^ scroll to see photos ^ Rich and nourishing, these easy to make sweet treats (traditionally known as laddus) are perfect for Diwali and for the winter season that follows. My partner, Chef Sanjai, and I had so much fun when he made these delights for our own Diwali celebrations. Laddus were traditionally meant to be desserts, but who’s stopping you from having them as an anytime snack! Ingredients Almond flour – 1 cup Dried Figs – 5/6 pieces Ghee – 3-4 tsp. Sugar – ½ cup Saffron – 1/8th tsp. Green Cardamom – 8/10 pods Rose water (optional) – ½ tsp. Procedure Soak saffron in 2 tsp of hot water. Soak the figs in 1 cup of hot water for about 30 minutes. Discard the water, and puree the figs in a blender. Heat a pan on medium heat, add about ½ tsp. ghee and the figs puree, stirring continuously until it becomes dark and dough-like consistency. Set aside. In the same pan, add about 1/3 cup of water, then add sugar, dissolve to make simple syrup. Mix until it thickens to one strong consistency. Add saffron water and let it become fragrant. Add the almond flour, cardamom seed powder, and 2 tsp. ghee to the saffron simple syrup. Mix well until a smooth dough-like consistency is reached so that it doesn’t stick to the pan. On a smooth surface – clean kitchen counter, granite stone, or on a layer of aluminum foil on your chopping board – apply the ¼ tsp. ghee and gently spread it all over. Put the almond dough on this surface, let it cool a little, then knead it like a dough (at this stage you can add rose water, if using) and roll it into cylindrical shape. Do the same to the fig dough. Lay the two dough rolls side by side. Twist both rolls into one, break off smaller pieces, and roll them into laddus. Garnish with slivered almonds more saffron if you'd like - it's Diwali after all! Tip: Use almond flour made of blanched almonds. If not using flour, you can soak whole almonds for 1 hour, peel the skin, dry, and make into flour. Acharya Shunya is a globally-recognized spiritual teacher and Vedic lineage-holder who awakens health and consciousness through the Vedic sciences of Vedanta, Ayurveda and Yoga. Her life partner, Chef Sanjai has resurrected forgotten yet seasonally pertinent, healing and delicious ancient recipes and developed original recipes too, inspired by ancient Ayurvedic texts from 1 BCE to 16 CE. Together, for the last 12 years, they have been the driving force behind their wisdom school Vedika Global's much awarded Ayurveda program, Alchemy through Ayurveda with its emphasis upon health through in depth knowledge of healing foods, spices and recipes. Follow Chef Sanjai on Facebook here! Check out Acharya Sunya's best-selling book on the Vedic art of mind + body + soul well-being and health, Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom (Sounds True, 2017), which highlights Chef Sanjai's top 30 recipes for everyday health, spring detox, overcoming indigestion, etc. They have also recorded a unique series of classes together available in the Ayurveda Ancestral Herbal Library. In these classes, they share rare, lineage-based Ayurvedic recipes for handcrafting health with the power of Ayurvedic superfoods, spices, herbs and garden flowers. They are now co-authoring an Ayurvedic Cookbook. Acharya Shunya's second book with Sounds True is to be released in 2020, titled, Sovereign Self, Claim Your Inner Joy and Freedom with the Empowering Wisdom of the Vedas, Upanishads, and Bhagavad Gita. She is a keynote speaker at national and international conferences and serves as an advisor to the Indian Government in matters pertaining to global integration and cultivation of Ayurveda and Yoga. Receive Acharya Shunya's free online teachings and browse her current eCourse offerings here or see more about her on Facebook and follow her on Instagram. Subscribe to her YouTube Channel where she holds live Global Satsangs once per month.

All healing in the expanded Vedic worldview is ultimately an expression of our own divine source, the invisible spiritual Self. The Sanskrit term for abiding health is swastha, which means, “to be established in your spiritual Self.” Vedanta is inclusive and welcomes humanity to awaken to the truth of Self that transcends religions and culture. Awakening to the presence of the divine Self is akin to awakening from a long, dreary dream of bondage to the disease prone and death-bound body and mind. Recognition of the true Self leads to spiritual freedom, unqualified power and total well-being, and is thus the most important and ultimate dimension of health. ​ My mission is to facilitate the awakening to the truth of our spiritual existence via the teaching and spiritual transmission of Advaita Vedanta, one of the world’s most ancient spiritual philosophies; it is a specialized and perhaps the oldest branch of Vedanta, which affirms the oneness of all existence, and asserts that the goal of life is to realize one common source, expressing itself as our own innate Self. It declares that at the core of our own being is the Self in all beings. The objects, animals, plants and people, appear separate and yet, all are connected, in fact one, at their source – the Self, which is pure consciousness. Advaita Vedanta, as a system of thought, emerges from the most ancient wisdom texts of humanity, collectively known as the Vedas. There are four texts in the Vedas, which are individually known as Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva Veda. Vedanta is literately the end (anta) portion of the Vedas, and is also known as Upanishad. Advaita Vedanta is also the mother science, which has influenced the sciences of both Ayurveda and Yoga, and is the basis of almost all wisdom emerging from the East. Traditionally, Vedanta was always taught alongside Ayurveda and Yoga education. The study of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy and texts entails the study of a non-material divine Self, an ultimate universal reality, which transcends realities of a relative order (body, mind, world) and yet is, at the same time, imminent and ever-present in the phenomenal universe as its common underlying reality. The universe and all its multiplicity are ultimately expressions or appearances of one essential reality known as Brahman, which means that which is ever expanding, infinite and unbounded; in fact, the same one Self (Brahman), illumines the sun, the moon, and the stars. Thus, Advaita Vedanta conveys an Ultimate Reality (Brahman) that transcends all existence and non-existence; a Reality that is beyond description, cause and effect, independent and eternal. It leaps beyond the anthropomorphic versions of God from religions, and declares Brahman as that spiritual reality which transcends all empirically detectable classifications, limits, confines, boundaries and dualities. For that matter, Brahman is not a "He" or a “She” at all, but rather transcends description or definition, as all descriptions and definitions are ultimately limitations of the unlimited. The human Self, technically known as Atman, is therefore none other than Brahman, and transcends birth and death, age and disease. Even when we die, our Self will live on and begin new adventures and quests. Advaita Vedanta focuses on the subtle, psycho-spiritual, moral–ethical (dharma), and even mystical-existential dimension of our life, which is, after all, our deepest truth, and influences our day-to-day joy and sorrow, success and failure. To understand this dimension and begin to recognize the presence of this invisible Self alongside our day-to-day mind-based self, is the purpose and goal of spiritual studies. This study is important when money in the bank, physical health or even good relationships are not enough to fulfill us; or worse, we lack one or all, and consequently feel inadequate, unfulfilled, betrayed, forgotten and unhappy almost all the time. Many students who have studied Advaita Vedanta with me report a permanent life and mind quality transformation and evolution of spiritual consciousness, yielding tremendous peace, compassion and supreme contentment. I invite you to start your study of Advaita Vedanta with me! Please join me during my live monthly Global Satsangs on YouTube. For a closer connection to me, join my private Facebook group, Vedic Contemplations. Acharya Shunya is a globally-recognized spiritual teacher and Vedic lineage-holder who awakens health and consciousness through the Vedic sciences of Ayurveda, Vedanta and Yoga. She is the driving force behind an online wisdom school and worldwide spiritual community, and the author of best-selling book on the Vedic art of mind + body + soul well-being and health, Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom (Sounds True, 2017) and forthcoming second book with Sounds True to be released in 2020, Sovereign Self. Acharya Shunya is a keynote speaker at national and international conferences, and serves as an advisor to the Indian Government in matters pertaining to global integration and cultivation of Ayurveda and Yoga. Receive her free online teachings and browse her current eCourse offerings here or see more about her on Facebook and follow her on Instagram. Subscribe to her YouTube Channel where she holds live Global Satsangs once per month. Study Ayurveda with Acharya Shunya in her online course, Alchemy through Ayurveda.

Do this beautiful spiritual ritual outside on mornings as the sun rises. If you live near a body of water, perform the ritual beside the water, or even better, wade into the water. 1. Fill a clay or copper cup with water. Be sure to set aside a cup just for your sun worship ritual. Do not use it for eating or drinking. 2. Go outside and face east, the direction of the rising sun.​ ​ 3. Raise your hands above your head and, with both hands holding the cup, slowly and reverently pour water downward to the earth below. 4. Keep your gaze turned upward toward the open sky, where the sun is about to rise. 5. As you pour water from the vessel, you can, if you wish, chant​ the mantra of your choosing​, or you can simply chant OM throughout. Learn more mantras here. You can shower or bathe either before the spiri­tual ritual or afterward. ​Fresh in body, aligned with sun, earth and breath, grateful to the muscles and bones for bending and flexing upon ​your request, totally appreciative of ​your​ existence on earth, ​and ​refreshed and cleansed in body and mind​, begin your day! Acharya Shunya is a globally-recognized spiritual teacher and Vedic lineage-holder who awakens health and consciousness through the Vedic sciences of Ayurveda, Vedanta and Yoga. She is the driving force behind an online wisdom school and worldwide spiritual community, and the author of best-selling book on the Vedic art of mind + body + soul well-being and health, Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom (Sounds True, 2017) and forthcoming second book with Sounds True to be released in 2020, Sovereign Self. Acharya Shunya is a keynote speaker at national and international conferences, and serves as an advisor to the Indian Government in matters pertaining to global integration and cultivation of Ayurveda and Yoga. Receive her free online teachings and browse her current eCourse offerings here or see more about her on Facebook and follow her on Instagram. Subscribe to her YouTube Channel where she holds live Global Satsangs once per month. Study Ayurveda with Acharya Shunya in her online course, Alchemy through Ayurveda.

In my household in India, when I was just a child, we would wake at dawn to this and other such mantras from the Upanishads. My grandfather, who I call baba, would chant (in Sanskrit) first, and everyone would follow suit. May I journey from unreal to real, May I journey from darkness to light, May I journey from mortality to immortality. ~ Brihadaranyaka Upanishad While we would get ready for school, our mothers and their children would chant this mantra of taking life’s journey into their own hands. I could also hear it emerging from tiny huts and from extravagant homes, sometimes joyfully, at other times intensely. It echoed in temples, and it reverberated in Hindu monasteries. It was chanted as a newborn emerged from the womb, and it was chanted as the dead body was placed on the funeral pyre before being offered to Agni, the god of fire. As the sick in my hometown would toss and turn, suspended between in breaths and out breaths, pain and relief, hope and dismay, family members keeping vigil by the bedside would whisper the same mantra in the ear of the struggling one. It was a reminder of the deepest healing yet to be aspired to, and the final and most significant journey yet to be undertaken—the journey of self-realization from darkness to light, from death to true existence. A mantra is a sacred utterance that protects and frees our minds. Ayurveda encourages that we chant mantras even while conducting the simplest of everyday activities, such as while waking up, first putting our feet on the floor after a night’s sleep, taking a shower, and before partaking a meal. A mantra protects us when we meditate on it. It is a specific grouping of sound vibrations that, when verbalized mindfully or when its meaning is meditated on silently, creates a sound-based frequency that protects the mind from its own conflicting emotions, desires, and thought vacillations. Mantra vibrations can help you overcome any tendency toward repetitive thoughts and anxiety, and can also help you become fully present to every moment of your day. It is said that spiritual light is concealed inside the sounds of the mantras from the Vedas. When the mantras are chanted, spiritual light emerges to not only illuminate the physical space, but also the internal space of the ones who chant or hear the mantra. The reality of self is indeed the only light—the light that is self-shining, and that causes everything else, including the eyes, the moon, the sun, and the stars, to shine. In the beginning, you may have difficulty with it, especially with the obligations and distractions of modern life. With a little repetition, however, you will soon find that mantras are emerging spontaneously in your heart and that invoking them transforms the most banal events into self-affirming, self-honoring sacred rituals. Acharya Shunya is a globally-recognized spiritual teacher and Vedic lineage-holder who awakens health and consciousness through the Vedic sciences of Ayurveda, Vedanta and Yoga. She is the driving force behind an online wisdom school and worldwide spiritual community, and the author of best-selling book on the Vedic art of mind + body + soul well-being and health, Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom (Sounds True, 2017) and forthcoming second book with Sounds True to be released in 2020, Sovereign Self. Acharya Shunya is a keynote speaker at national and international conferences, and serves as an advisor to the Indian Government in matters pertaining to global integration and cultivation of Ayurveda and Yoga. Receive her free online teachings and browse her current eCourse offerings here or see more about her on Facebook and follow her on Instagram. Subscribe to her YouTube Channel where she holds live Global Satsangs once per month. Study Ayurveda with Acharya Shunya in her online course, Alchemy through Ayurveda.

