Energy Patterns

Ayurvedic wisdom of healthy living requires us to develop strategies for coexisting in harmony with this double-edged universe, writes RAJIV PARTIAyurveda grew out of a philosophy about human nature that views us as integral parts of a universe that is not only physical, but is permeated by mind and spirit. Since we reflect the universe in our essential nature,we, too, are composed of body, mind and spirit. This discipline holds that at birth, we are animated by prana, the life force that permeates the universe.We are also infused with five basic factors that govern the universe: air, space, fire, water and earth.These principles are within the body in the form of various qualities that we all exhibit. These qualities can be combined to form three bio-energetic forces,or patterns of energy, that govern our physical constitution.The three doshas or humours are: Vata - air and space Pitta - fire and water Kapha - water and earth According to ayurveda, each dosha affects our body,mind,and spirit.In the body, the energy of vata governs our bodily movements,perception,circulation and respiration; the energy of pitta governs metabolism, including digestion and absorption; and the energy of kapha governs growth and lubrication, including bodily tissues such as muscle and fat.In the mind,vata relates to the movement from thought to thought, pitta helps us assimilate our thoughts to gain understanding, and kapha enhances memory and empathy. In our spiritual aspect, vata is manifested as the life force,pitta determines how brilliant the life force is and kapha governs our ability to protect our life force, and thus our life, in the face of threats and adversity. Each person is born with a unique combination of the three doshas.This makes up the individual’s specific constitution, including his body type.Some people are primarily vata types with fewer qualities of pitta and kapha.Others are mostly pitta or kapha.Some have two primary doshas, and a few have all three in roughly equal measure.We enter the world with each of our three doshas in perfect equilibrium.But over time, stressful impacts from outside as well as unwise personal decisions may throw our constitution out of balance, making us vulnerable to disease.Profound VisionAyurveda presents a profound spiritual vision of wellness. In this system, the idea of an isolated human being, unconnected to anything else,is fiction. Each of us is intimately related to a world with countless beneficial aspects, from the sun that warms us, to the nourishing vegetables and herbs that we eat, to the bacteria that line our gastrointestinal tract and aid in digestion. But the world also contains dangers — natural calamities, toxic foods such as poisonous mushrooms and life-threatening viruses.The wisdom of healthy living requires us to develop strategies for coexisting in harmony with this double-edged universe. We must understand how our outer nature affects our inner nature. For example, which foods energise us and which clog arteries? Which herbs and spices sharpen our minds, and which ones dull our senses? Based on this understanding,we must balance our inner nature with outer nature. Today, the number of people who live and work in natural settings has decreased, while jobs in cities have burgeoned. As a result, knowledge about how to live in harmony with nature has been forgotten by many. Every breath we inhale contains air that has circumvented the globe.The energy in every bite of food we ingest can ultimately be traced to some plant, warmed by the sun.And though an office may be graced by only a single fern, countless other unseen denizens of the natural world are close at hand, including bacteria and viruses that can make us feel low. Ayurveda’s greatest virtue is that it brings us back to the natural universe, of which we are a part. It stresses that nature must be respected and embraced because it is the home, where we are born and where we must live. Feeling At Ease With Yourself, Konark Publishers ¦