Spiritual Healing: Ayurveda’s Path to Complete Well-Being

What If There’s More Than Just the Physical Body That Needs to
Heal?

You may witness this frequently: people with normal blood tests, normal scans and no physical complications are still extremely tired; they feel as though they don’t belong anywhere; and find themselves feeling disconnected from everything and everyone. Modern medicine has made incredible progress in treating illness, but for some it doesn’t give them all of the answers that they need.

Could it be that the missing piece of health lies outside of our bodies?

Many years before science began exploring the significance of spiritual healing, Ayurveda recognised a truth that many practitioners still believe today: healthy living is not achieved by only taking care of your physical self. True healing comes when body, mind, emotions and consciousness are all in sync with one another. Multiple studies have indicated that those who regularly practice spirituality develop resiliency, experience better mental health, lower rates of depression and substance abuse, are better able to cope with an illness and live longer. Thus, spirituality could be one of the most under-utilised dimensions of healthcare.

Ayurveda – The Complete Medical System

Ayurveda has long been considered a system of medicine and health care that deals with the complete human being, body and mind. Ayurveda’s perspective on wellness embraces more than just the absence of an illness; it includes the way we live our lives, the way we relate to ourselves and others and the quality of our environment.

Health and wellness come from living in harmony with all aspects of our being. Ayurveda provides a framework for living in a healthy manner, and achieving the balance necessary for our bodies to function properly. By using Ayurvedic principles, one can easily determine the best way to improve their health and wellness.

Ayurveda acknowledges that the body and mind carry out their functions together; therefore, both must be cared for in the same way. Stressful situations will affect both physical and mental well-being. For example, fear may lead to disrupted digestion. Anger may cause inflammation. Sadness can lead to a decrease in energy. Conversely, a relaxed state of mind or sense of purpose will help our bodies to heal themselves naturally.
Finding Health is not limited to the absence of disease but also means finding balance in life.

More Than Just Herbs, Food, and Panchakarma

When most people think about Ayurveda, they usually think about herbal medicine, personalised nutrition and cleansing or detoxification (panchakarma) procedures; although these can be powerful methods, they only represent a portion of the Ayurvedic model of care.

The classical texts of Ayurveda discuss the importance of meditation, mantra repetition, prayer, moral behaviour, introspection and spiritual discipline as additional methods for maintaining or helping the body heal itself. To the ancient practitioners of Ayurveda, these practices were not viewed as “alternative” methods of treatment; rather, they were all a fundamental part of care.

Spirituality is Important for Health Care.

There are many definitions of spirituality; when people hear “spirituality” they often think of religion. However, the scope of spirituality encompasses many areas—not just religion. It is the innate human desire to understand what gives meaning to life, to feel connected to ourselves and to everyone else on earth, to feel we belong; to have an inner peace.

When someone is ill, it doesn’t just impact their physical body. It can also change their sense of self, their sense of connection to others, their self-confidence and their feelings of purpose in life. Even if a patient receives the best possible medical care, they may still ask themselves, “Why is this happening to me?” or “How do I find peace while living with my illness?” Both of these questions have medical aspects but are also deeply human in nature.

Ayurveda has always taught that the initial step toward spiritual healing (the restoration to a state of health) is to attain harmony between one’s body, mind and consciousness. Ayurveda teaches that when the mind is at peace and life is lived with spiritual nourishment, the internal environment of an individual will support healing and wellness. When a person reconnects to themselves on the inside, healing is no longer just about relieving symptoms; it becomes a true transformation process.

Recent studies indicate that modern science is reiterating messages from the past relating to the benefits of spirituality. According to current research, spiritual practices such as meditation, chanting, prayer and breathing mindfully have been shown to have a positive effect on the body’s hormones responsible for stress; sleep; the regulation of our emotional state; the health of our hearts; as well as stimulating the body’s parasympathetic nervous system, which serves as the biological “rest and repair” process.

In a time when both society (chronic stress) and the body (disease) are negatively affected by chronic stress, spirituality can offer something that modern medicine cannot: wholeness. It reminds us that we are much more than just this diagnosis or laboratory reports, or symptoms.
This may be the reason why Ayurveda has always considered spirituality as the base foundation for health care, not just an optional addition to it. When both the physical aspects of wellness through medicine and the spiritual aspect of wellness through spirituality are combined, the opportunity for healing for the whole person develops.

