Ayurveda and Yoga E-Book

Klaus-Rupprecht Wasmuht

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Seitenzahl: 173

Beschreibung

"Ayurveda and Yoga - Prevention and Self-Healing through Awareness" is intended as a small guide to a fulfilling and happy life through self-knowledge. Ayurveda and yoga point the way to how life can be made healthier and how living conditions can be influenced to promote good health and a happy life. Following his education as a naturopath and completion of a university degree in business administration Klaus-Rupprecht Wasmuht successfully pursued a career in industry and later became an independent entrepreneur in England. Since 2003 he has devoted himself exclusively to health care. During his multi-annual training and further education in authentic ayurvedic healing treatments in South India, he has been able to establish close contacts with numerous Vaidyas in the last 15 years, leading to a lively exchange of experience. Currently in charge of the Ayurveda and naturopathic practice in the Hanseatic city of Lübeck, he is author of scientific publications and active as a speaker and seminar leader at the Federal Association "Freie Heilpraktiker e.V. Berufs- und Fachverband" (Federal Association of Independent Health Practitioners).

Leseprobe

Inhalt

Preliminary remarks

Prologue

Mesocosm

Immensity of the universe

Basic concepts: Vedanta and Sākhya philosophy related to Ayurveda and Yoga

Physical constitution and mental constitution

Modern medicine without soul?

Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) of Ayurveda and Medicine Based Evidence (MBE) of Modern Medicine

Psychosomatic medicine

Placebo and Nocebo

Socio-Psycho-Neuro-Endocrino-Immunology

Interpersonal neurobiology - the social synapse

Consciousness - know yourself

Moral crisis

Spiritual development

Mental functions in Ayurveda

Prevention and self-healing – Cornerstones of Ayurveda

Health is contentment, illness is discontent

Excursus regarding happiness, health, longevity:

Swasthya – Rest in Self

Recognizing causes of illness

Assessment of some major diseases and ailments of the mind from the ayurvedic point of view

Ayurveda and Yoga- the magical connection of human life with the immediate environment and the universe

The first two limbs of the eight paths of Yoga (Patañjali – Ashtanga Yoga)

Epilogue

References

Vita

Preliminary remarks

This book is not intended to make diagnoses or to recommend prescriptions. The information contained herein is in no way to be considered as a substitute for consultation with a properly licensed healthcare professional.

This book is also not designed as a kind of manual and also does not claim to offer a systematic presentation.

In numerous ayurvedic and yoga handbooks translated into German, individual components of ayurvedic medicine and yoga have been described in great detail in the Western Hemisphere over the last few decades and detailed instructions, measures and rules of conduct for a healthy lifestyle are given.

These very readable sources report how body forces can be developed and promoted through, for example, physical exercises (asanas), breathing exercises, nutrition appropriate to the constitution, and much more. Interested readers may inform themselves by studying these works (see some sources) (1)

To merely supplement these would only serve to "embellish" without actually adding any real enrichment; that is not my intention.

Rather, this book is intended as a small guide, that may accompany the reader in his walk on the path of ayurvedic wisdom in conjunction with yoga. In this way, the reader may be encouraged to think and move forward consciously step by step.

With regard to yoga it should be noted at this stage that attention is paid first and foremost to the ethical principles of the first two elements of classical Ashtanga Yoga (Patanjeli Sutras), which is less well known in Western culture.

To facilitate the understanding of ayurvedic and yogic wisdom, numerous comparisons are made which correspond to Western attitudes.

For me as the author of this book, it is more important to sketch the interlocking essentials than to present a detailed presentation.

Stage 1

The first guidance in the prologue is the need to eliminate ignorance. The key to this is offered by the symbolic content of the cosmic dance of god Shiva.

Stage 2

The following section "Mesocosm" intends to suggest the immensity of the Universe, and to discern man, insignificant as he may seem against this background as a highly evolved living spiritual being in an extremely complex relationship of interactions, both with his Inner world as well as with the Outer world.

Stage 3

Here is a reference to the oldest philosophical directions of Indian origin, in which already fundamental principles of ayurvedic healing and Yoga, such as consciousness, spirit, soul, natural elements and other factors of existence are expressed.

Stage 4

From the beginning, according to the ayurvedic teachings, the world consists of five elements (Pancha Boothas): space (Akash), air (Vayu), fire (Agni), water (Apas / Jal) and earth (Prithvi).

They determine everything: the essence of stones, plants, animals and humans. Man is between microcosm and macrocosm as mesocosm of the world. All elements are also found in his body, for example in his five senses: in listening (space), in seeing (fire), in smelling (earth), in feeling (air) and in tasting (water).