This breath work and hand gesture combination has the power to instantaneously replace the rajas and tamas in your mind with sattva. Jnana Mudra First, let's begin with the Jnana Mudra. The Sanskrit word jnana means "wisdom or knowledge," and the word mudra means "seal." A mudra is a means to hold in prana so that it doesn't leak out. To do it, touch the tip of the forefinger to the tip of the thumb so that the finger and thumb form a complete circle. Continue in this position for the full duration of your pranayama. This hand gesture increases inner focus and calms the mind. Humming Bee Breathing I like to call this pranayama "Humming Bee Breathing," but it is more commonly known as Bhramari Pranayama. Try this breath work! You'll be pleased to discover that any anxiety will end and all of your senses will feel rested and rejuvenated. 1. Sit in a comfortable posture or on a meditation cushion with your spine softly erect. You can also sit on a chair with legs uncrossed. 2. The hands can be in jnana mudra to begin, as shown in the picture above. 3. Close the eyes and relax the whole body for a minute or so by breathing normally. 4. Now raise both arms and bring them toward your ears. 5. With the index or middle finger of each hand, plug your ears gently. If you wish, you could press the flaps of your ears over the opening without inserting the fingers. 6. Now, bring your attention to the midpoint between your eyebrows. This is the place of the ajna chakra. 7. Breathe in deeply, inhaling through the nose. Then breathe out through the nose, making a humming sound like the buzzing of a bee. 8. Exhale slowly, smoothly, and in a controlled manner while making this deep, steady humming sound. Please enjoy and practice with love and care. Acharya Shunya is a globally-recognized spiritual teacher and Vedic lineage-holder who awakens health and consciousness through the Vedic sciences of Ayurveda, Vedanta and Yoga. She is the driving force behind an online wisdom school and worldwide spiritual community, and the author of best-selling book on the Vedic art of mind + body + soul well-being and health, Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom (Sounds True, 2017) and forthcoming second book with Sounds True to be released in 2020, Sovereign Self. Acharya Shunya is a keynote speaker at national and international conferences, and serves as an advisor to the Indian Government in matters pertaining to global integration and cultivation of Ayurveda and Yoga. Receive her free online teachings and browse her current eCourse offerings here or see more about her on Facebook and follow her on Instagram. Subscribe to her YouTube Channel where she holds live Global Satsangs once per month. Study Ayurveda with Acharya Shunya in her online course, Alchemy through Ayurveda.

In Sunny California, which is my home, we have become a little spoiled with expansive blue skies and a warm golden sun that sparkles and shines and adds a special radiance to our lives, year-round. And we especially look forward to summer with great anticipation. In fact world over, we humans have developed an entire culture around summer; and its arrival is often greeted with great super sales of cooling cottons, designer beach gear, water sports, special juices and drinks to keep us cool and hydrated. Bottled water sales go up and sunglasses on our noses, where they will stay perched for several months! Unfortunately, summer’s dry heat can also be trying on our system since the moisture in the environment reduces drastically, including from our body, causing loss of body fluids through sweating. We can also manifest conditions like sunstroke, dehydration, prickly heat rash, inflammatory skin disorders, bleeding from the nose, burning sensation of urine, muscle cramps and fatigue, etc. Ayurveda wise, the fiery hot sun in summer activates Pitta Dosha. Increasing dryness (of the wind) begins to accumulate Vata. There is reduction in Kapha Dosha within the body and a reduction of Rasa Dhatu (fluid nutrition of all the body tissues), and the Bala (strength) of the body are also greatly diminished. Hence, Ayurveda not only cautions external protection but also suggests inner replenishment, rejuvenation and restoration through a special protocol called Grishma Ritucharya. Ayurveda’s Protocol for Summer – Grishma Ritucharya In Ayurveda, the seasons and their impact on the human body have been studied carefully, and an elaborate scientific food and lifestyle protocol has been developed in response for each season under the topic of Ritucharya. This literally translates as seasonally specific recommended behavior to prevent the aggravation of doshas, ward off season specific discomfort and prevent potential disease. The summer protocol, called Grishma Ritucharya advises specialized dietary food and lifestyle measures, such as counteracting the dry heat of summer with moist, sweet, cooling, liquid, and slightly fatty and fragrant foods; and adapting cooling lifestyle practices, such as Sheetali Pranayama, exposure to moonlight, etc. Specially-Recommended Summer Foods Ayurveda chooses summer foods based upon their intrinsic moisture, slightly oily, and sweet, Kapha and Rasa-enhancing qualities: Cereals - Wheat, Oats, Rice, Sweet Corn. Lentils - Mung Lentil (Green and Yellow). Dairy - Ghee (Clarified Butter), Milk (Cow or Buffalo), Sweet Butter, Yogurt Lassi with added sugar, Piyusha (cow’s colostrum), Shreekhand (sweetened hung yogurt). Fruits - Mango, Pomegranate, Dates, Coconut (also drink coconut water to stay hydrated), Nectarine, Plums, Raisins, Honey Dew, Cantaloupe. Keep in mind that all fruits consumed in summer should be ripe and sweet. Discard if they are sour or unripe. Vegetables - Limes (versus lemons in Lemonade), Cucumbers, Beets, Carrots, Summer Squash, Opo Squash, Green beans, White Onions (versus red), Mint, Coriander leaves, Okra, Snake gourd, Yam, Wax Gourd, Cauliflower. Non-Vegetarian - Keep at a minimum. Some fish such as Grass Carp (Rohu) is okay. Or enjoy very lightly or minimally spiced soup of chicken or goat meat (relatively clear / light soup). Special products - Amalaki juice (Indian gooseberry), Amalaki Murabba – sugar syrup-soaked gooseberries, Gulkand (Rose petal jam), Kokum juice (Mango stein). Spices - Concentrate more on cumin, fennel and coriander seeds or powder. Only use rock salt (Saindha namak), Mint, Cardamom. Classic Summer Recipes 1. Porridge made from rice or wheat. 2. Rice Pudding made with Rice + Ghee + Milk + Almonds (1 or 2) + Saffron + Cardamom + Sugar. 3. Green gram Lentil in the form of soup. 4. Grated coconut cooked in milk + sugar. 5. Wheat flour lightly roasted in ghee, cooked in milk + sugar. Classic Summer Drinks 1. Lassi- churn 1part yogurt + 4 parts cool water (+ 1-part fresh sweet mangoes to make Mango Lassi). 2. Buttermilk- churn 1 part yogurt + 4 parts cool water + sugar + cardamom powder. 3. Thin gruel prepared from cornflower + cool water +sugar. 4. Wheat flour + Jaggery + Coconut + Cinnamon +Nutmeg + Poppy seeds + Milk. 5. Buffalo or Cow milk + sugar + moon light + starlight (expose all night). 6. The drinking water should be boiled and cooled and can be scented with addition of naturally cooling and fragrant herbs (if available) like Coriander seeds, Sandalwood and Poppy seeds. 7. Coriander seeds + water + moonlight - kept overnight - strain next day to drink. 8. Buttermilk + sugar + rose water essence. 9. Cool water + pinches of cardamom powder + clove powder + black pepper powder+ rock candy. 10. Hand squeezed, filtered juice from the pulp of fresh Mango, neither over ripe not unripe, cooked slightly in water + sugar + Cumin powder + mint leaves as garnish. Note: In Ayurveda, no other fruit is mixed with milk or yogurt except sweet mango. Foods to Avoid as much as possible during summer Papaya - very heating. Pineapple - very heating. Watermelon - has potential to imbalance all 3 doshas – gas increasing. Tomatoes - eat in moderation; only when cooked in ghee. Eggplant Garlic - minimize or at least cook in ghee. Do not eat raw in summer. Peanuts Pickles Chilies Peppers Red onions Alcohol Red Meat Mustard oil and mustard leaves in cooking - very heating. Additional Dietary Recommendations Ayurveda not only advises increasing intake of naturally sweet, moist, slightly fatty, and nourishing food to balance dryness and heat in body but also that we do not overeat, since the digestive power called Agni is naturally low. Here are more tips for you to pay heed to: • Increase intake of sweet, sour and salty tastes and reduce pungent, astringent and bitter tastes in food. • Temperature wise- food can be allowed to cool down a bit before consuming. • Avoid heavy, oily, overly spiced meals and choose natural drinks, juicy fruits, and sweet, moist satisfying meals like rice or wheat cooked with fragrant spices like cardamom, ghee, milk and sugar instead. • Avoid dry, hot and spicy foods. • Reduce salt and black pepper intake as they contain natural fire. • Avoid or reduce garlic and tomatoes in cooking, instead prefer cooked onions. • Avoid fermented foods including bread, Indian food dosa, as fermented foods aggravate not only Pitta but also Vata and Kapha. • Decrease red meat and alcohol consumption, or avoid totally, as they are very heating. • When making a fruit salad, to make most digestible, always combine super sweet and ripe fruits together – avoid mixing in sour or unripe fruits. • Always fruits as a separate meal – allow for 2 to 3 hours between the last meal and eating fruits. • When making a salad in summer, add a generous amount of oil so as to enhance the water element versus the air (dry) element. • Salads are popular summer meals nowadays, but Ayurveda recommends we limit raw vegetable intake as they are very hard to digest and can increase air element. • Always cook vegetables in ghee (clarified butter) especially during summer. Ghee is a very important substance to consume in summer to counteract the harsh affect of sun and wind on the body’s doshas. • Ayurveda recommends that summer meals should only be moist, soft and nourishing, but also easily digestible as our innate digestive fire called Agni is naturally on the low side during the hot summer months. Choosing a Conscious Lifestyle in Summer Ayurveda suggests not only enjoying the cooled interior versus the blistering outdoors in day time, but also actively soliciting the comfort of shaded gardens and forests filled with fragrant flowers and fountains or tall trees with thick foliage to soothe the intense heat. In no other season is a nap recommended apart from summer season. Ayurveda advises adequate rest (no over exertion or over heating of the body), and recommends daytime sleep to replenish lost Kapha. Since we now know what a help Moon is in summer, Ayurveda suggests sleeping in the open (if possible) perhaps even bare skinned, or minimally clothed with the lightest cotton garments to absorb the cooling rays loaded with love! As for the body, anoint it with the paste of herbs usher or Chandan (sandalwood) – mixed in cool water and wait till dry. Then take a cooling bath or shower. The skin will become soft, moistened and ready to combat the sun. Coconut oil makes for a good sun protector (always apply slightly warmed) before you step out. The face can be washed with ground red masoor daal (red lentils), pinch of sandalwood powder and saffron (use a coffee grinder to make a powder) – mix tablespoon of mixture with cooling while cow milk to make creamy paste for a cooling and nourishing face wash that will remove redness from the face. Of course, this summer, reduce exertion, heavy exercises, direct or excessive exposure to direct sunlight. Excessive sex / intercourse should also be avoided in this season, especially after a meal. Self care is a sacred ritual, thus, Ayurveda’s self care wisdom demonstrates a deep understanding of nature. The self care rituals laid not only deliver results but become potent ways to love ourselves and to step into a more conscious relationship with nature, the sun, the moon and the wind. Following Ayurveda’s recommendations, we begin to flow more and fight less with nature. This summer, the time we will take to choose appropriate foods and craft a season-appropriate lifestyle by virtue of Ayurveda wisdom, will truly transform our understanding of nature and what it wants from us. With Ayurveda’s help, we do not need to only react to the escalating heat and dryness of summer with discomfort; instead, we can choose to respond to it proactively by being prepared in advance. This will be truly conscious time invested in the self for a happy and truly cool and healthy summer! Acharya Shunya is a globally-recognized spiritual teacher and Vedic lineage-holder who awakens health and consciousness through the Vedic sciences of Ayurveda, Vedanta and Yoga. She is the driving force behind an online wisdom school and worldwide spiritual community, and the author of best-selling book on the Vedic art of mind + body + soul well-being and health, Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom (Sounds True, 2017) and forthcoming second book with Sounds True to be released in 2020, Sovereign Self. Acharya Shunya is a keynote speaker at national and international conferences, and serves as an advisor to the Indian Government in matters pertaining to global integration and cultivation of Ayurveda and Yoga. Receive her free online teachings and browse her current eCourse offerings here or see more about her on Facebook and follow her on Instagram. Subscribe to her YouTube Channel where she holds live Global Satsangs once per month. Study Ayurveda with Acharya Shunya in her online course, Alchemy through Ayurveda.

