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I was first introduced to Ayurveda by a girlfriend while attending massage school. She was super excited about Ayurvedic nutrition and aromatherapy, but the way she presented it was not appealing to me at all. She begged me to go to college in Ayurveda with her in California, and I continuously declined. I had no interest; it seemed like just another typing system.
After I graduated massage school I started working in my own practice as well as working at a local spa. My co-workers at the spa expanded my thinking around massage, acupuncture, herbs, and . . . Ayurveda. It was one little tidbit from a book I was lent that made me fall in love. It said something to the extent of, “The underlying fundamental principle in Ayurveda is that we’re all perfect and complete. All ailments, mental, physical, and emotional, are additions to our perfection, not reductions of it.”
This spoke deeply to me because I loved the idea that we are all whole, perfect beings and that when we are experiencing illness of any sort, we are having something more, but that that something isn’t us and doesn’t define us.
Considering that most of us struggle with deep rooted thoughts that hinder our ability to really shine, like “I’m not good enough,” or “There’s something wrong with me,” and in a world where having a physical sickness is seen as being weak or broken, a system of medicine that holds the certainty of our wholeness, of our enough-ness, of our perfection, is a special thing. And it feels true to me.
In a clinical setting, this has informed everything I do with my patients. When I have someone that is suffering from depression, we look at this as something to be cleared away so their true essence can be lived. When someone with insomnia comes to see me, I try to understand what has been taken on, and then use herbs, food, and lifestyle changes to melt away these factors. If I have a client who wants to reach the next level in their business, but is struggling to do so, we investigate to find what the underlying thoughts are that are blocking the ability to fully express their greatness, and we uproot them.
In your daily life, consider all the areas where you feel “less than” or “broken” and see if you can shift your perspective to being curious what about what you might be carrying around that isn’t actually part of the authentic You.
In some cases it’s very straightforward. When you are sick in bed with a cold, you likely feel weak and horrible, and if you’re anything like me you may find it hard to remember what it feels like to be healthy. The addition here is obviously the bacteria or virus that’s in your system, and removing that – while bolstering your intrinsic wellness – will allow your naturally healthy state to reappear.
But what if you’re feeling chronically tired? In this state it is so easy to feel like there is something fundamentally wrong with you, something is broken or missing. Explore the idea, or just entertain the notion, that in fact, underneath that exhaustion, your sparkle and zest exist – still intact. From this perspective, rather than needing to figure out and add what is missing, or to fix what is broken, one’s task becomes to clear away the elements that are obscuring the expression of this fundamental zest. It opens up possibilities way outside the box of our lack-based thinking and mainstream medical approaches.
I encourage you to always come back to this: you are perfect. And remember that those around us are perfect beings as well. The more that we model this perspective for each other, the more we will be able to release what isn’t serving us and shine as a species.
Love,
Briana and Everyone At The Dragontree
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In last week’s article on longstanding medical philosophies, I introduced India’s ancient system of health and healing: Ayurveda. In any discussion on Ayurveda with English speakers, the first thing to get out of the way is pronunciation. About half the people I meet pronounce the word Ayurveda as “are you veda,”so let’s work on that. The correct way to say it is “ah-yur-veda.” If that’s still too tricky, just pretend it’s the traditional medicine of Ireland and say “Ire-veda” – it sounds the same. As I explained last week, Ayurveda has been around for roughly 3000 years, and it means the “science of life” or the “art of living.” Much more than a means of treating disease, Ayurveda is foremost a system for staying healthy.
It would be absurd to even attempt to give you a nutshell explanation of all of Vedic science. Not that I’m qualified to do so anyway. But I have studied it off and on for the past 20 years, so I know enough to be dangerous … and to convey some of the more interesting and accessible facets of this profound system.
One facet that almost never comes up in the West is karma. It’s also something Westerners tend to be confused about. There’s no simple explanation for karma, partly because Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and others all have different ways of understanding it. But what follows is the most practical interpretation I can give you. (It’s colored significantly by the teachings of Vimalananda, as conveyed by American practitioner and author, Robert Svoboda.)
