How Yoga & Ayurveda CaN Support Our Well-being
May is mental health month, and having a calm and serene mind is considered to be a cornerstone of health, according to Ayurveda. Our mental state can impact many areas of our lives. The state of our mind and emotions will directly affect our digestion, metabolism, hormones, glandular system, and immune system. Research shows that mental health is closely linked with GI health. Emotions like stress, anxiety, and mood swings may trigger stomach problems and gastrointestinal disturbances, affecting mental health.
Many things influence our mental state ranging from the food we eat, what we expose to, our sense organs, the environment, the people that we surround ourselves with, and our sleep. These all will have a direct impact on our mental well-being.
Another factor that has recently come to light due to the pandemic is loneliness. Loneliness and mental well-being are not new. However, in light of the increased sense of separation and isolation, we are now paying more attention to the problem. Chronic loneliness occurs when feelings of loneliness and isolation go on for a long period of time. This has increased since the pandemic and is characterized by constant and unrelenting feelings of being alone, separated, or divided from others and unable to connect on a deeper level. High blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, a weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer's disease, and even death can be health risks of loneliness. We are communal beings, and having a tribe is essential to our mental well-being. Finding a sangha, community, or tribe that we connect with is very important for our happiness.
Yoga and Ayurveda have a lot to offer to help us navigate and digest our feelings, emotions, relationships, and life experiences. Just as we need to have a balanced and robust digestion to digest our food in order to be physically healthy, we also need to have strong mental digestion in order to digest our emotions and have a healthy mind. There is a popular saying in Ayurveda, “Your issues are in your tissues”. This refers to having the ability to digest our life. Meaning that digesting our thoughts, emotions, feelings, and belief systems just as we need to be able to digest the meal we had last night. If we do not, just like last night’s undigested meal would turn into ama/toxins in the body, our undigested emotions will become ama and eventually develop into a disease process. Here are a few ways to use these ancient sister sciences to enhance our mental well-being.
Yoga, for example. When we are on our mat, we can use physical postures to open the channels in our bodies and build strength, flexibility, and balance. But this practice also gives us a chance to hold a position that may be a little or a lot challenging. We need to learn to remain calm, breathe and observe our thoughts, stories, or beliefs that may arise. We can also use our time on our mat to cultivate compassion for ourselves and create a sense of groundedness that will be useful when we are off the mat and living our lives.
Paying attention to our diet is another essential part of our mental well-being. When we eat seasonally, we are feeding the microbiome in the gut. We know that there is a gut-brain connection, and when we eat fresh seasonal food prepared for our constitution that is filled with vitality, the consciousness that is within the food translates into our consciousness and helps us not only to feel better but also to increase our awareness.
Paying attention to our breath is critical for our mental and physical well-being. Taking just a few minutes each day to sit and quiet the mind while observing the breath can go a long way in helping us to feel more embodied and present throughout the day. This can help to cultivate a quality of the mind called Sattva. Sattva is experienced as stillness, balance, harmony, and clarity. Emotional states associated with sattva include happiness, joy, peace, love, freedom, friendliness, openness, creativity, fulfillment, and inspiration. When we have clarity of mind and discernment, it will allow us to feel at peace, grounded, and present.
Creating daily practices or rituals is a beautiful way to express love to yourself by taking the time each day to care for your nervous system and your sense organs.
Some examples of this could be: Practicing a self-massage with a medicated oil, cleaning your sense organs through nasal irrigation by using a neti pot, nasal oil, splashing the eyes with cool water, or spritzing with some rosewater, putting a few drops of sesame oil in the ears and taking a few minutes to swish some oil in your mouth after flossing and brushing your teeth will send a message to your mind that you are worthy of self-care.
Implementing some of these practices can help to create an environment to cultivate the quality of sattva. I encourage you to take some time each day to implement some self-care practices in order to be ready to help support and care for other loved ones in your life. I am happy and willing to work with you to put together a protocol.
Lastly, I cannot encourage you enough to take some time out of your busy life and schedule to leave everything behind just for a few days and get away. I like to offer this in the form of a retreat in a beautiful location with daily practices of yoga, breathing techniques, meditation, hiking, soaking in hot springs, and community. If this sounds like something that would feed your mind, body, and soul, I invite you to join me and my dear friend Michelle for a week of rest, learning, and adventure on the big island of Hawaii. The details are here.