Ayurveda Article - How You Can Beat The Blues

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Ten Ways to Beat the Blues:

 

Ayurvedic Recommendations for Emotional Health

 

Depression affects more than 19 million adult Americans each year.

Women are twice as likely as men to experience depression in their

lives, and are especially vulnerable after the birth of a child,

before menstruation and during menopause.

 

Depression can take many different forms: frequent sad, anxious

or "empty" mood; loss of interest and pleasure in activities;

fatigue; irritability; social withdrawal, acting out behavior and

family conflict; insomnia; loss of appetite or weight gain; feelings

of worthlessness, hopelessness or pessimism; declining school grades

or job performance; and poor concentration. For some, the winter

season can bring on a low mood, for others depression is caused by

major life changes, such as a divorce, major financial problems, a

chronic illness, death of a loved one and other life stresses.

 

Maharishi Ayurveda has much to offer the person who suffers from

occasional emotional imbalance. Here Vaidya Rama Kant Mishra, of Research and Product Development at Maharishi Ayurveda

and world-renowned ayurvedic researcher and educator, gives us some

practical guidelines to help us stay happy and healthy throughout

life. We also recommend seeing a Maharishi Ayurveda physician in

your area if you suspect you have depression-he or she can do a pulse

diagnosis and tailor an individualized program to help restore

balance.

 

 

 

 

1. Practice the Transcendental Meditation program® for 20 minutes

twice a day to relieve emotional, physical, mental and environmental

stress.

 

2. Go to bed before 10:00 p.m. Earlier is even better. Getting

enough rest is essential for emotional health, and falling asleep

during the Kapha time of night generates a deep, restful sleep that

truly refreshes mind and body. If you stay up beyond 10:00 p.m.,

after the Pitta time of night starts, you are likely to feel hungry

and give in to cravings to eat "junk" food. Even eating healthy

foods at this hour disrupts digestion, which needs the night time to

cleanse impurities and rest. Falling asleep after 10:00 p.m.

produces a more restless sleep, and you will be more likely to wake

up in the night with emotional distress.

 

3. Wake up with the rising sun. Waking up early is critical to

preventing depression, because sleeping during the late morning,

after 6:00 a.m., causes the shrotas or channels of communication to

be clogged with impurities, leading to dullness of mind, depressed

moods and slow communication between heart and mind.

 

4. Walk outdoors when the sun is rising and breathe deeply. Daily

exercise is essential to combat depression, because exercise helps

moved blocked emotions and hormones out of the body. It increases

the power of agni and helps improve processing power. Exercise also

releases positive neurohormones, elevating mood and positive

thoughts. The early morning sun adds an extra boost, because you

become infused with the positive energy of the sun when it is at its

most saatvic and benevolent for all body types. Walking in the early

morning sun helps open the channels, stimulates digestion and

elimination, clears the impurities from the previous day, and is an

overall tonic for ideal health.

 

5. Make sure you eliminate each morning. Constipation can cause

headache, dullness, fatigue and depression. If your elimination is

sluggish or blocked, start your day with cooked apples, prunes and

figs. Take two Herbal Cleanse tablets at night before bed. Drink

plenty of water throughout the day. Eat your meals at the same time

each day, with the main meal at noon and a lighter meal in the

evening. The early morning walk will go a long way toward making

your elimination regular as well.

 

6. Eat intelligent foods. Foods that are natural, unprocessed and

contain more of nature's intelligence are digested quickly by the

body and create ojas. Ojas is the product of good digestion that

creates bliss, stable emotions and good health in the body.

Intelligent foods are milk, clove, walnut, pear, and coconut. Eat

intelligent proteins such as soaked seeds and nuts with raisins and

dates; panir (fresh cheese); and buttermilk rather than yogurt or

lassi, as this lighter drink does not increase Kapha and is better

for lightening emotions. To make buttermilk, follow this simple

recipe. Please note that ayurvedic buttermilk is not the same as the

buttermilk you buy in the store. This recipe helps restore the

beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract, thus helping digestion

and assimilation.

 

Ayurvedic Buttermilk

Ingredients:

1/4 c. fresh cold yogurt (For best results, use freshly made yogurt.

To find out to make your own yogurt, see the foods section at

www.mapi.com)

3/4 c. purified cold water (the temperature must be cold for this

recipe to work)

1/4 t. cumin powder

1/4 t. coriander leaf (cilantro)

1 pinch of rock salt or sea salt

Directions:

Place the freshly-made yogurt in the blender and blend for three to

five minutes. Add the cold water, and blend again on low for three

to five minutes. You will notice that a fatty foam has collected at

the top of the yogurt. Skim it off with a spoon and discard. Repeat

the blending and removing of the fatty foam if the yogurt remains

thick, white and solid. When the yogurt has become watery but still

cloudy in color, you have made buttermilk. Add the spices and stir by

hand briefly to mix the spices evenly. Serve at room temperature.

