“No entiendo como la farmacología habitual NO SINTOMÁTICA pueda ser compatible con el Ayurveda”

En relación con la pregunta que planteas, intento realizarte una contestación genérica, ya que tu pregunta es general.

Múltiples medicinas alopáticas o convencionales pueden actuar complementariamente. Supongo que sabes que una gran  parte de las medicinas utilizadas en occidente, si bien actualmente son sintéticas, tienen antecedentes en principios activos del mundo vegetal ( digitálicos, diuréticos, broncodilatadores, psicolepticos  etc..)
La medicina ayurvédica está basada en el conocimiento milenario de los principios activos que nos ofrece la naturaleza y centenares de médicos ayurvédicos son también médicos convencionales, tal y como es entendido en occidente.
La medicina occidental en muchas ocasiones, desgraciadamente, atiende al síntoma y al órgano en lugar de la persona en su conjunto.
La medicina ayurvedica siempre tiene en cuenta la unidad de la persona. Esto no quiere decir que ambos tipos de medicina no puedan colaborar de forma fructífera.
Por ej:  Durante y tras un tratamiento de quimioterapia una persona cancerosa tendrá una mejor recuperación y menores recidivas, si recibe tratamiento de Panchakarma, que incluye tratamiento con medicinas ayurvedicas.
Considero muy torpe de miras la vison exclusivista y biomédica de muchos médicos occidentales que piensan que tratando el órgano de forma invasiva, es la única o mejor  manera de tratar la enfermededad

El Ayurveda actúa contra el estrés y agotamiento crónico, o síndrome “ burn - out”

Escrito por Daniela Schifferstein

Según la International Labour Organisation ILO, que forma parte de la ONU, el 70% de las enfermedades en los países industrializados se debe  a diferentes factores de estrés.

El estrés crónico no solo perjudica y afecta nuestra psique, sino que reprime las funciones del sistema inmunológico y acelera la formación de radicales libres en nuestro organismo. Las personas estresadas enferman mas rápidamente de infecciones, desarrollan más fácilmente problemas cardio-circulatorios y probablemente sean más susceptibles a una  posible formación de cáncer.

La reacción al estrés

En 1932 el patólogo americano Walter B. Canon descubrió el comportamiento del organismo humano en situación de amenaza o peligro. Esta reacción de emergencia la llama “ fight or flight response” el “reflejo de luchar o escapar”

En nuestra lucha actual por sobrevivir a las exigencias del mundo que nos rodea, este reflejo tiene que ver más bien con un conflicto psicosocial. Solo cuando tenemos una agenda repleta de citas, no hay espacio para “el enemigo”. En un atasco de coches no podemos huir o luchar.
Debido al cambio dramático de de nuestras circunstancias vitales la “saludable reacción de estrés” ha mutado. Lo que la naturaleza creó como estrategia de sobrevivencia biológica, ahora es un peligro para nosotros, es la causa principal de las enfermedades actuales.

¿Qué es el estrés?

El estrés es el resultado de un mecanismo fisiológico de adaptación del ser humano, desde que éste ha tenido que interactuar con el medio que le rodea. Esto quiere decir que cada vez que un elemento externo es percibido como una amenaza para nosotros, nuestro cuerpo reacciona de la misma forma que lo hacía cuando, hace miles de años, debíamos correr hacia un árbol para huir de la amenaza de un  depredador.
El estrés es una forma de ansiedad. Como tal puede producir trastornos como agitaciones, miedo inmotivado, alteraciones dérmicas, problemas genitourinarios, además de trastornos emocionales y mentales, como son inestabilidad emocional, trastorno en el sueño, incapacidad de concentración, reducción de productividad.

Esta situación desencadena un círculo vicioso que puede llevar al fracaso laboral y la pérdida de la estima, la depresión y la consolidación de patologías orgánicas.

