Reflections About Ayurveda - Question 1

Question: The roots of Ayurveda lie in the lifestyle and spiritual quest of the ancient sages of India. Their concept of health emerged out of a vision of the oneness of the universe and human beings living in balance with it that they experienced during meditation. Ayurveda later evolved as a form of
medicine based on these original spiritual insights. To what extent is it reasonable that those challenged with illness will embark on the spiritual journey necessary for genuine healing to occur?

Illness is a great motivator.  I have seen my husband lose 50 lbs, incorporate vegetarian diet and yoga into his life on a serious committed basis because of the pain he wanted to get out of that he was experiencing because of gout. I have seen myself commit and recommit to my yoga practice to heal my knees. I have seen people come to me for yoga therapy, yoga or yoga nidra because they were suffering.  I think it is suffering that brings us along the path and keeps us steadfast in our practice.

Question: For those who feel unwilling or unable to make such deep changes, to what extent do you believe alternative therapies, such as herbs, massage, and other approaches that work from the outside are helpful?

I think alternative therapies are very helpful. I have seen progress in myself and others with acupuncture, massage is a favorite modality for me,  I also use herbs, and hot and cold therapy.
I think people enter the path of healing from where they are at.  If someone's point of entry towards healing is alternative therapies than that is wonderful.  I don't think it is us to judge how people make "deep changes."  Let people have their experience. Let people have their journey.

Question: This question touches the heart of alternative medicine: can healers and teachers
really assist someone who is not working on themselves at a deep level?

Who am I to judge is someone is working on not working on themselves at a deep level?  What is deep?  What might be deep for one person is superficial to another.  Just bringing awareness to a situation opens the door to healing.  I want to be a cheerleader and encourage people to move at their own speed in their own way. I don't care about deep or shallow let's just get started.


Question: What is the process of someone moving from a place of receiving therapy which comes from outside to a place of sensing themselves as the source of all healing?

Receiving therapy can be the first step.  The western mind is trained to go to an outside person to receive healing, that's our culture, that's how we are raised and who we are.  But in these therapies a light can be turned on with the aid therapist.  The therapist can begin the education that we in fact heal ourselves. Or maybe the therapist doesn't turn on the light but the client's true nature turns on the light.  The therapist can act as the door, the lighthouse, the pipe to remind the client of their own true nature as whole and healed and encourage them on their own inner journey towards healing.