An important thing to note about Ayurveda is that it begins with first offering peace to that which is distressing to the being, not war.
Today humanity needs Ayurveda and its holistic principles of restoring health more than ever, especially in the face of limitations from mainstream medicine, which can offer symptom relief, but may not address the cause of disease. In Ayurveda, the cause, which is traced to an energetic of dosha imbalance, is brought back to balance peacefully, via food and lifestyle restoration, and this leads to the destruction of pathology and restoration of health and wellbeing.
When we have run hither and thither enough, cut, punctured, medicated and drugged our body beyond recognition, taken enough hasty and risky actions and bitterly recognized the limitations and reeled from the deadly side effects and become confused and overwhelmed with contradictory information and error filled patch up jobs of fix it medicine, then we can turn to Ayurveda, and its peaceful ways to restore health and wellbeing.
We are tired of the chase. We feel empty, depleted, disappointed and angry, with ourselves, our destiny and at the medical system. We know we must do something different. Surely there is another way?
We see the echo of the sage wish for universal peace in Ayurveda’s constant effort to seek peaceful resolution to pain and disease via choosing positive dosha (energy) balancing lifestyle choices, daily self-care rituals, special foods that delight the senses, and special healing thoughts and mantras that convert a hum drum day into an engagement with something divine and eternally healthy, daily. This approach to regaining health or protecting what we have, contrasts with mainstream medicine’s quick resort to harsh chemicals, invasive and sometimes unnecessary surgeries, hurtful drugs and other fast acting but sometimes costly fixes, where we pay the bill, not only in dollars also by side effects. Ayurveda directs attention towards healing the body and restoring calmness to the mind via a deeply rejuvenating lifestyle prescription called Dinacharya is worth noting here. Lifestyle practice (which I go into detail in my book Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom, Sounds True, 2017) ensures conscious exposure to natural healing agents such as the sun, moon, water, fresh air, earth and good thoughts as well as to healing foods, oils and spices daily in a regulated manner. The body and mind are also greatly benefited with the aid of the right amount of rest, physical activity, good sleep and normal sexual activity that is the body’s lot. In due course, peace prevails. Merit lies in the peaceful surveying of what it will take to retrace our steps daily, and regain balance. Peace is then cultivated daily, by simply living the inspired lifestyle routine. Wisdom lies in stilling the body into a peaceful surrender to mother nature by consuming natural healing agents such as aromatic oils, herbs, flowers and intelligent recipes and lavishing the senses with tasty health restoring fresh food, and painting the body with warmed oils as part of an inspired daily ritual. In the peaceful living of Ayurveda’s lifestyle, health awaits quietly for us, with none of the attending drama of insurance companies, embattled bureaucrats, expensive drugs and forbiddingly high-risk experimental surgeries and intervention protocols.
Inside the peaceful practices of Ayurvedic self care, the flower of health awakens naturally and breathes the air that is peaceful, absorbs the warmth and radiance of a sun that is peaceful, sips the water that is peacefully resting on its petals, rests and digs in deeper into the earth restfully peaceful in its orbit.
Ayurveda reminds us that health is not the source of wellbeing; wellbeing is the source of health, and Ayurvedic medicine gets to work helping us craft this wellbeing everyday.
Acharya Shunya is a globally-recognized spiritual teacher and Vedic lineage-holder who awakens health and consciousness through the Vedic sciences of Ayurveda, Vedanta and Yoga. She is the driving force behind an online wisdom school and worldwide spiritual community, and the author of best-selling book on the Vedic art of mind + body + soul well-being and health, Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom (Sounds True, 2017) and forthcoming second book with Sounds True to be released in 2020, Sovereign Self. Acharya Shunya is a keynote speaker at national and international conferences, and serves as an advisor to the Indian Government in matters pertaining to global integration and cultivation of Ayurveda and Yoga. Receive her free online teachings and browse her current eCourse offerings here or see more about her on Facebook and follow her on Instagram. Subscribe to her YouTube Channel where she holds live Global Satsangs once per month. Study Ayurveda with Acharya Shunya in her online course, Alchemy through Ayurveda.
