The Wellness Sense

by Om Swami

2

  Mother Nature and Your Body

  I had known Jay, a man in his early forties, for many years. He was a migrant from India and was living in Canada. Jay had been a vegetarian for more than a decade. He went to the gym three times a week, lived a life of moderation and played squash regularly. He occasionally meditated too. His previous partner had left him without any warning, but he was now happily married. Jay had no major stresses in life and no debts, and while he was not entirely satisfied with his career, he was an IT professional and made good money.

  Except for a sensitive stomach, and therefore occasional episodes of indigestion, he had no health problems. Before he contacted me, Jay had suffered from hay fever on account of a seasonal allergy. It had triggered bouts of coughing and a blocked nose. A few days later the nose was no longer runny or blocked, but the cough continued. Thinking it was merely the seasonal allergy, he avoided going to the doctor and took off-the-shelf cough syrups and tablets instead. Two weeks went by, and the cough persisted. Finally, he went to his family doctor, who prescribed some medication.

  There was no improvement though, and he started feeling feverish too. His wife noticed slight swelling around his neck with soft lumps. There was absolutely no pain. He thought it was just the extended hay fever weighing him down. The cough didn’t improve, the fever didn’t go down and the swelling stayed. Again, he consulted his doctor, who prescribed some tests including blood tests. A few days later, he was recommended to a specialist.

  The pathologist took a sample from one of the lumps and sent it to a lab. Three days later he was back in the specialist’s clinic. Both he and the specialist had something to show the other. Jay showed him more lumps in his armpits and groin. They were growing quickly. And the specialist showed him his biopsy report. He had Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph nodes. Further tests showed that the lumps were also growing in his chest. High-dose chemotherapy was recommended immediately, followed by radiation therapy. It was a Friday and the first session of chemotherapy was scheduled for Tuesday. This was when Jay called me and apprised me of the situation for the first time. He wanted to know if there was an alternative.

  I needed at least six weeks to try anything, and three weeks was the absolute bare minimum, because any yogic, tantric or Ayurvedic remedy requires that long to work. I told him that diseases in the physical body were merely an expression of our consciousness and, if his doctor was willing to move the chemotherapy by at least three weeks, we could try an alternative treatment. He said he would speak to the doctor and find out if it was possible. In the meantime, I asked him to get in touch with an Ayurvedic physician I really trusted. The physician was in India and Jay was in Canada. Ayurveda would take care of his physical body, and I recommended him a meditation, a yogic practice and a tantric practice to work on the subtler aspects of his disease.

  The only other ingredient I required for his healing was faith, which was not lacking, because Jay had known me for years. I needed faith because it connects at the deepest level of your existence. It transcends the talkative mind and the calculative mind and goes straight through to your soul. We asked the Ayurvedic physician to immediately courier the drugs, anyway. On Monday, Jay called me and said he had bought additional time, and his high-dose chemotherapy was now scheduled to commence three weeks later.

  He started with the two practices and meditation right away, and by Thursday he was taking his Ayurvedic medicine. Three weeks later he saw his specialist. There was no cough, no fever and no swelling. There were no lumps at all. The specialist was at his wit’s end. Tests were conducted again, and the severity of the disease had decreased by more than ninety-five per cent. The doctor gave Jay the option of going ahead with chemotherapy. It would be light chemo, with one session every six weeks and no radiation therapy was required, he was told.

  I told Jay I couldn’t possibly take a call on whether he should forego chemo completely, because I wasn’t a medical professional or a cancer specialist. Our Ayurvedic physician stated that light chemo was the right thing to do and that it would do no harm. I asked Jay to continue with the meditation and the other two practices. Not only did Jay keep all his hair during the chemotherapy, he actually gained healthy weight; he felt and looked fitter than ever before. Nearly a decade has elapsed since, and all is well with Jay.

  The only real difference between the specialist’s and my thinking was in our perspectives. He had been trained to see physical diseases as the originator of all infections and ailments. I, on the other hand, belonged to the old school. I don’t see diseases in the physical body as the cause; I see them as a manifestation of an anomaly in the consciousness. Most physical ailments have a deep-rooted cause that is not in the physical body. In Jay’s case, it was his sense of betrayal and anger towards his former partner. Further in this book, in the chapter ‘Mental Afflictions’, I touch upon how emotions like anger harm our health.

  So, what is the human body made of? What comes to your mind when you think of your body? Is it just a holder of flesh, bones and blood? The physical body you see on the outside is merely one aspect of you. Your body is a conglomerate of a myriad of elements that work together to make it what it is. Not all of those elements are physical, but they are all perceptible. We can touch and feel various body parts. We can examine and hold all the physical elements. But beyond the physical, there are other forces at play. For example, we can’t touch or hold our thoughts, but they can make us feel a certain way; they can have a positive or a negative impact on our physical health. We can’t even touch our own breath – which is the very basis of our existence. The subtler elements require greater sensitivity of the consciousness.

