Unlocking Inner Harmony: 4 Ayurvedic Steps for Mental and Emotional Health.
Updated: Mar 30, 2024
The ancient wisdom of Ayurveda provides us a framework in which to live in balance and harmony. We care for our bodies in many ways; but nourishing meals, regular exercise, and routine check-ups aren’t our only source of health and happiness. Our minds carry emotional imprints that can affect our wellbeing, too.
Explore more on the Saumya Blog, selected top Ayurveda blogs and websites to watch.
Unlocking Inner Harmony: 4 Ayurvedic Steps for Mental and Emotional Health.
From time to time we all experience an imbalance in our lives - be it physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. But, for millions of people around the world, chronic mind-body-spirit imbalance is the norm.
If you’re among the millions, I want you to know two things:
You’re not alone
Ayurveda can help
Ayurveda is an ancient whole-body healing system based on the energies — known as doshas — that circulate within your body. Depending on your unique doshic constitution, certain lifestyle choices (such as how you nourish your body, your daily routine, and the activities you partake in) can either balance the doshas or send them further into imbalance.
Many people unintentionally compromise their well-being by making choices that don’t balance their doshic needs.
In this article about how to use Ayurveda to balance your mind, body, and spirit for optimal well-being, we’ll explore:
What the doshas are
How to determine if your doshas are out of balance
4 Ayurvedic practices that will help you balance your mind, body, and spirit.
Let’s get started!
What Are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha Doshas?
In Ayurvedic practice, the three doshas are used to understand a person’s body type and personality. While all of the doshas exist within each of us, we each also possess a unique doshic constitution that determines which dosha is more dominant in our body. When your doshas are out of balance, it can lead to physical and mental health issues and even disease. These doshas are responsible for your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.
Vata Dosha
Vata dosha is air and space and governs all movement—inside of us. This dosha primarily resides in the colon, joints, skin, bones, ears, and brain. As such, it provides essential motion for all of the bodily processes including digestion, blood flow, and energy distribution. Keeping Vata balanced is vital to attaining an optimal state of well-being.
When Vata becomes imbalanced, conditions and illnesses such as anxiety, dry skin, digestive issues, constipation, premature aging, and difficulty focusing are more likely to manifest.
Pitta Dosha
Pitta dosha is fire and water and governs all metabolisms. This dosha resides in the lower stomach and small intestine. The Pitta dosha controls hunger, thirst, and body temperature. When imbalanced, the mind and body may overheat resulting in skin issues, fever, redness, anger, irritability, kidney infections, menstruation difficulties (painful or heavy periods), high blood pressure, and headaches.
Kapha Dosha
Kapha dosha is water and earth and governs protection and lubrication. This dosha is primarily found in the chest, throat, lungs, head, fatty tissues, connective tissues, and is responsible for healthy psychological boundaries. When Kapha is out of balance, congestion, lethargy, depression, and weight gain are more common.
Explore More: The 3 Ayurvedic Doshas and Their Impact on Your Life What is Ayurveda? A Beginner's Guide and Beyond
How Do I Know If I Have a Dosha Imbalance?
Peruse these comprehensive and convenient lists of signs and symptoms of dosha imbalances.
As we are all comprised of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, there can be an imbalance in any of the doshas, or a combination of dosha imbalances. Read all three lists and see if anything looks familiar.
4 Ayurvedic Practices to Bolster Mental and Emotional Health
1.) Yog-asana to balance your mind, body, and spirit
While yoga is regularly touted as a fitness practice that can help you achieve flexibility, toned abs, and a desirable body — the history and purpose of yoga run far deeper than modern societal understanding.
Yoga is a spiritual path that enables the practitioner to become fully present in the here and now, align the breath and the body, and balance energy.
When practiced regularly, you can expect to experience greater mental clarity, improved physical health, and a deeper connection with the divine part of you.
2.) Pranayama to balance your mind, body, and spirit
Pranayama is a yogic practice that focuses on prana. The most important and foundational to all other pranayama, is diaphragmatic breathing. The way we breathe directly influences how we feel.
Learn to Breathe diaphragmatically and Change Your Life, You’ll strengthen and stabilize your mind, body, and spirit. Breathing diaphragmatically is foundational to all yoga practices and the most important thing we can do for your wellbeing.
When practiced regularly, pranayama can help you develop inner calm, increased balanced energy, and develop a relaxed focus in all you do. Additionally, studies show that pranayama can also positively influence your well-being including lung function, blood flow, and brain function.
You're invited to make daily use of our popular and free guided practices. Learn to create and carry a relaxed awareness with your throughout the day.
Explore More: Ayurveda Breathwork Pranayama
Saumya Ayurveda's Two-Minute Meditation
“Veena has been an incredible resource to help me get aligned on food, herbs, and mind, body, and soul exercises to feel more grounded and present. I love the daily guided practices, a routine that feels EMBODYING. She has made an outsized impact on my life in a short amount of time.” –Mark Fishman, Minneapolis, Minnesota
3.) Food as Medicine to balance your mind, body, and spirit
The Ayurvedic texts say, “Take your food as medicine.” What this means is you take the right amount of food that is correct for you, then food becomes your medicine.
