vayu vitiates vyan vayu which becomes avrita and thus rasa vikshepan karma is reduced.

Diarrhoea causes dehydration leading to reduced ventricular filling pressure. Modulation comes into play causing increase heart rate and peripheral vasoconstriction but if the dehydration continues the cardiac output is reduced thus leading to reduced rasa vikshepan causing hypovolaemic shock

Treatment

Sangrahan

Saman avrita vyan

-         Murcha

-         Tandra

-         Pralapa

-         Angaawasad

-         Agnimandyata

-         Oja kshaya

-         Sharir bala kshaya

Many systemic metabolic abnormalities cause altered sensorium by interrupting the delivery of energy substrates. Almost all instance of diminished alertness can be traced to widespread abnormalities of the cerebral hemisphere or to reduced activity of a special thalamocortical alerting system termed the reticular activating system (RAS). Suppression of RAS and cerebral function can take place incase of metabolic dearrangement such as hypoglycaemia or hepatic failure leading to stage of reduced comprehension, coherence and capacity to reason. Irrelevant talk, lack of appreciation of spatial relation of self or external environment (agnosia) may also occur.

Treatment

Vyayam

Laghu bhojan

Udan avrita vyan

-         Stabdata

-         Alpaagnita

-         Asweda

-         Chestahani

-         Nirmilan

Vyan vayu is responsible for gati, vikshepan, sweda sravan nimesha, unmesha etc. but whenever it gets avrita swa karma hani occurs and if it gets avrita by udan the one responsible for bala, prayatna, urja causes symptoms like stabdhata, alpagni, asweda, chestahani and nirmilan.

Continuous generalized electrical discharges of the cortex are associated with coma even in the absence of epileptic motor activity. The self limited coma that follows seizures termed the postictal state may be due to exhaustion of energy resources or effects of locally toxic molecules that are byproduct of seizures.

Treatment

-         Alpa and Laghu bhojan

Anukta Avaran

Vyan avrita udan

Vyan is associated with gati and prakshepan while udan is associated with bala prayatna & urja. Vikrut vyan has impaired gati which when impedes udan will reduce the bala, prayatna adi karma of udan.

Sympathetic fibres originate in the hypothalamus, pass down the brain stem and cervical spinal cord to emerge at T1, return back up to the eye in association with the internal carotid artery and supply the dilator pupillae. Lesion in the sympathetic pathway cause Horner’s syndrome. The reason may be central (at the level of Hypothalamus / brain stem) or at the periphery (at the level of lung apex, carotid artery) or may be idiopathic.

Vyan avrita udan can also be considered in paroxysmal tachycardia. Abnormalities in different portions of the heart including the atria, the Purkinje system, or the ventricles, can occasionally cause rapid rhythmical discharge of impulses that spread in directions throughout the heart. This is believed to be caused most frequently by re-entrant circus movement feedback pathways that set up local repeated self re-excitation.

The above process occurs unless considerable ischemic damage and may lead to ventricular fibrillation. Thus there is never a coordinate contraction of all the ventricular muscle at once which is required for cardiac pumping. Patient may complaint of palpitation or symptoms such as dizziness, dyspnoea, fatiguebility ie. Bala, prayatna are reduced.

Apan avrita saman

Apan is responsible for srijan karma. Vikrita Apan increases the nishkraman prakriya. Increase Hustration reflex causes excessive propulsion movement. Excess motility causes reduced absorption. The body in unable to reabsorb bicarbonate ions i.e. saman karma is reduced.

Loss of bicarbonate causes rise of H⁺. Body compensates the process by increased ventilation. The PaCO₂ is reduced secondarily by hyperventilation which mitigates the rise in H⁺. Leading to metabolic acidosis

Diarrhea associated with passage of more than 200g of stool with urgency of defaecation and faecal incontinence. This may lead to malabsorption leading to hypoalbuminaemia, hypocalcaemia & vitamin D deficiency, hypomagnesaemia, phosphate , zinc and weight loss.