First, let’s talk about what it’s not. In the West, we tend to think of karma as a system of retribution and reward based on the good and bad things we do, all subject to the evaluation of some universal judge. We do something “bad” and the universe punishes us; we do something “good” and the universe smiles on us. This is natural, steeped as we are in Christian concepts such as sin and virtue, heaven and hell, and the generally vengeful nature of our legal system. More than once, I’ve witnessed something unfortunate, and heard a bystander say, “That’s karma coming to bite you in the ass.” Traditional texts on karma don’t actually mention ass biting, though. Another common misconception about karma is that it absolutely dictates the course of our lives – that all we’re doing is living out the consequences of karma from previous lives.
One way to understand karma is as an expression of debt (rna in Sanskrit) that results from our actions. The cycle of reincarnation is seen as being perpetuated by our having unresolved karmas, or debts, with the world. Our past actions create what are known as samskaras or “imprints” in our consciousness that color our perception, shape our tastes and desires, influence the circumstances we come in contact with, and lead to new actions and karmas. Thus, our past influences our future, but not as directly as some believe. For all the satisfaction we may get from pronouncing that someone just got bitten in the ass by karma, there are countless cases of bad behavior by people who live long, more or less happy lives, because karma just doesn’t work that way. In fact, the traditional understanding is that we are here to work out karma from previous lives, and that karma accumulated in this lifetime isn’t resolved until a later rebirth.
Classical sources emphasize that there is a key element that dictates whether an action will produce a debt – or we could say reaction – that we will eventually experience: the identification of oneself as the doer of the action. As Robert Svoboda writes, “The more strongly you identify with your karmas, the more closely your experience will conform to the reaction they promise.” Thus, the more we think that we’re steering the boat and that we’re making the river of life flow – rather than simply going along for the ride – the more likely we are to engage in actions that produce debt. Svoboda continues, “ The Law of Karma, the unimaginable complexity of which has cowed the greatest of scholars, loses some ability to dismay when viewed through the prism of surrender.”
Sometimes I think of karmic debt in chemistry terms. When atoms and molecules interact, bonding and separating, charges are created and neutralized. Charged particles “want” to be neutralized. A molecule with a positive charge and another with a negative charge will readily bond so that both are stabilized and form a neutral product. In a similar same way, we could see ourselves as coming into life with numerous charges – each of which represents an unsettled debt with a particular person. Sometimes we’re the “creditor” and sometimes we’re the “debtor.” The other parties have these charges related to us, too, and the charges draw us to one another.
Now, here are some (highly over-simplified) examples. If one soul has a debt to repay to another soul, the creditor might be born as the child of the debtor. Thus, the parent will give a tremendous amount in energy and money to the child, and in so doing, both souls will have the opportunity to rectify the debt. On the flip side, it may occur that a child is born to a parent to whom they owe a karmic debt. One way this might manifest could be that the child ends up being the parent’s caregiver or working to support the parent financially.
Or, let’s say you and another feel a strong mutual attraction. You date for a few months, buy them some meals, give them some orgasms, and at a certain point, the attraction is suddenly gone. One possible interpretation through the lens of karma could be that the initial attraction was fueled by the draw of a karmic debt. The ensuing exchange of energy may have rectified the debt. Finally, with no remaining debt, the “charge” disappeared.
Vimalananda, an Indian mystic, said, “I am very anxious to finish off my cycle of births and deaths so I allow every person who has any rnanubandhana [“debt bondage”] with me to take whatever they are entitled to. Whether they are destined to make my life miserable, or to make me poor, or whatever, I don’t mind. Let them do it; they cannot take from me any more than the value of the debt I owe them. The moment I object in any way, then karma has begun. Likewise, if I have to take from someone I take only what I know I am entitled to, no more and no less.” In Vimalananda’s case, he was said to have the advantage of being able to perceive the precise nature of his karmic debts with others, so he could resolve them as efficiently as possible. To those who are conscious of the philosophy of karma and intent on being liberated from debt, one of the primary purposes of life is to allow these debts to be repaid, and in the process to experience an increasingly light existence.
