Integration of Yoga and Ayurveda: A Holistic System

Integration of Yoga and Ayurveda: Yoga and Ayurveda are not limited to asanas and medicinal vegetation. Both comprise the entirety of human existence and the universe as a whole. Yoga and Ayurveda are historically intertwined and have evolved concurrently since antiquity. In modern times, over the last 150 years, they have diverged, particularly outside of India, where Yoga without Ayurveda was for a long time the norm. However, Yoga and Ayurveda are reconnecting, not only in India but globally as well. It would therefore not be incorrect to state that their reintegration represents the reintegration of the circle of consciousness, life, healing, and transformation! Consequently, it is essential to comprehend the respective functions of Ayurveda and Yoga within the Vedic system. Here are given Integration of Yoga and Ayurveda.

History Of Yoga :

The genesis of yoga dates back to theage of Mantra Yoga of the Rigveda; the ancient Vedic text that came into existence five thousand years ago. The mantras mentioned in them of the Rishis promote a Yoga or union with the higher powers of consciousness in the universe, providing the basis for self-knowledge and cosmic knowledge that were later mentioned in the Vedanta and the Vedic sciences as well.

Vedic mantras, along with corresponding rituals and meditations, were commonly utilized both for spiritual development and for the achievement of the outer objectives of life by invoking the Devatas or the Divine powers behind nature and the soul. These vast energies are characterized mainly as four important elements in the Vedas; namely Agni (fire), Vayu or Indra (air and electrical vitality), Surya (sun) and Soma (moon). Their light forms are symbolic of yet more profound inward powers of Agni as speech, Vayu/Indra as Prana, Surya as Atman (soul), and Soma as the brain. A variety of such formulations exists in Vedic texts.

The Story Of Ayurveda :

Ayurveda emerged in the Vedic context as the Upaveda or supplementary Vedic text that focused on the well-being and overall healing of both body and mind. Ayurveda initially emerged as an application of Vedic mantras and not as a different train. Every Vedic text available has a potential Ayurvedic or recuperating application, particularly Vedic customs and mantras. Numerous Vedic practices are said to allow 'sarvayur', which means life span as well as the totality of life, as one of their essential objectives.Recuperating and life span are thought to be common consequences of Vedic practices, with some Vedic hones particularly identified with these. 

Ayurveda is normally thought to be a branch of the Atharva Veda, which carries the most mantras pointed particularly at recuperating. In any case, parts of Ayurveda can be found in all the Vedas and are inborn in the Vedic gods (Devatas) and in the Vedic cosmology.

'Vedic Yoga, for example, we find in the Svetsvatara Upanishad, underlines how the Vedic Devatas or inestimable energies like Agni, Vayu and Soma work in the mind as powers of interior reconciliation and self-acknowledgment.

Vedic Chikitsa :

Chikitsa is a Sanskrit term for therapy. Ayurvedic course readings like Charak, Sushruta, and Vagbhatta all contain segments called ChikitsaSthana, or the 'areas identifying with chikitsa or treatment'. They have complementary areas like NidanaSthana, 'segment concerning to diagnosis', and ShariraSthana, 'segment identifying with the embodied soul', which incorporates the anatomy and physiology of the physical body. The Ayurvedic perspective of our embodied nature (body, brain and soul) and how itworks, the reasons for infection and the treatment of illness are altogether connected in an excellent, clear, and wonderfulsystem of optimal health and ideal well-being.

Ayurveda addresses all areas of medicine, which includes diet, ayurvedic medicines using herbs, drugs, surgery, bodywork, and its own extraordinary clinical methods like panchakarma. It acquires ritual, mantra and meditation for healing of both the body and the mind. Furthermore, it imparts life-style instructions for health, life span, and avoiding illness and also exceptional procedures for rejuvenation of body and mind. It incorporates the acts of Yoga from asana and pranayama to mantra and reflection as a major aspect of its recuperating tools.

Yoga writings like the Yoga Sutras have segments like Samadhi Pada- 'segment identifying with Samadhi or profound meditation';SadhanaPada- 'area identifying with spiritual practice';VibhutiPada- 'segment identifying with yogic powers'; and KaivalyaPada- 'segment identifying with liberation and freedom'. The yogic study of consciousness, the inconspicuous energies of prana and mind, and different kind of spiritual practices are all associated with each other. Yogic writings contain topics of meditation, concentration, mantra, ritual, pranayama, asana, and related factors but as part of spiritual practice, not as a therapy.

We don't discover any Chikitsa Padas or treatment segments in the standard Yoga writings. This is because the concerns in classical Yoga is related toSadhana and not Chikitsa, which was viewed as the field of Ayurveda. Above all, there is no discovery of disease, pathology, diagnosis, or ayurvedic treatment strategies apart from the approach of Ayurveda in Yoga writings. There is no Yoga system of medicine as far as diagnosis, pathology, and treatment, apart from Ayurvedais concerned.

What is discovered in standard Yoga writings are discussions of the pranas, senses, mind, nadis, and chakras, worship of deities, discussion of the inner self and nature of consciousness, and also the type of samadhi or inner assimilation. Malady is briefly discussed in some Yoga writings as it is viewed as one of the fundamental obstructions to Yoga practice. In any case, when this occurs, the dialect of Ayurveda is normally employed.

