Our very way of life breeds unhappiness. We have an active and turbulent culture in which there is little peace or contentment. We have disturbed the organic roots of life, which are good food, water and air, and a happy family life. We live in an artificial world dominated by an urban landscape and mass media, in which there is little to nourish the soul. We ever desire new things and are seldom content with what we have. We run from one stimulation to another, rarely observing the process of our lives that is really leading nowhere. Our lives are patterns of accumulation in which we are never still or at rest. Our medicine is more quick fix to keep us going in our wrong lifestyles and seldom addresses the behavioural root of our problems. We take a quick pill hoping that our problem will go away, not recognising that it may only be a symptom of a life out of balance, like a warning light that we had better heed.
Ayurveda, on the other hand, teaches harmony with Nature, simplicity and contentment as keys to well-being. It shows us how to live in a state of balance in which fulfilment is a matter of being, not becoming. It connects us with the wellsprings of creativity and happiness within our own consciousness, so that we can permanently overcome our psychological problems. Ayurveda provides a real solution to our health problems, which is to return to oneness with both the universe and the Divine within. This requires changing how we live, think and perceive.
- “Ayurveda and the Mind – The Healing of Consciousness”, (page 7-8), Dr. David Frawley
Our very way of life breeds unhappiness. We have an active and turbulent culture in which there is little peace or contentment. We have disturbed the organic roots of life, which are good food, water and air, and a happy family life. We live in an artificial world dominated by an urban landscape and mass media, in which there is little to nourish the soul. We ever desire new things and are seldom content with what we have. We run from one stimulation to another, rarely observing the process of our lives that is really leading nowhere. Our lives are patterns of accumulation in which we are never still or at rest. Our medicine is more quick fix to keep us going in our wrong lifestyles and seldom addresses the behavioural root of our problems. We take a quick pill hoping that our problem will go away, not recognising that it may only be a symptom of a life out of balance, like a warning light that we had better heed.A tad hippy towards the end, and something that eighteen months ago I would have probably sniggered over and rolled my eyes. Now, it resonates on so many levels. Even this question of the Divine within. I’ve never really asked what this Divine actually means…who, what is it….but perhaps it is something as simple as that truth I was talking about yesterday. That sensation of purity and absoluteness.
I am, quite noticeably, off-balance, and despite the emotional turmoil I’ve been going through, I’m also feeling quite exhilarated and interested by this whole process of healing, and paying attention to what my mind and body wants and needs. Observing and responding to how certain things settle, and certain things provoke. How much I’m drawn to solitude and nature.
Yesterday I found myself sat on a bench by the river. I was completely quiet, and removed my shoes so that I could feel the concrete slab beneath my bare feet. Ankles ticked by a long blade of grass. Oxfordians were cycling past, families racing and laughing down the towpath. Clouds gathered overhead, and I loved the wind. The way it felt against my skin, gently brushing my hair off my neck. The ease in which I breathed. Slowly, deeply, silently. The Isis Tavern was behind me, but I wasn’t drawn to the people and their chatter. I just wanted to sit there. Alone and quiet. Watching the green water pass me by.
More silence. I want more silence.
It is in this silence that I’m beginning to feel my way to some answers.