Whether you choose to interpret this discussion literally or more metaphorically, perhaps the key lessons are these: First, whatever happens to you, try to consider it an expression of the balancing forces of nature. Even if it seems unfortunate, notice what happens if you surrender to it and trust that knots are being untied in the process, and that you will be ever more free through your acceptance. Second, even if karma doesn’t deliver you immediate gifts as a reward for good deeds, why not strive to contribute to the world and help your species anyway? You just may be planting seeds of beautiful trees (and meanwhile, it will keep you out of trouble). Third, if you don’t have the gift of knowing the exact value of your credits and debts with others, you might as well just roll with life in the lightest way you are able to. Give without concern for the return and accept without concern for the debt.
Be well,
Dr. Peter Borten
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As we approach fall, it’s a good time to discuss seasonal junctions. Both Ayurvedic and Chinese systems of medicine see the changes of seasons as times when we are more susceptible to being thrown out of balance as our body is challenged to adapt to the shift. Ayurveda has a saying that “diseases are generated at the junctions of the seasons.” Other junctions are also challenging, with the challenge generally proportional to the magnitude of change. Svoboda writes, “Ovulation and menstruation are the ‘joints’ of the menstrual cycle, dawn and dusk are the joints of day and night, and adolescence and menopause are the junctions of life.” If you have kids, you know that the “joints” of the day are the times you’re likely to have trouble, and if you’re clever, you find ways to make these transitions easy, such as the ever-popular “five more minutes until we’re leaving.”
Depending on where you live and your personal constitution, or prakruti (which I discussed in last week’s article), different seasons and junctions will be challenging for different people. For example, because spring tends to be wet, moving into this season means taking on more kapha. This will be most difficult for those who already have a lot of kapha in their constitution. Traditionally, kapha types might be prescribed some therapeutic vomiting to make the transition easier, whereas pitta types should require only moderate cleansing, and vata types would do well with the most gentle and slow cleansing.
I don’t know about you, but some therapeutic vomiting would really hit the spot, right? No, these days in the West, we prefer more pleasant medicine, ideally in gummy form, and we engage in therapeutic vomiting only after an excess of margaritas. Luckily, there are gentler ways to reduce each of the doshas (also explained last week), and when it comes to management of the seasonal junctions, the most natural is to adjust one’s diet and activities from season to season. Kapha is cold and moist, so, during the late winter and spring, we should employ anti-kapha measures. Pitta which is hot, should be controlled in the summer. And vata, which is dry and cold, should be reduced in the fall and early winter. Meanwhile, whichever dosha or doshas are predominant in your constitution require year-round management.
The junction at hand, from summer to fall, typically means an increase in vata, due to the drying out and loss of leaves, the approaching cold, and the reduced moisture-holding of cooler air. But in a place like the Pacific Northwest, this is the beginning of the long rainy season, and thus, an increase also in kapha, so it’s an especially challenging transition. In Portland and Seattle, it’s getting both dryer and moister. How do you manage it? Well, it’s a balance, and it depends partly on which of these factors affects you more.
If you don’tlive in a place where it’s about to get very wet, you have only to deal with an increase in vata, which can be balanced with nourishment, stability, consistency, warmth, and moisture. Vata is characterized by extreme changeability, and more change tends to make people in this season (and especially those with vata as a predominant constitutional factor) feel out of whack. So, making your routine as consistent as possible can really help: going to bed and waking up at the same time each day, eating at the same times each day, moving your body about the same amount and exerting roughly the same amount of energy each day, and having other self-care practices that you do each and every day. If you’ve been eating lots of fresh, raw summer produce, you can begin the transition to cooking more of your food. Warm, cooked food should form most of your diet in fall and winter.