The physical constitution (Dosha) Vata, Pitta, Kapha sheds light on the basic bio-physical structure, which is differently distributed in each person. The knowledge of one’s own constitution also makes it possible to recognize the difference of one’s fellow man. With this understanding may also be brought more tolerance for the differences in fellow human beings.

Stage 5

In addition to the physical constitution, the spiritual constitution – Tri-Gunas (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas) – is of elementary importance in Ayurveda, both for the thinking, acting and well-being as well as for the conscious life development of humans.

The properties of Tri-Gunas, such as sattva (light, clarity), rajas (activity, movement), and tamas (inertia, darkness) were first systematized in Samkhya philosophy and later considered in Vedanta.

They are also interpreted on the cosmic level as subtle matter. They form the qualitative properties of primal matter (prakriti).

In contrast to the doshas, which are already determined at the conception, a certain development is possible with the Gunas. This can take place in an expansion of consciousness and spiritual development, expressed in thought and action.

Therefore, the three gunas are also given special attention in yoga.

The yoga practitioner is encouraged to align his life from inertia to movement, from activity to clarity, and finally to transcend sattva.

The Bhagavadgita, interpreted by the Hindus as the quintessence of the Vedas, describes in detail in the fourteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth chapters the elemental meaning of the gunas for man.

Stage 6

A consideration of body, mind and soul is introduced here as we look towards modern medicine and the issue "medicine without soul". This complex topic has been heavily disputed since ancient times and culminated in the Cartesian ontology in the separation of body and soul.

I do not join in this controversy, but comment briefly on areas of placebo / nocebo, psychosomatics and more recent research areas of socio-psycho-neuro-endocrino immunology and interpersonal neurobiology.

In particular, the interactions between negative and positive mental factors on the immune system in connection with the particular importance in Ayurveda and Yoga should be looked at a bit closer in the later section "Health and Disease" and in the final chapter.

Stage 7

Having arrived at this point, a deliberate engagement with the SELF appears to be appropriate, as opposed to the "I", to pay attention to one of the key issues of Ayurveda and Yoga.

Depending on the depth of his awareness, man lives in coarse form (tamas), in lively form (rajas), or in self-confident form (sattva).

Resting in the self ("swasthya") not only means being free of illness, but being in sensual clarity, having mental and spiritual health and living spiritual fulfillment.

In short: sheltered in basic trust.

Stage 8

The path continues, now leading to prevention and self-healing.

Health care of Ayurveda deals predominantly with prevention of diseases. This is a fundamental difference to classical medicine!

The treatment of illnesses, also in terms of self-healing, will, of course, be given attention if, despite prevention, a disease is emerging.

Following on from the above-described effects of negative psychological factors on the immune system, some of the main illnesses and ailments of the mind with a focus on depressive disorders are evaluated here from an ayurvedic perspective. The various treatment methods presented here illustrate the complex holistic approach of ayurvedic medicine, which, at the same time, integrates physique, psyche and spirituality into one another.

Stage 9

After all this the magical connection of yoga and ayurveda is addressed again. Of particular importance here are effects of positive psychic factors on the immune system and the influence of the realization of ethical behavior on consciousness.

Yoga in the deeper sense means the expansion of one’s consciousness and spiritual development and thus a perfection of human existence.

Epilogue

A review concludes the journey. May the reader contemplate, reflect, shaping an inner picture of the future in a vision that will fill him with confidence and lead him safely on his further path of life.

Prologue

The modern science of the Western world has found various means to enable a standard of living beyond the subsistence level. However, it has done little to facilitate inner self-realization and true emotional satisfaction. Greater material well-being is accompanied by a regrettable increase in mental illness, drug addiction, suicide, crime, corruption and violence.

In the Eastern world, on the other hand, human beings have developed emotional and spiritual techniques that lead to the realization of the connection with the metaphysical. The appropriate way of life has made it possible to free oneself from existential doubts and suffering internally. However, most people have so far failed to solve the urgent issues of everyday life and to improve their living conditions.(2)

Realization:

Material prosperity alone does not mean a happy life yet, and spiritual freedom in material distress does not provide sufficient livelihood.

Question:

In the social environment, how can one be connected to the other in order to enable a full and happy life in community?

The title page shows Shiva as Nataraja ("King of Dance") in the cosmic dance, dancing on Apasmara, the "Demon of Ignorance".

In dance, Shiva destroys ignorance

The essential meaning of Shiva’s dance is threefold: First: it is the image of his rhythmic play as the source of all motion in the cosmos represented by the bow:

Second: the purpose of his dance is to remove the innumerable souls of men from the trap of illusion.

