According to Ayurveda and Yoga: Recent Episodes
Ann Holaday
The concepts of Ayurveda and Yoga are poorly understood and there are many misconceptions about them. The goal of According to Ayurveda and Yoga radio shows is to present authentic knowledge of the science of life and the science of consciousness in a way which is easy to understand. Each week the principles will be discussed and how they can be applied to everyday living to achieve complete health of body, mind and spirit. Management of health can be achieved through Ayurveda and Yoga and therefore freedom from disease can be attained.brbr Supplemental information on the programs is available at www.ataytv.com. A segment of each program will be devoted to questions and comments from listeners.
Subtle therapies stimulate the subtle nature of the body and have a direct affect on the nervous system, the conscious and subconscious mind. They are effective for emotional and mental disturbances ranging from anxiety, stress and worry to chronic conditions such as depression and autism. Mental disturbances are caused by vata aggravation and by combining therapies, emotional and mental balance can be restored. Essential oils are the pure essence of plants and are used in aromatherapy to effect subtle energy. Shirodhara meaning “pouring oil on the head”, is associated with pancha karma, a detoxifying process in ayurveda in which oil is poured on the third eye for a period of time. Marma therapy originated in marshal art in Kerala, India and is similar to acupressure in Chinese medicine. Music therapy is stimulating to the nadis bringing balance to the subtle energies affecting the mind. Using the sitar, an ancient India stringed instrument a vibration is created in treatment.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but beauty within is recognized by the perceiver and the perceived. Controlling the mind is the key to inner beauty, when we are happy, peaceful, loving and contented then we are beautiful to others and to ourselves. Modern living takes it’s toll on our appearance - in and out of air-conditioning and heating, lack of fresh air and sunshine, improper diet and lifestyle all contribute to premature aging, poor immunity and illness. The first step to complete beauty is to understand our true nature and to take an active role in bringing every aspects into balance. The skin is the largest organ and whatever is put on it will go into the system through lymph and will ultimately affect the organs. Therefore, if it cannot be eaten it should not be applied to the skin. Common beauty products as well as household cleaners, chemicals and known toxins will enter the body through the skin, they are stored in the tissues and will eventually cause disease.
Aging is generally defined by those who are not old. From the perspective of Voiceamerica host Ann Holaday, an old person, that definition is mostly wrong. We begin to age as soon as we are born, but the spiritual self which determines our view of the world, remains the same throughout life. The physical body, the mind, the view we have of ourselves and the perception which others have of us, are what change. Loneliness, isolation and lack of purpose are the biggest issues which modern elderly face since families are spread apart, everyone is working, home-life and neighborhoods disappearing. Around 45-55 years our constitution changes from pitta, which has the quality of heat and are the reproductive years, to vata when the qualities of air and space are more dominant. There are eighty diseases related to the disturbance of vata and if we don’t manage our health according to ayurveda, then vata will be aggravated even more. Common ailments related to vata will be discussed.
Pregnancy is a naturally occurring phenomena and an important aspect to life, not only for a woman but family and society as a whole. Mental and physical health during pregnancy determines health of baby, ease of childbirth and management of the newborn. If the mother is anxious, afraid, worried or stressed then these feelings will become part of the baby’s character. The Vedas understood this thousands of years ago and realized that if a baby isn’t loved or wanted during pregnancy and in the early weeks then the child will have those feelings engrained in their personality. Optimum health at conception for men and women is most important and ayurveda advises a period of preparation especially if there are fertility issues. The first six weeks after birth are critical for mental and physical health for mother and baby, and is why extended family support is focused on them in the Indian tradition. Natural birth, pregnancy and newborn issues will be discussed with guest Terra Rafael.
Holistic health recognizes that body, mind and spirit are not only connected but interconnected. The female body goes through significant transformation in puberty, in pregnancy and in menopause and ayurveda believes that these naturally occurring processes should be supported by natural means. Natural childbirth, reproductive issues and support for women related to health will be discussed. Men and women have masculine and feminine energies and the feminine is that of nurturing, caring and emotion which nature gives for procreation. In traditionally the Goddess is revered for her creative powers but in modern society the role of mother is degraded and the feminine is exploited as a sexual symbol. This attitude is reflected in young women especially when her body is preparing for childbearing but the society sees it as something to be capitalized upon. Furthermore the workplace neither recognizes nor makes allowances for the challenges which women face because they are female.
In life, change is inevitable but the reality is that the only thing we can change is ourself, and we have control over the choices we make. All the advise in the world is not going to make any difference if we don’t understand ourself and ayurveda principles will guide us. But if we don’t apply them, they won’t help. I may wish you health, wealth and happiness but only health and happiness are realistically attainable. If we are unhappy with the way we are, all we have to do is look in the mirror to see who is responsible. Ayurveda may seem overwhelming, but it mainly focuses on digestion and sleep. In “Daily Practices” practical tips for daily living will be covered based on the information given in previous programs, making the science of life into a way of life. Modern living can be very complicated and ayurveda has simple solutions which can help to gain control of our own and our family’s health. What we do every day is more important to health than what we do once in a while.