My guru, Baba, once told me a story. In an ashram, a cow was always tied up at night so she would not wander away. One day, the rope used to tie up the cow could not be found. A student tried to guide the cow into the cowshed so that she would be safe and dry in case of rain, but she would not go inside. The student went to his guru, who told him that the cow was used to being led by a rope, but since the rope was missing, he should pretend to tie a rope around her neck and lead her with the imaginary rope. It worked. The cow got up and came along meekly. However, when it was time to go out and feed on grass the next day, the cow would not go out. Once again, there was no rope to lead her. As before, the teacher instructed the student to pretend to tie the rope and lead her out. Again, the ploy worked. The rope of thought was enough for the cow to behave as if she were in bondage. She was free all along. You are either in bondage – dependent on objects and people to give you happiness – or you are free - independently established in happiness, which is sourced from within you. The perception of either bondage or freedom is merely in your own mind. Bondage is created when we depend on the world, objects, and relationships for our happiness. Dependency expresses itself in different forms. Sometimes we feel that we must manipulate the world; at other times, that we must beg the world for what we want. In both instances, we are dependent, like a slave. After all, when in bondage, we cannot guarantee that happiness will be ours. This dependency is pure powerlessness. However, your mind also holds the key to a unique kind of power and freedom. It can lead you to abiding peace and happiness, irrespective of what is happening in the world outside of you. Ultimately, all my students are Self. As a spiritual teacher, I simply pretend to untie the imaginary ropes around my students’ minds, even though they have been free all along. I tell them, “You are free,” and interestingly, they start leading freer lives. They become more powerful, spiritually greater versions of who they were just moments ago. Bondage and freedom, power and powerlessness, all occur in the realm of thought. By understanding the mind and its deepest tendencies through the lens of Vedic wisdom, we can free ourselves from sorrow and reclaim our inner joy. This, by the way, is an excerpt from my forthcoming book, Sovereign Self. Friends, you are welcome to join me in my online classes, open to all seekers free of cost. Here, I will share with you a transformational study of traditional Vedanta​ from the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and other Vedic texts from Ayurveda and Yoga​. ​These timeless teachings have been given to me by my teacher and they have changed my life for the better. Now, you too can apply them in your daily life as tools for conscious and sovereign living. These classes occur on the first Sunday of each month at 10AM Pacific Time. Subscribe to this newly forming broadcast channel and click the Notification Bell to receive reminders of upcoming classes at https://www.youtube.com/AcharyaShunya/live. Acharya Shunya is a globally-recognized spiritual teacher and Vedic lineage-holder who awakens health and consciousness through the Vedic sciences of Ayurveda, Vedanta and Yoga. She is the driving force behind an online wisdom school and worldwide spiritual community, and the author of best-selling book on the Vedic art of mind + body + soul well-being and health, Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom (Sounds True, 2017) and forthcoming second book with Sounds True to be released in 2020, Sovereign Self. Acharya Shunya is a keynote speaker at national and international conferences, and serves as an advisor to the Indian Government in matters pertaining to global integration and cultivation of Ayurveda and Yoga. Receive her free online teachings and browse her current eCourse offerings here or see more about her on Facebook and follow her on Instagram. Subscribe to her YouTube Channel where she holds live Global Satsangs once per month. Study Ayurveda with Acharya Shunya in her online course, Alchemy through Ayurveda.

We humans often feel strangely alone even in intimate relationships, if not all the time, often enough. Who does not? Do you? Can anyone, however wonderful and caring, complete you? I have contemplated my spiritual knowledge from the nondual wisdom of the Vedas, Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita to question the emotional chasms experienced by humanity in intimate relationships. Is it real? Is it imagined? Should we accept it and flow along? Can we talk our way (communicate) to new levels of intimacy? Can ‘words’, however beautiful, bridge the holes? Can the gaps in intimacy be completed by our partners (say they learned new skills or found new gifts to surprise us) or are the relationship cavities in our soul metaphorical…ones that can be sealed by none other than our own higher Self? From a nondual perspective, our partners, betrayers, rejecters, detractors, critics and challengers are also Self, dressed in dark, unrecognizable masks, only to remind us to switch on our own inner light. That is right. There is only one Self, known as Atman in Sanskrit, pure consciousness that wears different clothes. We experience rejection or lack of fulfillment in our relationships. But that is the catch – there is no other. You are not fulfilling you. A core teaching that changed my perspective was a fundamental nondual vision of the ancient seers- that we share a common Self with all beings. The seers do not ascribe a separate soul to each living unit, but rather describe a shared truth of Consciousness. Just like one electricity lights up myriad bulbs, one consciousness or One Self animates all living bodies. The plurality your mind perceives is only an appearance; it is not real. In my view, ‘non-duality’ is a term that points to an intimacy, a love beyond words. Oneness is all there is – and you are included. The wise person who perceives all beings as not distinct from one’s own Self at all, and one’s own Self as the Self of every being, does not, by virtue of that recognition, hate anyone. -Isha Upanishad, Verse 6 Ego Champions for External Fulfillment But we forget all that, do we not? We become isolated, egoic islands – each fragmented, unfulfilled and lacking intimacy (with its other part). Then we become obsessed with our needs. We all have something lacking in this state naturally, and only spiritual knowledge can fulfill those gaps. Several things happen at this point, making us more estranged, not only from our partners and significant others, but alas, also from our own inner spiritual fullness. First, we experience cosmic greed (Lobha). It is an abnormal desire for things to be ‘perfect’. We refuse to accommodate any ‘holes’ in our relationship, whatsoever. This greed, which is like a monster with a thousand mouths, then generates lots of grief - we become filled with self-pity (Shoka). We feel like victims in our relationships. We worry that if things continue like this, our future is doomed! We will be living in unfulfilled relationships forever. Now, excessive and abnormal fear (Bhaya) takes over our already greedy and grieving minds. Next, pride (Maana) takes over – rising above our irrational greed, grief and fear. We can’t ask for what we need, nor report what is hurting us. We simply get sensitive, offended and easily bruised. After this, the mind is besieged by all sorts of negativity (dukkha) – jealousy, attachments, hatred and even addictions manifest. We are so disconnected with our inner center, our inner Self, what intimacy can we hope to gain with another? We have to stop using our partners to define our cosmic holes and then jump into them, with cosmic greed! Emotional pain arises when we don't get what we expected in relationships. But we can awaken at any time, especially when we view pain as a teacher. Without painful consequences, it does not even occur to us that we need to reexamine our choices, beliefs, expectations and assumptions in relationships. Pain, alone, arouses us, at last, from our sleepwalking stances, the mindless battles we fight, defending our egoic needs and judgments and the unworthy quests we embark upon. The more pain we have in our life, especially the kind that won’t be resolved or dissipated easily, the greater our need to seek an even deeper reality. If you look back at your own life, perhaps you can recognize that some of the darkest points in your life were turning points for your soul. The relationship that was maximally teeming with painful sorrow and felt like, ‘wait, the universe got it wrong’ was ‘right’ after all – custom-ordered suffering for you to become who you are today, despite that relationship. Nothing is random. Even the tiniest bit of sorrow is not arbitrary in an intelligent universe. The Answer to Our Human Dilemma is Acceptance and Letting Go I am not advocating acceptance of your relationship issues as a flat resignation or fatalism. It does not mean that you must never take remedial measures, like employing knowledge in the face of difficult relationships, seeking counseling or a spiritual tradition to draw in greater light. When darkness is the problem, you must bring in light. When ignorance is the problem, you must bring in knowledge. When isolation is the problem, you must make friends. When resistance is the problem, you must deliberately cultivate willingness and acceptance. TheVedas say we are Self -- we are deeply powerful beings, even if our ego has forgotten it. Deep down, we have the strength to overcome, transform, or peacefully accept any situation. “If pain has come to you,” my Guru said, “then you have what it takes to face and grow from it.” If you’re in the center of a difficulty, then you’re in the center of the solution also. You alone can find that solution through Self-knowledge. To my enlightened inner eyes now, partnerships, even intimate ones, are all about remaining inwardly focused even while happily enjoying your partnerships and fulfilling your outer roles. It is about not letting the others person’s fullness or lack of it, distract you from your own soul journey (don’t get caught up in cosmic greed, demanding, lamenting, etc). The egotistical approach to regaining our (lost or threatened) intimacy in relationships is to go up against the perceived causes (lack of sex, quality time, not enough communication, not enough social circle, infertility, etc.) and somehow prove we still have it. We may make a lot of noise, but often we chase a fool’s paradise, since we are now filling cosmic holes with cosmic greed, grief and fear…and we have little control over another soul’s ‘cosmic greed’, which can often be a slippery slope. We often become more disempowered than empowered, emptier than fulfilled in the process of chasing outer intimacy. The spiritual approach to this is to work on our internal conditions and seek to know, appreciate and cheerlead our own Self. Taking up the practice of Self-intimacy is one of the best tools to reconfigure our relationships. The one who does that becomes attractive to another, since everyone wants to be around the one who is inwardly blossomed and divinely full, not psychologically empty and demanding in love. Remember, it is a divine setup. This personality of yours that seems to be suffering emotionally from sorrow or rejection by other personalities is no more than a ghost, the creation of your own deluded mind. The ghost will disappear when you will ponder it with understanding from the awakening scriptures – the Upanishads. You have the power to fulfill you – only you, alone. In counseling my hundreds of students, I have found an excessive emotional reliance on their partners or significant others as the main reason for frustrations. It is an illusion, that someone out there will fulfill us exactly like we would want to be fulfilled; giving birth to a host of illegitimate expectations, each when dashed, leading to bitter disappointment, rage and resentment. While emotional dependency is not wrong, it can become a slippery slope when we are unconscious and enslaved by our expectations. Emotional leaning, versus consciously staying upright, emotionally autonomous or self-sufficient (despite being in a relationship) gives birth to cosmic greed sooner or later (in both partners), leading to yet more clutching, grabbing, controlling and manipulative behavior. There is even a greater tragedy from a spiritual perspective. When we think someone can meet our inner needs, we stop meeting our own emotional needs. We stop having a relationship with our Inner Being. We could have been our own consoler, our own guide, our own cheerleader, our own parent, our own caretaker, our own celebrator, and ultimately our own Guru…but alas, we outsource our emotional wellbeing to our relationships that are invariably afflicted by transience. Sooner or later, someone will disappoint you. A question I ask my emotionally suffering students is this: Are you yearning for your partner? Or, are you yearning for your own Self…perhaps a greater, raw, naked and intense intimacy with your own inner being is what you need? If our human partner is none other than our own true Self, in a different bodysuit, then perhaps he/she need not fulfill you after all, to the extent you demand. Perhaps even as you let go of demanding, controlling and expecting from the other to the point of suffering and rage, you can deepen and cultivate a relationship with a deeper awareness inside you? This is a thought worth exploring. Difficulties in your intimate relationships may be an opportunity to pause, reflect, turn inwards and first develop a more conscious relationship with yourself. What are your values? What are your life goals? Who are you, ego or Self? Where does your happiness lie, in your relationships or inside you? Perhaps the situation is asking you to live the truest version of who you are. Let the cost of intimacy never be self-betrayal. This universe is a divine setup. Separately and collectively, playing different roles, we all act together in the ultimate theater of existence to ultimately awaken ourselves to the truth of our divine Inner Being. Who else is there but you? A mirage, when closely inspected, disappears. It only possesses a relative reality. Similarly, when the ego’s self-isolating, self-diminishing, self-limiting, sorrow-causing delusions are closely examined with the aid of awakening wisdom, the perceived ‘lack’ vanishes. Let us see through our own cosmic grief and let go of asking our partners to fill our cosmic holes. No one can save you from your illusion but you, by awakening from it, and seeing what is real what is not. Recovery Comes From Walking Out of the Virtual Prison of Attachments Attachments are attachments – they blind sight us and enslave us to our expectations. We humans often put ourselves in situations that are emotionally, verbally, even physically and sexually dangerous, all for the sake of our relationships – hoping they will fulfill us one last time. Our enslaved mind endorses us leading risky lives of lies and self-deception, simply to meet our desires at any cost, including avoiding being alone. But because sovereignty is our natural state, not bondage, as per Vedic wisdom, our conscience questions us. We become filled with regret ---oh, how did I land up here! I teach my students to love themselves unconditionally because our true nature is unconditional love and joy. So, we must stop searching for happiness outside– even if we are in relationships. Every time you feel anxious or needy, put both hands on your heart, one on top of the other, and repeat with self-acknowledged feelings to yourself, the following words: “My wholeness lives inside me; My joy is right here in my own heart; My fullness lies right here, I can feel it. My Sovereign Self is unconditional love; Love is flowing through my heart…” This is my teaching of the Wholeness-Mudra, or the hand-heart gesture of getting in touch with our own indwelling Spirit Divine that is radical space, wholeness, peace, love, freedom and joy unto itself. This gesture with the words and emotion, will instantly reawaken your soul memory. When we make contact gently, the splendid inner Self contacts us back and gives us gifts untold! Awakening our sovereign memory is important. After all, we become sorrowful because we forget who we are inside intimate relationships. Instead of enjoying our relationships (with cultivated detachment or objective distance), we lose our identity in them, and toss away our freedom. We forget who we are, not just a man or a woman, but Self, Spirit Divine. Things begin changing when we remember who we truly are, beyond the roles we play in our relationships. Enjoy your intimate relationships, but don't forget to nurture a relationship with yourself in the process! Acharya Shunya is a globally-recognized spiritual teacher and Vedic lineage-holder who awakens health and consciousness through the Vedic sciences of Ayurveda, Vedanta and Yoga. She is the driving force behind an online wisdom school and worldwide spiritual community, and the author of best-selling book on the Vedic art of mind + body + soul well-being and health, Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom (Sounds True, 2017) and forthcoming second book with Sounds True to be released in 2020, Sovereign Self. Acharya Shunya is a keynote speaker at national and international conferences, and serves as an advisor to the Indian Government in matters pertaining to global integration and cultivation of Ayurveda and Yoga. Receive her free online teachings and browse her current eCourse offerings here or see more about her on Facebook and follow her on Instagram. Subscribe to her YouTube Channel where she holds live Global Satsangs once per month. Study Ayurveda with Acharya Shunya in her online course, Alchemy through Ayurveda.

