Embracing Routine, Part 3: Ayurvedic Daily Practices for Emotional and Mental Health
How a Self-Directed Check-In Each Day Can Pave the Way for Brain Balance
How many times per day does something related to emotional and mental health (or behavioral health, if you prefer) cross your field?
How many articles and posts pop up on the online feeds?
How many loved ones, friends, and acquaintances are currently contending with a behavioral health concern?
It might even be that behavioral health is present and personal to you at this very moment.
This is part 3 of our series on the virtues of routine (following part 1 and part 2).
In the Ayurvedic tradition, behavioral health is considered central and paramount to overall well-being. This is, in part, for at least 3 reasons:
Emotional stress (specifically, chronic distress) is considered a major and common hetu - or cause - underlying the development of imbalance and disease.
Rajas (unyielding momentum) and tamas (inertia and/or decay), two of the three universal qualities common to all matter (triguna), are considered doshas of the mind. Yes, you read that right - when it comes to the mind and mental health, there aren't just three doshas (vata, pitta, kapha), there are five! By way of explanation, this is because the definition of a dosha is an entity which causes spoilage and vitiation (and which itself becomes spoiled and vitiated).
All human beings, at times, experience mental urges - referred to as the manasika vegas - which drive suffering and conflict. The manasika vegas often correspond to secondary emotions from a modern psychology standpoint. Some of the commonly cited mental vegas include anger, jealousy, covetousness, egoism, and competitiveness, though there are more. These manasika vegas, in turn, can drive behaviors called vices (destructive actions, in this context), which imbalance the nervous system and contribute to, or outright cause, disease.
With behavioral health, then, occupying a position of high importance in Ayurveda, you would be right to think that there are chapters and chapters dedicated to the subject of behavioral health in the foundational texts on Ayurveda. Right?
RIGHT?
... Well, as it turns out, this is, in fact, not the case. While there are some allusions to how important behavioral health is in the oldest surviving Ayurvedic texts, fairly little is said on the subject of behavioral healthcare and treatment. In fact, if I were to sum up the writing in the texts on caring for behavioral health needs, I would say this: "Behavioral health is a thing, and it's important. Be aware of yours on a daily basis. Do not entertain the manasika vegas. Keep good company. Limit or avoid risky substances [alcohol and recreational substances]. And if you're a physician, support your patient by educating them on the nature of the mind, helping them build self-esteem, and reminding them of their metaphysical nature."
Okay, sounds pretty good. But notice what's missing - there's no how-to there. No guidance on approach or what therapeutic tools one might utilize to effectively administer quality behavioral care.
Contrast this dearth of guidance on behavioral health with what the texts say regarding physical ailments. With respect to physical conditions, there is a great deal of detail on both diagnosis and treatment.
So why the discrepancy?
To answer this question fully, we actually need to look elsewhere.
In particular, we need to look to the texts on Yoga.
This is because, from one point of view, the system of Yoga is effectively the system of Ayurvedic psychology. And indeed, all of the tools for navigating the day-to-day of behavioral well-being can be found in the texts on Yoga. And of the texts on Yoga, the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali serves as something of like super-charged Cliff Notes resource, outlining and highlighting the key principles and practices of the system.
The Yoga Sutra lays out both the philosophical underpinnings of Yoga and a system of practice to live by. And the system of practice boils down to this: follow a consistent system of ethics with yourself and with others, maintain regular practices and disciplines (including psychological self-study), and meditate.
Some key components of this system that we'll highlight here are as follows:
Yama: the restraints. These form the core of a code of ethics that we all stand to benefit from. And these restraints also serve to subvert the vices (listed above) and sublimate the manasika vegas. There are five of them:
Ahimsa: non-violence of action, of word, and of thought, pertaining to others and oneself.
Satya: truthfulness and honesty in dealings with others, and in one's relationship with oneself.
Asteya: refraining from taking what is not yours outright, and refraining from taking more than one's fair share. Generous giving within one's means can also fall under this category.
Brahmacarya: conduct, activity, and behavior that limits sensory indulgence, and aligns with living harmoniously with others in a shared world.
Aparigraha: non-covetousness; not yearning after or attempting to attract to oneself what is not theirs.
Niyama: the disciplines. These are practices for daily application that facilitate gratitude, mindfulness, emotional self-awareness, and tolerance. They are an effective means for preventing the manasika vegas. There are five of these, as well:
Shaucha: cleanliness and hygiene applied to one's body and one's living and work environments.
Santosha: proactively applying an attitude of full existential contentment and acceptance of what-is to one's life. (Note that this does not have to mean that you force yourself to like things that suck or bring about suffering, but instead that you might accept the reality of those things and be open to learning and growing from your experience with them.)
Tapas: having some form or forms of metaphysical austerity that one practices on a regular basis. This is broad, and could include any or all of introspective writing, study of philosophical and/or spiritual texts, prayer, chanting and mantra repetition, and more.
Svadhyaya: self-analysis from both a psychoanalytical (perhaps academic) point of view and from the standpoint of metaphysics (understanding oneself as an expression of consciousness).
Ishvara pranidhana: having a greater good that one serves and aspires to on a consistent basis. This could be outright spiritual or religious, but absolutely does not have to be.
Keep good company and be good company. One can accomplish this, in part, by sharing the joy of and extending friendliness and companionship to those who are presently happy; expressing genuine compassion toward those who are actively suffering; celebrating those who are contributing to virtue and harmony in the world; and declining to reinforce the behavior of those who are actively doing harm.
And meditate regularly, ideally at least once per day. If this is not a familiar practice and/or you think you might benefit from having a guide and support, join our group meditations! These take place via Zoom every Monday at 5:45 PM PST, and are open to all, including those who are not currently patients of The Buddha's Medicine.
An ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure when it comes to mental and emotional health. We dedicate an entire lesson to this very subject in our evergreen course on dinacharya (Ayurvedic preventive health and daily routine), which we would love for you to check out. (See below!)
And if there is more to discuss regarding your own behavioral health and wellness, you can schedule a cost-free consultation with Dr. Matt here.
Interested in knowing more? Our first on-demand course covers this topic in more detail, and is now available! See below:
The Essentials of Ayurvedic Daily Living: Dinacharya
with Dr. Matt Van Auken, MD, MPH, ABOIM, DipABLM, E-RYT, YACEP
And as always, Dr. Matt is available to discuss the ins-and-outs for you! If you are curious about your constitution & health (or health of a loved one), you can book a cost-free, 15min Consultation, and we’ll discuss!
Professional disclaimer: please do not initiate any herbal or other medicinal interventions without the guidance of a knowledgeable provider.
Dr. Matt Van Auken, MD, MPH
Dr. Matt is an Ayurveda-trained, triple board-certified physician.
