Ayurveda Article - Emotional Balance For Everyone

[Guest guest]

You have permission to publish this article in your print or

electronic publication, as long as the piece is used in its entirety

including the resource box, all links and references and copyright

info. If you decide to use this article please send me an email at

drmishra

----

 

 

The Ayurvedic View on Emotional Balance:

 

Dealing with Loss and Grief

 

Distraught with grief over the loss of her grandson and only

remaining family, a 70-year old Indian lady and devotee of Lord

Buddha, sought the audience of Lord Buddha to bring her grandson back

to life. The grandson had been young, healthy, and deeply loved by

the old woman, yet in one instant his life was brought to an abrupt

end with the bite of a poisonous snake.

 

Knowing that Lord Buddha was all powerful, she had her grandson's

body brought to the feet of the master, imploring him to chant a

powerful mantra and return the beloved grandson to her side. Lord

Buddha smiled compassionately and said, "I know your loss is great

and I will try to help you. But first I need you to do something for

me. I will need to chant a very powerful mantra to the gods and

require some special water for the ceremony. You must find a home

where there has been no history of death, retrieve water from that

house and bring it back to me. Only then will my mantra be

successful." The old woman told Lord Buddha she would comply with

this request, thinking it an easy task.

 

She then ran to the nearest village and started asking the villagers

to direct her to a household where there had been no history of

death. After knocking on over 20 different homes with no success, she

understood the real message of Lord Buddha -- no one is beyond death

and that death of the physical body is a necessary part of life. She

returned to Lord Buddha, wept at his feet and said, "Now I understand

that none of us are beyond death, but dear Lord Buddha, tell me how

to deal with my grief." Then Lord Buddha, in his wisdom, recited a

verse from the Bhagavad-Gita.

Lord Buddha then explained, "You must know, dear one, that change is

inevitable as it is going on even in the present and has been in the

past and will be in the future. Therefore birth and death are natural

events about which one should not feel much concern."

 

This story is often told by Vaidya Rama Kant Mishra, ayurvedic

expert. "This knowledge is all important in your acceptance of the

inevitable," he says. "The story of the old woman and Lord Buddha was

told to me twice by my father. The first time I was 15 years old and

experienced the death of my grandmother. I was very close to her and

not prepared for her death. The family brought her body to the Ganges

River, where the body was bathed and then cremated. The ashes were

scattered to the winds over the Ganges and then we all bathed. As I

was grieving, my father told me this story. Then again in 1983, I

received a letter from my father. The letter began with the same

story of the old woman and Lord Buddha and then in the next

paragraph, I learned that my mother had died instantly of a snake

bite."

 

According to Vaidya Mishra, Ayurveda teaches that knowledge of the

eternal nature of man is the basis for healing from loss. You can

then work to bring Sadhaka Pitta back into balance. Sadhaka Pitta is

the law of nature, echoed in our physiology, that has to do with the

emotions and their effect on the heart, and is an aspect of Pitta,

which governs heat, digestion and metabolism. The experience of loss

can trigger Sadhaka Pitta -- emotions that may result in feelings of

sadness, anger, anxiety and resentment.

 

Ayurveda suggests nurturing yourself by seeking the support of loved

ones, enjoying activities such as taking walks in nature, daily self-

massage (abhyanga) with a cooling, relaxing oil or aroma blend that

includes the essence of rose (abhyanga) and reading uplifting books.

Dietary recommendations include adhering to a Pitta pacifying diet

where you would reduce spicy, sour and salty foods and favor

astringent, bitter and sweet foods to cool the body and improve

digestion.

 

Another simple recommendation is to soothe the heart and emotions

with the beauty, fragrance and taste of rose petals. Roses have long

been used to alleviate depression, anxiety, insomnia, irritability

and memory loss. "The rose is cooling, yet it enhances agni, the

digestive fire," says Vaidya Mishra. "This is a unique quality which

makes it balancing for all three doshas if taken in moderate

amounts." Vaidya Mishra frequently recommends Rose Petal Preserve for

balancing "Sadhaka Pitta."

 

Note : This ayurvedic information is educational and is not intended

to replace standard medical care or advice.

Copyright MAPI, 2002.

 

For more information on Ayurveda or to to free newsletters,

plaese visit <http://www.mapi.com>