Welcome to another post on sharing Eastern and Western perspectives, and how they come together to support our mind, body and spirit.
You might be asking yourself...What the heck is Ayurvedic Psychology? Most people have never heard of such a thing. Well, it's a thing. Ayurvedic Psychology is one of the 8 branches of Ayurvedic Medicine. Remember, Ayurveda is a complete medical system. My previous post titled "What is Ayurveda? Why Ayurveda? How do I Use Ayurveda Everyday?" gives a detailed overview of Ayurveda and the Branches of Ayurvedic Medicine.
In this post we will focus on understanding the branch of Ayurvedic Psychology and how it related to our modern day world. This branch is referred to as Graha Chikitsa or Sattvavajaya or Psycho Veda. They are all interrelated. They form the Psychology branch of this medical system. Graha Chikitsa deals with psychosomatic disorders. Sattvavajaya deals with imbalances of the maha gunas and lack of sattva. Psycho Veda is a compilation of modern psychotherapy and the Ancient wisdom of Ayurvedic Psychology. The blend gives us a comprehensive understanding of this branch. We should also keep in mind that Ayurvedic Psychology is deeply rooted in Yogic Philosophy.
As I mentioned in my previous post, Ayurveda believes that the root cause of all disease begins in the mind. This branch of Ayurveda gives us the tools needed to uncover our authentic selves and heal ourselves on all levels, from gross to subtle.
Let's take a closer look at Satvavajaya Chikitsa (Chikitsa means treatment). This is often referred to as Ayurvedic psychotherapy, along with Psycho Veda. Yogic philosophy and understanding of yoga sutras provides a foundation for understanding Satvavajaya. Charaka Samhita is an Ancient collection of Ayurvedic medical books. We still refer to them today. Several chapters in the Charaka explain Satvavajaya chikitsa and human evolution, structures and functions of subtle and gross human beings and the root causes of health and disease.
Mental health abnormalities and management of imbalances of the mind are found in these chapters. The Yogic and Ayurvedic view of the mind (Manas) and emotions stems from the three Mahagunas; Sattva, Rajas & Tamas.
Sattva – is clear, stable and balanced. This is our natural state of being.
Rajas – is turbulent, restlessness, impulsivity, willful. Yoga and Ayurveda consider this an imbalanced state of mind.
Tamas – is inertia, lethargy, stagnation. Yoga and Ayurveda consider this an imbalanced state of mind.
From an Ayurvedic perspective, the imbalances in the mind can manifest as physical diseases. Among the three, Rajas and Tamas are referred to as mental gunas and when imbalanced, can lead to disease. However, Sattva does not cause disease. So, the premise of Satvavajaya is understanding the person's tendencies, triggers and behaviors and move into a more sattvic state of mind. That may sound simple, but it requires courage and commitment.
Many of us have heard of the 3 doshas which are Vata, Pitta and Kapha. They also play a role in our mental health. Physical prakriti (prakriti means constitution) cannot be altered. A person's prakriti doesn't change as they age. However, the doshas can become imbalanced and that is called Vikriti. These imbalances affect the Mahagunas.
Even more interesting is that our mental doshas can be altered due to traumatic events, or environments. We a can accumulate mental ama (ama means toxicity), just like we accumulate physical ama. The good news is, that mental prakriti can become more sattvic, which will drastically improve our health and quality of life. When imbalances are present in the subtle layers of psyche, the energetic layers, the role of dravyaguna (Ayurvedic pharmacology/herbal combinations) becomes limiting without the support of Ayurvedic Psychology. This is the same idea as a person taking anti-depressants without any support from a loved one or clinician.
Health and disease have two locations. Physical body and Mental body. Both are addressed during Ayurvedic treatment. However, treating the body without treating the mind will hinder the ability to transform the disease. Keep in mind that transforming disease doesn't necessarily mean the disease will disappear. It means the relationship the person has with oneself will transform, which will create the ability for the disease to transform, and therefore dramatically improve quality of life.
Ayurveda is in harmony with the western science of Epigenetics. The role of diet, lifestyle and daily routines play a large role in our emotional well-being. They both express that diet and lifestyle significantly affect our mental health as well as our physical health.