Third: the place of the dance, Chidambaram, is the center of the universe, in the heart.(3)

What does Shiva tell us as a symbol of the source of all movement in the cosmos – liberation from the trap of illusion – the heart as the center of the universe?

Liberation from the illusion is today desirable through self-realization.

Is not this desire already an expression of an illusion? Sri Ramana Maharshi (4) answers this question as follows: "The desire to realize the Self is at the same time an expression of a deficiency phenomenon. The very nature of this sense of life hides itself as a secret, the meaning of which only reveals itself to a few people."

This leads to the question: what is the actual character of this self-awareness of life, which hides itself as a secret and reveals itself to only a few people?

What would life be like if humanity managed to solve this mystery?

Would the crew in "Spaceship Earth" be able to shape their coexistence in a cooperative team spirit, rather than in a competition-dictated "survival of the fittest"? In other words "keeping healthy" instead of "getting sick"!

Ayurveda and yoga – prevention and self-healing through awareness – are means to reveal and promote awareness of the true character of "this feeling for life", called "Swasthya" in Hinduism,

Swasthya, or rest in the self, is naturally devoid of pathological aspects. Only by misjudging the circumstances and subsequent misconduct problems appear that have a negative impact.

The cause of this sequence is a lack of knowledge, lack of awareness about the interactions of complex life processes and thus misguided lifestyle.

This ignorance or misjudgment in coexistence of people has led from the earliest beginnings to the present to social conflicts and armed conflicts in the political and religious environment, as well as in economic dealings and in many other areas of life.

The world has become a big village in the last decades, in a few hours every point of the earth can be reached. Have we become world citizens for that reason alone?

Or do we see the events too much out of our own glasses, if not rose-tinted glasses, conditioned from early youth, shaped by the social environment, stubbornly blocked in dogmas and automatisms?

In this book, the ayurvedic approach is explained in connection with yoga, which is primarily preventive and health-promoting, taking into account the patient’s own physical, mental and spiritual activity, focusing on awareness of self-ordering and self-healing interactions.

The desired shift from a purely curative to a preventive-curative medicine, and finally a medicine that primarily pursues the goal of prevention through health promotion, requires an understanding of complex holistic interactions, an understanding of individual dynamics, and an understanding of how a person’s life has developed.

1. Mesocosm

Human being – Cosmic dust and what else? "

There are areas of life that we do not know about. However, when we apply to them the principle of analogy (in philosophy, a form of agreement on certain characteristics), we extend our understanding beyond these realms. The principle of analogy reveals itself as a universal law on various levels of the material, intellectual and spiritual universe.(5)

Already the spread of the galaxies seems gigantic to humans, an order of magnitude that can hardly be grasped, whereas atomic distances seem very tiny to humans.

Ultimately, this similarity of the different levels of existence is due to the mental state of consciousness.(6)

Mesocosm in philosophy is the subject area of objects clearly intelligible to human beings. This is understood as an intermediate area between microcosm and macrocosm.

The mesocosm is important in that it defines the range of perception from which humans can describe the macrocosm and the microcosm.(7)

Consciousness can be compared to the tip of an iceberg and the unconscious to the hidden much larger part of the iceberg.

The situation is similar with the sensory perception of man. Even a rough assessment of the human senses reveals the limitations to what we can see and hear.

Sound spectrum:

People can only hear vibrations with a frequency of 20 Hertz up to 16000 Hz (maximum 20000 Hz). Elephants, cattle and insects, on the other hand, hear very deep sounds whose sound waves propagate over long distances below 16 Hz. Pigeons can even hear sounds in the 0.1 Hertz range.

In the high frequency range, hedgehogs, dogs, dolphins and bats are superior to humans. Bats can hear sounds up to 200,000 hertz.

Apart from the sound phenomenon as a physical phenomenon, sound is of particular importance in numerous creation myths.

For Joachim-Ernst Berendt, the longtime jazz editor of Südwestfunk Baden Baden sound is the continuous principle of creation.(8)

He saw a harmonic principle not only in the music of all cultures, but also in nature (fauna and flora) and in space, in the orbits and vibrations of the planets.

Oxygen particles vibrate in C major, the blades of a mountain meadow "sing", photosynthesis creates triads.

Berendt thought that Copernicus must be taken literally. God himself created the world out of sound, so reject all music to God or to the Gods.

The Bible emphasizes in several places the meaning of sound and light. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (9) The same was in the beginning with God. All things are made by the same, and without it is nothing made that was made. (10)

In him was life, and life was the light of men. (11) And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not understood. (12)

According to Indian philosophy, the world is sound (Nada Brahma). The sound of Nada stands for the sacred syllable OM.(13) Om is the most sublime symbol of the Hindu Metaphysics.