Food can either be used as a medicine to enhance vitality, boost immunity and keep us healthy. Or, it can be used as a slow poison that destroys well-being, decreases immunity, and creates issues in both the mind and body.
Natural foods — preferably whole, local and organic — carry medicinal properties. When consumed based on doshic constitution (meaning you eat food best suited for your body type), your mind, body, and spirit will flourish. Selected as a top Ayurveda recipe blog, check out our online Recipe Box.
4.) How to Detox Emotionally|10 Ayurvedic Practices for Emotional Cleansing
We care for our bodies in many ways; but nourishing meals, regular exercise, and routine check-ups aren’t our only source of health and happiness. Our minds carry emotional imprints that can affect our wellbeing, too.
Learn more about emotional detox from an Ayurvedic perspective: Learn How to Detox Emotionally | 10 Ayurvedic Practices for Emotional Cleansing 30 Reasons Why You Need an Ayurveda Emotional Detox
Ayurveda is a natural approach to mental, emotional and physical health. While Ayurveda is known for its profound approach to health and healing, Ayurvedic medicine is one small dot on the vast map of this ancient tradition.
Ayurveda is a system of living built upon 5000 years of enduring wisdom. Think of it as a compass that orients your clear path to a state of balanced body, mind and spirit.
Ayurveda for Mental and Emotional Health (A natural approach) is a natural approach to bolster resilience in both mind and body.
There is a saying, "The mind is more in the body, than the body is in the mind." The Saumya 3 step meditation process shifts us from fight-flight-freeze mode, to rest-restore-relax mode. Give it a try for forty days and observe the changes. The more grounded and relaxed we are, the smoother life flows.
"The breath is the connection between the mind and body, so by training the breath, we become calm, focused, and grounded, we slow down the aging process by decreasing stress. These practices are so simple and easy to have as part of our daily life. We actually feel and look younger."
- Veena, Saumya Ayurveda
1. Learn Diaphragmatic Breathing and Change Your Life. When we re-learn to breath diaphragmatically, we move from the flight-fight-freeze mode, to rest, restore, relaxation mode from where we want and need to live.
2. Daily Guided Practices: 11 minutes in the morning and in the evening, as anchors of your daily Ayurveda routine.
3. Ayurveda Daily Routines: --Ayurvedic Morning Routine | 6 Rituals for a Calm and Centered Day
"Choose a couple of practices from the routines that provide you with the greatest support. Perform them while applying our two minute meditation technique and your mundane tasks, just transformed into a mellifluous meditation. This is meditation applied to daily life." - Veena, Saumya Ayurveda
"Veena was able to help me regain my energy in just a few months and I’m feeling like my “young” self again! I love the food plan she designed for me, and all the supporting practices (am/pm routines, breathing techniques, herbs, and spice mixes) are so enjoyable to incorporate into my day. I highly recommend Saumya Ayurveda if you want to feel better and have more vitality.”
-Molly Rossini, Minnesota
Explore More: Ayurveda Breathwork Pranayama
“Veena has helped me so much! I had been struggling with fatigue for many years. I tried many things, read lots of books, advice, etc. Nothing worked, or very slight positive change over the years, but I was still struggling with the everyday. Then a couple months with Veena, I was stunned at how Ayurveda and her customized approach worked! Not only did the fatigue go away, but I actually have renewed energy and feel so physically and mentally energetic! I am so grateful. I feel like I got living my life back.”
-Michelle Cheuk, USA
“I feel greatly improved. Stress fell off like an old hairy coat. I’m just not anxious. Depression is way decreased. I was haunted by anxiety my whole life, and it’s just gone. The mudra, mantra...WOW. This is so cool! I have regained hope. Something wonderful is taking place. You and your knowledge come to me after a lifetime of searching and prayer. I am forever grateful.” --Mark Hughes, Minnesota
Unlocking Inner Harmony: 4 Ayurvedic Steps for Mental and Emotional Health: 4 steps you can begin implementing today.
Discover the Saumya Ayurveda Way
We all want to be heard, understood, and cared for as whole beings, not a set of isolated symptoms. True health is more than the absence of disease, which is why Western medicine so often leaves us feeling hopeless and unseen.
Deep down, you already know what you’re searching for: a new framework for living – one that brings your entire being back into balance. With Saumya Ayurveda, you’ll receive individualized guidance to create the physically, mentally, and spiritually vibrant life you crave.
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Veena is a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and meditation teacher, and monk.
She is President Emeritus and teaching faculty of the Meditation Center.
Veena fell in love with the traditional medicine used in her family’s home, learning herbal remedies at her grandmother's knee.
These childhood experiences were the seeds of a lifelong passion. For over 30 years, Veena has dedicated her life to the world’s oldest healing system: Ayurveda.
She draws on this ancient wisdom to help others find their compass to a healthy life – and support those left wanting by Western medicine.
An experienced Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner, Veena’s deep, intuitive knowledge of Ayurveda empowers her clients to reclaim their fullest, most vibrant lives –mentally, physically, and spiritually. Veena individualizes treatment plans to each person, rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach, so it fits your life and becomes woven in your lifestyle, naturally.
