Ayurveda knowledge

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This article appeared in "Yoga Aktuell Spezial" 2018

 

Human nature is still an undiscovered universe. In our limited, individual consciousness, we often still know little about the interplay of body, mind and soul, just as it is still largely closed to modern science and brain research. However, if we look back to the heyday of the Vedic sciences, we find differentiated answers to the fundamental questions of life and the current concerns of society in the ancient teachings of yoga and Ayurveda.

 

Health for the gross and subtle body

In the philosophy of yoga and Ayurveda, we differentiate between the human being in the essence of the physical, astral and causal body. The koshas (body sheaths) are the focus of attention when it comes to physical and mental health. The gross and subtle body manifests itself in the five koshas, which range from the solid, structural body (annamaya kosha = food sheath) to the anandamaya kosha (sheath of bliss). A part of our material, mental and spiritual nature is anchored in each body sheath, which - like every body - requires nourishment, care and attention. The "menu" for the koshas is varied and comprehensive: from vital substance-rich, pure natural food for the physical body to love for the emotional body and philosophy and text study for the intellectual body - everything we take in has a positive or negative influence on our gross and subtle body sheaths.

 

Breathing and movement nourish the life energy prana

PranamayaKosha - the sheath of life energy - is crucial for our energy balance. This is where the energy system of body and mind is located, which - depending on our energy status - can make us tired and listless or fill us with vitality and zest for life. To nourish Pranamaya-Kosha properly, breath and movement play a central role: With every breath, our lungs and every cell are filled with new, fresh prana life energy, which provides us with mobility, dynamism and strength. If we are also in a prana-rich environment, every breath becomes a delicious elixir of life that flows through the whole body. From an Ayurvedic point of view, it is therefore completely incomprehensible why so many people go to a gym to do strenuous fitness exercises in front of a television in a room lit by neon tubes and reeking of rubber and sweat. The body may get out of breath there, but prana is not recharged. We gain it from the abundance of nature - running in the forest, hiking in the mountains or in the fresh sea breeze. The more we are in harmony with nature and nourish ourselves with its pranic energy, the more balanced, vital and clear we feel in body and soul.

 

Prana-rich foods help with stress and its associated illnesses

Especially for people who live in big cities, suffer from stressful office jobs and react to this with the almost "normal" diseases of civilization today, such as exhaustion, burnout, allergies, obesity, cardiovascular problems or migraines, a better prana supply is essential. This is achieved through everything that nourishes our pranamaya kosha: Who doesn't know the uplifting, invigorating feeling of a walk by the sea during sunrise or the calming power of the forest after a stressful day. The more we can take our exercise, relaxation and meditation outside, the better! Interestingly, our connection to nature also has an effect on our daily diet. A denaturalized and prana-poor lifestyle automatically leads to compulsive eating habits and preferences such as cravings for sweets, fast food, alcohol or coffee. Because if our physical body lacks the necessary life energy, it finds quick substitute satisfaction in today's world in the artificially produced "substitute energy carriers" of white sugar, chemical stimulants and flavor enhancers, alcohol, caffeine, etc. These substances spice us up in the short term. Although these substances give us a short-term boost, they subsequently lead to even greater fatigue and emptiness. In contrast, healthy and prana-rich foods such as fresh fruit, vegetables and nuts have a completely different effect. These provide us with long-lasting vital energy, activate cell renewal and refresh the mind. The vital life force of a freshly harvested salad is noticeably stronger than that of a stale cucumber from the chiller cabinet. For this reason, one of the most important rules of a prana-rich diet is to give preference to fresh and untreated food from your own region in order to avoid long storage and transportation routes.

 

Prana-rich food for body and mind

• Give preference to fresh, organic food.
• Leafy vegetables, lettuce and fresh herbs are particularly rich in prana.
• Sweet fruits straight from the tree or bush give sweet vitality.
• Nuts, seeds and sprouts provide both strength and energy.
• At least half of the food should be eaten raw (but not too cold).
• Starting the meal with a prayer and then eating slowly and consciously promotes the absorption of prana while eating.

 

Relaxation and vitality in the course of the sun

Ayurveda teaches that the phases during sunrise and sunset are the best time to nourish the energy body PranamayaKosha. These times should be spent in the open air if possible and are best suited to energy-boosting breathing exercises from yoga (pranayama) and life-energy-enhancing measures from the Ayurvedic teachings of rejuvenation (rasayana). At sunrise in particular, the air vibrates with pranic energy and is clear, cool, pure and ethereal. This not only releases many antioxidants that protect us from free radicals and stress, but the increased permeability of the ether element also gives us intensive access to our subtle body with all its forces and impressions in the emotional, energetic and spiritual fields. If we want to work through old, painful patterns from the past or open up new levels of consciousness - we need a good flow of prana for all of this, as we find it in the early morning hours. It is not for nothing that prayer and meditation are traditionally timed to coincide with sunrise in all religions around the world.

 

The balance of Vata and Prana

From an Ayurvedic point of view, the Vata dosha (functional principle of movement) is most closely linked to Prana. This is because Vata is determined by the five pranas, which have a major influence on the healthy development and manifestation of the nervous and immune systems associated with Vata, as well as on the musculoskeletal system. Prana also plays a leading role in the treatment of all respiratory diseases. This is because they result from an imbalance of the various Vata pranas and a blockage of the Prana-Vaha-Srotas (circulation and respiratory channels) in the upper half of the body. Ayurvedic therapy to treat such complaints (such as allergic asthma, bronchial asthma or bronchitis) generally always consists of a combination of balancing measures to reduce Vata and at the same time energy-building exercises to increase Prana. In practice, this means that we pay attention to warm, cooked and regular meals to calm Vata and include some prana-containing foods in these meals. This recommendation also applies to people who have a high level of energetic sensitivity. People who practise a lot of yoga and pranayama tend to have an increased instability of the Vata system due to the intensive movement and purifying refinement. In addition to a regular lifestyle and a warm, nourishing diet, oil baths and peaceful walks in nature can also help. This closes the cycle again: in nature we find the best conditions to absorb new Prana energy and release excess Vata. Just like breathing in and out.

 

 

The 5 koshas

Annamaya-Kosha

• The sheath that consists of food (anna).
• The physical body with the elements earth, water, fire, air and ether.
• The structural and functional aspects of the body (dhatus, srotas, doshas, etc.).
• Preservation of the physical body.
  

Pranamaya-Kosha

• The sheath of life energy (prana).
• Energy for body and mind, respiratory system and the field of the five prana subtypes.
• If there is a disorder, there is a lack of balance between movement and rest.
• Depressive mood, weak will, lack of motivation.
• Mediates between the gross and subtle body.
  

Manomaya-Kosha

• The shell of feelings and programmed thoughts.
• The sheath of daily impressions and memories.
• Contains the five senses.
• Impressions of the sensory channels evoke wishes, needs, desires and feelings
  feelings.
  

Vijnanamaya-Kosha

• The sheath of intelligence and intuition.
• Inner mind, free creative thinking, intelligence, judgment, reason, sense of truth.
• Discernment of the mind, enduring values and higher convictions.
• The wrong use of intelligence leads to a lack of discernment.
  

Anandamaya-Kosha

• The sheath of bliss.
• Consciousness and jivatman.
• Preserves innermost joys and pains.
• Love, faith, connection to the divine.
• Represents the inner core consciousness.