El síndrome del agotamiento crónico ”burn-out”  está caracterizado por un largo tiempo de estrés vivido, pero no tratado. Es la consecuencia de un estilo de vida desequilibrado, marcado por una constante sobrecarga a todos los niveles. El resultado es una falta completa de fuerza tanto física como psíquica, así como graves trastornos de nuestro organismo a nivel orgánico y mental.

¿Cuáles son las bases del estrés?

La esencia principal del estrés es la falta de autoconfianza, el sentirnos incapaces para responder a nuestros retos vitales. En otros casos, supone el acumulo de retos vitales, por encima de nuestra capacidad vital. Es como un motor que trabaja súper-revolucionado, por encima de lo que podemos  tolerar. En este sentido, quemamos nuestra energía y nuestros sistemas orgánicos empiezan a fallar.

La percepción de nuestra capacidad refleja dos aspectos: por una parte debemos identificarnos con nuestro centro personal y desde ahí actuar; por otra parte tenemos que poner límites y no asumir retos para los que no estamos preparados.

Así pues, la tarea principal para tratar el estrés es conseguir nuestra integración y armonización personal.

Los síntomas iniciales del estrés son:
• Inquietud interior
• Nerviosismo
• Irritabilidad
• Despiste
• Preocupación excesiva
• Ansiedad

Si la problemática persiste, estos síntomas  se intensifican y pueden llegar a ser la base de futuras enfermedades y problemas psicosomáticos como:
• Cansancio excesivo
• Insomnio
• Depresión
• Agresividad ante uno mismo u otras personas
• Cefaleas y migraña
• Sensación de presión o dolor en el pecho (angina aparente o angina verdadera)
• Sensación de asfixia
• Hiperventilación
• Nauseas y vomito
• Diarrea

Además, otros síntomas complementarios para reconocer el síndrome de agotamiento crónico “burn-out” son:
• Debilidad y falta de motivación graves
• Agotamiento emocional intenso
• Frustración, desesperación y cierre del horizonte vital
• Aislamiento, retiro excesivo
• Apatía y letargo
• Cinismo
• Los síntomas del estrés mantenidos crónicamente

Para poder reconocer y diferenciar entre el estrés agudo y el estrés crónico o síndrome de burn out, hay que saber, cuales son los factores causantes más comunes:
• Carga excesiva de trabajo
• Volumen de trabajo  que crece rápidamente, sin tener tiempo para digerirlo
• Contacto con personas difíciles y competitivas
• Excesiva responsabilidad con uno mismo
• Auto-perfeccionismo
• Relaciones problemáticas
• Situación de exámenes
• Puntualidad exagerada

¿Qué es el estrés desde la Medicina Ayurvédica?

Nosotros no somos solo cuerpo sino una interacción constante de cuerpo mente y espíritu que actúan en la unidad. Si no integramos la inteligencia con la intuición, permitimos que las emociones ofusquen nuestra forma de pensar.

Así el miedo bloquea la mente impidiéndonos crear y abrirnos a las oportunidades que se despliegan en nuestro presente pero que no vemos por estar rumiando nuestro pasado o proyectando constantemente hacia el futuro. .

La ira nos lleva al aislamiento y la depresión, fuente del fracaso, con lo cual ya no somos capaces de ponderar la situación.

La angustia  o ansiedad nos paraliza, dejando la mente en blanco, impidiendo cualquier acción constructiva. Al final, la depresión nos paraliza, dejándonos sin autoestima.

No en balde estas emociones, cuando están excedidas, se convierten en crónicas, siendo fuente de múltiples patologías.

La solución a estos problemas está en lograr el compromiso con todo nuestro ser, en conseguir la integración de nuestro nivel físico con el emocional, con el mental y espiritual. Para ello debemos seguir una práctica que nos conduzca a esta armonización.

• Debemos armonizar nuestras emociones, entrando en contacto con ellas, dejándoles espacio, canalizándolas de forma constructiva.
• Debemos armonizar nuestra mente, tratando los conflictos psicológicos, permitiéndonos la expresión vital y abriendo nuestro horizonte.
• Debemos armonizar nuestro espíritu, dejando espacio para mirar hacia dentro, permitiendo el desarrollo de la intuición y  de la creatividad.