  Your physical health is almost entirely dependent on how your body accepts and processes food, which in turn is affected by your mental and emotional state. The body is not just a mechanical machine, for if it were, all stomachs would process food exactly the same way. The truth is that everyone’s body is unique. Even if two people eat identical meals, their bodies respond to them differently. What is that factor, that element, that thing in their bodies that determines how they are going to process food?

  Einstein used to say, ‘It’s not that I’m smarter, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.’ Yogis in ancient India gained remarkable insights into the nature of human existence based on the same principle – they meditated on it for long periods. Gradually, their insights were refined and evolved into a concrete system, complete with an underlying theory and a set of practices, most of which are scientifically verifiable even today.

  They divided the primary aspects of our wellness into the physical and mental. Ayurveda covered the physical aspects and yogic scriptures expounded the mental aspects. The four key physical ones are: pancha-bhoota (the five elements), sapta-dhatu (the seven tissues), tri-dosha (the three humours), and chatush-agni (the four fires). The four key mental aspects are: pancha-kosha (the five sheaths), tri- guna (the three mental states), tri-kaya (the three bodies), and dasa-vayu (the ten energies). Information on the five sheaths, three bodies and ten vital energies can be found in the appendix of this book. The remaining aspects are covered in appropriate sections.

  Whether you want to lose or gain weight, whether you want to look younger or be more virile, remain free of diseases and afflictions or just be physically stronger, a complete understanding of your body is the starting point. Without further ado, let me get to the heart of the matter, beginning with the five elements.

  THE FIVE GREAT ELEMENTS

  Harmony means balance; it means equilibrium. It is impossible to fall sick if you are in equilibrium. Everything in nature, including our body, is made up of five elements. They are called pancha maha-bhoota in Sanskrit. It means the five great elements. They are called earth, water, fire, air and ether. The more you are in touch with your elements, the more you are in harmony with Mother Nature.

  The closer you are to nature, the healthier you rema
in and the quicker you recover from any disorders. In the woods, still untouched by humans or their cattle, I never saw a sick or dying plant. Once I started to go into areas inhabited by humans, I saw many plants suffering from one disease or the other. It is our artificial lifestyle that drives us away from nature and its healing powers, and creates illnesses. The five great elements make us an intrinsic part of nature.

  Everything outside your body is a part of the macrocosm. You are an exact replica of that macrocosm. Just like there’s a universe outside, there’s a universe inside. Only the quantity varies; the quality doesn’t. Vedic texts refer to the human body as the microcosm. Macrocosm is called brahmanda. It means an egg of the primordial force. And the microcosm is called pindanda. It means an egg of a part of the whole. Each entity in nature is complete in its own right. A drop of water and an ocean have exactly the same properties. Qualitatively speaking, they are identical. An ocean may have infinite number of drops, but each drop is complete in its own right. An ocean too is one giant drop of water. Similarly, when we get in touch with nature, our tiny existence taps into the enormous and infinite forces of nature, and we automatically gain health and bliss.

  There is, therefore, a close and intricately correlating relationship between our well-being and our universe. Around seventy per cent of the earth’s surface is water- covered; your body is approximately seventy per cent water. There are infinite stars in the sky; there are countless pores on your body. There is the milky way; you have the lymphatic system. There are rivers, small and large, merging into the oceans that further represent one giant waterbody; there are arteries and veins in your body ending in your heart. Air is the fundamental life ingredient on this planet; it is the basic need of your body. There is space around you; there is space in each of the nine orifices – or ten orifices in the case of females – in your body. Whatever you can find in the macrocosm, you can find inside your body.

  Absolutely everything is made up of the five great elements. Yogic texts offer simple characteristics of these elements. Earth is hard and stable. Water is fluid and flexible. Fire is vital warmth and a transformative force. Air represents motion and flow. Ether or space is the entire body, most notably the pores and orifices. These five elements are linked to the five sense objects and five forms of consciousness and the five organs. See the table below:

  The Five Elements and Our Body

  Element

  Consciousness

  Organ

  Perception

  Earth

  Olfactive

  Nostrils

  Smell

  Water

  Gustative

  Tongue

  Taste

  Fire

  Visual

  Eyes

  Form

  Air

  Tactual

  Skin

  Touch

  Ether

  Auditive

  Ears

  Sound

  The five elements don’t just correspond to the five sensory objects. They are not just about the physical composition of your body; they are more than that. For example, purification of each element positively affects its corresponding consciousness, organ and perception.

  Beyond just the sensory organs and resultant perception, tantric texts link the five elements to various aspects of our health and body. Hair, skin, nails, flesh and bones are made from the earth element. People born with a dominant earth element tend to be stout or have a heavy skeletal structure. They are more stable-minded than the other four types. An impure earth element can cause diseases of the skin, flesh or bones. It can lead to great restlessness.

