The second pillar of ayu is vihara, or “activity.” This principle explains how to act in ways that support life, and includes lifestyle guidelines to maintain optimum health and balance. Successful use of vihara’s recommendations depends on the ability to know exactly what is good for us and the motivation to act on what we know. This is why a sattvic mind is so important. So, many of the following lifestyle suggestions have, as their primary focus, to refine the quality of the mind.
Meditation
The endless number of demands on our time and attention keep our minds constantly active. In addition, the negative influences from our environment create fear and confusion. These influences cause our mind to be confined to a superficial level where it is either too scattered or too dull to experience the vast physical, mental and emotional resources that lay hidden within us. This may explain why scientists estimate that most people use only a small fraction of their mental potential. The limitless possibilities that exist in the subtler levels of awareness remain inaccessible except to a calm, settled mind.
Only when we are strongly influenced by sattva do we gain access to those calm, creative and comprehensive levels of awareness that allow us to appreciate the whole of life as well as its parts. There is perhaps not a more effective way to enhance the quality of sattva than meditation. That is why the first recommendation of vihara is the daily practice of meditation. Throughout history, every great civilization has endorsed regular meditation as a way to enhance all aspects of life. It is a misunderstanding of its purpose to see meditation as an escape from the responsibilities of life, or as a luxury or indulgence. Meditation is, in fact, a necessity, particularly given the fast and stressful pace of modern life.
Meditation allows us to transcend our active phases of the mind and directly experience ourselves as.param atma in the still, silent, unified quality of mind. Research has shown that meditating significantly restores balance in life and creates dramatic improvements in physiological and psychological health. Meditation causes us to become increasingly sensitive to the needs of our bodies and spontaneously start to make choices which promote health.
Rest
Staying rested is another key aspect of vihara which promotes sattva in the mind. Fatigue is a major contributor to the mind’s loss of “knowingness.” Most of us notice how inefficient and dull we become after a night of little sleep — it seems to take an hour to accomplish what we would normally do in ten minutes. This is, unfortunately, all too common an experience since the demands of modern life cause many of us to “burn the candle at both ends.” A major key to staying rested is: Go to bed early and wake up early. If we sleep when nature sleeps and wake when nature wakes, we attune our lives to nature’s cycles instead of resisting them. So much energy is needlessly expended in resisting the natural cycles of life.
Meditation and rest exist in our nature to create quiet in us. ‘This allows the body and mind to release stress and toxins. You can observe the same phenomenon in nature. For example, during the full moon the ocean is at high tide; it is intense, active and holds everything. During the new moon, the ocean is calm; this is the time, for instance, when garbage washes up onto the shore. This demonstrates how nature removes her wastes during the time of calm and quiet. Similarly, if we allow the mind and body to meditate and take rest, that will release stress and waste materials from the body.
Vihara also advises us to work in moderation. Getting exhausted in the pursuit of our dreams negates our ability to enjoy our achievements. In all cases, desires are more easily fulfilled when they are created from the clear, comprehensive, sattvic levels of mind where we have maximum support from nature’s infinite organizing intelligence.
Exercise
Vihara prescribes two types of exercise to enhance the quality of our lives. The first is cardiovascular or aerobic exercise, which stimulates muscle metabolism and increases oxygenation. It also strengthens and improves mamsa and meda dhatus, along with the performance of the heart and circulatory system. This type of exercise should be done frequently, under the advice of your physician. It is essential to take your vikruti into account when performing this sort of exercise. Kapha vikruti, for instance, generally needs an intense amount of exercise, whereas pitta vikruti can handle only a moderate amount. Vata vikruti should exercise less than kapha or pitta, because vata becomes easily aggravated by too much activity.
Vyayama, which means gaining energy by exercising, is the second form of exercise recommended by vihara. This definition implies that there is a category of exercise that gives energy to the body rather than causing it to expend energy. The three specific forms of vyayama are called surya namaskar (sun salutation), yoga asanas, and pranayama. Unlike aerobic exercise, these stretching and breathing exercises are done in a very slow and gentle manner, and serve to lower cardiovascular activity rather than speed it up. After their performance, we actually feel more light, invigorated and clearer than before.