¡La incapacidad de cuidar de nosotros, pero sí de otros, debería hacernos reflexionar!

Todo ello exige una práctica y una disciplina personal, basada en la aceptación de nosotros mismos y hacia nuestra vida, exige el cultivo del pensamiento positivo así como disfrutar de nuestro presente. Con la práctica de diferentes caminos se ejercita esto, lo cual nos hace vivir de forma diferente.

Aunque el reflejo fisiológico al estrés es igual en todos nosotros, el comportamiento humano ante el estrés  es diferente en cada cual. Algunos se ponen nerviosos, otros agresivos con reacciones imprevisibles, algunos aparentan estar tranquilos pero no consiguen tomar una sola decisión. Unos se nutren constantemente de la nevera, otros solo de chocolate y algunos dejan de comer por completo o consumen alcohol y drogas.

Según  el Ayurveda las reacciones diferentes al estrés pueden ser explicadas de manera sencilla. Para poder entender mejor los diferentes tipos de estrés, hay que familiarizarse con las tres bio-energías, los 3 doshas, Vata Pitta y Kapha, que siempre actúan conjuntamente en nuestro organismo en nuestra fisiología, en nuestras células, y afectando al conjunto de nuestros sistemas orgánicos.

Por ello, ya que la constelación de los doshas en cada cual de nosotros es diferente, también el desequilibrio se manifiesta de forma distinta.

¿Qué es Ojas?

No se puede hablar de estrés o burn out desde una perspectiva Ayurvédica, sin haber mencionado el concepto de OJAS. Ojas es el resultado final de nuestro metabolismo, una esencia sutil que se desarrolla durante el metabolismo de los 7 tejidos  del cuerpo.

Cuando la alimentación es optima, todos los tejidos serán alimentados por Rasa (Plasma nutricional) lo cual dará una calidad superior a Ojas, la esencia vital que nos da la vida y de la cual solo poseemos 8 gotas en el corazón, según las antiguas escrituras. Ojas contribuye al  equilibrio entre los doshas, es la luz en los ojos, es el carisma y la energía de una persona, el entusiasmo y la resistencia al estrés, la paz interior y la fuerza vital.

Para que Ojas sea de calidad optima, se requiere  una buena digestión, un fuego digestivo constante, para que todo aquello que ingerimos a nivel físico y psíquico puede ser digerido adecuadamente y una alimentación sana y equilibrada. Nuestra salud, nuestro sistema inmunitario y nuestra resistencia al estrés dependen de la calidad de Ojas.

Por lo tanto el agotamiento crónico llamado Burn-out, en Ayurveda, es una enfermedad causada por un fuego digestivo apagado, un aumento importante de Vata, y una aportación insuficiente de Rasa, el primero de los tejidos y fluido nutricional para el resto del organismo.

Consejos útiles para aumentar nuestra energía vital

• Silencio y relajación
• Cambiar la alimentación: “Quien se alimenta bien, no necesita medicina, quien se alimenta mal la medicina no le ayuda”    (Charaka Samhita). Es necesario un análisis detallado sobre los hábitos alimenticios de cada cual, para poder establecer una dieta adecuada.
• Es preferible  la comida caliente y cocida, no cruda.
• Tomar agua caliente, hervida durante 15 Min, con una rodajita de Jenjibre
• Meditar a diario y hacer Yoga o Tai Chi
• Tomar preferiblemente todos los alimentos con efecto Rasayana (rejuvenecedor y revitalizante) como la leche, ghee (mantequilla purificada), miel, almendras y nueces.
• Tomar Rasayanas específicos, según  el tipo de constitución que tengamos
• Hacer un Panchakarma “ cura de desintoxicación” con tratamiento posterior de Rasayana
• Establecer una rutina diaria. Comer, dormir y hacer ejercicio respetando siempre  el horario adecuado