  Urine, stools, marrow, blood and semen are governed by the water element. An impure water element often leads to diseases of the reproductive organs. When both water and fire are impure, it causes hypertension (high blood pressure), and when both water and air are impure, it causes hypotension (low blood pressure), for example.

  Laziness, fatigue, thirst, hunger and sleep are the characteristics of the fire element. Purification of the fire element has a direct and immediate bearing on one’s hunger and laziness. When I was in the woods for months at a stretch, I required only two hours of sleep and one meal each day. For the rest of the time, I meditated with awareness and alertness. There were times when I felt tired due to extreme physical and mental exertion, but never did I feel fatigued, hungry or sleepy. This was particularly on account of purification of the fire element, as part of my meditational and tantric routine.

  Expansion, contraction, release, movement and holding are governed by the air element. Therefore, strength and agility of the limbic system is greatly influenced by the dominance and purity of the air element. Further, impurity of the air element is responsible for most neurological disorders in our bodies. Purification of this element strengthens the central nervous system, and lends strength and suppleness to the limbs.

  Greed, fear, attachment, anger and desire are the characteristics of the ether element. It is mostly on account of these five that we bring suffering upon ourselves. When any of these is present, there is no contentment; there is no peace. Impurity or dominance of the ether element creates most emotional disorders.

  The science of Ayurveda predominantly focuses on the earth, water and the fire elements. Yogic practices enhance the first three, and in addition, purify the air and the ether elements. Tantra makes extensive use of both Ayurvedic and yogic practices, whether that is doing special worship, making fire offerings, performing rituals, anointing the body, consuming mixtures or even smoking weed. Alchemy is an integral part of tantra. It was first practised by tantriks, long before the concept of medicine was known to the average person.

  Purification of the elements is a remarkable tantric practice called bhoota shuddhi. It is a powerful visualization to purify your elemental body for better physical and mental health. By purifying each element, the practitioner can eliminate the diseases linked to that element. This practice is passed in disciplic succession from a tantrik guru to the initiated disciple. I can tell you from my personal experience that purification of the elements takes your wellness to a whole new level. For now, let me elaborate on the seven tissues – the heart of Ayurveda.

  THE SEVEN TISSUES

  Your physical body is made up of seven key constituents. These constituents are different forms of body tissues, called sapta-dhatu: the seven tissues or secretions. Before I elaborate on them, it is important to understand the word dhatu. One standard meaning of dhatu is constituent. In the context of Ayurveda, it is understood as body tissue. The word dhatu in Sanskrit also means the primary element. The food you eat is made up of the five great elements. Once food is processed by your body, it is broken down to form the seven dhatus. These are the bodily elements, primary constituents that are the building blocks of the physical body. From the Sanskrit root dha, dhatu also means to possess, to accept, to bestow. How your body accepts the food you consume, directly determines the quality of your health. Additionally, dhatu means secretion.

  An embryo is formed because the parents secrete an egg and a sperm. The fetus survives because the mother secretes through the umbilical cord. Once out in the world, the infant survives because his mother’s breasts are secreting milk. As he grows, he can chew food because certain glands are secreting saliva. The food is digested because the intestinal glands are secreting. The human body is made up of secretions. As per Ayurveda, anything we consume, our body breaks down into se
ven dhatus or secretions. These are the body’s primary constituents. Ayurveda has put them in the following order, because it was believed that each subsequent secretion is harder for the body to manufacture and maintain.

  Rasa

  The English word for rasa is chyle. As with any language, however, there are certain words in Sanskrit that have no equivalent in English. Rasa is one such word. The taste in food is rasa; the fluid in anything is rasa; the melody in music is rasa; visual beauty is rasa; the feeling of success is rasa and the emotion in an orgasm is rasa. It also means juice or sap. Further, rasa refers to a body tissue, and most notably, blood plasma.

  Rasa is the first stage of any food consumed by the body. Before it converts into nutrients usable by the body, it must first become liquid in the intestine.

  Blood

  Blood, the second dhatu, is called rakta in Sanskrit. Rakta refers to the red blood cells, the haemoglobin and the blood platelets. Although the science of Ayurveda did not categorize blood into cells, platelets and haemoglobin, it did indeed understand that blood had certain constituents that allowed it to flow, to nourish and to clot. The word rakta, if split as ra + akta, means that which is characteristic of heat. Akta also means oil. Rakta is the substance that is living as long as it has the constituents that retain its innate heat and fluidity. Ra also means love. The desire and act of lovemaking causes a rush of blood in the blood vessels; it raises the body temperature (heat is blood’s innate property). Like all the other dhatus, blood is absolutely essential to human existence.

  Muscle

  Mamsa is the third dhatu. It means muscle or flesh. It is interesting to note that Ayurveda specifically differentiated between muscle and fat (the next dhatu). Even five thousand years ago, its practitioners well understood the difference between the two. The basic building block of muscle is protein.