Also read: 10 Ayurvedic Rituals To Start Right Away

Integration of Yoga and Ayurveda :

Yoga means to connect, combine, achieve balance, or integrate. A authentic yogic approach is characterised by its integration of body, prana, the senses, the mind, and consciousness. It cannot be reduced to just the body. A yogic approach to healing is neither a speciality nor a sideline, but a combination of all levels and facets of healing. From lifestyle practises and values to asana, pranayama, and samadhi, classical yoga takes an eight-fold approach. If we reduce Yoga to asana, we are not practising Yoga or an integrative approach; rather, we are falling into the same error of focusing primarily on the external material reality and neglecting the inner realities of prana, mind, and consciousness.

A genuine yoga treatment must incorporate all eight limbs. It cannot merely exclude the physical components of yoga, such as asana. The yamas and niyamas, the yogic standards and practises of right living, provide the essential basis for any spiritual or healing practise. In addition, they provide a perfect implicit rule for physicians, therapists, and yoga instructors.

Asana is the "external pharmaceutical" of yoga. It primarily treatments musculoskeletal disorders, but it also provides an ideal form of exercise for everyone and benefits numerous other conditions. However, without the proper diet, the body's recuperative potential is limited, as the body's actions reflect the nutrition it receives. Asana is most effective in accordance with Ayurvedic dietary and lifestyle recommendations.

Pranayama is the 'inward medication' of yoga. It transfers prana or vital energy directly into the body and can be used to coordinate prana as needed. Pranayama has direct effects on the doshas or natural humours of Ayurveda (vata, pitta, and kapha), which are variations of prana. Pranayama primarily treats conditions of the respiratory, circulatory, and nervous systems, but through these, it has a profound effect on all physical and mental states. Pranayama is an exceptional guide for the use of botanicals and functions similarly to them in rebalancing the development of energy within our physiological and mental frameworks.

As all forms of healing involve altering the growth of prana and increasing its recuperative energy, pranayama is an essential and direct form of body and mind healing, whereas asana is indirect and secondary. Therefore, a genuine Yoga treatment for the physical body must emphasise pranayama over asana and utilise asana in relation to pranayama.

Pratyahara is the energy concealment essential for profound healing and authentic meditation. Not attaining pratyahara indicates that we are not yet practising yoga as a sadhana or spiritual practise. In pratyahara, the prana and consciousness are retracted within. For genuine recuperation, the body and mind must be placed in a state of casual relaxation and the internal energy must be coordinated. Numerous forms of treatment, such as massage or panchakarma, significantly stimulate pratyahara, placing the patient into a state of profound relaxation from which they can expel all toxins from the body.

Yoga As A Philosophy :

Dharana is the essential mental concentration and attention-strengthening required to sustain any recuperative practise. Dhyana is reflective contemplation, the internal equilibrium of consciousness that enables the mind to heal itself. Samadhi is the unified perspective, prana, and awareness that generates the complete healing energy of the body and mind and frees us from physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering. These more advanced aspects of yoga provide the positive attitude and perspective necessary for healing to occur on any level.

The inner practises of Yoga (dharana, dhyana, and samadhi) or the inward aspect of Yoga are crucial for treating the psyche and are primarily used to treat psychological disorders. This indicates that traditional Yoga treatment is primarily a psychological practise utilising mantra and meditation. Yoga, as taught by Ayurveda, is one of the most effective techniques for healing the mind and emotions that are available in the modern world.

Conclusion :

Yoga and Ayurveda must be reintegrated in order to realise their full therapeutic and spiritual potential. Incorporating Ayurveda into Yoga provides a yogic and Vedic arrangement of medicine to account for the total therapeutic application of all aspects of Yoga. It provides a diagnosis and treatment in accordance with Yoga philosophy, as well as a diet and botanical treatment based on Yoga's spiritual approach. Incorporating Yoga into Ayurveda adds a spiritual and mental dimension to Ayurvedic treatment, without which Ayurveda tends to be reduced to a physical paradigm in which its full Vedic therapeutic powers cannot be accurately determined.

Ayurveda conveys appropriate lifestyle recommendations for Yoga Practice and offers a comprehensive context for revealing the total therapeutic potential of all aspects of Yoga. Yoga serves as the spiritual and psychological foundation for Ayurveda and its more advanced applications.

Both Ayurveda and Yoga are required for an all-encompassing and comprehensive approach to medicine and healing, with Ayurveda providing the medicinal basis and Yoga the spiritual purpose and practises. This is the original and first Vedic plan. Reestablishing Yoga's connection with Ayurveda is the key to developing a complete Yoga treatment and Yoga medical system. This reconnection of Yoga and Ayurveda will also serve as the foundation for a genuine dialogue with modern medicine, addressing not only specific therapies but also the underlying causes of disease and how to maintain the health and prosperity of society. Combining Yoga and Ayurveda in their full applications and in the context of Vedic science provides a comprehensive arrangement for the well-being of the body, mind, and consciousness.