NATURE, TANTRA AND THE SPIRITUAL APPROACH TO AYURVEDA
The great and ancient Siddha Dhanvantari, whose name means "arrow-moving," is regarded as the father of Ayurvedic medicine. The Bhagavata Purana relates that he emerged among the treasures thrown up by the turning of the sea, when the gods and demons worked together to churn the primordial ocean, thereby creating the entire universe.
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Do you ever feel lost and confused as you cruise the internet taking dosha tests, reading Ayurvedic food lists and trying to figure out how a daily routine can impact your health? Ayurveda, Yoga, and Tantra form a triune system developed through pure spiritual wisdom passed on through the Vedas. They are considered to be an endless pathway to the internal knowledge of deeper cosmic wisdom that is woven into all aspects of life. It is through this spiritual awareness that you can find fuller meaning in Ayurveda and understand how to apply it to daily life for self-healing and longevity.
Both Tantra and Ayurveda follow and support the involution of consciousness where primordial patterns and personifications of sacred energies move from subtle to gross and eventually blend back into the unity all of Nature. It can be said that nothing is really 'a part of nature', Nature permeates and operates through every aspect of existence, including us. Traditional Ayurveda incorporates the use of Tantric practices such as mantra, yantra, yajna, pilgrimage, Jyotish astrology, gem therapy and puja as a means of attunement to the dharmic qualities of existence. It could be said, that Tantra holds keys that truly unlocks the full expression of Ayurveda.
Such practices awaken awareness that enables you to understand the symbolic language of Ayurveda. Symbols help us take our awareness deeper. Symbols are the language of the soul that allow us to transform the seemingly mundane into the sacred, supporting a more conscious connection with the deeper Self.
As long as the soul is bound to a human body Ayurveda can enhance our ability to grow a deeper awareness of our physical reality, and offers ways to embrace the divinity and sacredness of our incarnation A spiritual approach to Ayurveda requires observation and awareness of the changing qualities in nature and their interplay with the qualities in our body and mind.
“Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, the qualities born of Nature bind the immortal soul in the body.”
The Gunas (qualities) are a fundamental aspect of management, diagnosis and treatment of disease in Ayurveda. The guna of a substance must be understood properly to know cause, pathogenesis and treatment of a disease.
“Samavaya is the inseparable concomitance of prithvi etc. with their qualities. This is eternal because where there is matter, its distinct quality is always there.”
Embracing both the spiritual and practical aspects of Ayurveda expands our view of the world. Through Ayurveda, you become aware of the qualities in your own nature, the qualities causing imbalance , and how to apply the principles of Ayurveda in harmony with the deep processes of nature and the Divine infused within it all.. Tantric principles offer a greatly enhanced approach to Ayurveda. Harnessing the deeper symbolism that has been passed from teacher to student over millennia and relating it to the health and wellbeing of the individual, thus making their needs more readily understood. When the spiritual aspects of Ayurveda are set aside the deeper symbolism is unavailable, and the system as a whole is more difficult to apply.
Tantra and Ayurveda have always had a harmonious and powerful partnership. Tantra helps our divine nature to unfold and Ayurveda aligns us to the universal patterns in Nature. Ayurveda teaches how to live a life of balance with equal emphasis on Mind, Body and Soul.
Join Dharana Shakti for the first in a series of masterclasses that dive deep into the mysticism of Ayurveda as both a system of medicine and ancient life philosophy. Receive teachings that reach beyond herbal remedies and diet recommendations and learn more about Ayurveda - one of the early indigenous medical systems of India, in a way that embraces its rich history and spiritual roots.
THE POWER OF AGNI & DIGESTIVE INTELLIGENCE IN AYURVEDA
Saturday, April 15, 2023 .11:00 AM - 4:00 PM PST.
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