Nadi Pariksha: An Approach to Holistic Health that Goes Way Beyond Just Getting Rid of Symptoms

Nadi Pariksha (also called Pulse Diagnosis) is one of the most powerful diagnostic tools in Ayurveda and works as a way of discovering the unique connections between our body, mind and spirit through pulse readings. Experienced practitioners will evaluate the subtle characteristics of the pulse in order to understand a person’s constitution (or predisposition), their doshic imbalance, as well as any psychosomatic patterns they may be displaying based on their physical, emotional and spiritual states.

This level of understanding enables Ayurvedic practitioners to create highly customised treatment plans for each patient. In conjunction with dietary changes, herbs, Panchakarma, Pranayama (breath work), meditation techniques, lifestyle guidelines and in some cultures, even mantras, Ayurvedic practitioners will offer a multitude of recommendations for restoring balance on both a physical and mental level.

Thus, Ayurveda not only assists patients in eliminating disease; rather, it helps patients find their way back to a state of balance and well being.

What if healing could start with merely a sound?

The Vedic sages confirmed many centuries ago the strong effect sound has on both body and mind, way before either the scientific study of sound (acoustics) or the study of brain activity (neuroscience) ever existed. Sound has been used in combination with herbs, diet, and lifestyle as part of Ayurvedic medicine to assist with one’s spiritual development; this form of sound healing is referred to as Mantra Chikitsa or healing through the use of sacred sounds.

One of the most revered types of sound healing are Beej Mantras or “seed sounds”, as they are tied to the seven major chakras and their corresponding attributes found in the physical (ground)— maximum energy potential (sexual energy) and emotional realms (fire)—and the seven elemental attributes of each chakra. See below for the beej mantras associated to each chakra:

1) Lam: To create a solid foundation for one’s life (root chakra) provides security, grounding, and stability.
2) Yam: Provides emotional healing and compassion within oneself (heart chakra).
3) Ham: Supports clear and accurate communication and expression of oneself (throat chakra).
4) Om (Aum): Primordial sound of creation allows for mental clarity, creates feelings of deep meditative connection at a cosmic level.

Some practitioners of Ayurveda may use Beej Mantras, specific mantras associated with body constitution and circulatory system imbalances, as part of an individual approach to treating clients with Ayurveda through Nadi Pariksha after the assessment of the individual’s body type. Ayurvedic practices use herbs, dietary changes, and Panchakarma (detoxifying procedures) to provide clients with individualised treatment.

Modern science is starting to identify how these ancient forms of healing work. Through a repetitive rhythmic chant of Beej Mantra, practitioners slow their breathing rates; improve vagal tone; reduce the effects of stress on the health of their body systems; and calm their nervous systems. By doing this repeatedly (that is, by practicing their Beej Mantra) regularly and consistently, many practitioners find that their Beej Mantra develops into more than just a daily ritual; they become part of a daily routine that helps build resiliency, maintain emotional stability, and achieve inner peace.

The most profound spiritual healing potential associated with the use of mantra is less attributable to the actual sound of the mantra itself but rather through its ability to facilitate a return to a place of peace in their minds (the stillness of the mind) where true natural healing can begin.

Comprehensive Healthcare

Ayurveda’s amazing strength lies in that it doesn’t limit healing the patient and defines them separately from their condition or disease.

For instance, both individuals may visit an Ayurvedic practitioner with the same symptoms; however, the recommendation for each of them may differ due to their constitution, emotional makeup, lifestyle habits, and response to stress.

This individualised approach makes the healthcare practitioner- patient relationship much more human-like.

The person being treated isn’t just being treated but has had the opportunity to be understood as well.
When patients perceive themselves as being seen, heard, and involved in their own healing processes, it results in them perceiving the treatment they receive as more substantial and longer-lasting.

The Pathway To Total Health

Modern medicine provides us with an understanding of how the various systems of our bodies work together; however, the science of Ayurveda teaches us to consider the impact our lifestyles, emotions, consciousness and spirit have on our long-term health by way of finding balance in all areas of our lives.

As healthcare changes from a focus on treating illness to helping people flourish, the future of medicine may also include rediscovering the ageless knowledge that healing happens at the intersection of Medicine and Meaning.

Spirituality can enhance resiliency, create a sense of harmony and promote overall well-being. It should not be considered a substitute for traditional healthcare nor solely for the use of people with chronic or terminal illness. Rather, it is one of the dimensions of health that supports the resilience, inner harmony and overall well-being for all people throughout their entire lives.

Ayurveda has embraced this holistic view of health for thousands of years while, until recently, modern science has not provided this understanding of health.

An important consideration is not whether spirituality has a place when discussing health, but rather: Is it possible for someone to attain complete physical, mental and emotional well-being without incorporating spirituality into his or her life?