Destruction. Construction. These two words sum up the ideological difference between the modern medical approach and the Ayurvedic approach to health. Both systems of medicine serve a similar purpose, namely that of freedom from disease. However, the traditional scientific approach seeks to destroy or annihilate disease by virtue of its chemical arsenal or surgery options, while Ayurvedic medicine seeks to heal the disease creatively by employing several measures that target the ill-lived life itself. Drugs are one aspect of Ayurveda – no doubt an important one – but they are certainly not the only means by which Ayurveda ushers in health. Ayurvedic medicine also recommends leading an optimum, health-friendly lifestyle. Ayurvedic texts incorporate suggestions for positive rituals in our day-to-day life, such as self-massage (a form of self-loving), and yogic exercises. They also recommend social prescriptions that encourage a well-adjusted psyche over one that is conflicted and stressed and moral injunctions that emphasize expansive but responsible living for one’s own spiritual health and the ecology of the planet. All these measures help reconnect the individual to the groove of harmony with the macro elements, such as the flow of season and time. Ayurvedic medicine understands that an entangled, conflicted, stressed individual (microcosm); who just exists somehow or the other, pulling along, where every day is a struggle – such a person is basically out of harmony with the larger environment (macrocosm). This unhappy interaction is a hotbed for disease to take seed and ripen. After all, “dis-ease” occurs when there is loss of ease, stopping of flow, and resistance to what is occurring in the individual’s life. The Ayurvedic way is to look for causes – singly or in groups – that have brought the individual to this impasse, and then employ measures of prevention and also restoration of original flow. The Ayurvedic way may feel like a waste of time – all this pampering, probing, and analyzing of the individual again and again – especially when a one-size-fits-all pill can literally invade the body like a bullet and kill the rebelling symptom or, even better, a knife can cut out the worrisome organ. Ayurveda offers a full spectrum well rounded approach that looks at disease from multiple angles and then addresses each angle separately as well as an intrinsic part of a connected whole According to Ayurveda, as long as the original conditions that created the disease still exist, the disease will inevitably re-manifest – whether in a different form or by gathering even more force. Symptom management is a waste of time unless and until the root cause is addressed. In fact, the symptom is an intelligent entity’s intelligent messenger that self-examination and self-enquiry are overdue: that we need to examine the manner in which we choose to live our precious life, and that changes are called for to restore balance and harmony with ease, gentleness, adeptness, and inner conviction. After understanding the patient and the dilemma they are facing, the Ayurvedic doctor first slowly “constructs”: a healing plan that may include several interconnected therapeutic measures, and subsequently informs the patient of realistic expectations, time frame, dosage of herbs, the individual’s role in the healing process, and essential dietary and lifestyle changes. The well-informed patient then works on living the same life but with a difference. The patient continues to live, eat, walk, and talk – but consciously and mindfully. Aware now of how everything is connected, the patient learns to observe his or her own life – the felt emotion, suppressed memory, incredible physical pain, chosen food, wake-up time, chronic bowel movement, persistent attitude, social conflict, action outside and reaction within, acting out of habits, addictions and their power, cravings and their hold, and literally everything else that the patient has been – albeit mechanically and unmindfully – doing and experiencing previously. As the interconnected web of life becomes gradually illumined, the patient begins to feel the difference within the inner Self – the birth of a creative, constructive, synergy that carries, within its womb, real healing at last with all its magical abundance. Natural Versus Artificial Health Ayurveda, the traditional Indian system of healing, delivers multidimensional health through facilitating deep healing for the body, mind, and soul. And the science of Ayurveda is well-equipped to deliver both preventative and palliative care. Unlike modern biomedicine, Ayurveda does not consider disease prevention a lesser goal, an add-on, or an afterthought. In Ayurveda, preventative health care is truly the priority – of paramount importance – since there is nothing quite like natural God-given, wholesome health that is scientifically and consciously “protected” from birth onwards. The Sanskrit term “swasthasya swāsthyarakshanam” refers to the Ayurvedic concept of “protection of health of the healthy” and this is no less important than the goal of disease reversal “aturasya vikāra prashamana cha.” The wellbeing of body, mind, senses, and soul that organic health exudes is quite different from the so-called “health” of modern medicine. The modern medical concept of health is no more than a fraction of relief, achieved occasionally, from uncomfortable symptoms via synthetic or chemical drugs. When health is literally wrested from the clutches of disease, after great hospital and insurance battles and multiple prolonged drug protocols that often leave us addicted and reeling from side effects, we feel more dead than alive! Lessons From History History reveals that several ancient cultures – especially those that have survived the ravages of time, such as India and China – made disease prevention and quality of life enhancement their pivotal medical focus. They even developed an entire cultural technology – an art and science of living – geared towards positive health optimization and disease prevention. In these cultures, disease prevention was never ignored or minimized, and indigenous scientists continued to research and develop advanced methods to tackle full-blown disease, which sets in primarily due to a lapse of preventative health routine. Modern nations have something to learn here: to recognize the gap in health care that is growing every day. The Gaps In The New Medicine The biomedicine that has held sway for almost a century now has brought great relief to the suffering. Yet there is still a wall that cannot be traversed in spite of developments in biotechnology: the wall of not knowing why disease occurs in the first place. Lacking this fundamental knowledge, the gap is filled predominantly with symptom management, prolonged sickness, and the naming of multiple, complex disorders that defy cure. A Paradigm Shift Our world is ready for a new vision in health and healing. New leaders, new concepts, and a new review of our global requirements are the needs of the hour. Must we continue to blindly spend natural, financial, and human resources in fighting disease when we can prevent it? Is humanity ready to travel a different path - the path of embracing health versus fighting disease? If we are open-minded enough to examine our collective human wisdom heritage, we will recognize the wealth of teachings and practices that an ancient and matured science of healing like Ayurveda can offer us in the much needed dimension of disease prevention and health promotion. Ayurveda’s Focus On The Root Cause Of Disease Fortunately, Ayurveda is focused on the question of why we manifest disease in the first place. Ayurveda begins with understanding the similarity between living creatures and the universe and points out the endogenous and exogenous imbalances that cause disease. Ayurveda also lays down – in exquisite detail – methods to both prevent the imbalance (science of disease prevention) and restore health (science of disease resolution). In Sync With Natural Laws ​​All along, from prevention to restoration to the final step of rejuvenation, it is only within the fold of natural laws – never outside of nature – that health is conceived in Ayurveda. Ayurveda is never at war with nature to deliver health; instead, it works with nature. Ayurveda uses nature’s own laws, toolbox, and abundant medicine chest filled with naturally available medicines and remedies to restore health and vitality in a short time with practically no side effects. Swasthavrtta – A Path To Health The preventative health recommendations in Ayurveda are encapsulated in an entire branch of this medicine called “Swasthavrtta” which literally means “the regimens followed to keep one healthy.” Individual Health Protection Swasthavrtta is an entire subset of teachings, recommendations and practices that ensure good appetite and elimination; strength of the body; and enhanced flexibility, virility, and immunity. At the individual level, Swasthavrtta resets our biorhythms to be in sync with nature. Due to additionally accrued psychological, social, and spiritual benefits, the follower of Ayurveda’s preventative protocol experiences non-tangible wellbeing, inner flow, and happiness. While these parameters cannot be accounted for statistically, they make all the difference in the quality of our lives. Community Health Protection It is worth noting that this Ayurvedic concept of disease prevention does not begin and end with the individual. The Ayurvedic sages had the foresight to recognize the community as a living organism with its own unique concerns, such as vulnerability to epidemics. Therefore, specialized principles – recorded under Samājika Swasthavrtta – were to be followed by the community for maintenance of the health of the whole society. This shāstra (treatise) includes methods to purify air, water, and soil; proper excreta and dead body disposal; prevention of infectious and epidemic diseases; immunity measures inside the community; and many other public health measures. Crafting Health In Backyards Versus Doctor’s Office The science of Ayurveda has been focusing upon disease prevention in an exhaustive manner for over 5000 years. This preventative focus is just now being entertained in the current era as more and more world governments (including in the USA) are advocating the need to actively craft a paradigm shift in health care – from only battling disease, with its inherent expenses and need for large-scale intervention, to promoting viable means of preventing disease at the grassroots level, through healthy choices and timely preventive checkups, etc. Ayurveda goes beyond preventive health checkup at the local MD’s office back into the patient’s home. It is only in our personal lives, in which scientifically implemented changes in food, lifestyle, exercise, and incorporation of simple herbs grown in our gardens can make a recognizable difference. Such comprehensive food and lifestyle changes can drastically reduce the expense and number of MD visits. Ayurveda’s sustaining ideology gives hope to humanity that we all have the right to natural wholesome good health. We can all learn to do what it takes in our homes, gardens, and kitchens to remain ahead of the disease-drug-surgery game and related drama and expense. Preventative Ayurvedic healthcare is not only economical but also empowering. No one needs to be left behind – period. Each individual has the right to both traditional and current knowledge, and to health-promoting, disease-preventing skills. This knowledge is as or more important than the extensive spotlight of modern medicine on disease battling, immunizations, and associated biotechnology interventions. Incorporating Swasthavrtta Wisdom in Daily Life Ayurveda’s science of Swasthavrtta describes in detail how our activity and food intake should flow over the course of day and night. This flow is designed to honor the solar and lunar rhythms and to understand their effects on the living systems. For example, the dinacharya (day routine) recommendation to eat our largest meal at lunch allows the abundant solar energy to lend a helping hand to our own metabolism. In the same way, we are asked to keep our dinner very light – an additional reason is that our metabolic rate slows down when we fall asleep shortly afterwards, often resulting in inadequately digested food which produces heaviness, heartburn, or constipation and – over the long term – compromises our immunity. Experimenting with these simple suggestions quickly reveals how our health improves without extra expense, side effects, or dependency on drugs. Books on the fundamentals of Ayurveda further elucidate lifestyle recommendations, and serious seekers of wellbeing can also attend workshops and classes on Ayurveda Swasthavrtta. Seasonally-Customized Protection and Purification – Ritucharya & Ritushodhana The sages of Ayurveda had the insight that just as the seasons affect the plants and trees, seasonal changes impact living beings as well. In Ayurveda, the individual is neither immune to the flux of seasons nor impervious to its attributes (in spite of our air-conditioned surroundings). Different seasons clearly permeate the environs with their qualities, such as hot, cold, and dry, affecting plants, animals, and, of course, us humans. The concept of consuming the same diet or performing the same level of exercise throughout the year does not appear rational in light of this variability in seasonal attributes. Hence, Ayurveda recommends specific protocols for spring, summer, monsoons, fall, and early and later winter. Very detailed guidance exist about food groups, tastes, and activities that, when practiced daily, prevent seasonal infections and protect us from ailments, such as summer heatstroke and spring allergies. For example, incorporation of more bitter taste in spring and sweet taste in summer helps counteract increasing Kapha and Pitta Doshas (bio-forces), respectively. Ayurveda Swasthavrtta recommends undergoing bio-purification measures on a seasonal schedule to account for the peaking of different Doshas at various times of the year: Kapha in spring, Vāta in summer, and Pitta in autumn. Kapha dosha, accumulating due to the cold of early and later winter, is good to expel from the body in spring via emesis (vamana). Summer dryness increases Vāta, and should be ejected in the rainy season via oil enemas (asthapan basti). Pitta, accruing during the rains, can be removed in the autumn by means of purgation (virechana) and blood-letting (raktamokshana). This protocol is called Ritushodhana. This concept of purifying the body from time to time of seasonally accumulated energies – also known as Pancha Karma – is a remarkable treatment method in Swasthavritta, and can prevent Doshas from building up to the point of causing disease. These procedures should be performed under the eye of a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner. Three Pillars Of Health – Āhāra-Nidrā-Brahmacharya The three pillars of āhāra (food), nidrā (sleep) and brahmacharya (regulated sex drive) have been extensively studied and interrelated. When these three are in balance, they make for a rightly nourished (not over or under), adequately rested (not more or less) and sexually active (but balanced) human being. Without this critical stability, the individual will suffer from a myriad of disorders ranging from headaches to infertility. In the preventative protocol, rather than recommending an “herbal pill,” Ayurveda focuses on education about types of sleep, nighttime rituals to sleep better, proper times to fall asleep and to wake up, and understanding which foods promote sleep. In the sexual arena, Ayurveda defines healthy sexual activity, signs of healthy semen, how to preserve semen, and how to regulate this all-important urge which, in excess or suppression, generates not only physical but also psychological disorders. In the area of food, I personally have never encountered another system with more information and comprehensive dietary recommendations than Ayurveda. These guidelines have been tried and tested over millennia in India and nearby countries. There are classifications of foods including the relevance of foods and recipes in common disorders, such as digestive complaints, colds, coughs, parasites etc. The list is exhaustive and includes many more facets of food, including special regimens for pregnant or lactating women, geriatric needs, foods to nourish children from day one till adulthood, fertility protocols, convalescence diets, and much more. In addition to