The Three Gunas (American Institute for Vedic Studies)

The Three Gunas: How to Balance Your Consciousness 

Written by Dr. David Frawley    
Page 1 of 4

We live in a magical universe filled with great forces of life and death, creation and destruction. Divine powers can be found everywhere to lift us into a greater peace and understanding. But undivine forces are also ever present, working to lure us down further into confusion and attachment. Truth and falsehood, ignorance and enlightenment form the light and dark, the illumination and shadow of the world. In this basic duality of creation we struggle not merely to survive but to find meaning in our lives. We must learn to navigate through these contrary currents so that we can benefit by the ascending spiritual force and avoid the descending unspiritual inertia.

Nature herself is the Divine Mother in manifestation and the universe is her play of consciousness. She provides not only for material growth and expansion that moves outward, but supports our spiritual growth and development, which moves within. Nature possesses a qualitative energy through which we can either expand into wisdom or contract into ignorance. Nature functions through conscious forces, spirits if you will, which can be either enlightening or darkening, healing or harming. Most of these powers are unknown to us and we do not know to use them. Trained as we are in a rational and scientific manner to look to the outside we lack the ability to perceive the subtle forces hidden in the world around us. However for any real healing of the mind to be possible, we must understand these forces and learn how work with them as they exist not only in the world but in our own psyche.

Ayurveda provides a special language for understanding the primal forces of Nature and shows us how to work with them on all levels. According to Yoga and Ayurveda, Nature consists of three primal qualities, which are the main powers of Cosmic Intelligence that determine our spiritual growth. These are called gunas in Sanskrit, meaning “what binds” because wrongly understood they keep us in bondage to the external world.

1) Sattva - intelligence, imparts balance

2) Rajas - energy, causes imbalance

3) Tamas - substance, creates inertia

The three gunas are the most subtle qualities of Nature that underlie matter, life and mind. They are the energies through which not only the surface mind, but our deeper consciousness functions. They are the powers of the soul which hold the karmas and desires that propel us from birth to birth. The gunas adhere in Nature herself as her core potentials for diversification.

All objects in the universe consist of various combinations of the three gunas. Cosmic evolution consists of their mutual interaction and transformation. The three gunas are one of the prime themes of Ayurvedic thought. They form a deeper level than the three biological humors and help us understand our mental and spiritual nature and how it functions.

Sattva

Sattva is the quality of intelligence, virtue and goodness and creates harmony, balance and stability. It is light (not heavy) and luminous in nature. It possesses an inward and upward motion and brings about the awakening of the soul. Sattva provides happiness and contentment of a lasting nature. It is the principle of clarity, wideness and peace, the force of love that unites all things together.

Rajas

Rajas is the quality of change, activity, and turbulence. It introduces a disequilibrium that upsets an existing balance. Rajas is motivated in its action, ever seeking a goal or an end that gives it power. It possesses outward motion and causes self seeking action that leads to fragmentation and disintegration. While in the short term Rajas is stimulating and provides pleasure, owing to its unbalanced nature it quickly results in pain and suffering. It is the force of passion that causes distress and conflict.

Tamas

Tamas is the quality of dullness, darkness, and inertia and is heavy, veiling or obstructing in its action. It functions as the force of gravity that retards things and holds them in specific limited forms. It possesses a downward motion that causes decay and disintegration. Tamas brings about ignorance and delusion in the mind and promotes insensitivity, sleep and loss of awareness. It is the principle of materiality or unconsciousness that causes consciousness to become veiled.

Ayurveda and the Mind (American Institute of Vedic Studies)

Ayurveda and the Mind: An Overview 

Written by Dr. David Frawley    
(first published in Light on Ayurveda)
Ayurveda is inherently a psychological as much as it is a physical system of medicine. Its scope of practice includes both physical (sharirika) and mental (manasika) diseases. Therefore, we cannot really understand Ayurveda without looking at its view of the mind and consciousness.

