Overview of Understanding Cognitive Functions
Have you ever wondered how your mental health can affect your physical health? Does your healthy mind create stability within you?
According to Ayurveda, the mind is responsible for a person’s overall health and wellbeing. It defines health not only at the physical level, but also at the holistic level of life. Thus, treatment of anything in Ayurveda takes into account – body, mind and soul; as. Whole.
In Ayurveda, the body is the crystallization of the mind. So, it plays a vital role, the same as Agni and indigestion does, while opting for a disease. The mental ama (toxins) like unresolved emotions or issues can lead to a disease in a particular way.
According to Ayurveda, substances and energies flow within the body via certain channels known as Srotamsi, which are both physical and energetic. For each Srotamsi, Ayurveda has defined a root (mula) , a path to travel (marga) and an opening (mukha).
Ayurveda describes three universal qualities of consciousness known as Mahagunas. These are:
Sattva : It maintains an equilibrium, clarity, wisdom, intellect , light and compassion.
Rajas : It boosts kinetic energy, passion and ability to act.
Tamas : It is responsible for slowness, decay, inertia, darkness and sleep.
These three Mahagunas together are said to give rise to natural phenomena and have a subtle influence on body and mind.
As the ratio of Vata, Pitta and Kapha are different for each human, the ratio of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas are also different. These three forms the basis of mental constitution viz. Manas Prakriti. This reflects our capabilities or capacity to undergo any changes and how we react to it in a conscious mind, throughout our lives.
During some difficult circumstances, our mind fills up with negative thoughts that change Manas Prakriti. This is where the map of mind becomes useful. It helps to see mere reasons for the same and evaluation of consciousness, in order to encourage mental and emotional health.
Every Guna tells about a certain quality of an individual, and based on this, a person can be classified as belonging to a particular Guna type. Charaka and Sushruta splitted these Guna into seven categories according to which Guna is dominant in a person. These categories are mentioned as belows:
1. People with dominant Sattva Guna
2. People with dominant Rajas Guna
3. People with dominant Tamas Guna
4. People with dominant Sattva- Rajas Guna combination
5. People with dominant Sattva – Tamas Guna combination
6. People with dominant Rajas- Tamas Guna combination
7. People with balanced Gunas
“There are two basic laws of the Gunas that are crucial in understanding their workings. The first law of the Gunas is ‘the law of alternation’. The three Gunas are ever in dynamic interaction. All three forces remain intertwined, affecting each other in various ways. Rajas and Tamas exist in the field of Sattva, Tamas and Sattva are found in the field of Rajas, and Sattva and Rajas move in the field of Tamas. The essence of the three qualities is their interplay. Rarely is seen pure Tamas, pure Rajas or pure Sattva. There must ever be a willingness for the Gunas to change. The second law of the Gunas is ‘the law of continuity’. The Gunas tend to hold their particular natures for a certain period once they come into dominance. Substances stabilize on the level of one of the three Gunas. While it is initially difficult for Tamas to become Rajas, or for Rajas to become Sattva, once they do so they will continue in that same quality”.
Going deep into the discussion, Vata, Pitta and Kapha have a particular influence on mind, emotions and consciousness. Let’s discuss each of them briefly.
1. Vata and Mind:
Vata constitutes air and ether elements. It governs the nervous system, as the mind is also composed of the same elements i.e. air and ether. When Vata is balanced, there is scope of creativity, intuition and ability to connect with subtle realms, spiritual understanding, etc.. On the other hand, when Vata is imbalanced, instability and hypersensitivity reactions occur. It can cause rapid mood swings, fear, anxiety, sense of being scattered, lack of direction, sense of loneliness or isolation.
2. Pitta and Mind:
Pitta is primarily made of elements like water and fire. Health of Pitta is associated with confidence, leadership, vision, cooperation, enthusiasm and capacity to surrender, and a sense of acceptance. On the other hand, when Pitta is not in control, it induces anger, impatient behaviour, frustration, envy, judgement, criticism, resentment, etc.
3. Kapha and Mind:
Kapha is made up of elements like water and earth. It is associated with white matter in the brain. When Kapha is in harmony, it associates love, patience, compassion, loyalty, steadiness, endurance and groundedness. On the other hand, when Kapha is not in harmony, it is responsible for greed, laziness, depression, lethargy, emotional possessiveness and capacity to hoard material possessions.
Thus, Ayurveda uses a holistic approach in order to heal a human. Thus, disturbances of mind are important to be understood to maintain a good physical, mental and emotional health.
Ayurvedic care at EliteAyurveda
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