 

7. Spices such as black pepper help to enhance medha agni, which

means they improve coordination between different functions of the

mind. Other spices enhance digestion and balance the emotions.

 

Spice Mixture for Emotional Balance

1 part ground black pepper

1 part ground dried ginger

2 parts ground coriander

3 parts ground cumin

2 parts ground turmeric

1 part crushed black cumin (for women only)

 

Mix the spices together and store in an airtight container. Sauté

small amounts in ghee to spice vegetables and grains.

 

8. Give yourself a daily abhyanga (Ayurvedic oil massage). Massage

has many benefits: it increases circulation, allows toxins to be

cleared from the tissues, invigorates the body, calms the mind and

soothes emotions. The sense of touch is associated with emotions,

and even if you are massaging yourself you are giving your skin the

tactile stimulation needed to balance Vata dosha and calm anxiety and

stress. For your massage oil, use 50% Youthful Skin Massage Oil for

Men or Women and 50% Relaxation Massage Oil. The Shankapushpi herb

in the Youthful Skin Massage Oil makes it suitable for people of all

ages, as this remarkable herb has a calming effect. Follow your

massage with a warm bath to flush out the toxins that have been

pushed out from the cells with the massage.

 

9. Do moderate exercise such as Yoga Asanas. In addition to your

half-hour walk in the early morning sun, it's important to include

Vedic exercise such as Yoga Asanas in your schedule. Yoga Asanas

enhance digestion, stimulate the Sadhaka Agni, cleanse toxins from

the channels and cells of the body and improve overall balance and

health. They are excellent for clearing away the toxins that lead to

depression.

 

10. Take Maharishi Ayurveda rasayanas. Rasayanas are elixirs for

bliss and rejuvenation, and are the cream of the herbal kingdom,

prepared according to ancient methods that can take weeks. Maharishi

Amrit Kalash is the most powerful of all the rasayanas, and it has

the ability to create bliss, contentment, and ideal health. Like any

true rasayana, Maharishi Amrit Kalash has the ability to enhance

medha, or the coordination between the mental functions of learning,

retention and recall. This kind of coordination is important for

balancing the emotions and helping to prevent depression.

 

Herbs that Heal

 

Blissful Joy is excellent nutritional support for emotional balance.

Blissful Joy helps balance three subdoshas: Tarpaka Kapha, Prana Vata

and Sadhaka Pitta. Tarpaka Kapha governs fluid balance in the brain,

healthy brain tissue, and communication between brain cells. When in

balance, it contributes to a stable personality. Prana Vata-which

governs energy, creativity, perception, growth of consciousness and

self-realization-is also nourished by Blissful Joy. Finally, Blissful

Joy supports Sadhaka Pitta, which is responsible for balanced

emotions, self-confidence, healthy desires, motivation and a feeling

of fulfillment.

 

Blissful Joy also improves metabolism and clears away toxins from the

microcirculatory channels (shrotas) that deliver nutrients to the

cells. Blocked shrotas deprive the cells of energy and vitality and

slow down cell regeneration. When your body has more old cells than

new ones, fatigue and depression can result. Blissful Joy improves

metabolism and helps revitalize cell growth.

 

One of the herbs included in Blissful Joy is Arjuna Myrobalans, known

to strengthen the heart and emotions. Ashwagandha and Holy Basil

assist the body's natural resistance to stressful situations.

Ashwagandha is also effective in balancing Prana Vata and improving

emotional stability. Finally, Ailanthus Excelsa and Arjuna

Myrobalans help strengthen the body's natural rejuvenative

mechanisms, hastening the replacement of dead or weak cells with

fresh, vital ones.

 

If in addition to fragile emotions you also feel overwhelmed or

mentally fatigued, it's recommended that you also take Worry Free.

 

 

For women who are of menopause age, the Graceful Transition Emotional

Support formula can help. This formula is also extremely valuable

for women during the postpartum period after childbirth. Emotional

Support enhances heart/mind coordination and cleanses the channels

between heart and mind. It also deeply nourishes both the heart and

mind, improving resilience to stress and emotional imbalance.

 

Certain herbs included in the Emotional Support formula are targeted

to balance Sadhaka Pitta, provide emotional strength and restore

bliss. These herbs are Arjuna Myrolbalan, Rose, Pearl Bhasma and

White Sandalwood. Anjelica Glauca, Nutmeg, Brahmi and Zinc Bhasma

improve coordination between the mind and emotions (in ayurvedic

terms, between Prana Vata and Sadhaka Pitta). Brahmi, Aloeweed, and

Ashwagandha provide emotional and mental strength. Indian Asparagus

nourishes all types of body tissues, including those that support the

heart and mind.

 

 

Note : This ayurvedic information is educational and is not intended

to replace standard medical care or advice.

Copyright MAPI, 2002.

 

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