Happiness, Consciousness and Your Doshas – with Bonita; SVA Marma in Santa Barbara with Irina; and more! your SV Ayurveda Newsletter Nov 15, 2018, # 44, Vol 8

The Ashoka tree is an ancient bliss-giving tree. But did you know that science has found it to have additional healing properties, such as:
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Happiness, Consciousness, and Your Doshas
By Bonita Carol, M.A. Counseling,
SVA Practitioner
What advice does Ayurveda offer us for mental health and happiness? Can Ayurvedic protocols help reinstate that elusive state of happiness? Does Ayurveda have deep insights into why happiness eludes so many so much of the time? From the get-go, we can say in all confidence that the Ayurvedic approach is an integrative approach. That means: it takes into consideration every aspect of the individual and addresses all levels as a whole: mind, emotions, physical body, subtle body, environment, as well as “The Self” – the being level of life itself. And this larger holistic frame already carries the promise of a solution – if not many solutions since there are many more reasons things can go off, and many of them can be addressed on different levels. Ayurveda supplies us with a greater understanding of human mechanisms and offers varied tools. 
In this first part of my article, I will explore “mental health” issues in the light of the ancient writings of the ayurvedic sourcebook, the Charaka Samhita, as well as in the context of Vaidya Ramakant Mishra’s teachings – an eminent ayurvedic scholar and teacher. In the second installment, I will introduce Vaidya Mishra’s SVA understanding of “ojas” in its role for mental health and happiness. In the final and third installment, I will offer practical SVA tools and protocols that I’ve personally used successfully with clients to help reinstate emotional balance.
Root Causes of Mental Health Imbalances According to Ayurveda:
Pragyaparadha or the “Mistake of the Intellect”
Happiness, according to the vedic sourcebooks, is not what we take it to be in modern terms! It’s a state of inner well-being that does not depend solely on external factors (health, comfort, etc), but rather derives from a sense of identity. We either know and identify ourselves with who we are at the core, or we mistakenly mis-identify ourselves with that which we are not! That misidentification is the root cause of our misfortune and unhappiness! 
Succintly put in ayurvedic terms, that is “pragyaparadh.” Pragyaparadh is that state of the mistake of the intellect from which a sense of existential malaise, or an overall feeling of being ill-at-ease with oneself flows. 
You are NOT who you think you are – What?  
 In this context, the Ayurvedic approach to the pathogenesis of disease and mental suffering takes on new light and opens up new avenues for approaching the problem of unhappiness. Viewed as the Charaka Samhita presents the root cause: life as experienced within the limitations of the parts, leaving the individual unaware of the whole (Brooks, J. p.89), allows for new approaches and strategies. 
Psychologist, Satya Prakash Choudhary (2013) echoes this sentiment: 
“If one is possessive of true knowledge (sat), then one understands the unity in everything, the oneness of the Self and Universe, and hence, does not suffer from the afflictions of the ego. The erroneous belief of an individual as a separate being… arises out of ignorance.”
In a sense then Pragyaparadha a form of memory loss. We have forgotten who/what we are at the core. What our essential being consists of. According to the vedic sourcebooks, our “true identity,” our Self, transcends ordinary awareness. In the daily humdrum of events, we have forgotten who/what we are and have identified ourselves with the mundane superficial aspects of life, hijacking the deeper levels of awareness of being. Being, or the big Self is invisible but is at the basis of all that is visible. At the level of the intellect, through the five senses, one gets drawn into the material outer world of living, work, family, leisure, conflicts, and the problems of everyday reality. The individual is over-identified with sensory experience and temporal life. In my experience of growing up in and practicing Ayurveda in modern culture, there is not much acknowledgment of this essential Self or being and a pronounced focus of doing and accomplishing as being building blocks of a social and individual identity. 
Psycho-physical Expression of Mental Health Imbalances: The Doshas
The doshas manifest as mind–body types and form the subdoshas located in various organs and systems within the individual. Mental health issues caused by or deriving from physiological imbalances are understood and interpreted in the light of subdoshas. 