Pran avrita Apan

Pran vayu function is associated with controlling system of the body, as said by Nyayachandrikakar. Pran vayu helps in assimilation and maintain homeostasis

Apan is responsible for elimination. Considering pakvashaya it may be compared with srijan of purisha mutra etc. at cellular level considering removal of cellular products within the cell.

In this particular condition of pran avrita apan the vikrita pran obstructs the gati of apan and it is unable to release the cellular products. This can be understood in condition of Brainstem lesion where in the control over CO₂ expiration is lost. Depletion of CO₂ expiration leads to increase in concentration of CO₂ in blood resulting in respiratory failure of Type II origin ie severe respiratory acidosis.

A simple sleep apnoea / hypopnoea syndrome may also be considered.

Udan avrita Saman

In this particular condition as udan vikriti takes place anabolism increase reducing the catabolism. This is observed in Hypothyroidism where in weight gain is seen with decreased appetite.

Leptin is secreted by adipose cells and acts primarily through the Hypothalamus. Its level of production provides an index of adipose energy stores. High leptin levels decrease food intake and increase energy expenditure. TheOBgene is present in humans and expressed in fats. The obesity in these individuals begin shortly after birth, is severe and is accompainied by neuroendocrine abnormalities. Role of central hypothyroidism has been understood in mouse model.

Another condition may be considered where increased acetylcholine stimulates increased ATP (­urja) which further increases excessive secretion of fluids and electrolytes in addition to normal viscid alkaline mucus which further increases gastrointestinal activity causing reduced absorption (annashoshan, vivechan karma) leading to malabsorption diarrhea.

 Vyan avrita saman

There is interplay between gati of vyan with gati of saman. Therefore when rasa vikshepan karma of vyan related to saman vayu is vitiated, the later becomes avrita and in turn annapachan, vivechan and munchan karma of saman are inhibited or decreased.

Sympathetic nerves have dual action in some cases. It increases secretion but if parasympathetic is already causing copious secretion sympathetic usually reduces the secretion mainly by vasoconstriction reducing the blood supply.

Although ENS (enteric nervous system) can function autonomously; ANS connects ENS centrally. When ANS activity is increased it has its impact on gastrointestinal tract.

Sympathetic overstimulation causes vasoconstriction which reduces secretion of gastric juices and pancreas exocrine secretion. Their insufficiency can cause malabsorption syndrome in which predominant feature is steatorrhoea, deficiency of fat soluble vitamins, protein and carbohydrate deficiency related features.

As compensatory mechanism vasodilatation in skin leads to excessive sweating and skin related features.

Saman avrita Pran

Role of saman along with agnideepan is to help in pachan and sara kitta vibhajan. Thus along with pitta, saman plays its major role in metabolism. If saman gets prakopit sara kitta vibhajan does not takes place properly and kitta bhaga gets upashoshit along with sara bhaga. Thus kitta munchan prakriya does not take place. This condition may be noted in metabolic acidosis, hypercalcemia and uraemia. The kitta bhaga now alters the gati of pran or in other words neuronal excitability. It may show symptoms like confusion seizures, coma and death. It may also depressed the respiratory centre causing hyperventilation or Kussmaul breathing.

Saman avrita Udan

The same kitta bhag depending on sthan obstructs the gati of udan. The bala, prayatna, urja adi karma are reduced.

Conditions can be observed in hepatic coma where in increase levels of ammonia (kitta bhag) interfere with cerebral energy metabolism and with Na⁺, K⁺, ATPase pump. Number and size of astrocytes are increased. They alter the nerve cell function and causes symptoms of fatiguebility, altered sensorium and coma. (prayatna nasha)

Similarly Hyperthyroidism may also be considered. Saman is said to be Agnibala pradha, it leads to increase in catabolism. Energy gets exhausted with increase catabolism reducing the bala prayatna which is the role of udan vayu as seen in thyrotoxicosis.

Apan avrita pran

Interplay exists between apan the eliminator and pran the controller of the body system. Mismatching between apan and pran karma leads to various disorders. If the srijan karma and gati of apan related to adan karma of pran gets vitiated the pran vayu gets avrita and in turn causing shwas, confusion, coma and death.