Why does one feel lighter and more invigorated by yogasana and pranayama compared to aerobic exercises? To explain this, let me give you a simple example. If you injure your arm or leg, you may not feel very sick. You can heal those injuries without necessarily affecting the rest of your body. However, if you receive an injury to the abdominal area, you can become very ill, resulting in a serious disease manifestation throughout the body. What this shows is that you need to pay more attention to the abdomen rather than to the extremities. That is why Ayurveda suggests yogasanas and pranayama.
If you carefully observe what asana and or pranayama do, they exercise the internal organs of the chest and abdominal cavity. Creating pressure on these particular organs helps to remove ama, by moving it to the G-I. tract where it can be eliminated. Expanding these organs helps to support the movement of nutrition to the dhatus, which insures their proper functioning.
Also, performing alternate nostril breathing exercises help to expand and constrict the chest, diaphragm and hemispheres of the brain. This is a massaging exercise which supports the release of toxins and improves their functioning. This pranayama increases the supply of nutrition to all dhatus and helps to expel the malas from the body. This most important function, performed by the doshas, is strongly supported by yogasanas and pranayama. That is why Charaka has mentioned that to use yoga along with Panchakarma therapy eliminates disease.
In practicing this aspect of Ayurveda {Panchakarma), I suggest four important yogasanas (postures) to be performed for receiving . the complete benefit of this cleansing and rejuvenation program. I recommend these to be used in the daily routine practice (Dinacharya): Locust (Shalabhasana), Knee-Chest {Pawan Muktasana), Cobra (Bhujangasana), and Uddiyan Bandha (a specific exercise for intestines), in addition to pranayama (alternate nostril breathing).
You can see that these practices help to release toxins from the abdomen and increase their ability to control digestion and metabolism, while improving agni function. So, Ayurveda and Yoga give more importance to Vyayama, rather than to the buildup of muscles only.
Taken together, these three aspects of vyayama provide a number of significant benefits for the body and mind. They help vata’s five aspects or sub-dosbas to perform their functions properly according to their specific directional orientation. They accelerate and improve the function of agni, which helps maintain a strong, healthy appetite and digestion. They help maintain the balance of the endocrine system.They improve and refine sensory functioning.They release stress, calm the mind and increase sattva.They enhance rasa and rakta metabolism which improves the circulation of lymph and blood.To gain maximum value from these exercises, practice them just before meditation and in the following order: (i) sun salutation, (ii) asanas and (iii) pranayama.
Sensory Experience
We have already stated that what we take in through the senses powerfully influences the mind. Attention moves from the mind out through the senses and the sense organs to the objects of perception and back again. If the objects of attention are either under-stimulating, over-stimulating or toxic, they can disturb the mind’s natural equilibrium and directly or indirectly damage the body. Consequently, the senses play a key role in maintaining balance in the mind and body.
The way the senses operate is comparable to eating. If we do not eat enough food, the dhatus don’t get enough nourishment to perform their functions. If this situation continues, dhatu structure and substance diminish and the body becomes emaciated. If we eat too much food, the digestive agni gets overtaxed and ama forms, again injuring dhatu function, Food which is either difficult to digest or poisonous also creates ama and ultimately damages the dhatus.
Similar processes take place in the mind. When we take in inappropriate sensory stimuli, mental and emotional ama form and impair mental functioning. For instance, when we see a violent or horrifying movie, we often have difficulty falling asleep; when we finally do sleep, we’re disturbed by violent dreams. As a result, when we wake up in the morning, our bodies feel tired and lethargic and our minds are dull or agitated.
This demonstrates the impact that the senses have on mental and physical equilibrium. The senses are designed to protect us. They relay a vast amount of information to the mind about the body and the environment. Thus, as one of its key components, vihara recommends that we use our senses in a life-enhancing manner — a way that supports the mind’s ability to make choices which support health and happiness.
Adjusting to Seasonal Changes
We are an integral part of nature. Whatever happens in the environment also takes place in our bodies. We are immediately and intimately affected by changes of season, climate and locale. If our bodies are strong and healthy, we experience these changes as invigorating and revitalizing.
For example, during the cold, damp winter, the elements of prithvi and jala dominate and kapha collects in the body. The body protects itself against the cold by constricting and holding on to its substance. In the spring, when the sun warms the air, the snow melts. Likewise, the accumulated kapha liquefies and gets expelled through the dilated shrotas. The element of vayu becomes lively in the environment, animating the new growth of spring. At the same time, vata increases its movement in the body and helps kapha eliminate its associated wastes. This “spring cleaning” is the body’s way of purifying what is no longer useful so that regeneration and growth can take place.
