Ayurveda,The Cultivated Soil for Seeding new age Lifestyles
In the United States there has been an uprising in awareness about healthy living, eating and lifestyles. An interesting phenomenon has been observed by those who have studied the scriptures of the Vedas, and who have intimate understanding about the Ayurvedic way of life.
This understanding – is that the majority of valid and effective approaches to diet, routine, meditation and sound spiritual thinking that have been exalted within this culture and hailed as “new age” or “new thought.” These have been obtained from the vast-scope of knowledge already provided, recorded, organized and disseminated from century to century through the delivery of the Ayurvedic system of health and lifestyle management.
How we approach our moment now, how we conduct the energy within our hearts, how we choose to breathe, eat and the routines we choose for daily living activities such as sleeping and working – have all been time-tested on the human population for more than ten thousand years or more.
The science that verifies this, has carbon-dated this knowledge to be around five thousand years – yet Vedic scholars tell us that it is far older – as temple monks used to verbally transmit these teachings from century to century before this vast scope of knowledge was ever put down into the carbon-dateable words of the Sanscrit language.
Sorting Through and Separating Out The Cream From The Curds
Reverence and respect play a very important role in the success of the Ayurvedic lifestyle. There is a conscious thrust within this lifestyle and thinking approach for proper verification of its source, and proper acknowledgment of it’s sacred nature.
In the US today – we have a profound difficulty with the media blasting our population with un-verified mis-information. There is little in the way of checks and balances for us to use to verify the information we receive about health, food and critical life-enhancing knowledge.
This imbalance within the culture is due to the scope to which the human body has fallen out of synchronicity with the natural world we are an intimate part of. Even our breath – one of the most critical processes of our bodies – a process so powerful it can be used to place the heart into a condition of healthy stasis – has been minimized so completely, most people today are shallow chest-breathers.
The art of breathing is as essential as the art of eating and feeding our sacred bodies with the fruits of life – delivered through the profound organized processes of our living, breathing universe. We need to understand how to separate the cream of information from the curds of bunk that throw our lives into a condition of struggle.
Ayurvedic Wisdom For Effortless Health and Well-Being
Breathe deeply. People today breathe shallower than necessary. The result is that they don’t get the ample amount of oxygen their body needs. This does affect our clarity of thought.
The lack of true reverence and respect for the nature, processes and the actions we engage on a daily basis – have led to a profoundly reduced effectiveness by the body to deliver optimum health. This minimization of reverential awareness has caused a shortness of breath and a lack of awareness about how to properly breathe.
This is because the deepest inner-relaxation of the internal organs and muscles that operate our bodily processes are only obtainable by engaging the whole being in a condition of reverence and respect for that greater process that delivers our food, health, ability to think and ability to give thanks.
When we sink into a state of true reverence for the sacred – as almost every ancient and indigenous culture on earth held up as an extremely high value – we engage our physical body and give it the ability to relax internally so deeply that our digestion is enhanced, our circulation improves, our blood flows – every atom making up our internal matter is relaxed more deeply to enhance its function.
This is the cream of Vedanta. We can only achieve the highest states of health, bliss and joy in life by surrendering to the sacred reverence for the supreme process and consciousness under that process that delivered each of us into our bodies sitting before the table of food we enjoy every day.
Understanding The Correlation Between Physics, Vedanta, Science and Faith
Reverence and respect. Belief and faith. These conditions generate a response in our bodies. Faith that our ability to self-heal enhances our experience of life, is an example of how this works. Science has provided astounding verification that our intent changes our experience.
The coaches who work with the worlds greatest athletes teach performance expansion using mental techniques of intent, visualization, states of awareness using breath, and active mental practice. In ancient Ayurvedic scripture – this process is described as Kriya Yoga. Another aspect of this same process, and the roots of the science of hypnotherapy – is called Yoga Nidra.
Breathing deeply lets more oxygen into our lungs and allows it to circulate better, solving small but bothersome problems such as headaches, lethargy, and fatigue. Babies are naturals at proper breathing. If you need a qualified master to help you, babies are available everywhere! Just observe them to watch and learn.
Breathing properly makes your stomach area expand like a balloon upon inhalation and deflate when you exhale. Inhale slowly until it completely fills up, and exhale just as slowly and completely until it’s back to its normal size. Your chest and shoulders should not rise when you inhale.
A Listing Of The Facts: Utilization Of These Principles Include:
Understanding that Ayurveda is the most ancient and most comprehensive system of health care on earth. “New Age” medicine-values and approaches were borrowed from this system
Ayurveda is a “consciousness” based approach to optimal health
We are an integral part of Nature: “Yatha Pinde Thatha Bramhande”
Eating foods which are fresh, alive and vibrant like fruits/vegetables, complex grains, nuts, seeds, sprouts and truly clean water.
Eating in small portions, chewing very well
Drinking plenty of water, about 1 oz per 2 pounds of body weight
Proper breathing, deep breathing, practice of Pranayama
Meditating daily for at least 20 minutes, using “Self” reflection
Taking 30 minutes of brisk physical exercise daily
Rotation of activities: sit less, walk more
Early to bed and early rise
Minimize compulsive habits; Smoking, Alcohol, Drugs, Tobacco, Junk food
Using the power of your own mind to make an enormous difference in your life and to experience the life of your dreams
Using visualization, positive affirmations and auto-hypnosis to achieve the results you desire
Observing yourself in a detached manner
Doing something good daily; Sweet Words and Deeds
Treating your body like a temple and not treating it like a trash-can (Kaya/Vacha/Manasa) elimination of toxic foods and emotions
Doing cleanses Twice a Year (Spring & Fall) One Week each, Pancha Karma
Frequent Vacations, slow down the pace of life
Try to learn something new, laugh often, take ample rest
Happiness is just a “State of Mind”
Ayurveda is for everyone. These principles connect every human to the self-healing capacity of their own body-mind. They reveal the hidden healing capacities and the true spiritual heights that each human can realistically achieve in their lifetime. Join us. See your qualified local Ayurvedic practitioner today.
Kotakkal Ayurveda - Mother land of modern ayurveda