Yoga is the practice of uniting body, mind and spiritual self to achieve wholeness. It was realized by the Rishis, the sages of ancient India about ten thousand years ago and was systemized by Patanjali. He devised ashtanga yoga which are eight limbs or actions which are a systematic method by which one can prepare the body and mind to achieve higher states of awareness. Yoga is usually associated with asana which is the physical part of the practice and was developed so that yogis could sit in silence and stillness for long periods of time. Asana is only a practice in Hatha Yoga, one of many yoga practices. The healing power of ayurveda and yoga are profound as it influences gross and subtle energies. Subtle energies are associated with mental, emotional and spiritual health and are nourished through meditation. The energy centers (chakras), channels (nadis) and energy source (kundalini) are described in this program and how they influence the body and our well-being.
Food can either have a positive or negative effect on health. We are much more likely to make a connection to a food that we have eaten recently when we feel a bad effect than to one we have eaten over a long period of time when we develop an ulcer, for example. The food we eat has a profound effect on energy, sleep, immunity, all bodily functions and on the development of disease. Eating is something we do every day and what we do every day is much more important than what we do once in a while. If we want to achieve optimum health we have to eat food which the body can readily digest and convert into nutrition to nourish the tissues. Ayurveda does not consider nutrition as a way of evaluating the diet so much as the six tastes sweet, sour, salty, pungent, astringent and bitter. By balancing these tastes according to our constitution we can not only achieve good health but can use food as medicine. Food should be fresh, organic, free from chemical compounds and mostly plants.
A big part of managing health is lifestyle and a part of lifestyle is living in harmony with nature, with ourselves and the world around us. Our earth is a living organism made up of the five elements which support life. What we see in nature took billions of years to evolve to where even the simplest forms of life could exit. Yet, in what is a nano-second in terms of the life of the Universe, humans are collectively destroying our mother earth. We may feel there is nothing we can do, but if each and every one of us takes care of our own health, our own family and our little part of the world that we are responsible for, collectively we can make a difference. Only we can change the chain of cause and effect. There are more of us than there are of those responsible for the earth’s destruction. My guest Geoff Lawton is a warrior in his quest to educate the world in permaculture, natures way of sustaining the soil in which healthy plant life thrives, the keystone of life on earth.
Spirituality is rarely understood and should not be confused with religion even though there is an element of spirituality in all religions. Thousands of years ago philosophy blossomed in India when sages explored and understood the wonders of the Universe and the role of man on earth. They listened to the sounds of the Universe, interpreted them and taught the people by telling stories they could understand. In the first program the Vedic theory of creation was discussed in which Purusha was said to be the source of consciousness. Spirituality is very personal because we all have a spiritual nature which has an inherent desire to connect to this consciousness. It is our sense of self or identification (EGO) when directed inward, that allows us to make this connection. However, in the material world the ego is mostly directed outward by pleasures and desires, and prevents us from achieving spiritual awareness. Dr. Ravindranath, a Vedic scholar, will share his knowledge in this show.
Ayurveda says that the body mind and spirit are not only connected but interconnected and an imbalance in one will cause a disturbance in the other. The five elements are in subtle forms which affect the mind. The mind has qualities of purity, action and inertia, described as the GUNAS. The Vedas have a comprehensive view of the functions of the mind which when understood allows us to control the mind which is described as the most difficult thing to do, if we don't it will control us. Diet and Lifestyle are just as important to mental health as they are to physical health. Sleep and proper digestion of thoughts and experiences are vital to maintain a balanced mind and if you don't use it, you lose it. Every problem is the effect of a cause and if we have the power to create a problem so do we have the power to correct it. Videos and blogs on mental health at the web-site www.ataytv.com
Ayurveda is holistic medicine based on the five elements - space or ether, air, fire, water and earth. We will discover how the five elements affect physical health. The energies of the the five elements are described as VATA, space and air or “That which moves”, PITTA, fire or “That which transforms” and KAPHA, water and earth or “That which sustains.” These are the “THE DOSHAS” and are one of three pillars of health described in ayurveda. Any imbalance is a disease according to ayurveda and it is the aggravation of the DOSHAS that cause disease. In ayurveda, digestion means not only the digestion of food, but the digestion of thoughts and experiences. Strong digestive fire is one of the main pathways to health and if food isn’t digested properly it creates toxins which accumulate in the body over time and cause disease. Sleep is the diet of the mind and is crucially important to complete health. Videos and blogs on “Physical Health” can be viewed at the web-site www.ataytv.com
Ayurveda and Yoga are sanskrit words, ayur meaning life, veda meaning science or knowledge and yoga means to unite. These universal concepts are the philosophies of sages which originated thousands of years ago in the East but still apply to our lives today. The host tells the story of her discovery of Ayurveda and Yoga and of her passion to inspire every man woman and child all over the world to go back to the true nature of being human through this knowledge. There will be an explanation of the Vedic theory of creation, the law of karma and the qualities of matter, concepts which lay the foundation for the series. Ayurveda is a natural, holistic medical system recognized by WHO. The host and her guest Dr Raghavan will discuss exactly what this means, how Ayurveda differs from modern medicine and how its principles can be adopted to prevent disease and maintain good health. ATAY intends to form a global community by making the science of life a way of life. Join the conversation.