ayurveda, digestion & mental health
Digestion of food and digestion of life are connected.
In Ayurveda, the concept of digestion extends beyond the physical process of breaking down food; it encompasses the assimilation of all experiences and impressions encountered in life.
Just as the digestive system transforms food into nutrients that nourish the body, the mind digests sensory stimuli, emotions, and thoughts, converting them into mental and emotional states. And just as a healthy digestive fire (agni) efficiently metabolizes food, a balanced mental agni enables us to digest experiences and emotions in a healthy manner, extracting wisdom and growth from life's challenges.
Ayurvedic lifestyle tools and practices focus on digestion and can play a significant role in addressing mental health challenges.
Prana, Diet and Digestion: Prana is the vital life force energy that animates every facet of existence, sustaining body, mind, and spirit. It is also the subtle nourishing energy within food. If I am consuming food – and activities – in life that don't offer anything to my life force, the flow of energy goes down. Heavily processed food does something to the quality of our digestion because our body is trying to do something with something that offers it no or low-quality prana. And that can take our mental capacity down in many ways. If we are continually watching distressing movies or the news, listening to loud aggravating music or are involved in toxic relationships, it all becomes difficult (for the nervous system) to digest, and it will affect the digestion of our food and it becomes a vicious cycle.
Agni Helps Us Digest Life: Agni is our digestive fire that is happening on a cellular level that allows us to make good use of what we consume. When what we eat, view, listen to, put on our skin, etc. has prana it can be used to build high quality body tissues and mental formations (thoughts). For example, heavy caffeine usage overstimulates and dehydrates the nerves and affects the capacity of the mind.
Vata Dosha: Vata dosha is one of the three fundamental energies that govern the body and mind. Composed of air and space elements, vata is responsible for all movement, communication, and creativity. When vata is in balance, it promotes mental agility, enthusiasm, and adaptability. However, when vata becomes aggravated or imbalanced, it can lead to anxiety, fear, scattered thoughts, and restlessness. We want vata and agni to be friends. If I’m overstimulating vata (and the nervous system) with things like too much talking, traveling, moving around and going fast, these disturbances can inhibit the proper functioning of agni, resulting in incomplete digestion (irregular digestion, gas, bloating) and poor assimilation of nutrients. We can sooth vata dosha by having regular meal times and sleep times, chewing your food, and eliminating raw and dry foods. We need to slow down and perhaps take pause a few times a day to take a few deep breaths and smile to ourselves.
Lifestyle and Daily Routines: Ayurveda emphasizes the importance of daily routines (dinacharya) and seasonal rhythms in maintaining mental equilibrium. By aligning with nature's cycles and adopting nourishing habits, we cultivate a consistency that can promote mental clarity, emotional stability, and overall vitality.
Sattva: The natural state of the mind is harmonious and we can make choices that support that state.