Subdoshas connected to depression. In the ancient Ayurvedic sourcebook, the Charaka Samhita, we read: hridaya chetana sthanam (Mishra, 2002, p. 2). Vaidya Mishra translates this verse as follows: hridaya is the heart, chet is consciousness, and sthanama means located/placed. He transaltes this as follows: consciousness is seated in the heart. This means that the mind and heart are intimately connected, since the heart is the dwelling place of consciousness. It also indicates that the sadhaka pitta subdosha that governs the heart, is responsible for processing/digesting emotions (2002, p. 3).  Vaidya Mishra said:
The main cause of depression is the lack of ability to process emotions in a timely fashion. Some people are able to process an emotion quickly, which means they are able to let go of it and move on with their lives. For others, the processing or “cooking” of thoughts is slow so the negative impression remains with them for a very long time and this impacts their current thoughts and emotions, resulting in depression (p. 3). 
Vaidya further explained that the agni, (fire) or metabolic mechanism associated with sadhaka pitta is responsible for the cooking or processing of emotions. The health of sadhaka pitta processes affect the metabolic processes or agni in every cell of the body, as well as the agni associated with each subdosha. The sadhaka agni of the heart is related to neuro-hormones. The neuro-hormones located in the heart send signals to the brain to register depression or happiness (Mishra, p. 3). In this sense, and following in the footsteps of Vaidya Mishra’s lucid exposition of the cryptic ancient ayurvedic texts, addressing and taking care of the sadhak pitta imbalance can help reinstate that original state of total happiness and obliterate that “forgetting” of our original true nature, our core Self. 
An individual can be born with low sadhaka pitta and agni levels are unique to each person. Agni can also become low due to emotional and physical trauma, poor nutrition, environmental pollution, and digestive problems. If low sadhaka agni continues without being corrected for a long time, it can lead to clinical depression (Mishra, p. 3), with symptoms such as the inability to enjoy normal pleasures and even bipolar disease. The solution, from an Ayurvedic perspective, is to offer procedures to increase agni and nourish sadhaka pitta, which are discussed in Part Three of my article (coming soon) for remedial interventions.
Subdoshas connected to postpartum depression. According to Mishra, (2002), after a baby is born, prana subdosha of vata dosha is aggravated and the digestive fire, or jataragni, is decreased to a very low point due to the exertion caused by birthing. This can lead to fluctuating emotions such as anxiety and depression. Ayurveda offers specific diet, daily routines, and massages that increase the agni to help process both food and emotions (Mishra, 2002, p. 7). 
Subdoshas connected to anxiety 
Anxiety is caused by many factors contributing to excess vata, which can be felt in one’s pulse in the subdoshas as apana and prana vata comprised of irregular movement of air and space. Vata’s imbalanced qualities are frenetic, dry, cold, unstable, and changing. Excessive vata shows up in the body as constipation (dryness), poor digestion, fatigue, and restlessness. It can present itself in the mind as disorganization, forgetfulness, anxiety, phobias, insomnia, and insecurity . If it is not corrected, vata can continue to increase and may turn into mania, anorexia, attention deficit disorder, and other learning problems.
   Behaviors that contribute to increased vata are excess stimuli such as overindulgence of internet games, excess cold foods, irregular schedules, excess travel, excessive exercise, and excessive sexual behavior. More serious vata imbalances can results from: trauma, car accidents, fasting, eating disorders, lack of sleep, drug abuse, exposure to constant unpredictable behaviors and anything that overwhelms the senses. When vata goes high, pitta dosha gets disturbed and this in turn makes kapha dosha go out. The way to address this problem is to offer lifestyle recommendations, SVA herbal synergies, Ayurvedic hands-on treatments and diet that will help reduce vata and balance it, all in conjunction to counseling.  
In the upcoming sectino of this article, I will discuss the SVA perspective of “ojas” and “ama” and their role in emotional balance and mental health.
to be continued
ABOUT BONITA CAROL
Bonita Carol offers Holistic Psychotherapy and SV Ayurveda as adjunct therapy for personal growth, the Highly Sensitive Person, Sleep, Anxiety, and Trauma Disorders. She holds a masters degree in Counseling Psychology and has studied with Vaidya Mishra since 1997. Online Sessions are available as well as in person 2-Day Rest and Rejuvenation Weekends. You may reach her at (530) 401-8627. www.ayurvedahealthcoach.com