The examination of the mind and psychological diseases in Ayurveda is potentially as complex as its examination of the body and physical diseases. It is not just a sidelight to be looked at in passing. It requires its own expertise, attention and application, just as any other branch of Ayurveda and its therapeutic methods. While one doesn’t have to be a trained psychologist in order to deal with the psychological aspect of Ayurveda, any more than one has to be a medical doctor to deal with its physical aspects, one does have to do some study of the mind and how it works.

I have always tried to bring the psychological aspect of Ayurveda into my various books and course material, including the book Ayurveda and the Mind. We cannot do justice to Ayurveda without it. In this short article, I will try to provide an overview of the subject, to encourage the student to go deeper into this subject.

Traditional Ayurveda recognizes three main causes of disease.

1)     Doshic imbalances, either by constitution or by external factors.
2)     Excess of rajas and tamas in the mind.
3)     Karmic factors or results of previous actions.

These three factors are generally related to some degree, though one is usually dominant. Doshic imbalances usually rest upon an excess of rajas or tamas, which in turn reflect deeper karmic disharmonies. Ayurvedic treatment is threefold in order to counter these.

1)     Rational therapy to counter the doshas, as in the application of appropriate foods, herbs and clinical therapies of opposite energies to the doshic disharmonies.
2)     Yoga therapy and sattvic therapy to counter rajas and tamas, as in the use of asana, pranayama, mantra and meditation.
3)     Spiritual methods to reduce karma, as in the use of rituals, mantras and the use of deities.

These three treatment methods usually crossover and aspects of each may be used relative to the same client or condition. The mind as a factor and psychological/emotional issues is present on all these levels.

The doshas as they accumulate as toxins have negative emotional components like Vata as fear, Pitta as anger and Kapha as attachment as all Ayurvedic students are well aware of. Vata dosha in particular has strong psychological ramifications because the mind is part of the sphere of Vata and also composed mainly of the same air and ether elements. Vata problems usually include psychological problems, starting with fear, insecurity and anxiety. Management of Vata always must include a lot of psychology.

Pain of any type first imbalances Vata, so pain management of any type will involve a strong component of anti-Vata considerations. Stress also tends to first imbalance Vata, so much of stress relief is anti-Vata in scope and orienation.

Yet the other two doshas have their own key psychological components and considerations as well. Each patient will have a particularly psychological as well as physical energetic that we must be able to understand in order to arrive at an effective treatment plan.

The three gunas are mainly psychological factors with rajas as ego-driven impulses and tamas as deeper emotional blockages, insensitivity or addictions. These make the doshas hard to deal with as they may create attitudes that resist the treatment even on an outer level of diet and herbs.

Yet doshas and gunas should always be cross-referenced and treated together. For example, deep-seated doshic imbalances will always involve some degree of tamas, which often translates as deep-seated trauma, pain or debility. A good Ayurvedic practitioner should be able to discriminate the different conditions of each dosha in its sattvic, rajasic and tamasic modes, such as I outlined in my book Ayurvedic Healing. This is a good foundation on which to approach an Ayurvedic psychology.

Negative karma arises mainly from wrong judgment (Prajnaparadha or Buddhi dosha), which includes the wrong use of the senses, prana, emotions and mind. It represents the effect of long term doshic and gunic distortions as they become lodged in the psyche. Such wrong judgment begins with rajas, as it involves a factor of willfulness. Yet it also reflects tamas over time as it indicates tendencies the person is unable to see, recognize or change. Ayurveda not just about removing the doshas and increasing sattva guna but also eliminating the negative karmas and karmic patterns (samskaras) which sustain them in our own behavior. Vedic astrology is an important tool in helping us understand these karmas.

When we think of Ayurvedic practice, therefore, we must recognize the psychology of doshas, gunas and karmas. In this scheme, the mind has the main role, the body is just the place where these imbalances get lodged, manifest or cause diseases.