Loss of Na⁺, Cl^-, H⁺ and extra cellular fluid depletion occurs in excessive administration of diuretics or in congenital chlorodiarrhoea. It leads to increase concentration of plasma HCO₃ which leads to condition such as apathy, confusion and drowsiness.

In anxiety induced hyperventilation excessive loss of CO₂ takes place. PaCO₂ and H⁺ falls. The low PaCO₂ results in reduced renal Na⁺/H⁺ exchange due to which patient feels short of oxygen.

Recently a friend of mine visited his hometown and saw a group of his high school friends for the first time in a long while.  His friends had been athletes in high school, in shape and vigorous.  He told me that he was saddened to see how time had taken its toll on so many of his friends.  Several of them were extremely overweight.  A few suffered from diabetes type 2.  There were those who had battled cancer and heart disease and those who looked weak, ill and just plain “old.”

My friend said he left the group feeling grateful for his health and vitality.  Should he be grateful or should he be patting himself on the back?

I think he should be doing both of the above.

There is no doubt that a tendency to good health is genetic.  At the same time, we know that more illnesses can be prevented and Ayurveda teaches us that it is possible for the vast majority of us to enjoy a healthy and happy old age.  Old age will come knocking at your doorstep and, of course,  you want to enter this stage of life with a vital physiology.

The human physiology is an aspect of the natural world and if we do not live according to the Laws of Nature we will experience disease and a less than delightful old age.  Living life according to the Laws of Nature is more than common sense but once one learns the basic concepts following the directives is easy.  In our book Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way Sandra and I explain these concepts in detail.  Whether you wish to avoid depression or strive to have a healthy old age the answers are the same:  keep doshic balance and clear the physiology of toxins (ama).

The three doshas (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha) operate in the macrocosm of the universe as well as in the microcosm of the human being.  Every aspect of the natural world, including the human being, is a pattern of intelligence, and it is the doshas that govern the workings of this pattern of intelligence.  Knowing how the doshas influence your individual mind and body is the key to functioning in harmony with nature.  The necessary tools are awareness and intentionality.  Awareness of how the doshas function allows us to become intentional about our daily choices and habits in order to keep our physiology in a state of balance.  Had my friend’s buddies had this awareness I believe they, for the most part, would be enjoying vitality, not illness, in their old age.  Read about the doshas in Chapter 3 of Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way.

  Ama is the Ayurvedic word for toxic accumulation.  Whereas Western medicine focuses primarily on putting substances into the body (such as medicines) Ayurveda has always considered purification of the physiology – getting things out –  to be equally important for health maintenance.

According to Ayurveda,  “gunk “is what causes disease because it blocks the free flow of our innate intelligence at different levels of our being.  This gunk, or ama, is the product of inefficient metabolism.  There are three types of ama:  physical, mental, and emotional.  Physical ama obstructs our biological processes and is formed when the food we eat is not digested properly. Emotional ama is a residue carried from one experience to another, obstructing the full enjoyment of the here and now.  Mental ama blocks access to our inner knowledge, our intuition.  Ama cements depression and illness.  A physiology filled to the brim with ama will not be a physiology capable of an active and healthy old age.  Read about how to prevent the accumulation of toxins in the mind-body in Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way.

Once disease invades the mind-body it becomes very difficult to return to vitality and good health.  Old age will sneak up on each of us one day at a time but this stage of life doesn’t have to be a time of misery.  Ayurveda gives us all the information we need to enter old age with vitality and happiness.  We just need to apply the information in our own lives.  We encourage you to begin to learn about the doshas and ama today and to prepare for a vital future and a totally enjoyable old age!

Thanks for reading and have a great week,

Many people experience minor anxiety when the plane they are on is about to take off.  This anxiety, which dissipates when the plane lands, is an example of temporary anxiety.  On the other hand, constant overwork, worries about children, economic concerns, taking care of elderly parents, loss of a significant relationship or health concerns are just of few of the life events that can trigger chronic anxiety.  In addition, hidden assumptions or unreasonable expectations of self can also cause chronic anxiety.

