Massage and Meditation

The Rishis knew that everything that existed in nature had a common source. If they found the ultimate source of their "Self" they would find the origin of all things in nature. This is why the Rishis did not go out and collect herbs and experiment on their effects to discover Ayurveda but rather went into deep internal meditation. Deepak Chopra's book "Return of the Rishis" tells this story beautifully. Ayurveda is comprehensive system of medicine and healing that is traditional to India, still today their primary form of health care. It is practiced in many parts of the world and is seeing a rejuvenation here in the West where it is considered complementary health and healing used in conjunction with allopathic medicine. Ayurvedic methods are natural and as vast as the science... proper nutrition, meditation, quality sleep, daily lifestyle habits, yoga, essential oils, sound therapy, color therapy, pranayama (breathing exercises), herbs, massage, touch therapy and traditional ayruvedic treatments, sadhana (spiritual practice) jyotish (vedic astrology), vastu (hindu "science of construction", similar to Chinese feng shui) are all seen as forms of maintaining whole health (health of mind, body, and spirit) and preventative medicine. Ayurveda is a way of living in harmony with nature. When we have strayed too far from our individual rhythms in this industrialized information age, our body goes off balance and lets us know through pains, aches, or tension that we're is too far from who we are. Our bodies are forgiving so most times if we haven't abused ourselves too much, we can work towards balance. It becomes much harder though the longer we live in a state of struggle with our emotions, mind, and pyhysical health. Ayurveda seeks to remind and return us to our natural state of being, that with the divine mother earth, keeping in balance with living in the modern age. Finding our rhythm and slowing down to a pace that won't harm us. In living a life in rhythm with nature we reclaim our connection to our Self. We allow healing to happen naturally when we live in harmony with the divine Mother. When we become out of balance through too much stress, toxins, negative thoughts and emotions, and an unserving lifestyle we lose our connection to the Source of life. We stray further from the Divine Self that resides in us. Ayurveda provides effective sustaining tools to live a happy and healthy life that keeps us connected to our infiinte Source of Intelligence. When we live from this place, we are able to adapt to the challenges and difficulties through expanding our knowledge of Self. From a physical perspective, when looking at an imbalance or illness, Ayurveda looks beyond symptoms and seeks the underlying root of the cause. Sometimes the root of the cause could simply be foods eaten not supported by your dosha (mind/body type consisting of 2 of the five elements) or unhealthy lifestyle patterns that have caught up to your age. Sometimes it shows displeasure and speaks with you through aches and pains. This is where most of us live. One may appear healthy according to Western ideals but a person innantely knows they are suffering inside, whether physical, emotional, or mental. This is ama. Physical ama almost always starts with inefficient digestion. When lifestyle is opposing the needs of your constitution (you skip meals, eat foods not proper for constitution, eat at wrong time, eat while rushed, eat improper food combinations, eat while experiencing negative emotions) you body's digestive fire, agni, dims. Agni is needed to digest and assimilate nutrients into the body. Ama, undigested food, sits in stomach and releases toxic chemicals. Slowly, it clogs the intestines and prevents the colon from assimilating nutrients from digested food. Ama blocks the channels that prevents flow (water, blood, nutrients, oxygen, waste) through the body. It jams the tissues and cells of the body. Ama is an important concept to understand in Ayurveda. We can also collect mental and emotional ama. These are the little irritants and anxieties that pile up each day. Slowly, negative thoughts and energies multiply, leading to larger issues such as insomnia, depression and manifestation into physical sympotoms. Mental and emotional ama are undigested emotions that have not been processed properly. Proper ways to deal with mental ama is meditation. Twice daily meditation provides the vehicle to empty out the 'garbage' before it germinates in both body and mind and if remains too long , can seep into the soul and wreak havoc on your body. An average day, we all have the potential to accumulate ama. Without knowing it we go on a 'toxin collection spree' running the gammut of ill thoughts, ignoring a deeper need, putting off meditation or connecting to source, postponing things that feed our soul, over indulgence, not saying no when right to do, eating late, giving with unpure intentions or thought of receiving something in return, putting off exercise, sitting for long periods, eating rushed, feelings of jealousy, gossip, talking ill of others, eating when angry or experiencing negative emotions, downing too much coffee, feelings of regret, combining improper foods, eating at wrong time, eating fast foods, forgetting appreciation for life giving foods, shallow breathing, not reaching out for help or not feeling connected, hunching over computer all day, hurting over a sensitive comment, not finding outlets for negative emotions, and putting off her own needs for someone else's when your cup is empty. To sum up... not filling up your own cup and straying too far from the rhythm and intelligence of Nature.

“The mind acts like an enemy for those who do not control it.” - Bhagavad Gita

When we seek to prevent illness through ayurvedic practices, ayurvedic specialists will recommend ways to remove ama. Some of these though not complete list in our stressful living habits are... slow ama down and keep the toxins moving out of the body. Elimination should be a part of your morning routine, sweating daily, mindful of choosing fresh over left over or a fast food, drinking plenty of warm water through the day, keeping active to improve circulation and drainage passages in our body. Nourishing the mind through good company, release any judgement of others, cultivate a mind of love, being compassionate, feeding nourishing information into our minds, taking a mental vacation when you're tired, giving freely to others... these small actions that also uplift humanity tone and strength our resilience to external stressors that will always be in life. Soon the peace you think will result in you being peace. Of course, there are times in our lives we may need to seek guidance. Though we must remember our body heals and repairs itself given a good environment to do so. Sometimes too the answers get blocked through clogged channels leaving us feeling stuck. A professional can support the removal of blockages or train you to do it yourself. If we ignore our own body's innate intelligence we stray further from natural healing.

“The power of God is with you at all times; through the activities of mind, senses, breathing, and emotions; and is constantly doing all the work using you as a mere instrument.” - Bhagavad Gita

It may seem unncessary and absurd to go to a health professional when you feel healthy. Ayurveda promotes prevention and maintenance of health so it is advisable as part of our health plan to receive massage regularly (this is not pampering), receive therapeutic treatments as recommended by a holistic professional where you will be treated as a sum of your body, mind, and spirit not just a body to go in for quick repair Seek guidance even if you don't have a full blown cold or pain in your side. This might be lethary, brain fog, or not feeling your best. A practitioner is trained to catch dis-ease at the seed level before the sprouting of it. In time, you will develop an intuitive relationship with your own Self and develop a sense of your own symptoms and innate needs. The ultimate goal of Ayurveda is through health we allow the life force energy to move freely through our body, giving us clarity of mind and moving towards a deeper awareness of the gifts of the soul. That is, our dharma, our purpose, truth of being. As an Ayurvedic Therapist it gives me great joy to benefit others and help them regain health. Ayurveda Herbal Medicine is a healthcare system that acknowledges that body, mind, emotions, and the consciousness that directs all weave together to create our being. We all have a unique constitutional balance, Ayurvedic therapy brings you back to your original essence, and this process brings healing and can even bring about spiritual development. As an Ayurvedic therapist I am primarily an educator and counselor. I help to heal by re-establishing harmony in the physical body mind, emotions and spirit. working at Creeslough. For booking appointments visit
www.ganeshhealing.com



Namaste