Ayurveda and Counseling

On top of these general psychological considerations, Ayurveda, particularly in the West today, is largely a counseling based system of medicine. Much of its work consists of educating the patient how to change their life-style to prevent disease from arising and to optimize their health, as well as to treat specific diseases. While this may center outwardly on dietary, herbal and exercise recommendations, it requires an understanding of the psychology of people. Otherwise we will not have the proper rapport with the patient to ensure right communication and compliance with treatment recommendations.

How we relate to a Vata person to calm their anxiety about such changes we suggest will be different than how we deal with a Kapha person and their complacency or a Pitta person with hidden anger issues. Their psychology will greatly color how such recommendations are made and whether they will work, even if they are appropriate begin with. It is not enough in Ayurveda that we as practitioners can arrive at a correct diagnosis and treatment plan, we must have the counseling skills to enable patients to effectively implement these. When Ayurvedic treatment fails, it is usually owing to the inability of the practitioner to understand the psychology of the patient well enough to get them to stick with their Ayurvedic recommendations.

Physical and Psychological Suffering

In addition, the West today has a lot more psychological than physical suffering. Modern medicine has been relatively effective in alleviating many acute diseases, but emotional suffering has increased owing to various factors of our modern life out of harmony with nature.

Mental-psychological conditions like depression are almost epidemic today. Even children are commonly suffering from conditions like Attention deficit disorder (ADD) or hyperactivity. The current drug-based medicine is developing special designer medications to treat these conditions, though such powerful drugs are also problematical and involve many side affects. Ayurveda can provide a good alternative to this treating of the mind and psychology mainly through drugs. This cultural disturbed psychology requires that Ayurvedic practitioners have the psychological tools to deal with it.

In fact, any high Vata disturbed patient is likely to come away with a recommendation of such drugs if they see the usual type of doctors today. The problem is such drugs may only suppress Vata, not correct. So we have to be particularly careful to protect Vata types from getting into the drug based medical system, as they may never get out.

Many of the patients who come to Ayurvedic practitioners today do so seeking some spiritual or psychological relief. They are coming to Ayurveda as a mind-body medicine with a spiritual basis. They will expect that the Ayurvedic practitioner can handle emotional and spiritual issues and not just treat them on a physical level. So Ayurveda’s role as a psychology is quite important in the west today.

Relative to psychology and Ayurveda, however, there is not easy information available. Such topics are scattered throughout the Ayurvedic classics like Charaka and Sushruta rather than organized in one place only. They also cross over with spiritual concerns and teachings about Yoga.

So one of the main needs of Ayurveda today is to present a better psychological model that is useful in the present cultural context. Many Ayurvedic teachers in the West have aided in this process. Most Ayurvedic practitioners have to face the challenges involved.

Ayurvedic Psychology and Yoga

Classical Yoga as described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and in the Bhagavad Gita is a means of working on the mind or calming the chitta, which is the basis for removing suffering. Ayurveda’s psychological therapy of increasing sattva is mainly a yoga therapy. Classical Yoga itself is mainly a psychology. This means that Ayurvedic psychology must employ the tools and views of Yoga.

Some Yoga teachers have tried to address the psychological application of Yoga and create a new psychological model of Yoga. But they usually do so apart from Ayurveda and sometimes apart from the greater Yoga tradition. That work may have some value but will be more useful if integrated into a greater Ayurvedic approach. Yoga psychology requires Ayurvedic psychology as well and neither is like to flourish or develop properly without the other.

Models of the Mind

Ayurveda usually employs the Samkhya-Vedanta model of the mind, which is divided as the fourfold internal instrument (antahkarana chatushtya).

1)     Chitta – Conditioned consciousness
2)     Buddhi – Intelligent judgment
3)     Manas – Mind, capacity of imagination
4)     Ahamkara - Ego

These Sanskrit terms do not have exact English equivalents and have some variation in their usage.

In Yoga terminology, chitta is often a general term for the mind as a whole, with manas standing for the sensory mind. In Vedantic terminology, manas more commonly assumes the role as meaning the mind as a whole, with chitta meaning more the memory bank.

