Vedic Psychology

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In short, the buddhi is the intelligent mind. The Sanskrit word buddhi derives from the root “budh”, which means to perceive, to recognise, to become awake. In Vedic and Yogic psychology, the buddhi is the aspect of mind that manages the functions of logic and reason; our capacity for intelligent discernment; and connection to wisdom and intuition.... 

One of the mind's nearest and dearest creations is the idea of a distinct and special person we call "I". According to Vedic psychology this notion comes from the ahamkara or “I-maker”; what Western psychology calls the ego....

In Vedic psychology, the ego (known in Sanskrit as ahamkara) creates the thought “I am” which defines us as separate individuals. Following on from The Ego Unveiled which examined its functions and traits, this article explores strategies to rebalance the ego’s reign....

In everyday life, we relate to the heart largely as a muscle for pumping blood, whose arteries are prone to blockage. Damage to the heart is known to result from high blood pressure, a processed western diet, sedentary lifestyle, excess body weight, smoking, excessive alcohol, and diseases such as diabetes. Dynamic, two-way connections exist between the heart and head....

Desires are the mind’s hunger rising up in waves, sometimes subtle, sometimes stormy, seldom waning. We think our aspirations are freely chosen, but many wants are socially implanted. Fed through will, memory and imagination our desires create their own dance and take us with them. Lockdown or not, the rave continues in our mind....

Vedic wisdom holds the Law of Karma as the universal law of cause and effect. Karma literally means “action”; and every action—physical and mental, conscious and unconscious—generates energetic consequences that live on. We may try to follow local laws....

Happiness is a deep motivating principle that inspires many choices and acts. We all want happiness, especially when sad, but what and how are we really seeking? 

In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna tells the warrior Arjuna that three kinds of happiness exist....

Ancient Hindu texts speak of primordial Prāna (a feminine principal; Shakti) living in deep union with the Cosmic Consciousness (the masculine principal; Shiva, Brahman, God, the Absolute) before forms or qualities existed. From this perfectly harmonious state rose the desire or impulse of the Cosmos to experience itself; an idea that willed Prāna to begin vibrating....

Just as fish live in an ocean of water but are unaware of its possibilities, we live in an ocean of vibrations, unacquainted with its vastness and potential. Instead of feeling connected with life’s cosmic flow, we tend to believe ourselves wholly independent, physical beings. And yet we all seek expansion. If not of our spiritual nature, we pursue it on the material plane....

Without breath, life ends promptly, yet it often goes unnoticed and forgotten. While external details distract us, each breath welcomes in oxygen and prāna (the vital life-force that animates all life), expels gassy wastes, and prevents stagnation and build-up of toxins. Deep respiration....

So many things zap our juice and vitality that tired, stressed and fearful are normal abnormalities. To recuperate we might plan a health spa or holiday. But there’s a simple, economical, comforting and tested remedy we can do without leaving home. 

Oil massage is one of Āyurveda’s primary therapies....

In life change is the only constant. The body, mind and planet move perpetually—sometimes in sync; most often out of rhythm. Yet the physical body is happiest and healthiest with familiar daily and seasonal habits. And the mind is happier and more stable when supported by a healthy, balanced body....

In my husband’s family home in Assam in India's far northeast we recently celebrated Bihu, as part of the annual harvest and abundance rituals, and shortly after unexpectedly enacted the lengthy death rituals for an uncle who suddenly passed. It made me think about the place of ritual in everyday life….

Western nutritional and medical science views digestion as a mechanical, chemical and microbial process confined mostly to the gut. For Āyurveda, digestion includes these processes but also much more—the digestion of every meal involves complex interactions between the metabolism, environment, different foods, our thoughts, emotions, behaviours, and unique qualities and constitution....

 Āyurveda, the traditional health system of India, centres around the concept of three doshas—vāta, pitta and kapha—instrumental to how Āyurveda understands the human body, and its health and healing approach. But in the human body the doshas are not readily quantified, seen or touched; they are neither food nor physical tissue. So exactly what are the doshas, and why are they so important?

In traditional cultures, all adults are involved in some aspect of food procuring, growing, preparing or cooking, and the children observe and pitch in. This contrasts with today’s food culture which outsources acquisition and processing to others. Yet, despite scant time and resources to grow fresh produce, we can start relationship-building in the kitchen....

Animals and their products have always been a part of Āyurveda. A flick through the Charaka Samhitā, a key ancient Ayurvedic text, and Madanapāla’s Nighantu, a 14th century materia medica of Āyurveda informs the dominant qualities of numerous animals including bear, lion, crocodile, donkey, dog, jackal, mouse and vulture....

If you’re looking for greater mental calm and clarity; cleaner, lighter tissues (and associated weight loss); a more efficient digestion; reduced inflammation; alleviation of or reduced risk of health conditions including high cholesterol, high blood pressure and cancer. If more sustainable and humane animal and food production methods are important to you...