What is anxiety?  Anxiety is a mind-body response to a situation that is stressful or perceived as stressful.  An anxious reaction can save your life.  For instance, if you are driving and see another car headed toward you in your lane of traffic, your mind-body will be flooded with chemicals which enhance your ability to be alert and to handle this dangerous situation astutely.  However, if you suffer from chronic anxiety it is as if you constantly have your foot on your internal accelerator constantly pumping these same chemicals into your physiology.  Eventually, mental, emotional, and physical problems will result.  On-going anxiety will upset your balance.  Some of the more severe forms of anxiety are as follows:

Panic attacks:  sudden and overwhelming fear, accompanied by symptoms such as shortness of breath, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, nausea, etc.

Phobias:  internal fear which is directed at a specific situation such as fear of flying, fear of open spaces, fear of public speaking, fear of social encounters, etc.

Obsessive-compulsive disorders:  internal fear which directs the individual to an activity such as repeated hand-washing or checking the stove over and over again.  One doesn’t want or need to perform these repetitive activities but feels compelled to do so.  Oftentimes the individual believes something bad will happen if the repetition is neglected.

Post-traumatic stress disorder:  we have all heard of this disorder as it is epidemic for returning soldiers.  In PTSD the individual experiences flashbacks and nightmares after experiencing a highly stressful event.

Fortunately, most of us avoid having a severe form of anxiety.  We all have to manage anxiety and we do this  in a number of ways.  Some people find listening to music to be soothing, playing a sport or reading a good novel can relieve anxiety.  Hobbies or a focus on work or having “fun” can also be helpful.  However, in their quest to relieve anxiety many other people fall into bad habits.  Over-eating, over-working, abusing drugs or alcohol, or zoning out in front of the television are all examples of coping mechanisms which might work in the short-term but ultimately will increase anxiety.

Vata Dosha

Ayurveda (and quantum mechanics) inform us that the elements of nature are expressed in our human physiology.  Vata dosha is the Ayurvedic term for the combination of the elements of air and space.  According to Ayurveda, the main treatment for anxiety is to restore balance to Vata dosha.  Anxiety is primarily triggered by an aggravation in this dosha.   Following are some Ayurvedic suggestions for treatment for balancing Vata dosha and sending anxiety scurrying away.

1.  Meditation:  A major scientific study which was reported in the Journal of Clinical Psychology showed that the Transcendental Meditation program was twice as effective in reducing anxiety as any other type of meditation.  To refresh your knowledge of meditation read Chapter 9 in Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way.
2. Regular routine:  Problems with anxiety will diminish  naturally  if you have a regular lifestyle.  Try, as best you can, to go to bed at approximately the same time every night and to rise at about the same time.  Eat your meals at approximately the same time everyday and exercise and meditate at the same times.  Order in routine calms the mind-body.  Rushing about, grabbing meals on the run and living without routine disturbs the natural balance of the mind-body.
3. Your body is an aspect of the natural world and if you live within the laws of nature you will feel better (and less anxious).  Go to bed around 10 p.m. and rise around 6 a.m.  This is when the body is meant to rest and to do its “clean-up” work.  Staying up late at night will cause physiological havoc—and anxiety.
4. If you suffer from chronic anxiety or wish to avoid anxiety follow a vata-pacifying diet.  Read Chapter 14 in Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way to refresh your knowledge on nutrition.
5. Daily Oil Massage:  It has been said that the expression “getting the royal treatment” refers to the days when the maharajas (Hindu princes) regularly received Ayurvedic massages from their servants.  You, too, can treat your mind-body to this majestic experience, knowing that there is Western scientific proof to back the assertions made by the Vedic sages.  Oiling the skin improves one’s ability to digest life by building strength and flexibility, toning the nervous system, enhancing immunity, inducing hormonal balance.  In Chapter 13 of Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way we discuss the benefits of daily oil massage.  To put it in a nutshell:  massage calms the nervous system and is a terrific treatment for anxiety.

We have listed just a few treatments which will benefit you if you suffer from the debilitating effects of anxiety.  According to Ayurveda, the root cause of anxiety is a separation from our deepest self.  When this happens we lose our ability to live in the present.  We experience discontent in our lives, wishing this or that was different.  We worry about the future and we mourn the past.  When our fears become debilitating our anxiety becomes bound—-we fear one thing such as flying or open spaces.  In severe cases of anxiety an individual can become afraid to leave the home.

