Photo by Fabrice Florin, Flickr
Ayurveda means long life through knowledge–promoting a healthy body while cultivating the realization of our divine identity.
The following principles are the core of Ayurveda, capturing the essence of cleansing and health.
Six Essential Principles
• Buddhi: Universal/individual innate intelligence
• Prana: Universal/individual life energy
• Agni: Fire of digestion and transformation
• Ojas: Essence of immunity
• Ama: Toxins
• Prajnaparadha: Acting against our knowledge, wisdom, intuition, and love
Buddhi
Buddhi is the innate intelligence within all life—controlling the movements of the tides and planets. Buddhi acts within every living being and supports all bodily processes. Its influence can be blocked by toxins. When it is, imbalance and disease begins.
Prana
Prana is the life force—energizing and moving through all living things. It’s subtle; connecting the body and mind. Moving smoothly, we feel relaxed, alert, energetic, and enthusiastic. When disturbed, our body and mind becomes imbalanced. Prana supports on all levels: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.
Agni
Agni means “fire” relating to our metabolic and digestive capacity. With insufficient agni, we can’t properly,digest or create energy. Agni transforms food into our major tissues and experiences into knowledge and wisdom.
Ayurveda teaches that most emotional imbalances come from undigested experiences, such as childhood traumas, which store within the nervous system, muscles, organs, and tissues—deranging prana and leading to discomfort, pain, mental disturbance, and disease.
Ojas
Ojas nourishes, strengthens and increases longevity. It’s the essence of our physical being, nourishing our mind and intellect as well. It’s the source of immunity and protection from negativity. Toxins negatively interfere with the ojas.
Ama
Ama, or toxins, can be externally generated, like pesticide on food, or internally generated, through incomplete digestion. Toxins cause cellular damage to the blood vessels and stagnation in our lymphatics by interfering with prana, agni, and ojas.
When our cells are deprived of prana, they oxidize and stiffen prematurely. They lose their intelligence (buddhi) and their ability to utilize oxygen (agni). When cells lose intelligence, they may become cancerous—cells gone mad!
Clearing toxins, minimizing toxic exposure, and strengthening detoxification pathways are essential components of any authentic health program.
Prajnaparadha: The Original Cause of Disease
Prajnaparadha—offending, ignoring, or denying our innate wisdom, intuition and experience—is the primary cause of disease. Its cause can be external, (for example, from parents that force their child to overeat, later causing bad habits and addictions). Or, it can be caused by frequent consumption of junk foods. Nutrient-poor high-sugar foods confuse the body and brain.
Prajnaparadha, with deep esoteric implications, means to offend or go against our true self—away from love—going against our self-interest. Radha (within aparadha) is pure love. It’s any action that causes harm to ourselves or others. Imbalance manifests when we ignore our innate wisdom, knowledge and intuition.
Cleansing minimizes prajnaparadha and ama and nourishes buddhi, prana, agni and ojas, the foundations of well-being.
Learn more about cleansing in my new book, Total Life Cleanse: A 28-Day Program to Detoxify and Nourish the Body, Mind, and Soul. Join me, either in person or virtually, for our Total Life Cleanse program.
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