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SVA Blissful Beauty Facial Marma
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ABOUT PURNIMA
“I see clients from all over Canada- from Halifax to Vancouver!! I can’t tell you enough how grateful I am to Vaidya Mishra for this divine SVA knowledge. 
I am the current Manitoba Chair for Ayurveda Association of Canada. I was in Toronto last month and met with some graduating students from the Canadian College of Ayurveda. One of my jobs as the chair and AAC Standards, Practice & Ethics Committee board member is to help new graduates establish their Ayurvedic practice. Although I have trained in many schools, my practice is mostly SVA based. I receive numerous testimonials from clients for different SVA treatments, protocols, and the formulations. I wanted to share this latest testimonial. This client saw a remarkable difference in her health with some transdermal marma treatment and some herbal nectars. She suffered from sever constipation and we addressed that as well.”
Purnima Chaudhari

SVA Get-Away
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Carol Nace
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March 23-30, 2019


Ever since I spent a couple of days at Villa Ananda in 2017, I’ve dreamt of going back. The place is nothing short of breath taking. To sit at breakfast overlooking the ocean as the whales come up for air…. it was heaven on earth!
  • Our Retreat in 2019 is for Finding Bliss: An Ocean of it awaits YOU!  During your week with us, you will reconnect with your inner bliss, which can get lost in everyday living. We will share many ways to find that bliss and how to maintain it when you return home. Here is what you will experience: Set your intentions and connect with others during the Opening Fire ceremony
  • Open your heart with daily guided SVA Samadhi Marma & then yoga along the beach 
  • Create a state of balance and bliss with SV Ayurveda self care techniques that can be used everyday anywhere! 
  • Release tension and blockages with a complimentary spa treatment
  • Be awed by the graceful gentle giants during our private whale watching trip
  • Feed your soul with healthy SV ayurvedic meals and cooking demonstrations 
  • Celebrate your renewed connection with inner bliss as you sing from the heart during a closing kirtan held at sunset on the beach
We will be hosting this very intimate retreat for only 14 guests during the week of March 23 – March 30th, 2019. You can learn more at our website, by joining the Facebook Group and retreat email
We want you to as excited about the trip as Kathleen Wright of Garden of Yoga and I! We available to answer your questions about the retreat. Please respond back to this message with questions or requests for more information. 
Also, if you have a friend or family member who might be interested in attending, please feel free to forward this message to them.  Sign up for your opportunity to join us. 
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An Interview with Dr T on the Thyroid Epidemic
Listen to Dr Teitelbaum’s latest interview on the Thyroid epidemic that’s affecting our nation and how it can be addressed successfully through Vaidya Mishra’s SVA protocols
I am excited to be able to share with you my new book on treating the thyroid gland using the ancient science of Ayurveda. The book will be published early 2019 and can be preordered now through Amazon. Readers will learn our groundbreaking SVA approach for both detection and treatment of this very important gland, offering treatments that go beyond the use of pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals. I will update everyone as we get closer to its publication date.

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What’s the big deal about Vaidya’s Samadhi Marma ?!

testimonial #1: totally Blown Away”

I am totally Blown Away by the difference using the Samadhi set makes in my meditation. I put them on right before I sit down to meditate and I could actually see the light coming in and it went from a gold curtain kind of thing to rainbow colors at one point. My whole body literally feels like it’s filled with light and my stress points from work get activated for a few minutes and then clear out, it’s just incredible! I also felt the silent mind of meditation staying with me well into my post meditation activities. As it turned out, it lasted the whole day. A client I did Reiki on felt the bliss and relaxation when we worked together. 

I’m so happy and grateful to have this new support in my practice and life.

[…]

I’m also noticing today that as this is the third day that I have used it right before meditation my body is so dramatically pain-free from its usual stiffness and pain from my everyday massage work, it’s really quite amazing! I’m also noticing my spirits are brighter.

Namaste!

Sri van der Kroef 

testimonial #2:

“AMAZING Samadhi Set

“I confess I approached the Samadhi Set with some doubt! I’ve been meditating for almost 30 years and I have a lovely full protocol. Did not really need to add anything. But I was intrigued when a friend invited me to try. And after a single application I am totally blown away!!!! The blissful experience of applying the roll-ons on the marma points in the palms was instantaneous – an experience of soft sweet settling down and softening of the heart accompanied by a silent peace in the mind. I just am literally shocked at how immediate this experience was – literally seconds. It takes a little longer to have a similar experience via meditation… And the aromas of these roll-ons – just incredible! It’s like being in a celestial garden – so uplifting and soothing. Vaidya Mishra – no words can describe what you have gifted us with! I look forward to exploring your other SVA formulations…

Saadar lak lak pranaams to you….

your new devotee,

Savitri M.”

~ announcing ~
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We will soon be announcing details for SVA certification. If you have taken one or more SVA courses with Vaidya, you will be a certified SVA educator who can teach SVA workshops using SVA protocols and educational materials. Be on the lookout for more information via our newsletter.
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As we continue to make the SVA Library of Knowledge more easily accessible, we are happy to announce that SVA Cafe Serieslive lectures by Vaidya given over a span of several years – is now available on iTunes, Google Play and Amazon.
Join Vaidya Mishra and take a deep dive into the wonderful knowledge that distinguishes SVAyurveda from the rest. 
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Absorbing this information will instill within you a much greater awareness of all aspects in the SVA Universe and help you to better understand your specific situation, what questions to ask your SVA Practitioner and to discover new products that could deliver a great boost to your vitality. 
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