Meditation is the primary treatment for anxiety as it supplies the mind-body with deep and curative rest.  It gives inner silence and allows us to integrate our inner experience with our experience of the outer world.  It settles us and produces calmness and joy.

Anxiety is the enemy.  We hope you do not encounter this enemy but if you do, arm yourself with Ayurvedic interventions.  You do not have to live with chronic anxiety.  This is not your birthright.  According to Ayurveda, happiness is your birthright and can be attained through life style interventions which bring harmony to the mind-body.

Overgeneral memory, we were told in this article, is a tendency to recall past events in a broad, vague manner.  Mark Williams, the clinical psychologist who led the memory study atOxfordUniversityinEngland, said overgeneral memory was “an unsung vulnerability for unhelpful reactions when things go wrong in life.”

Now researchers atOxford, atNorthwesternUniversityinIllinois, and at other universities are conducting studies with thousands of teen-agers to determine whether those with overgeneral memory are more likely to develop depression later on.

“Based on everything we know of memory specificity and depression, there’s a good chance that we will find these effects” said Dirk Herman, a research psychologist at theUniversityofLeuveninBelgiumwho collaborates with Dr. Williams.

As I was reading this article in The New York Times I thought that I “heard” the ancient Vedic sages exclaim, ‘Yes, yes, you will find those effects, but only because memory problems and depression spring from the same ultimate cause.’

“You see,” the sages said, “memory problems and depression are both related to Vata imbalances.  Balance Vata and memory and mood will improve.  These scientists are learning what we knew thousands of years ago,” said the sages, “but they are not looking at the holistic picture.  They are seeing only symptoms.   Both memory and mood are symptoms of imbalances in Vata dosha.”

Do you understand?  Both physics and Ayurveda tell us that five elements lie at the basis of the natural world.  These elements combine:  air and space form Vata dosha, fire and water form Pitta dosha, and water and earth form Kapha dosha.  The doshas are expressed in all aspects of nature, including our mind-body.  They are overarching homeostatic principles regulating the functioning of our physiology.

When we understand the doshas and how to keep them in balance we are able to stay healthy.  Symptoms are the last stage in the disease process but when we look at doshic imbalances we are able to identify potential problems before symptoms occur.

Vata is referred to as the “King of the Doshas.”  It is responsible for regulating all the movement in the mind-body.  Its purview is the nervous system.  When Vata is out of balance, due to situations, events, or lifestyle, both memory and mood will be adversely affected.  Memory often is affected first.

In our book Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way we discuss Vata dosha at length.  We explain it from the viewpoint of the ancient sages and from the viewpoint of modern quantum mechanics.  We also devote a great deal of our book to a discussion of “balancing acts.”  Depression is created and depression can be undone.  Keep Vata dosha in balance and you will be able to insure that your memory is specific, not overgeneral.   You can, with Ayurvedic knowledge, avoid depression and improve your memory all through particular Vata balancing lifestyle changes.

Have a happy day (and remember everything you do today!)

Last week our blog discussion was about taking care of ourselves in the winter months.  Today I want to begin by discussing why our nutritional needs vary during different times of the year and I will end our discussion by giving you some tips for optimizing digestion all year long.

Our nutritional needs vary because living a healthy life is all about keeping our mind-body in balance.  In our book Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way we state that achieving good health and its by-product happiness and staying healthy and happy is all about elemental balance!

According to Ayurveda (and modern quantum mechanics) everything in the natural world (from the weather to our individual mind-body (!)) is an expression of the five elements.  These elements are air space, fire, water and ground.  Today’s scientists (and the ancient Ayurvedic  sages)  inform us that the five elements combine.  Air and space combine as do fire and water and ground and water.   The Sanskrit word for the combinations of these elements is dosha.    Air and space form Vata dosha, fire and water form Pitta dosha, and ground and water form Kapha dosha.

An Ayurvedic rule is that in order to stay in balance we must eat foods having different qualities than what we are experiencing at any given time. Therefore, in winter when Vata dosha , the combination of space and air dominants we need to eat heavier, more dense foods.  Why?  This is because the qualities of Vata are coldness, lightness, dryness.  Food having opposite qualities will help to keep us in balance.