an extensive general list of pathya and apathya, Ayurveda provides specific details based on the individual’s prakriti (natural constitution), vikriti (disturbed constitution), agni (metabolic capacity), ritu (season), vyādhi (specific disease), kāla (age) and bala (strength). It is now the individual’s personal responsibility to make choices that are beneficial to one’s condition – from a customized list of pathya and apathya, or wholesome and unwholesome foods and behaviors – that do not promote disease and, in fact, endow the body with strength, immunity, and longevity. Understanding the fundamentals of the science of Ayurveda along with these food principles can transform one’s life. This all-important concept of pathya/apathya enables Ayurvedic medicine to take a radically different approach from contemporary western medicine, which has you mostly pop a pill or undergo surgery, and eat foods prepared for one-size-fits-all scenarios with minimal or no dietary modifications. I personally know of patients with asthma and bronchitis who have been admitted into the ER and received a glass of ice and icy water when thirsty. Ayurveda considers cold icy water is apathya or unwholesome in the case of bronchial asthma, since it increases the Doshas Vāta (cold) as well as Kapha (wet), and recommends instead sipping hot water or ushna jala to soothe and relieve the cold and wet that the patient is experiencing in the lungs. When I recommend hot water to individuals suffering from chronic allergies, bronchitis, sinusitis, or other types of phlegm-related conditions, they return amazed as if I have provided them with a guru mantra or magic self-healing ‘hot’ potion. When something as simple as ushna jala or hot water can do the trick, do we really need more complex solutions? Healthy Conduct and Science of Positive Behavior – Sadvrtta & Āchāra Rasayana Socio-moral healthy behavioral recommendations in Ayurveda fall under the heading of Sadvrtta – the noble code of conduct incorporating healthy attitudes and behaviors – which conceptualizes health sprouting from a larger life lived in balance, with attention to the immediate environment and natural laws, along with psychological health and socially healthy interactions. Mental and psychosomatic disorders are addressed since the Ayurveda tradition is deeply aware of how these disorders arise from psychological stress stemming from abnormal interpersonal relationships. Sadvrtta rules ensure proper sensitization and socialization of the individual. Sadvrtta teachings include general injunctions such as: choose happiness among nourishing things, choose detachment amongst enhancers of nourishment, greed is the main culprit causing sorrow, the wicked must be shunned, and teachers with words of wisdom must be faithfully followed (sadvachanam). Sadvrtta includes detailed guidelines on sense control and mental faculties (e.g., to perform actions only after thoughtful analysis), rules related to personal hygiene (e.g., bathing daily; cutting nails, hair, beard thrice every fifteen days), rules in speech (e.g., speaking less, in a timely manner, conducive to others, only the truth), dos and don’ts in religious practices (e.g., not offering ritualistic oblations to fire or gods when impure), rules regarding partaking of food (e.g., taking food only after bathing and chanting mantra, avoiding stale food), injunctions on what natural urges to suppress (e.g., greed, excess grief, anger) and what not to suppress (e.g., urine, stool , hunger, flatus), rules regarding study (e.g., not studying under incorrect lighting, not chanting incomplete mantra), rules regarding social interactions (e.g., incorporating non-sexual relationships, detachment, peace, friendship, wisdom), and much more. Āchāra Rasāyana is a special teaching to all human beings – a timely message from the sages of Ayurveda. Under the heading of Āchāra Rasāyana, Ayurveda lays down ethical rules, and teaches consequences of self-destructive actions and thought processes. Personal transgressions, sinful acts, and avoidance of responsibilities and duties are all root causes of psychic self-afflicted misery, such as anxiety, worry, anger, and regret. Thus, Āchāra Rasāyana was advocated by the Ayurvedic sages for optimum health, good conduct, and proper personal behavior in every sphere of life. Āchāra Rasāyana recommendations include always speaking the truth, as well as refraining from anger, alcohol, sexual acts, and violence (of thought, speech and actions). Thus, Swasthavritta practices not only impact physiological rhythms but also contain insights on how to promote wellbeing in the individual’s psychological, social, and spiritual realms for all rounded wellness. Health does not necessarily create wellbeing, but wellbeing definitely does create health. A Co-Creative Process In Ayurvedic medicine, patients actively participate in their own healing. The patient cooperates with natural laws, understanding the operation and rhythms of the living system and its bio-forces called Doshas. Informed of the knowledge of wholesome and unwholesome choices according to the science of Ayurveda, and implementing this knowledge in daily life, the patient begins to experiences immediate and long term benefits, gradually becoming aware of and then finding the capacity to deal with an inner mental world of resistance, destructive behavior patterns, habits of laziness, and even sensory addictions. As they begin to work at this level of awareness around their health, patients embrace the knowledge and life skills that actively prevent disease through the positive promotion of health and wellbeing, which is another and deeper level of healing that Ayurveda offers. The net result is a society comprising healthy individuals, now in charge of their own health and taking ownership of any disease they manifest. They are actively sculpting a life around optimum lifestyle, foods, behaviors, thoughts, and practices that gift the being with happiness, balance, vigor and enthusiasm for living life to its fullest potential. Conclusion In light of the limitations of allopathic biomedicine to fully heal the multi-dimensional human being and its inability to prevent disease and related suffering, the Vedic model of healing represented by Ayurveda has again become important in the twenty-first century. Global health seekers who want true health – no longer satisfied with mere symptom suppression at great costs to self, society, and environment – will benefit from Ayurveda’s strength. Ayurveda’s in-depth understanding of the fundamental root causes of sickness– a knowledge that still eludes the allopathic system – and its teachings on avoiding or reversing those causes constitute the elaborate science of disease prevention, or Swasthavritta. It is the need of the hour to learn how not to fall sick. As more and more of us turn to the comforting refuge of Ayurveda – with its warm, nourishing, and heartening teachings on both preventing disease and promoting health – we can adapt these choices and practices within our homes, kitchens, and hearts, and empower ourselves to self-determine the course of our health, in an otherwise power-tipped system. Want to be part of the Ayurveda cure by studying with me and my hand-groomed faculty? Click here Acharya Shunya is a globally-recognized spiritual teacher and Vedic lineage-holder who awakens health and consciousness through the Vedic sciences of Ayurveda, Vedanta and Yoga. She is the driving force behind an online wisdom school and worldwide spiritual community, and the author of best-selling book on the Vedic art of mind + body + soul well-being and health, Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom (Sounds True, 2017) and forthcoming second book with Sounds True to be released in 2020, Sovereign Self. Acharya Shunya is a keynote speaker at national and international conferences, and serves as an advisor to the Indian Government in matters pertaining to global integration and cultivation of Ayurveda and Yoga. Receive her free online teachings and browse her current eCourse offerings here or see more about her on Facebook and follow her on Instagram. Subscribe to her YouTube Channel where she holds live Global Satsangs once per month. Study Ayurveda with Acharya Shunya in her online course, Alchemy through Ayurveda.

Did you know that I was often physically immobile due to pain and full body inflammation through much of my adolescence? I was diagnosed with an immunological disorder by a fancy western medical hospital in India that my father insisted he take me to be checked out, alarmed by his young daughter's precarious situation.... only to be treated by an over enthusiastic physician who pronounced a diagnosis of a genetic condition, that is said to aggressively put people in wheelchairs! My father was informed that "she may not be able to bear children, nor walk, in fact....she will be in a wheelchair soon if this disease progresses any faster"....ouch! But hello sir, check your facts again.... I accomplished all of that and more, with Ayurveda! My Guru, my grandfather, Baba, who quietly watched my father uphold the illusion of finding fixes in western medicine, albeit briefly (and then be crushed) told me quietly, as if speaking to my soul beyond my confused mind and distressed body....if you can't walk, then why not plan on flying. What Baba meant in his typical philosophical language was don't focus on what you want to overcome ... disease...simply focus on what you want to become - healthy. It was an invitation to move away from battling disease and to focus instead on cultivating health. Sometimes disease and pain is a good thing. It makes us open the right door, the doorway to abiding heath, known as Arogyam in Ayurveda. Today I run, despite the same old genes. I teach nonstop. I live my whole life, as I want to. The sciences of Ayurveda and Yoga are my wings. And Vedanta, the science of consciousness (from the Upanishads) is my very heart, my knowingness that I can fly because my true nature is pure consciousness, and it cannot be boxed, even by genes. This is how I fly, crossing an entire ocean of so-called genetically doomed existence. All this time we humans had believed that genes are fixed and we cannot do anything about them. But now, there is all kinds of research (The science of Epigenetics is the study of biological mechanisms that will switch genes on and off) showing that even our genes change or can turn on and off, when we deliberately change our foods, live a healthy lifestyle and think positive and ethical thoughts! Thank god, my Guru, my grandfather, did not need scientific evidence to believe in the truth of Self and mind over matter, nor wait for modern science to catch up with the Vedas have been saying all along... that our thoughts have the power to change our reality. He convinced me (despite my fears ands resistance to Ayurveda at one point) to believe in myself and my inner potential despite the obvious tragic life situation and give Ayurveda a chance... and that health is my birthright, no matter what. This is how, slowly, despite tremendous pain, I finally went beyond self-doubt and all kinds of external pain interventions, even beyond my reliance on the so called natural pain killers (Guggul, etc), solely by changing my lifestyle and diet to align with Ayurveda's timeless principles, and embody positive 'dharmic' or harmonious thoughts, again as per Vedic teaching of 'dharma' (that I now teach to my students worldwide). To my surprise and great joy, I went beyond pain, all-together. My inflammation calmed down because my physical, emotional and social dimensions were in alignment with a greater, universally aligned, spiritual flow. My being was at peace with the peaceful earth, sky and cosmos....this is what Ayurveda gifted me. It gave me back my joy, my self confidence and my life purpose back to me. No wonder I am a huge fan of Ayurveda today and I consider myself its humble heartfelt ambassador. Through the pitfalls of life and unexpected deaths of loved ones that I faced, and losses of important relationships, unexpected physical falls and traumatic accidents, I came back every time, healthy and unbroken from within...and I have helped countless humans reclaim hidden health from within. I have now become convinced that health is our true nature, our birthright. Though death is a fact, and we also will age and our body will decay with time, but unnecessary suffering and dramatic play out of our health karma while living, can be avoided with applied wisdom, and many so called chronic or even incurable diseases (more than you imagine possible) can be cured with Ayurveda; and at the least, drastically minimized in their impact upon the quality of your life. In fact, thanks to the healing truth and wisdom of Ayurveda, I can finally drop all the masks, the masks of learned helplessness, societal bondage, dysfunctional dependence, questionable diagnosis, poisonous prescriptions, blame and shame. And in this spiritual freedom, I recreate myself, and my health, every day. Will you fly with me? Thanks to Ayurveda, I walk with pride. Till date, I have never sat in a wheelchair and I plan to stay out of one...I lead my life fully on my own two feet as a spiritual teacher, mother, wife and friend to the world...finding new friends, in every eye I greet. My wisdom school is full of stories of healing from the grimmest of disorders (Ulcerative Colitis, Multiple Sclerosis, Stroke, Depression, etc.), all through the teaching of a science of health awakening though a very specific science of thoughts. lifestyle and food that I unfold, step by step. We are helping people regain health, one person at a time! Thanks to the internet, our classes are now broadcast worldwide, and reaching Health, Wellness and Ayurveda enthusiasts globally. This message must get out more and more is my belief, because it not only restores the health and wellbeing of every human being on our planet, but above all, it restores our collective hope and imparts our journey to health, an inherent god given dignity. Thankfully, from time immemorial, Ayurveda has delivered health. Many receivers of Ayurveda’s goodness are surprised at the immense and far-reaching benefits reaped from apparently minor lifestyle variations. Inducing health simply through living a mindful lifestyle inspired by Ayurveda appears almost too simplistic to be medicine. Today, there is considerable rhetoric about the value of perceiving, diagnosing and treating patients holistically. Yet thousands of years ago, Ayurveda forwarded a wholly practical and usable system to implement these holistic ideals in health, including health’s interconnecting links with environment, society and culture. Let me give you an example. A man named Duncan came to my wisdom school looking for freedom from the symptoms he was suffering from—and found instead swastha, a state of deep inner freedom and fulfillment, an experience so intense and joyful that he exclaimed, “I feel like a billion dollars!” Do your visits to medical doctor’s office leave you exclaiming with this kind of joy? Feeling like a Billion Dollars with Ayurveda! Duncan came to my wisdom school for a basic course on Ayurvedic principles. That was six years ago. In the intervening time, he has come back twice to take the same course. I asked him why, and he grinned. “I come back for the Ayurveda food you feed us,” he said. He was joking. Though he obviously loved the food, Duncan was taking in much more from our classes than just “good food.” This sixty-eight-year-old man was a true seeker, actively exploring modalities for his own healing. Five years before, he had led a full and creative life, giving no thought at all to the health of his body. Duncan had a degree in psychology and an almost three-decade career in data processing. In his spare time, he volunteered at his child’s schools and took classes at dozens of colleges, finally earning a master’s degree in creation spirituality. He was in the process of constructing his “dream home” on a hilltop, surrounded by twenty-five acres of green beauty, when he fell from the roof and his life changed dramatically. Surgery helped Duncan walk without a cane, and a bouquet of complementary modalities—Trigger Point Therapy, Myofascial Tissue Release, acupuncture, chiropractic, and a great deal of therapeutic massage—almost eliminated the remaining aches and pains. Then, in the following year Duncan discovered Ayurveda. One by one, his remaining physical problems were resolved. Initially, just eating Ayurvedic cooking four nights a week—two at Vedika Global and two with another student who made him khichadi—led to his losing ten pounds of extra weight in the first few months “without even trying!” And it isn’t that he wasn’t eating on those “healthy” nights; he found the food delicious and satisfying. Also, by the end of his first two-month course, a post-nasal condition was all but gone, a troublesome itchy cyst disappeared, and a lifelong issue with constipation was resolved. After learning the Ayurvedic approach to hydration—a few sips of water when thirsty; no forcing down ten cups of water a day—he no longer needed to urinate every two hours through the night. With the Ayurvedic guidance on easing into sleep, he now fell asleep much more readily. While he had been getting as few as four restless hours of sleep each night, he now slept soundly for six or seven. And when he was awake, Duncan was “on the go.” He said, “When I discovered Ayurveda, I told myself, ‘I feel like a million dollars!’ After eight months as a student, I now feel like a billion dollars!” In the long term, the help Duncan received from Ayurveda was truly priceless. At age 60, he had been forced to take pharmaceuticals to deal with moderately rising blood pressure and the negative effect these drugs have on the bladder. Now, because he paid attention to when he woke up and went to bed (dinacharya), gave himself a daily oil massage (abhyanga), and followed a simple Ayurvedic diet, Duncan was able to successfully eliminate all pharmaceuticals from his daily regimen. Recently, his lab tests were the best they had been in five years. He wrote in a blog, “One of my goals now is to live healthy, happy, and pain-free for thirty more years, on top of my own mountain in my little RV, surrounded by trees, peace and quiet and incredible views of nature. Thank you, Ayurveda, for making me believe this is possible!” Sometimes I like to think of the world of Ayurveda as a great mystic forest filled with healing foods, medicinal rivers and waterfalls that convey blessings. This forest dwells outside the periphery of a notorious urban landscape, which incessantly robs us of our health and wellbeing. Anyone who enters the forest of Ayurveda and merely sits in the shade of its vast and ancient trees is greeted by the ancient sages who teach the lesson that true health is the birthright of every human being. This lesson tells us that each of us is a self-healing entity who can utilize Nature’s abundant tools to restore, renew and recreate ourselves and that we can do this at any time of our choosing. As you turn and start walking toward Ayurveda’s enchanted forest, the world as you know it today—with its conflicting medical theories, alarming side effects and collapsing short-lived studies with millions still suffering from uncontrolled ravaging diseases and drugs that scar for life, that punish with untreatable and irreversible consequences—will be left behind like a bad dream. There is a winding path through this enchanted forest of Ayurveda. Walking this path requires our inner wakefulness and our acceptance of personal responsibility for navigating our lives. Slumbering, self-deceptive and passive states of mind are not conducive for those of us who wish to walk the Ayurvedic path. Habits of self-neglect and self-betrayal may initially seem easy. Like weeds, they crop up and thrive through our inattention. Bound in self-defeating habits and addictions, dependencies and negativities, many of us live quite artlessly. The lifestyle of Ayurveda is itself an art form, a means wherein we are encouraged to meditate upon, to plan and to weigh carefully our options—and, only then, to choose. Once we enter the forest, the beauty of the exotic and majestic tree of mindfulness begins to naturally make us more attentive, to help us find and get rid of our own “weeds”: habits of laziness, gossiping, oversleeping, slouching, missing meals, overeating, and general, chronic mismanagement of time and space. These are the bad habits that undermine our health and create stress in our lives. With a little effort on our part, this tree of mindfulness enchants us into becoming, ourselves, mindful. Ayurveda Lifestyle Medicine, learned with patience and allowed to soak in all the way into your soul, acts as a weed destroyer. The knowledge contained in this has the power to recondition your consciousness and take you beyond your negative habits, so that slowly and steadily, you will transcend the default modes that no longer serve you and gratefully learn new ways of self-care. For thousands of years, my family has shown humanity a joy-filled path to abiding health of body, mind and soul. And today, I share my knowledge, most humbly, with you. I invite you to make every day a health protecting and health-reclaiming day, simply by the art with which it is lived. I remember my teacher Baba telling me, that a well-lived day is medicine unto itself. Indeed, his wisdom teachings gain significance more so than ever today, and I am excited for the amazing health and wellbeing that will manifest, through this book. Read more stories of reclaiming health with Ayurveda and learn how you can do it, too, in my book, Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom. Acharya Shunya is a globally-recognized spiritual teacher and Vedic lineage-holder who awakens health and consciousness through the Vedic sciences of Ayurveda, Vedanta and Yoga. She is the driving force behind an online wisdom school and worldwide spiritual community, and the author of best-selling book on the Vedic art of mind + body + soul well-being and health, Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom (Sounds True, 2017) and forthcoming second book with Sounds True to be released in 2020, Sovereign Self. Acharya Shunya is a keynote speaker at national and international conferences, and serves as an advisor to the Indian Government in matters pertaining to global integration and cultivation of Ayurveda and Yoga. Receive her free online teachings and browse her current eCourse offerings here or see more about her on Facebook and follow her on Instagram. Subscribe to her YouTube Channel where she holds live Global Satsangs once per month. Study Ayurveda with Acharya Shunya in her online course, Alchemy through Ayurveda.

Let me share with you a true story of healing, health and hope with India's ancient system of health and healing, known as Ayurveda, from what is considered an incurable immunological condition by western medicine. “I didn’t realize how sick I was until I got healthy.” At twenty-two, Brittany Barrett was taking eighteen pills a day—prescription medications from physicians who told her there wasn’t much they could do about her pain and nothing they could do to cure her illness. She had been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. “My body was literally eating holes into itself,” she said, “and my life felt like it was on hold. I had moved back in with my parents. There were times when I had to remain close to a bathroom. It was devastating. I tried to keep a positive attitude, but I was numb. I was depressed. I went to support groups, but that made me even more depressed.” I will never forget the evening when, giving a talk on the fundamentals of Ayurveda at a Bay Area bookstore. I found myself watching an exceptionally beautiful young woman in the front row who sat staring at me with tears running down her face. I could see she was taking in every word. Afterward, Britt introduced herself and said, “You’ve changed my life. I’m going to pursue this.” What had ignited her was the message that her body was not broken; rather, an ailing body is out of balance and whatever it is about the body that it is out of balance can be brought back into balance. It was quite a different message than the one this troubled young woman had heard for years from Western medicine! Britt was touched by my talk, and I too was touched—by the strength of her intention. That night I dreamt of this young woman. In my dream, I took her hand and led her back home to the sacred town of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, India. It was here that I learned the Ayurvedic principles I teach. The dream turned out to be somewhat prophetic because Britt did, indeed, follow me, not to India but into an exploration of Ayurveda. A few weeks later, Britt registered for a three-day retreat I led on getting in touch with one’s inner Shakti, or spiritual power. Making such a connection within oneself is fundamental to Ayurveda. Though at this particular retreat I didn’t lecture on Ayurvedic dietary recommendations, I do always make certain that retreat participants eat correctly by providing healthy, balanced meals, cooked from fresh foods appropriate to the season. I hadn’t reckoned, however, that participants might show up with their own food! This is exactly what Britt did, following her ideas and gleaned misinformation about what she “needed” to eat to address her digestive problems. She sat down at the dinner table, telling other participants, “Oh, your food looks so good! It’s too bad I have to eat this,” and unpacking a meal of raw fruit and yogurt. It’s a funny thing about food misconceptions. In the West, yogurt, with its live cultures, is often seen as a miracle food, and fresh fruit is thought to be as pure as water itself. This is not, however, the case. I discuss this in much greater detail in my book, but for now I will simply point out—as one of my senior students did say that day to Britt—that fruit and dairy are an incompatible food combination and, taken together, are quite difficult for the body to digest. At the time, Britt thought, these ladies are really nice, but they don’t know what they’re talking about! It was, of course, Britt herself who didn’t know. And how could she? Her medical doctors had told her that her diet made no difference in ulcerative colitis; she need only continue taking her 18 daily pills. To her credit, Britt saw the inherent fallacy in this—how could food be unrelated to digestion!—and so she explored the diets she found in the media. This was how she’d found my lecture in that bookstore. At the retreat, Britt met with Ayurveda teachers from my school, and walked away from the retreat with a list of five things she was to do daily: Wake up early each morning at a set time. Have an altar in your room, and put fresh flowers on it every day. Every morning meditate on your healing for 15 minutes . Stop eating (or minimize your consumption of) harmful foods—toxin-generating foods such as yogurt, cheese, processed foods, and cold foods like raw salads. Eat beneficial foods (such as mung lentils or green gram, homemade buttermilk, clarified butter or ghee, and good spices like turmeric, cumin, fennel, and ginger.) These lifestyle and dietary principles, especially numbers 4 and 5, are discussed in detail in my book, but this list, which Britt jotted down in the moving car, was enough for her to work with. And work with it she did. Every day she went down this list, and before very long she noticed that her bowels were less erratic and that her mood began to elevate. I feel this kind of transformation is a testimony to the power of Ayurveda. With just a few lifestyle changes, instrumented daily, the body becomes strong enough to begin healing itself. This is because Ayurveda principles and foods work with—and never against—the body’s innate intelligence. Recognizing the undeniable improvement in her health from following five simple precepts, Britt signed up for the Alchemy through Ayurveda course. I designed this course with people like Britt in mind, to learn the basics of Ayurveda at a leisurely pace and under the direction of experts. Students are given the fundamentals to support a healthy lifestyle and eating habits, along with tools from Ayurveda psychology and spiritual teachings that they can use to support the emergence of healthy attitudes and positive beliefs (that support the overall healing in the body and enhance immunity). In addition to going over theory, they also cook healthy foods, beauty recipes and learn how to make oils, scrubs and even an Ayurvedic shampoo. Learning these skills, students are then able to initiate their own self-healing. Britt, as it turned out, was inspired to study even further. By the end of her first year of study with me, her ulcerative colitis virtually disappeared, and she was completely symptom free. She was also able to wean herself off prescription anti-depressants she had been taking since she was 16 years old. You can imagine how proud she felt about being free from those chains! What began as a year of self-healing became transformed into an unquenchable thirst for knowledge of this magical science! Britt then completed a three-year practitioner level training, that included learning to cook using Ayurveda principles and recipes from my partner, who is an Ayurvedic Chef - Chef Sanjai. His incredible knowledge of rare recipes, and medicinal spices and garden herbs made all the difference to Brittany's condition. Each bite of the easy to cook Ayurvedic recipes from Chef Sanjai that Brittany began cooking at home healed her colon, meal by meal. I must add that at my wisdom school, we don't just teach the same ten recipes every school of Ayurveda teaches worldwide. We have bothered to go deep and discover forgotten recipes from the Ayurvedic scriptures. Chef Sanjai has brought these recipes to light to help students like Brittany reclaim health from within. Since 2012, Brittany has been helping people herself, offering them advice, teaching them to cook healing Ayurvedic foods and giving to them a list of five daily directions that is quite similar to the one she received herself. The profoundly personal and deeply enriching style of my school's lineage based Ayurveda education, immediately and irrefutably deepens self-awareness. ​Britt’s journey went beyond academics into real life immersion under my watchful eye, and this built profound confidence in her. Step-by-step, Brit transformed her health, and as she did this, she matured emotionally and spiritually until she was prepared to give back to society. Today she is featured on popular blog sites and in magazines and has her own thriving healing practice. Moving from desolation to hope, from isolation to connection, Britt has become a light for her community in her own unique way, and Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom has successfully anchored her at every step. Seeing my student give from the fund of knowledge she has received, my heart overflows with gratitude. I bow again and again to the great sages, who selflessly granted us this invaluable knowledge of Ayurveda. I thank my primary teacher, my paternal grandfather Baba Ayodhya Nath, who passed this treasure on to me, precisely and without shortcuts, along with the certainty that health of body, mind and soul is our inherent state, that it is our human birthright. In the final analysis, Nature is the grandest of all teachers. It is Nature herself who beckons us to come home to her by following Ayurvedic lifestyle practices, which are nothing other than manifestations of natural laws of cosmos. Ayurvedic wisdom reminds us that our entire life is an opportunity to make the natural yet discriminating choices that will bring us into balance and reclaim the deep spiritual harmony that lies within us. I am sharing my wisdom, one soul at a time, because health is your birthright. That is right...Health is not just a possibility that you might achieve. It is a reality, an underlying natural state of being. Health will manifest once you begin to live in alignment with Nature’s intelligence. This is the promise of Ayurveda, India’s five-thousand-year-old system of health and healing. When I was growing up in India, I witnessed a spiritual master, my grandfather, whom I addressed as Baba, remind the diseased and the suffering of their abidingly healthy nature. He taught them simple ways to align with Nature on a daily basis, and enigmatically, this ignited powerful healing of body, mind, and soul. While there wasn’t a focus on the symptoms of disease per se, I saw cancers disappear, ulcers heal, and chronic depressions lift. I think I had rationalized that these “miracles”were possible because my teacher was a spiritually realized being. Clearly, Baba's spiritual presence was undeniable. But as I grew up and observed more, I recognized that Baba’s skills in transmitting a highly rational science of Ayurveda lifestyle were also a key factor. I am so glad that my teacher imparted to me his spiritual