healingways
Healing the Root Cause of Addiction with Ayurveda
by Linda Sechrist
Ayurveda means the “Science of Life,” a holistic view of keeping our bodies in balance by combining applied principles of yoga, meditation and diet.
I
t’s no secret that individuals who adopt unconscious ways to escape from stress and confl ict can often become victims of their own self-de- structive habits and behavioral patterns. “Confl ict creates stress and addictions, like [to] alcohol, food, work, sex and drugs,” says Yogi Amrit Desai, founder of Kripalu Yoga. “Addictions are anti- dotes that provide a temporary escape from the stress-producing, confl ict- creating reactions you have about what you are doing, where you are going and who you are with. Addiction, which is only an effect, occurs when you continue to use inappropriate external resources to reduce stress and restore a sense of balance, while failing to resolve the cause of the stress hidden in the unconscious.”
Desai further explains how the
body’s own homeostasis works to natu- rally regulate the internal polarities of tension and relaxation. However, when the amount of tension exceeds what can be balanced by relaxation, people call the unresolved tension stress. “It is important to recognize that most people don’t know the difference between tension and stress,” cautions Desai. He observes that stressors—
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thoughts and reactions to our lifestyle, relationships, work environment and family life—are introduced through the ego mind. Emotionally charged thoughts and feelings of blame, shame or guilt then get metabolized into our biological body system. Stored in the form of toxins and neuro-glandular imbalances, these feelings create energy blocks that prevent the free fl ow of energy, or prana, the body’s self-healing wisdom. Energy blocks may take the form of muscular tensions and weak- ness in liver, kidney and digestive functions. Gradual decline results in a progressive deterioration of biological processes and consequently can mani- fest in external symptoms of fatigue, fear, anxiety and insecurity. “But, when our thoughts are free from stressful emotional feelings, they naturally pass like clouds without leav- ing footprints in our biology,” counsels Desai, whose approach to Ayurveda is designed to solve addictions by resolv- ing internal causes of stress. “Shift your focus inward to your
inner source, instead of reaching for external distractions; go within to re- solve any excess tension and all surface symptoms will begin to erode,” advises
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Desai, who points out that addictions prevent us from connecting to the in- nermost core of our being. With the release of unconscious, stress-produc- ing confl icts, an individual naturally becomes more securely established in their core self; thus, their life force is freed to activate and accelerate the power of pranic healing. Ayurveda, a holistic health sys-
tem and sister science of yoga, works from the outside in; yoga works from the inside out. Yoga physically initi- ates an unfolding of the spirit and a consequent transformation. Ayurveda initiates the same process, begin- ning with in-depth purifi cation of body and mind. Ayurvedic treatments such as diet, nutritional herbs and an herbal detoxifi cation process known as panchakarma, as well as meditation, not only work hand-in-hand to create a shift on a physical level, they also remove unconscious blocks that create chronic stress. Desai’s approaches to yoga and
ayurvedic treatments are focused on working on subtle pranic levels of heal- ing. Ayurvedic treatments are geared towards restoring energetic balance, according to an individual’s physical and psychological constitution, which are considered to be interrelated and interactive. Healthful herbs and recom- mended lifestyle changes are precisely tailored to an individual’s primary psy- cho-physiological constitutional type— vata, which controls movement; pitta, which rules metabolism; or kapha, which controls structure. This approach determines an effective program of diet, exercise and other regular measures vital for maintaining inner balance and reducing stress. Desai’s Amrit Yoga Institute com-
bines ayurvedic treatments with the practice of Amrit yoga, yoga nidra (a form of meditation) and quantum breath meditation to create harmony, balance and union and to connect indi- viduals with their inner source of inte- gration. This works to restore a natural balance, preventing people from being the victim of stress.
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