To balance the qualities of Vata dosha we need to reduce food that is cold, dry, light, spicy, bitter (e.g. green leafy vegetables) and astringent (e.g. apples, beans).  We need to favor foods that are warm, oily, heavy, sweet (e.g. wheat, milk, rice), sour (e.g. yogurt, tomatoes, citrus fruit, and salty (e.g. nuts).  We need, in the winter months, to eat more than in the summer, but never more than can be digested easily.

If we become unbalanced symptoms will show up in our vulnerable area.  Vulnerabilities will vary from individual to individual.  Some people, if unbalanced, might begin to experience colds and the flu while others might tend toward depression.  Left unattended imbalances morph into chronic diseases.  Food is not the only thing that helps to keep us in balance, but it is certainly a huge part of health.  It has been said that the answer to how you feel emotionally and physically lies, in part, in the morsel at the end of your fork.

In order to avoid chronic disease it is important to pay attention to what you eat every single day.  Of course an occasional lapse of eating a food that isn’t correct for your mind-body isn’t going to cause you a problem.  Difficulties (and chronic disease) come about when mistakes are made continually over time.

Understanding your body’s biological needs bolsters the desire to support those needs.  After all, everyone wants to feel good.  Knowledge precedes action.  To know and understand your biological needs, listen to your body.   Our goal is to see that you maintain your elemental balance.  The eventual result will be a healthy glow and a vibrant spirit.

And now let’s look at some tips for maximizing your digestive processes at all times of the year.  When digestion is effective then nutrients are distributed and all the systems of the body are nurtured and supported.  Nurturance and support of the physical systems leads to a healthy and happy you.  We wish you the best in your quest for health and happiness!

1. Eat when you are hungry.  Hunger is Mother Nature’s prompt that it is time to eat. Learn to recognize the natural signals, and eat only when you are hungry.  Ayurveda, and modern science, advises you not to engage in emotional eating.  You probably already knew that, but did you know that if you eat when you are upset, nervous, or unhappy, the food is not digested efficiently?
2. Eat to only 75 percent full. How did you feel last Thanksgiving?  After the meal, did you feel like the stuffed turnkey?  Nothing works efficiently on overload, including your digestive system.  If you stop before you are full, you’ll have room to breathe, and oxygen works wonders in the metabolic process.
3. Do not eat until the previous meal is digested.  Digesting a meal can take anywhere from three to six hours. Digestion consists of a natural assembly line. If you throw something on the line while the previous items are still in process, you will create a jam.  Give yourself time to thoroughly digest your feed before eating again.
4. Avoid large amounts of liquid before, during, or after meals.  Don’t squelch your digestive fire.  Sipping is fine during meals, but large amounts of liquid dampen the digestive process.
5. Make lunch the largest meal of the day.  You are part of the natural world.  When the sun is at its highest, your metabolic processes are at their strongest.  Eat the largest meal at that time.  At night the body is shutting down, preparing for rest. Eating large meals late turns your body into a tank of undigested toxins.
6. Avoid iced drinks and carbonated beverages. Your digestive enzymes and other vital factors were intended to operate at body temperature.  Iced drinks hamper the digestive process.  (Ice water is neither nice nor wise).  Enzymes also function best within a narrow pH range.  Carbonated beverages are, in general, highly acidic.  By altering the pH of the physiology, they impair the breakdown of food.
7. Chew your food well.  Your teeth play an important role in the digestive process.  By breaking food down into smaller pieces, chewing increases the surface area of the food particles. Enzymes and other bio-chemicals then have more area on which to work, and the food is broken down into nutrients more efficiently.
8. Avoid large quantities of raw foods. Raw foods do have a higher nutritional content than cooked foods, but they are difficult to digest.  In order for our physiology to benefit from the extra nutritional value of raw foods, it must produce a more scorching digestive fire.  Thus, we only succeed in taxing our digestive system if we eat raw foods in excess.

