Ayurveda: The Ancient Art of Stress Management
“Ayurveda” is the traditional medicine system of India in the same way that Acupuncture (Traditional Chinese Medicine) is ancient healthcare from China. Ayurveda translates as the science or study of life, allowing both practitioner and client to understand the patterns that play out in predictable ways throughout a human life. During an initial consultation, a practitioner of this ancient system will assess your life as a whole, including mind, body and emotions, so as to understand which patterns are creating harmony (which in turn creates an environment for optimum health) and which patterns are creating disharmony (disease).* In the follow up visits, you are coached on how to make Ayurvedic changes in lifestyle, diet, yoga, or meditation practices to create harmony in the whole system, one small step at a time.*
Modern medicine agrees with Ayurveda that stress causes or can aggravate many diseases. It can weaken our immune system and make us more susceptible to pathogens. It can also decrease our ability to digest foods, activating our “fight or flight” nervous system instead of our “rest and digest” system. In Ayurveda, digestion is of utmost importance. Ayurveda teaches that what we cannot digest turns into poison in our bodies, even if it is the best organic, clean, whole, plant-based or paleo superfood you can buy. Poor digestion is indicated when we have gas, bloating, heartburn, burning sensations, or heavy and sluggish feelings after eating. In Ayurveda, these are the first signs of potential disease in the body – and may not be the harmless discomforts we often think them to be.
Importantly, in Ayurveda the idea of digestion is expanded to include emotional and mental digestion. When we don’t have the right tools, it is not always possible to mentally and emotionally “digest” hardships. Perhaps we could not properly assimilate our difficult experiences because we were children at the time, or perhaps we did not have the right support system as adults— the possibilities are endless. Long-term digestion issues of any kind can deplete the body of its immunity and resilience to stress, and can lead to chronic disease and fatigue. In essence, an inability to assimilate what is coming in through all of our five senses will rob you of your vitality. Yoga (which includes the science of meditation), as a sister science to Ayurveda, was never meant to be practiced without the context of Ayurveda. Undigested anxiety or grief, for example, can be skillfully digested using these two powerful systems together. Practiced on their own, each is profoundly helpful, but combined, they can have an exponentially higher healing power.
We can create a stress-free life by intentionally creating harmony through an Ayurvedic lifestyle. This process begins when your Ayurvedic practitioner calculates your unique Ayurvedic constitution and any imbalances you may have in your body and/or mind during your initial Ayurvedic consultation. Understanding your unique Ayurvedic body/mind profile helps address your unique challenges as an individual with greater accuracy and efficiency. Ayurveda teaches that nothing is right for everyone, and everything can be right for someone. This is why paleo works for some, and veganism works for others. Cassandra McDonough, Ayurvedic practitioner and yoga teacher, uses this stress reduction system to help you figure out and fine tune what will work for YOU!
Consultations are available via video chat/phone throughout the United States and in person in San Mateo, California. Sign up for a completely free, no obligation 30 minute consultation with Cassandra today to start reducing your stress!
*DISCLAIMER: CASSANDRA IS NOT LICENSED BY THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA AS A HEALING ARTS PRACTITIONER.