Massage is excellent for reducing vata. Ghee and sesame oil are especially good for vata, both eaten and applied to the skin. A wonderful daily practice, especially if you have a vata constitution, have dry skin, or an overactive mind, is self-massage. You can obtain some sesame oil (not the toasted kind) and simply get naked and rub the oil into your skin from head to toe. Then, if you like, jump in the shower and rinse off, but without using soap, so that you finish with skin that’s still moist.
If you live in a place where the rainy season is beginning, it’s a good idea to begin your kapha-reducing routine now. Like vata, kapha benefits from heat, so spending time in a sauna can be good for both doshas (just don’t get dehydrated or sweat profusely, since this can exacerbate vata). Movement is essential to keep damp kapha weather from causing stagnation in the body, but since this is also a vata season, make sure your movement is even, smooth, not excessive, and at roughly the same times each day.
As for food in places with a damp autumn, there are not many things that are good for treating both kapha and vata. Since vata is dry, it benefits from moistening and oily foods – exactly the kinds of things that worsen kapha. Some of the only overlap occurs in the realm of spices, most of which tend to be good for both doshas, including these in particular: garlic, ginger, bay leaf, black pepper, caraway, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, fenugreek, nutmeg, and saffron. Try incorporating them liberally into your fall and winter cuisine.
Wishing you a harmonious junction,
Dr. Peter Borten
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I was first introduced to Ayurveda by a girlfriend while attending massage school. She was super excited about Ayurvedic nutrition and aromatherapy, but the way she presented it was not appealing to me at all. She begged me to go to college in Ayurveda with her in California, and I continuously declined. I had no interest; it seemed like just another typing system.
After I graduated massage school I started working in my own practice as well as working at a local spa. My co-workers at the spa expanded my thinking around massage, acupuncture, herbs, and . . . Ayurveda. It was one little tidbit from a book I was lent that made me fall in love. It said something to the extent of, “The underlying fundamental principle in Ayurveda is that we’re all perfect and complete. All ailments, mental, physical, and emotional, are additions to our perfection, not reductions of it.”
This spoke deeply to me because I loved the idea that we are all whole, perfect beings and that when we are experiencing illness of any sort, we are having something more, but that that something isn’t us and doesn’t define us.
Considering that most of us struggle with deep rooted thoughts that hinder our ability to really shine, like “I’m not good enough,” or “There’s something wrong with me,” and in a world where having a physical sickness is seen as being weak or broken, a system of medicine that holds the certainty of our wholeness, of our enough-ness, of our perfection, is a special thing. And it feels true to me.
In a clinical setting, this has informed everything I do with my patients. When I have someone that is suffering from depression, we look at this as something to be cleared away so their true essence can be lived. When someone with insomnia comes to see me, I try to understand what has been taken on, and then use herbs, food, and lifestyle changes to melt away these factors. If I have a client who wants to reach the next level in their business, but is struggling to do so, we investigate to find what the underlying thoughts are that are blocking the ability to fully express their greatness, and we uproot them.
In your daily life, consider all the areas where you feel “less than” or “broken” and see if you can shift your perspective to being curious what about what you might be carrying around that isn’t actually part of the authentic You.
In some cases it’s very straightforward. When you are sick in bed with a cold, you likely feel weak and horrible, and if you’re anything like me you may find it hard to remember what it feels like to be healthy. The addition here is obviously the bacteria or virus that’s in your system, and removing that – while bolstering your intrinsic wellness – will allow your naturally healthy state to reappear.
But what if you’re feeling chronically tired? In this state it is so easy to feel like there is something fundamentally wrong with you, something is broken or missing. Explore the idea, or just entertain the notion, that in fact, underneath that exhaustion, your sparkle and zest exist – still intact. From this perspective, rather than needing to figure out and add what is missing, or to fix what is broken, one’s task becomes to clear away the elements that are obscuring the expression of this fundamental zest. It opens up possibilities way outside the box of our lack-based thinking and mainstream medical approaches.
I encourage you to always come back to this: you are perfect. And remember that those around us are perfect beings as well. The more that we model this perspective for each other, the more we will be able to release what isn’t serving us and shine as a species.
Love,
Briana and Everyone At The Dragontree
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