We can also look at the change that takes place in autumn when summer begins to wane. The winds begin to blow and the leaves dry and fall. Agni and vayu bhutas now command the environment. The pitta which amassed in the body during the summer begins to move out of its normal location when vata’s influence grows stronger. People with a pitta vikruti suffer from symptoms of excess heat. The body’s natural efforts to dispose of toxins and wastes can produce acidity, skin allergies and erratic bowels.
Rutucharya: Seasonal Routine
Though we have given examples of the effects of autumn and spring on the body, each season has its own impact on the balance of the doshas. To help each person adjust to the’changing influence of the seasons, vihara recommends a seasonal-specific, daily routine called rutucharya. These simple activities will help keep us healthy throughout the year.
During the spring, mucous secretions become more readily available for elimination. Rutucharya therefore recommends gan-dush, or gargling with a warm saline solution, first thing in the morning to clear mucus from the nasal passages and throat. In addition, warm showers dilate the shrotas, helping the body expel kapha. Continue to dress warmly until the coolness in the environment subsides. In spring, airborne allergens grow abundant. To protect yourself from these irritants, apply ghee to the inside of the nasal passages to trap the allergens. Kapha gets vitiated during the spring. If it becomes excessive, Ayurveda advises Panchakarma therapy with an emphasis on vamana.
Agni gains strength in the summer in both the environment and the body. Therefore eat light, easily digestible, more liquid foods, with relatively little spicing. Fruits and juices are good foods for the summer. Reduce exposure to the sun, avoid strenuous exercise and dress lightly. Take a nap during the afternoon to increase kapha in the body. Vata becomes aggravated in the summer, so follow a vata-reducing diet and lifestyle. If symptoms indicate it has become excessive, it will be very useful to undergo Panchakarma with an emphasis on basti karma.
In the autumn, vata’s drying influence increases. Ayurveda therefore recommends the use of internal and external oblation to maintain proper lubrication in the body. As in summer, it’s important to increase fluid intake to maintain hydration. Follow a diet which pacifies both pitta and vata and continue to use fewer spices. Soup and yellow mung dal are useful for this. Since pitta gets aggravated during the fall, an excess accumulation can be eliminated by undergoing Panchakarma with an emphasis on virechana.
Cold and dampness reach a peak in winter. Therefore, stay warm, dress warmly, take warm showers and baths and eat warm, spicy food. Continue to emphasize the use of ghee and oil internally and externally. During this season, appetite grows as agni increases to protect the body from the cold. Increased digestive capacity at this time makes it easier to build up the dhatus. Rasayanas are therefore recommended during the winter months. Vata can manifest excessively during this time. If this occurs, seek out Panchakarma therapy with an emphasis on basti and nasya karmas.
Dinacharya: Daily Routine
In addition to these seasonal guidelines, vihara makes recommendations for our daily routine, called dinacharya. Anyone can follow this simple set of directions to maximize their health regardless of the season or their particular vikruti.
Wake early, preferably at sunrise. Urinate and defecate upon arising. Scrape your tongue and brush your teeth. Drink a glass of warm water. Perform abhyanga, or “oil massage.” Take a warm bath.
Do asanas (yoga postures), pranayama (alternate nostril breathing) and meditation.
Exercise according to your prakruti.
Apply ghee or sesame oil to the nostrils before going out.
Do not restrain natural urges such as yawning, sneezing or urinating.
Eat fruit and herbal tea for breakfast. If you feel hungry, eat hot cereal.
Engage in activity that brings you joy.
Eat your main meal at noon in a quiet, settled atmosphere.
Do not overwork.
Reduce rushing, worrying and overeating. Treat yourself gently and lovingly. Meditate at the end of your day’s activities.
Eat a light meal in the evening. Go for a walk. Retire early.
The prescriptions offered by ahara and vihara are more designed to promote the body’s normal, healthy functioning than to rid it of wastes and toxins. Consequently, dietary and behavioral management alone will not cure most well-established diseases. While some diets and activities assist the body’s natural detoxification mechanisms and are used as an adjunct during cleansing therapies, once toxins are deeply rooted in the dhatus, we must resort to the aushadhi, the third pillar of ayu.