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Yoga and AyurvedaAccording to Ayurveda, all disease and misery ultimately is caused by an imbalance of the three bio energies known as the doshas. Like all energies (gravity, electromagnetic, subatomic forces), the doshas too ultimately arise from the field of pure consciousness. If the mind is pure, the energy of pure consciousness flows through us permeating our reality and brings the experience of well-being, eternal peace, and wisdom. However, when the mind becomes impure due to attachment to external objects and desires, the connection to the source of pure consciousness is lost and we experience pain and fragmentation. In Ayurveda we recognize that the mind is mirror-like in nature wherein are reflected the objects seen by the physical eyes, heard by the physical ears, tasted by the physical tongue, and so on. Quickly, there arise desires, aversions, ambitions, envy, hatred, attractions, plans, theories, and an entire imagined universe. The practice of Yoga, or unification, re-establishes the connection between the individual and the universal field of pure consciousness. Yoga removes the attachment to external objects and false knowledge and corrects psychological trauma by merging the mind with the real, the virtuous, and the wellspring of harmony. It really is true. Since the mind plays such an important role in creating health, Yoga plays a vital role in Ayurvedic medicine. Patanjali, the compiler of the original Yoga Sutras, lived approximately between 900-800 B.C. at a time when Ayurveda was flourishing. This profound piece of writing is comprised of merely 195 short aphorisms which would take up no more than twenty pages or so in modern typewritten pages. Yet the Ayurvedic scholars who were contemporaries of Patanjali recognized the practical wisdom in these lines: the attainment of spiritual reality through the purification of the physical and mental bodies. Patanjali is quite detailed and clear as to how mankind can shed the veils and vestures of his emotional and intellectual mind. It is interesting to note that the Yoga teaching, like all true teachings, rests on a solid and strong foundation of spiritual rules which include honesty, truth, cleanliness, discipline, and obedience.
The original teaching of Patanjali’s system of yoga describes a consecutive sequence of eight stages, ashtanga yoga, to achieve unification with pure consciousness (ashta = eight).. The Eight Stages of Yoga
Yoga Therapy The physical benefits of Yoga asana practice are well-recognized. Yoga asanas are a set of physical movements which when practiced regularly stretches, lengthens, and tones the muscles, ligaments, and connective tissues. It also improves circulation, promotes mental calm, reduces stress hormone levels, and is physically and mentally restorative. All of these are the general effects of a yoga practice experienced by almost everyone. |