From the Ayurvedic perspective, Sadvritti plays a huge part in our overall health and well being. Sadvritti means code of conduct. In other words, living harmony with nature’s rhythms. Everything that we do matters and everything we take in through our 5 senses matters. Examples of this are, what we do, how we act, what we avoid etc... Are we in harmony with the rhythm of nature? Examples are waking up with the sun, eating largest meal at midday, avoiding late night activities, getting adequate rest, eating according to the season, eating to balance and pacify the doshas through the gunas and the 6 rasas (tastes). I went into more detail about this in my previous post.
Parallels between Ayurvedic principles and modern phycology theories:
Modern psychology concepts such as the mind-body connection, and emotional regulation connect perfectly with Ayurveda lifestyle principles.
The holistic approach in both systems is treating the whole person. Ayurveda views that mental and physical health are deeply interconnected, much like modern biopsychosocial models.
Ayurveda aligns with psychological theories of emotional regulation and cognitive balance. Both Ayurveda and psychology recognize that mental imbalances can manifest as physical illness. For example, stress leading to hypertension, digestive disorders etc…
So, a person may seek out Ayurveda to naturally address their hypertension issue. This is a physical manifestation of a disease. To treat it, Ayurveda looks at the whole person, which means looking at the root cause which turned it into a physical disease. Sure, there are many beneficial herbs to help with Hypertension, but this is only 1 part of the equation. Many people want just the herbs, and yes they will do something, but it's not complete without some form of deeper intervention. Also, if there is too much mental ama it can alter the ability of the herbs to do their job.
The psychological aspects of Ayurveda
Manas Vigyan is the study of the mind in Ayurveda, emphasizing mental clarity, emotional stability and spiritual growth.
Ayurveda encourages cultivating a calm and focused mind through specific practices that encourage balance and clarity.
The role of emotions in mental health, and how practices like meditation, breathwork, and mindful behavior can enhance emotional intelligence and regulate stress.
There are many techniques and methods used in Ayurveda for managing the mind. A few key techniques are: Jnana (Knowledge), Dhairaya (Courage), Vijnana (Wisdom), Smriti( Memory), and Samadhi (complete concentration). These correlate to both Ayurvedic mental health principles as well as modern psychology tools to help generate emotional and cognitive balance. Each technique helps to build a steady and clear mind, guiding the person towards sattva. This is a collaboration of Ayurvedic and Yogic principles. It's too much to elaborate on these in this post. In fact, this is already a lot to take in.
Ayurveda and Yoga offer simple practices for mental and emotional stability:
Pranayama - breathing exercises
Dravyaguna - using Ayurvedic herbs to help support stress and anxiety. Ashwagandha and Brahmi are just a few to help calm the mind.
Ahara ~ Vihara ~ Dinacharya - food intake, lifestyle habits, and daily routines
Dharana & Dhyana - focusing or steadying the mind, and contemplation and meditation.
Ayurveda and modern day psychology both incorporate cognitive-behavioral tools for self regulation. For example, identifying negative thought patterns, reframing perspectives, practicing loving kindness and mindfulness. Modern psychology uses the terminology of focusing on emotional intelligence and stress management. Ayurveda supports this practice, through the understanding of moving towards Sattva and managing Rajas and Tamas.
Both Ayurveda and modern day psychology work side by side to help create lasting emotional stability and resilience. From an Ayurvedic and Yogic perspective, cultivating sattva should be a daily practice. A daily practice is called Sadhana. When we start to live with the understanding that EVERYTHING is a Sadhana, life can shift in unimaginable ways.
Each day, all day, every day...a simple question to ask yourself is..Does this bring me peace? Doing this as a daily Sadhana will help you strengthen your self-awareness and guide you away from things that are causing you harm.
If it doesn't bring you peace, why are you doing it? Another good question to ask yourself.
A daily practice doesn't have to be hard. In fact, it should be easy and simple enough that you want to do it. However, it has to be consistent.
~ Leelah Lakshmi ~
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