As a transcendental primordial sound, OM refers to vibrations that created the entire universe. Om stands as sound for the beginning, without matter.

Building on this, the perceptible, the material universe emerged. So much is mentioned here to OM. Particular importance is given to the effect of OM-chanting in yoga practice for more awareness of body and mind, to recognize the Self and return to the essence of nature.(14)

According to Professor Klaus Fessmann, pianist, composer and sound artist, "Sound and music are vital. Sound and music not only reverse misery, but at the same time prevent fear." (15)

"When I was sitting in a circle with a group of ADHD children in the clinic of Esslingen with sound stones in a circle on the floor and we were playing, they suddenly knew what they had to do with their hands and their urge to move: they entered into the movement of the music of the stones, which was like them, like their senses and feelings, their being and their way of thinking.

They did not need any Ritalin, no therapies, prescriptions, or anything like that, just meaningful and fulfilling movements and accompanying notes in their Musica Humana."

Electromagnetic spectrum:

In the electromagnetic spectrum, the light spectrum with wavelengths between approximately 380 and 780 nm is the part visible to the human eye.

At the beginning of the spectrum are the short-wave and thus high-energy gamma rays whose wavelength reaches atomic magnitudes. At the end are the longitudinal waves whose wavelengths are many kilometers.

Light, like fire, is one of the most important phenomena of all human cultures. "Light casts no shadow."(16) The existence of the shadow is dependent on the light, but the light is not dependent on the shadow and can never be reached by the shadow.

Although only a limited portion of the electromagnetic spectrum is visible to the human physical eye, the "spiritual" eye has produced a much wider notion of light.

Thus mankind has made astonishing discoveries since fire was brought to mankind by Prometheus, who is considered the originator of human civilization.

In particular, the discovery of power generation in modern times enabled electric propulsion and power supply over long distances.

Classical electrodynamics has been extended by quantum electrodynamics (quantum field theory description of electromagnetism).

Nuclear energy also highlights the downsides of human activity: the A-bomb dropping on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters - to name only the most monstrous derailments - have caused and still cause unspeakable suffering.

The following points of view, both scientific and spiritual, which are in line with the main message, seem more luminous. According to Frido Mann and Christine Mann, the authors of the book "Let Light Be: The Unity of Mind and Matter in Quantum Physics", (17) the change in natural sciences through quantum theory enables a holistic view of the world and of man in which contrast of idealism and materialism is overcome.

According to the spiritual teacher Chinmoy Kumar Ghose (known as Sri Chinmoy), the light adopts humanity with all its imperfections and seeks to enlighten human ignorance so that human life can become divine life.(18)

For more on the healing effects of light, see the final chapter: Ayurveda and Yoga.

Immensity of the universe

I consider the following to be particularly important in explaining to the interested reader how progressive the way of thinking of the ancient sages of India was several millennia ago, not only in the field of cosmology, but also in other fields of knowledge, such as in the field of medicine.

The allegedly modern medical science, with its claim to scientific verifiability within the limits of deterministic material-biochemical modes of action, appears rather backward in comparison.

It should be noted here, however, that modern physics and recent developments in medicine are gaining insights that seem to coincide with the millennia-old Far Eastern wisdom. For example, the topic of mind and matter discussed in the third chapter - an area of extraordinary importance for the healing arts of Ayurveda - is increasingly becoming the focus of modern medicine.

A close juxtaposition of these complex relationships, which were recognized long ago, should therefore be briefly pointed out to a better understanding of the old knowledge and to dispel possible prejudices.

I would point out to the reader that the following statements regarding cosmological views may seem too abstract and incomprehensible. If this is the case, I recommend that he or she skip these remarks and read on from the next subtitle.

I now begin this chapter with a (short) description from Krishna in the Bhagavadgita(19) of the immensity of the universe.

Krishna says, "I am in all hearts. I live everywhere in the cosmos as consciousness. Try to visualize the immensity and dizzying impermanence of the entire material universe, Arjuna - then you just start to get an idea of my absolute consistency. As you meditate on the total immensity of the cosmos, you begin to sense faint signs of the incomprehensible magnitude of my omnipresence."

Now let’s take a look at the spiritual perspective of the Occident. Just a few centuries ago, ideas of religion and science in the Western Hemisphere were narrowed down in temporal and spatial dimensions!

Less than four hundred years ago, religious authorities and scientists, e.g. Bishop J. Usher, maintained that "our" planet was born on October 23, 4004 BC at 9 o’clock. In the seventeenth century, all scholars in the Occident – both spiritual and secular – calculated in these small temporal and spatial dimensions.