Have a good week!  Next week I will write about going home for the holidays.  So often people look forward to going home but they leave feeling misunderstood, disappointed and sometimes angry as well.  It is possible to use those trips home to cultivate a deeper awareness of self and to leave feeling proud and fulfilled.  We’ll “talk” about how you can go home and leave feeling fulfilled and happy next week!  In the meantime have a good week and enjoy food that will help to keep Vata dosha in balance.

As you might imagine a lot of the dinner conversation here revolves around various aspects of health, diet, bodily functions and the effects of various treatments. Discussing the details of the state of one’s bowels is a pretty normal mealtime conversation amongst foreigners in India. Rather like the ever variable and unreliable weather in the UK, it is a subject which preoccupies, and is thus of great interest to many travellers here.

Most of the other guests seemed to be taking a variety of pills and potions, except me! Then I got my prescription of ‘internal medicine’, the main one being GHEE!!! (Oh NO!) I have to take a spoonful neat 2x a day, an hour before meals – urgh! I also take 2x a day for my knee problem, tablets  of ‘Yogarajagulgulu gulika’, which disintegrate into an earth-like powder as I try to push them out of the bubble pack and for anxiety, 2 capsules of ‘Alert’.

My external treatment regime has changed to Shirodhara, which is pouring warm oil onto the forehead, and is “the number one treatment for stress”. It starts with a sitting head massage as before (mmmm). Followed by the face massage lying down (more mmmm). Then they tie a headband around above my eyebrows, put in earplugs, gauze pads on my eyes and a plastic pad under my head. “Hot Ok” Asha asks, when they have barely started. At first it was hard to tell, having never experienced this before, but then I decided it was not OK – “too hot!” Now I notice that the correct temperature is crucial – too hot or too cool and it’s a bit enervating, when it’s right it is sends one off into a blissful altered state of consciousness. They pour it across the forehead, moving slowly from side to side, and I must say it is an extremely pleasant sensation. The first time I was a bit distracted by rather a lot of whispered chatting going on, so the second time I had to find a way to politely ask them to be silent, which they are now (- not an easy thing for Indians who seem to be one of the chattiest nations on earth. Perhaps it’s not a paradox that this noisiest of countries is the best most known for the cultivation of inner silence!). Dr Vibin warned me that I might get some mental / emotional disturbance during the days of shirodara. So far the main thing I’ve noticed is lots of rather wild and vivid dreams, which [unusually for me] I can still remember a couple of days after.  He also says that with a vata disturbance, I am to avoid salads, yogurt, fried foods and all cold food and drink and to keep out of the sun. (So I will not be returning with a suntan!)

Dr Vibin.

The other new treatment is janu vasti, knee therapy. They do a brief oil massage followed by 5 mins steaming, then build a little clay rampart around my knee caps and fill it with dark, warm oil, which they keep replacing, for another 5 mins.

It feels very pleasant but after only 2 days my knee is still making the same worrying noises when I flex and extend it. Again no yoga during this treatment.

This doctor does not seem to be very into yoga, although he did tell Midum to give me some exercises for my eyesight and I am allowed to do those.

I have to say that I was becoming a bit bored by the lack of variation in the yoga classes and more into just doing my own practice in my room. At first there were some things I liked about Midum’s class. He begins with some good joint warm up movements, does every posture twice, builds up to shoulderstand by doing viparita karani (half shoulderstand) 2x before and has a nice, post relaxation, finishing sequence of self massage and mantras. I asked him about why he and Binu both do so much lying down straight leg raises and basically he does not know, but he noticed me doing them differently and says he’s learned something from me!

Just as we were becoming lulled into a sense of peace, the idyllic quiet of this lovely spot was shattered two nights ago when there was an earplug piercingly loud teenage party on the river bank. For us lot who are all tucked up in bed by 9 pm it was quite a shock to the system and we all turned up to breakfast looking like we had danced and drunk the night away at the party rather than lain in bed with a pillow over our heads! In India always be ready for the totally unexpected!

Cold misty mornings were not on my expected list either but cool nights means no mosquitos and good sleep.