Generally, chitta is the general field of mental disturbances (vrittis or kleshas of Yoga) that need to be calmed or removed. Buddhi is the higher discriminating intelligence that we must develop in order to remove these disturbances and gain such peace of mind. Manas is the outer mental and sensory activity that keeps these disturbances in motion and needs to be controlled. Ahamkara is the factor of ego or self-will which keeps this process in motion.

This means that ways of calming the chitta, developing the buddhi, controlling the manas and reducing ahamkara are essential to any Ayurvedic approach to the mind.

We can also discriminate how each of the doshas and each of the gunas affects each level of the mind. For example, Vata in the chitta would be a fairly deep seated anxiety disturbance. If it is tamasic, it will be involved with a lot of self-negativity and possibly suicidal tendencies.

Ayurveda is concerned with the elimination of the pranic doshas of Vata, Pitta and Kapha and the mental doshas or rajas and tamas from the mental field and from each of these four levels of the mind. Increasing the buddhi or higher intelligence of the client through study and meditation is a key to this process. Of course there is always the key issue of translating these terms and insights into common language for the patient and using them to develop workable strategies of life-style improvement.

Yet Ayurveda presents an integral and practical psychology. It does not isolate the mind from the body but shows how the body, prana and senses not only impact the mind and psychology but can be used to treat them.

Mind and Prana

Ayurveda and Yoga look at the mind and prana as like the two wings of a bird. The mind is the power of knowledge (jnana-shakti) and the prana is the power of action (prana-shakti). The mind is a deeper level of awareness than the outer pranas operative in the sense and motor organs. Yet the original prana is a deeper level of awareness than the thinking mind. It is into that deeper prana that we return to in the state of deep sleep for renewal of both body and mind.

We cannot treat the mind without treating prana, which requires yogic practices of pranayama and pratyahara. And we cannot treat prana without considering the doshas of Vata, Pitta and Kapha, which are mainly pranic doshas or pranic imbalances. This means correcting the diet, adding helpful herbs and other Ayurvedic massage and cleansing methods like Pancha Karma.

Mantra is the main healing tool specific to the mind, though it has strong impacts on the prana as well. The use of mantra and pranayama together is a good way to do this.

Mind and Self

Ayurveda follows a Samkhya-Vedantic view in which the mind is just an instrument of consciousness, the real Self, Atman or Purusha. This view is different than most other schools of thought in which mind and consciousness are usually identified or regarded as the same. In treating the mind, we must remember this greater Vedic view that our true being and awareness transcends both body and mind. The purpose of Yoga and Ayurveda is not just mental harmony but bringing the mind to a tranquil condition so that the light of the higher Self can come through the mind.

Ayurvedic psychology take us to self-examination and Self-realization. It doesn’t end in the mind. In this regard, it warns us not to get too caught in the mind. The best way to harmonize the mind is to return to the Self behind the mind and its stream of thoughts.

Conclusion

Modern Ayurveda in India, with its joint Ayurveda-allopathic training, has reduced both the yogic and psychological components of traditional Ayurveda. Western Ayurveda, with its yogic and naturalistic background, as well as its application in the western context of psychological unhappiness, has a greater interest and need for this psychological aspect of Ayurveda. A revival of Ayurvedic psychological is an important consideration, if not prime trend, for the new global Ayurveda.

Yet whether it is the application of diet, herbs, massage, Pancha Karma, life-style changes, mantra or meditation, the psychological component of Ayurveda is always important and should be thoroughly grasped by the serious student. Ayurvedic psychology can also be a good field of specialization as well.

I would also like to direct the reader to the works of British/German psychologist Reinhard Kowalski who has done much work in this area, as in his book The Only Way Out is In. He is a good example of a psychologist, in his case working in the British Health Care System, who has been able to integrate Ayurveda into his practice.

Introducción al Panchakarma ( Dr. Vassant Lad)

Una buena introducción al Panchakarma por el autor se encuentra en http://www.ayurveda.com/panchakarma/pk_intro.pdf