conviction along with his scientific knowledge, which includes Ayurveda’s lifestyle wisdom. His teachings and blessings have taken the form of my book so that more and more people can discover the truth of health for themselves. Ayurveda: A Path to Self Fulfillment It is said that some five thousand years ago, India was home to the spiritually evolved beings, who were the Rishis or Sages of Ayurveda. After a prolonged spiritual quest and untold years of meditation, these great souls elevated their consciousness to the point that they could receive the special healing wisdom that is known as Ayurveda. This Sanskrit word translates as “the knowledge of life.” It seems that to rid ourselves of the suffering that afflicts our body, mind and soul, we do not require specialized technology to combat disease and dis-ease. What we need is an affirmative knowledge of life; and how to lead it in such a way that in each moment we experience being in alignment with nature, which is both our source and destination. Thus, Ayurveda is a science of conscious living that originated in ancient India, that flourishes today in modern India and that extends its influence worldwide. Ayurveda teaches a lifestyle that, when lived, prevents disease and optimizes health and wellbeing. Ayurveda addresses body, mind and spirit in one sweep. It restores hope and wholeness in a gentle and constructive fashion. Rather than struggling with disease, Ayurveda opens us to our own natural wholeness. Ayurvedic principles remind us that we are self-healing creatures and that we can maintain—or regain—good health by choosing healing foods, a balanced lifestyle and inner calm. Ayurveda: The Gateways of Positive Change Ayurveda is the recorded insights of visionary, spiritually inspired, out-of-the-box scientists called rishis, who were keenly in dialogue with the transcendental realities of life. You could say that these sages were the original researchers who discovered Ayurveda and advanced its use among the rest of humanity. Ayurveda’s sages observed Nature deeply, meditating upon her rhythmic changes—the days, the seasons, the phases of life in birth, aging and death. They concluded that while change is the essence of life, it is possible to adapt to these changes artfully and, by so doing, to reap abiding health. Balance in our adaption to change means health, and the lack of balance translates as ill-health. Such teachings as these became encoded over time in the great science of Ayurveda. The natural wisdom that humanity once possessed when we all lived close to Nature has been collectively forgotten. This is not anybody’s fault as such. The urbanization of our natural landscapes has forced upon us forgetfulness and alienation from Nature. For this, humanity pays a large price. Thankfully, however, Ayurveda reminds us that we have nothing to fear for there is no such thing as a permanent damage. As long as we are alive, we can embrace new beliefs that spawn fresh choices and reap new fruits. New Beginnings are the Essence of Life In fact, Ayurveda reassures us that these changes in Nature are actually gateways, lending opportunity to a deeper communion with the essence of life and abiding health that is our true nature. To pass through these gateways, however, requires life wisdom and alignment with Nature. The sages therefore teach humanity perhaps its first lesson on how to navigate nature through an artfully lived lifestyle, first and foremost. You too can explore the living wisdom and real time Ayurveda lifestyle practices that changed the life of this young woman in my book, Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom. In fact the above excerpt is from the same book. Perhaps you, too, can benefit from adopting an Ayurveda lifestyle? You can take the magically transformative one-year Ayurveda immersion course and jumpstart your healing process. In this course, you will learn how to live an authentic Ayurvedic lifestyle: how to use kitchen spices and your home garden to balance your body and mind; how to cook with meaning and joy; how to connect with your spirit and establish a deep reverential relationship with Mother Nature. The experiential course curriculum is rich with content from original ancient Ayurveda texts, as well as my best-selling book, Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom. I teach this course with the support of my hand-groomed faculty members. Click here for more details. If you are so inspired to be a student in my wisdom school Vedika Global's Ayurveda department, know this, your life is about to change for the better, exponentially - just like Brittany's did. Like the eyes of hundreds of students who have come before you, your eyes too will become lit with hope, happiness and gratefulness to the sages who gave humanity Ayurveda, a truly healing wisdom for body mind and soul. You can read all about Brittany's beautiful journey on her website: dailyayurveda.com. With Infinite Love, Acharya Shunya Acharya Shunya is a globally-recognized spiritual teacher and Vedic lineage-holder who awakens health and consciousness through the Vedic sciences of Ayurveda, Vedanta and Yoga. She is the driving force behind an online wisdom school and worldwide spiritual community, and the author of best-selling book on the Vedic art of mind + body + soul well-being and health, Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom (Sounds True, 2017) and forthcoming second book with Sounds True to be released in 2020, Sovereign Self. Acharya Shunya is a keynote speaker at national and international conferences, and serves as an advisor to the Indian Government in matters pertaining to global integration and cultivation of Ayurveda and Yoga. Receive her free online teachings and browse her current eCourse offerings here or see more about her on Facebook and follow her on Instagram. Subscribe to her YouTube Channel where she holds live Global Satsangs once per month. Study Ayurveda with Acharya Shunya in her online course, Alchemy through Ayurveda.

Whenever we are psychologically attached, we lose our emotional sovereignty. We become who we are not. We become dependent upon the very objects and people we are attached to for our quota of happiness. And we pre-conclude that our life will become meaningless and empty without those objects, achievements, relationships (ducks) lining up exactly as we believe will please us. Exploring deeper, what causes attachments in the first place? To desire is natural. The ancient Vedas explain how to be healthy, our desires must be non-binding, so that our desires are preferences not gut wrenching, consciousness altering "wants." Introducing Vasanas Self-ignorance gives rise to unhealthy cravings or urgent desires called ‘vasanas.’ These are not mundane desires, but powerful ones that hypnotize us. They carry unconscious thunder, sweeping aside conscious resolutions, ambushing our joy. Three Vasana types are: (1) World vasana – we give away our power to the world, spending our life trying to win recognition, approval and acceptance (2) Body vasana – we spend all our time procuring pleasure from food, sex, luxuries and excessive comfort and 3) Knowledge vasana – we constantly gather degrees, information, facts and words to feel smart. Vasanas Cause Restlessness We believe that vasana fulfillment will make us more acceptable, likable, expanded versions of ourselves. Alas, they make us attached, restless, greedy and ultimately deeply sorrowful. They also make us dislike ourselves as we feel deep inside us that we are not enough, we don't know enough and we don't have enough (money, things, etc)...we are flawed. Vasanas lie at the root of low self-esteem and they are also the reason we put on masks and become...who we are not. We may spend our entire lifetime chasing, accumulating and showing off our vasanas...but sadly, we would leave our truth, potential and soul far behind. Can illusory clothes ever cover the nakedness of our spiritual self-ignorance? Vasanas Bind Us with Thick Ropes of Attachments and Aversions Vasanas are like super-sophisticated illusions that arise in myth-reality, the ignorance in the mind. We could even say that they form the mind when it is ignorant. Gaining true knowledge, we come to recognize their lack of worth, and can consciously give up vasanas. Then the seed of unconsciousness will dissolve and the true Self, unfettered, will shine forth. We are all slaves of vasanas that put us in bondage. They seem to emerge out of nowhere and make us needy. They are powerful wants, and can make us hypnotized chasers of desire until we become alerted to their existence by reading spiritual books or listening to our Guru’s teachings. These addictive desires arise from our own unconscious (myth reality-filled) mind. Most human beings cannot resist or suppress vasanas, owing both to a weakness of will and to their charged nature. Soon, we may have enjoyed one too many scoops of ice creams, one too many lovers and one too many afternoon naps. We may even be reeling from the side effects, like indigestion, yet we may not stop due to the restlessness caused by vasanas! Vasanas are the root cause of mental restlessness, anxiety and sorrow. When a vasana manifests (say, for ice cream), the mind will activate and refuse to quit until it attains the object of desire (ice cream). All thoughts, overt and covert, will flow towards the imagined happiness from eating ice cream until it is obtained. Replace ice cream with any object that makes you blindly want it – your lover, a promotion, or an afternoon nap! Nevertheless, Vasanas leave us dissatisfied. Nothing is ever enough. When we don’t apply Self-knowledge, and seek to fulfill vasanas anyway, as most of humanity does, even our healthy desires can turn into vasanas. For instance, my enjoyment of chai could become an addiction I carry forward in next lifetimes as a vasana. Vasanas are maximally dangerous and trap us in the wheel of birth and death, demanding gratification lifetime after lifetime. Even if we have a Guru to help us, like I did with my Guru and grandfather Baba, and my students have in me, it takes individual effort towards honest self-inquiry and persistent effort in the laboratory of your own life to break free of the disease of samsara. Patience, too, is required. What is the hurry, anyway? Impatience to be enlightened – that is likely another vasana we may want to see through. The Buddha has beautiful words to share on this topic: “Like one pointing out hidden treasure, if one finds a man of intelligence who can recognize one’s faults and take one to task for them, one should cultivate the company of such a wise man. He who cultivates a man like that is the better for it, not worse.” Since our vasanas always feel important to us, we are fortunate if someone like our Guru or mentor points out to us that we are in a ‘vasana overdrive’, since most likely, that same single vasana is responsible for unimaginable sorrow. The Upanishads say that unfulfilled vasanas at our time of death force us to take on a new body, simply for the fulfillment of our vasanas. The same vasana likely has been responsible for countless births in the past, and unless seen through and scorched in this lifetime through knowledge, it will be responsible for countless more births in the future! The ignorant ego, riding on our vasanas born from this ignorance, flapping the wings of aversion and attraction, take us hither and thither, up and down, along straight roads, curvy trails and dead-end alleys of this universe. Urged on by our perceived separateness, we poor things think my fulfillment, my happiness, or my wholeness is just one more vasana fulfillment away, waiting to greet me with open arms once I manage to attract what I want, and avert what I don’t want! Lacking the bigger picture of divine will, most of us become further entrapped into believing our ego and its grim scenario of “missing the bus,” “walking down the aisle with the wrong one,” “doomed for life,” or even “happily ever after.” An attached, vasana-filled mind builds up its ignorant forces, goes to classes and workshops, prays and manipulates, schemes and hollers, kills and promises undying love only to get what it prizes and keep at bay that horrible thing it has an aversion to. What a life! Attractions and aversions solidify our view of external reality, dividing the duality “out there” into concrete packages of “better” and “worse.” The disconnected, segregated, island-like ego believes it is simply a matter of picking, choosing, pursuing and enjoying the “right” package, and everything will be rosy thereafter. Meanwhile, we have astrologers, good luck charms, even candles and mantras – since we simply can’t trust what will unfold on its own in Brahman’s super intelligent dream creation. We keep working at it. Under the spell of vasanas, the human mind starts discharging the dual processes of likes and dislikes. Vasanas are at the root of the self-created suffering process. We are attached to attracting what we want and avoiding what we don’t want (or don’t want to deal with), so we develop aversions. Under the spell of body vasana, we want youth, and are adverse to the idea of old age. In fact, we believe, “It will never happen to me!” We like attending baby showers, but dread funerals. We are attracted to good weather, and avoid extreme hot or cold; we are attracted to relationships and companionship, but develop aversion to being alone. Learning to Operate from Beyond Vasanas Currently, in my own life, thanks to Self-knowledge acquired from my teacher, I enjoy the approval, love and appreciation of many people, my elders, such as my father and uncles, colleagues, friends, cousins and of course my students and disciples worldwide, who look towards me as their role model. Nowadays, even people who once critiqued me send me congratulatory friendship notes. How did I achieve this? Was I hot on the trail of vasanas myself? In my case, so-called approval, awards and recognition have come not because I looked outside me for what people wanted, but because I dared to blossom into who I am and go beyond my own vasanas (that had bound me at one time, to a lesser or greater degree.) Today, I have become an authentically trained, yet out-of-the-box, somewhat unconventional Guru of deeply traditional wisdom I uphold with pride and deep attention to the tradition. Yet, through all this, I try to remain myself and follow no preexisting (vasana-driven) mold. I am more informal, share openly about my life and challenges through my own inner darkness, versus projecting only a perfect personality with a ‘born to uplift others’ narrative. Rather than projecting myself as a 'goddess' outwardly, my inner goddess laughs wholeheartedly in public, shares my own vulnerabilities and how I overcame them with the knowledge I am imparting (so it fortifies my student’s hearts), to convey my ‘whole strength.’ A term I coined brings together two very important aspects of human spirituality: enlightened vulnerability. I seriously believe that, knowingly or unknowingly, we the community of religious and spiritual teachers may have – inadvertently – divided up the world into two classes of human beings, the spiritual haves and the spiritual have-nots. The haves are ‘enlightened’ and everyone bows to them. The have-nots are miserable and they always must bow down. But any sincere teacher must accept that despite wisdom filling our being with more and more inner light, our vulnerable self, our ego, is still alive, so long as we are in this body. It is my belief that we become better role models and we serve better if we dare to reveal our vulnerable side, too. That’s what I do today, fiercely, passionately and with genuine heartfelt humor, too. I teach and uplift by embracing my ‘enlightened vulnerability.’ I could not have arrived at my beliefs and unique style of imparting timeless wisdom and become gradually who I was meant to become...if I had continued watching outside me from vasana-driven mindset (let me do what others are doing), since teachers from my tradition are often men, not women. They are often withheld and choose to remain private about their personal lives, not engaged or more open like I am. They are often monastic, while I (and my lineage) are householders (grihasta sadhu parampara) and deliberately stay engaged in the world and relationships. They do not share personal matters. I am open and share what I discern will uplift my students and bring us closer as human beings sharing the same existential challenge of ‘self-forgetfulness’ in maya, and not as if on two sides of the maya-illusory divide, of spiritual haves and have-nots. Can I be the teacher I am meant to be, to let the Supreme Reality flow the way Supreme Reality wishes to flow through me? All daisies look the same from afar, yet if you look closely, no two daisies, no leaves, nor even faces of twins, nothing in this world is a replica. It is all vividly original. Supreme Intelligence is an artist par excellence. It is the source of infinite creativity, and that is our true nature, so how can we allow ourselves to bend out of shape copying each other in unexamined vasana (compulsions), like mass self-hypnosis, merely to like our egos more? As a Vedic master and lineage bearer, while I uphold and guard scriptures and traditions, I also uphold who I am: Pure Consciousness, Existence, Bliss, the Self. If I did not do that, then clearly, I’d have merely held onto the worlds, and not to my ‘truth’ they wish to introduce me to. In my early days in America, I looked towards other ‘swami’ type people from my country as potential role models of how to be a teacher in the west (or even western teachers who taught eastern wisdom). Most are undoubtedly beautiful beings, and yet, the more I looked at them, the more I started questioning the need to look at them, since even if they were ‘impressive’ people, it was their truth, their path, their choices they were expressing, not mine. Looking at then would feed only my body, world and knowledge vasanas (I must dress like them, I must behave like the most popular ones, I must collect the biggest band of disciples, I must also know everything they know, I must teach what is the popular topic nowadays). Instead, I am who I am and who I was meant to blossom into - the unique me. Thankfully, when we have knowledge seeds from an authentic knowledge source (my Grandfather, my Guru Baba, in my case who regularly discoursed from the Upanishads in public and went over concepts one-on-one with me), they come to our aid, and we’re never disconnected. I literally remember feeling like I was a doing a disservice to my inner being, or somehow forcing clouds to cover my inner sun by looking for even a minute outside myself, instead of listening to my quiet inner voice. This is why today, I am who I am, and many call me an original teacher. That is true, because I never did emulate what others are doing, teaching, writing, selling or proclaiming on their websites. Though I publish books, articles and blogs, I rarely read anyone else’s (besides the original Vedic texts) to write mine. You may call this deliberate intellectual illiteracy; I call it spiritual fullness. Perhaps it is because my teachings come from my inner fullness, and not for gathering illusory fullness (vasanas), that my teachings and writings are so well-received and move people to claim their inner joy, too. I have connected with the Veda, source wisdom for humanity, and I feel literate in a unique way (thanks to my Guru). The last I checked in with myself (which is this very moment), happily, I don't have knowledge vasanas (unconscious cravings) to keep checking out what else is 'out there' to add to my spiritual resume. Go deep into spiritual study, surrender to the higher Truth that reveals itself from within rather than graze at countless books, videos, spiritual teachers and traditions around the world, one after the other, which gathers even more vasanas in the process. Embodying vasanas, we go farther and farther away from who we might have become, if we were to let go of compulsions, cravings and scripts and begin leading our life from inner direction, simplicity and acceptance of whatever is arising in the moment...organically. Let your true Self guide you from within, rather than allowing vasanas alone to drive you externally. One is released from all sorrow upon realizing the Blissful One, who encompasses the whole Universe and who hides in all beings as their very Self. - Svetasvatara Upanishad, 4.16 From the beginning of my spiritual journey after landing in America decades ago, my filters were on early. I carefully nurtured my own seeds from Baba, of a truly freeing knowledge that does not beget illusions, but ends them. Pure Existence had already ensured that, through Baba’s voice, the beautiful Veda will be revealed to me in its true depth, not merely as ‘words’ I memorize and eulogize. Pure Existence ensured that through my life challenges, the deaths I faced, the disharmony and total confusion upon experimenting with life as a married woman and more trials and tests, I applied this knowledge. Life became my ’designer laboratory’. It was up to me what chemicals (thoughts) I mixed to experience my inner joy or become sorrowful (by chasing joy outside). When we are vasana free, we can give ourselves the freedom to experiment, play and even change our mind, without needing to uphold our attachments and aversions. It was a matter of trusting my own process. When I did that, approval was hard to deflect. My life today is full of thank you cards, flowers, handmade garlands, appreciative tears, grateful smiles and heartfelt bows. Deliberately sidetracking compulsive scripts (vasanas), I told myself ‘I AM ENOUGH UNTO MYSELF’ repeatedly. Let me create from this inner okay-ness what is meant to be created. Let me flow this first inside me and see what happens outside me… This is how, operating beyond vasanas, I created an award-winning program of Vedic education, imparting wisdom of Advaita, Ayurveda and Yoga, like none other in the whole world, entirely emerging from my heart (where my true, scriptless Self lives), and from having watched Baba be a vasana-free being himself. The only way I can describe my program was as a “Harry Potter School of Vedic Wisdom” with truly magical, out of the box, paradigm shifting courses. My book Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom chronicles the healing magic and inner miracles, body, mind and soul that happened through this program and the positive trends it set in Vedic teaching worldwide. I have approval from others today, but it came from my own inner approval first. Not because I chased it even once; because, by not being world or knowledge vasana-driven, but Self-driven, I have infinite spiritual self-approval inside me. I really like myself today, and you can, too, if you start side-stepping vasanas. Saying no to world vasana doesn’t mean saying no the world itself. I, too, have a worldly life that I enjoy. I even have social media handles in my name that my students set up for me. I have learned to use many of them (yes, I confess not all of them yet) to connect with like minded souls (can I be worldlier than that?). But all of it is organically emerging, without any of the attending inner pressure that vasanas generate. My actions come from inner fullness, not from a place of needing to get somewhere. For many years, I did not even have a business card to my name, and I was still the same teacher to my students, who collected around me anyway. Seeing through vasanas, and laying them aside, does not mean everything will magically fall into place. If challenges come, at least if we have an ‘attachment-free’ mind, we can face them with greater equanimity. I did not create more confusions, anger, grief and delusory narratives, nor get entangled in even more likes and dislikes! I could ride the ups and downs of my life’s work, with knowledge that stillness, a sense of okay-ness and permanence needs to express itself inside me, where it belongs, in my Self, and not always outside me. So, I control what I can, and not what I cannot. We can naturally control the mind that is deliberately made calmer and manageable, since it is more anchored in knowledge of Pure Self. Our circumstances are often beyond our control; we cannot manipulate them, other than doing our best. When the mind is calm, body is happy, too. In the last ten years since I founded my wisdom school, I have not missed a single day, due to even a slight cold or cough. Everything is in a state of flow, since I flow inside me; to do that, we simply see through myth beliefs and lay them aside. What else is left but the flow of Pure Existence? A mind that is relatively vasana or compulsion and projection-free is more and more in touch with Self (Divine All-ness). I receive downloads of ideas, inspirations and sheer joy through all of this. Each time I hit a roadblock, I look within rather than at what others might do in similar situations. Then, it’s not a challenge, but a signpost from God (Supreme Reality) that it’s time to let go, detach and create something even more blissful, beautiful and original. Once, I closed a program in Vedic medicine that I’d run successfully for years. I realized that I had allowed too many cooks and the various expectations of volunteers, managers and advisors to get into the recipe, and this training program was slowly catering more and more to external worldly (professional) standards than to my joyful spiritual standards, from where I’d first seeded it. I had never chased world vasanas, but the world (and its standards) had crept into this program, anyway. Before closing it, I completed all my commitments, then took responsibility and closed it without an iota of doubt, guilt or apology. All such negative emotions only show their tyranny where vasanas with their typical attachments and aversions exist, and I had no attachment to prove I am 'perfect.' All I can do is live quietly in the knowledge of my inner perfection in an imperfect, changeable and illusory world where circumstances change quickly, and remain still, as an observer within. I will tend my inner home to keep it vasana-free, but if the world creeps in anyway, imposing upon me what I did not sign up for, maybe packaged as necessary “standards and compliances,” I will let go of what does not sit right with my deepest nature and knowingness. You can do the same. Shame is never necessary. The wind gathers the clouds together and the wind itself scatters them. So too, the mind creates bondage and also creates liberation from its own thoughts. - Adi Shankaracharya in Viveka Chudamani, verse 173 My mind freed up and celebrating my inner sovereignty to make all new choices and negotiate new expectations, I seeded another program in place of my previous Ayurveda program. It is a much more expansive, magical, deep Ayurveda immersion program, another original offering shining with the light of my Divine Truth, from my heart. My only standard is getting acquainted with the sorrow-free Self, and healing the body and mind, from inside-out, using the amazing twin sciences of Ayurveda and Yoga, recipes, cooking, chanting, play and a healthy perspective of Advaita! This new program helped dissolve a lot of sorrow-giving beliefs immediately, and facilitates a much deeper health, the real, abiding, joyful kind. This time, I had my office type a written mandate on my behalf and circulate it. As a spiritual community, we are now collectively alert to staying even closer to our mission of awakening health and consciousness, eschewing outer standards while remaining committed only to our own inner truth and the pure Vedic path. A lesson learned in a pure mind that’s vasana-free transforms into wisdom and becomes a dewdrop of joy! Because we are attachment-free, we are not wasting energy asking ourselves, “Why did we allow this to happen?” or “What were we thinking?” Now, we are simply creating history and successful graduates. We have moved on to even more joy, new creations, and all new reasons for celebration. Can you, too, give yourself permission to strike new vasana-free contracts and agreements, once you take stock of your own life? What did you say yes to in a hurry, that may need to be re-negotiated? While self-ignorance binds us (in samsara), Self-knowledge sets us free. The teachers, staff and I are all having fun, too, in our self-valued freedom. So much inner joy (Ananda) gets reclaimed, when we dare to move vasanas (should’ves and could’ves) away, and follow our own inner heartbeat. And schools that want to follow more pedagogic “professional standards” should follow those standards happily, and not try to copy what I am doing. We are all different expressions of one beautiful Supreme Truth. One is not better or worse; we should be unapologetically different, original and true to our Self. This is one good way to bid world vasana goodbye – by being more of who we are, doing ‘our thing’ and trusting that more. The difference between a modern-day interpretation of doing ‘our own thing’ and the ancient wisdom-based Vedic “doing our own thing” is that we ideally must never do ‘our thing’ in a narcissistic manner, positioning the ego to uphold individualism to the point of selfishness or even eccentricity, without caring about our impact upon the whole. Such a position is more delusory than ever, and even more vasana-driven. Hedonistic self-gratifiers who seem to not care for the world, its values and time-tested ethical traditions can appear to us (when we are naïve) as ‘free spirited’ or powerfully daring ‘revolutionary souls’, but often, they are ultimately in the grip of all kinds of vasanas. Such minds almost always give off hints, or we can see red flags, if we look closely with the eyes of knowledge, of the existence of an underlying delusory mindset, seething with snakes of attachments, false beliefs and projections of great personal power, when inside they feel powerless. What greater delusion can exist than a belief that one body can get away with all the happiness, leaving all other bodies behind gasping for happiness, when the truth is that we are all connected at every level, and in fact, share one common Self? We even recycle matter, energy, oxygen, water, light – everything is shared, even ideas, sorrow and hope. Can we throw garbage on one end of the planet and hope it will not catch up with us on the other side of the planet where we live? Yet, this is what first world countries do when they dump their industrial waste on fourth world countries. What a delusion! Are they not aware we are all dwelling on one planet, or is it considered 21st-century wisdom to simply buy time before we annihilate ourselves? We can’t simply pet the animal on our lap while converting all other animals as a ‘product’ of our food chain and not care how they are treated. In the Vedic tradition, this is called shortsightedness. To be truly vasana and sorrow-free, we must uphold Dharma, or higher universal values, like compassion, non-violence, truth, compassion, fairness, etc., that benefit all of us, alongside our impulses to do our own thing, even noble and spiritual things. Whenever we talk about following our true nature (not following vasanas), we need to think beyond our immediate gratification and what will make us happy quickly to what will make our bigger Self happy, in a win-win, holistic, organic and sustained way. The knower of Self begins to own the joy, as well as the suffering, of other beings (humans, animals and plants) as his own. This is Dharma. The Bhagavad Gita, 6,32 In accord with this important idea of Dharma, even though I had wanted to close my Ayurveda program much earlier, I allowed it to run for three more years, with my full attention and support, until all students had graduated successfully and we completed our ethical agreements to everyone (and ourselves). In the Vedas, the ‘I’ is always a ‘We’, and 'our thing' is never going to be a cause of sorrow for another, since we all share the same Self. With profound love and joy, Acharya Shunya Acharya Shunya is a globally-recognized spiritual teacher and Vedic lineage-holder who awakens health and consciousness through the Vedic sciences of Ayurveda, Vedanta and Yoga. She is the driving force behind an online wisdom school and worldwide spiritual community, and the author of best-selling book on the Vedic art of mind + body + soul well-being and health, Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom (Sounds True, 2017) and forthcoming second book with Sounds True to be released in 2020, Sovereign Self. Acharya Shunya is a keynote speaker at national and international conferences, and serves as an advisor to the Indian Government in matters pertaining to global integration and cultivation of Ayurveda and Yoga. Receive her free online teachings and browse her current eCourse offerings here or see more about her on Facebook and follow her on Instagram. Subscribe to her YouTube Channel where she holds live Global Satsangs once per month. Study Ayurveda with Acharya Shunya in her online course, Alchemy through Ayurveda.