The 5 elements that create the universal reality (air, space, fire, earth, water) are found within 3 Dosha, bio-energies Vata, Kapha and Pittta, which determine the physical appearance and body functions of the body such as breathing, digestion, escretion, the formation and growth of bones, intellectual and emotional capacities.

Each person has the energy in different proportions. Ayurveda teaches more about themselves by identifying their strengths and weaknesses to adopt healthy habits in the natural rhythms according to each establishment. In effect only when the body, mind and soul are in harmony that perfect health is possible. The diet plays key role in Ayurveda. Foods contain the same 5 elements that make up living organisms and can affect the 3 doshas, paying attention to what you eat. Ayurveda recommends eating according to its own constitution, by eating foods that reduce the power of dominant Dosha.

Knowing your Ayurvedic constitution, you will know what your dosha dominates, and physiology that will allow you the balance through diet, exercise and a healthy lifestyle to maintain good health.

Tips for the balance of the 3 doshas (bio-energy).
VATA types should avoid products bitter, pungent and astringent that cause gas.
Sweet substances, acid and salt are favorable.
Vata imbalance needs to relax. The type Vata tends to want to always exceed its limites.Il must therefore devote time to rest, relaxation, massage oils, medicines daily to recharge energy that consumes Vata particularly because of his nervous temperament. He recommends going to bed before 22 hours. Meditation is advised to pacify the Vata Dosha through deep relaxation.

Pitta types should avoid sour, salty and spicy that aggravate the fire, they should instead choose foods sweet, bitter and astringent. Pitta Dosha is intense. He was pacified by moderation. The intense energy and fiery Pitta can burn you if you use them too much. Pitta imbalance moves a lot, is hyperactive. To stay healthy we must then be careful and slow pace. The Constitution Pitta must avoid excesses and opt for moderation. Massage tip: Abhyangam Garshan and 1-2 times per week.

Kapha types should avoid sugary foods, fatty and salty that increase body water and prefer the taste pungent, bitter and astringent. The Kapha constitution should stimulate circulation and eliminate toxins that are stored in the body. It is however recommended that regular massages and exercise and limited sleep.

The 5 elements that create the universal reality (air, space, fire, earth, water) are found within 3 Dosha, bio-energies Vata, Kapha and Pittta, which determine the physical appearance and body functions of the body such as breathing, digestion, escretion, the formation and growth of bones, intellectual and emotional capacities.

Each person has the energy in different proportions. Ayurveda teaches more about themselves by identifying their strengths and weaknesses to adopt healthy habits in the natural rhythms according to each establishment. In effect only when the body, mind and soul are in harmony that perfect health is possible. The diet plays key role in Ayurveda. Foods contain the same 5 elements that make up living organisms and can affect the 3 doshas, paying attention to what you eat. Ayurveda recommends eating according to its own constitution, by eating foods that reduce the power of dominant Dosha.

Knowing your Ayurvedic constitution, you will know what your dosha dominates, and physiology that will allow you the balance through diet, exercise and a healthy lifestyle to maintain good health.

Tips for the balance of the 3 doshas (bio-energy).
VATA types should avoid products bitter, pungent and astringent that cause gas.
Sweet substances, acid and salt are favorable.
Vata imbalance needs to relax. The type Vata tends to want to always exceed its limites.Il must therefore devote time to rest, relaxation, massage oils, medicines daily to recharge energy that consumes Vata particularly because of his nervous temperament. He recommends going to bed before 22 hours. Meditation is advised to pacify the Vata Dosha through deep relaxation.

Pitta types should avoid sour, salty and spicy that aggravate the fire, they should instead choose foods sweet, bitter and astringent. Pitta Dosha is intense. He was pacified by moderation. The intense energy and fiery Pitta can burn you if you use them too much. Pitta imbalance moves a lot, is hyperactive. To stay healthy we must then be careful and slow pace. The Constitution Pitta must avoid excesses and opt for moderation. Massage tip: Abhyangam Garshan and 1-2 times per week.

Kapha types should avoid sugary foods, fatty and salty that increase body water and prefer the taste pungent, bitter and astringent. The Kapha constitution should stimulate circulation and eliminate toxins that are stored in the body. It is however recommended that regular massages and exercise and limited sleep.