When it comes to caring for the mind and mental health, everything we do has an impact. From the foods we eat to the amount of sunlight we’re exposed to, and the relationships we cultivate to the way we go about our morning routines; it all has a profound affect upon mental health and wellbeing. As you’ll know first-hand, the state of our mental health can vary from day to day, and the degree to which someone’s mind is suffering usually isn’t obvious on the outside at all. That’s why it’s so important to share the various methods and mind-set tools that can benefit us in the most simple, accessible ways. Whilst there’s absolutely no denying that sometimes mental health issues require and benefit from medication, there’s also an abundance of ways we can enhance mental wellbeing through our actions in simple yet powerful ways. Taking steps to balance the mind through daily actions is known in the Ayurvedic community as Achara Rasanaya.
For thousands of years, holistic traditions like Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine have given equal importance to the use of herbs and lifestyle practices to enhance wellbeing. Whilst the Ayurvedic herb Jatamansi is often used to help balance mood swings, taking steps to balance the mind through daily actions like singing, laughing and expressing creativity is just as important and potentially equally as powerful. These daily actions and lifestyle changes are known in the Ayurvedic community as Achara Rasanaya, or ‘behavioural tonics’. Rasayana -meaning ‘path of essence’, is one of the eight main branches of Ayurveda, intended to help prevent disease, enhance longevity and rejuvenate the mind and body. From an Ayurvedic physician’s perspective, behavioural tonics are just as important as herbs and alchemical concoctions. They have an often equally potent affect upon the mind – they’re just ‘performed’ instead of ingested.
Much like the yoga sutras and other philosophical texts, the ancient Ayurvedic scriptures list specific ‘rejuvenating attitudes’ to enhance wellbeing. Whilst some of them may seem a little strange, many of these rejuvenating attitudes can inspire the way we care for our own mental health in the modern world:
- Satya Vadhi – Being truthful
- Akrodha – Being free from anger
- Madya maithuna nivrutham – avoiding alcohol and practicing celibacy
- Ahimsa – non-violence in thought, word and action
- Anayasam – avoiding excessive over thinking, stress and worry
- Prashantha – Indulging in creative activities
- Priyavadhinam – Speaking sweetly
- Japa – maintaining spiritual practices
- Saucha Param – maintaining good personal hygiene
- Dheeram – Having the self-confidence to maintain stable thoughts, and being courageous in actions
- Dananithnam – Being involved in charitable work, or giving to others
- Thapasvinam – Meditation and self-analysis
- Deva Go Brahmana Acharya Guravridharchane Ratham – Paying respects to the divine or God, to cows, teachers, and older people
- Nithya Anrshshasyaparam – avoiding ‘barbaric’ and aggressive behaviour
- Sama Jagaranaswapnam – Maintaining regular waking and sleeping rhythms
- Nithya Sheeraghrithaashinam – Caring for the body with nourishing foods
- Deshakalapramana – possessing the knowledge of which actions are appropriate according to the space and time
- Yukti Jnanam – The wisdom to know what is good for you and what is not
- Anahakretam – Being free from ego – driven actions
- Shasta Achara – Acting with dignity and respect
- Asamkeernam – Being open-minded
Even though this list was created several thousand years ago, we can see how self-care advice hasn’t really changed that much! You may not find many modern books advising the practice of respecting cows or maintaining celibacy, but you are likely to read about the benefits of involvement in charitable work, creative activities, truthfulness and meditation for mental health. Using this ancient list as inspiration, let’s see how we can practice three of these Acharya Rasayana, or ‘behavioural tonics’ in everyday life to enhance our mental health and wellbeing.
- Satya Vadhi – Being Truthful
The word ‘satya’ is used extensively throughout yogic texts, and refers to being honest not just with those around you, but with yourself and in the way you live. On the surface, being ‘honest’ may seem simple, but when it comes to being honest with ourselves, its often more difficult than it seems. Much of our general ill mental health is down to stress and anxiety, and at least some of that stress is derived from pushing ourselves to do things we honestly don’t want to do, but feel we should. When we continue living by the rule of ‘should’ we essentially deny ourselves the ability to live an authentic, peaceful and true life. Doing things like following a particular diet that leaves your body under-nourished, engaging with toxic relationships, pursuing a career you can’t stand, or generally living a lifestyle you don’t honestly feel aligned with all takes us away from being our most authentic and true self. The more we obey the ‘shoulds’, the further we move from our truth, and the further we move from our truth, often the more unhappy, stressed and anxious we feel. Practicing satya starts with looking into ourselves and noticing what we’ve been letting into our lives and our minds that doesn’t truly belong there. Have you held on to habits that no longer serve you? Are you still experiencing emotions that don’t deserve to accompany you into the future? Start practicing satya by journaling regularly, perhaps by writing a list of things you currently do that you no longer want to engage with, and a list of things you truly want to bring into your life. Look at this list regularly as a reminder to move towards your most authentic, true self.
- Prashantha – Indulging In Creative Activities
When we tap into our creativity by painting, playing an instrument, cooking, dancing freely, visualising or moving without being instructed on how, something almost magical often happens to us; we enter the flow state. This state – also known as ‘being in the zone’ – can also be found when running, practicing something that requires deep focus, or getting ‘lost’ in a book. The flow state is beneficial and important, because it’s a state of mind that encourages the body to release stress and become truly present. Within positive psychology, the flow state is linked to being fully immersed in a feeling of energised focus and enjoyment of a specific activity. The ‘flow state’ isn’t necessarily a modern phenomenon, and is said to have existed for thousands of years within traditions like Buddhism and Daoism, and if you’re an experienced meditator, there’s a chance you’ve encountered the flow state here, too. In the flow state, we attain a sense of being completely present and united in mind and body; there’s no space for worries about the past or future, and there’s no negative self-talk, there’s just pure conscious awareness. To tap into the flow state yourself, commit to regularly connecting with your creative side, learn something new that requires your mind to engage and focus, or begin a Japa meditation practice of repeating a mantra to focus the mind.
- Dananithnam – Giving To Others
Giving is a gift in itself. When we give – whether it’s by donating to charity, volunteering, or lending a loved one a helping hand, we experience what is known as the ‘helper’s high’. This state of mind has been intently studied and shown to have multiple health benefits, including reducing blood pressure, enhancing longevity, and importantly, it has also been shown to reduce rates of depression, increase self-esteem, lower stress levels and lead to greater overall happiness. That ‘warm glow’ we feel when truly giving to others is the sensation of natural hormonal chemicals being released into the body; serotonin (a ‘mood-boosting’ hormone), dopamine (the ‘feel-good’ chemical), and oxytocin (a ‘compassion and boding’ chemical that greatly enhances our social relationships). The more we practice giving to others, the more we release these positive chemicals into the body and light up areas of the brain linked to happiness, thus providing our mental state with a dose of positivity. To practice giving to others, simply notice who in your life could benefit from a little extra help. This could come in the form of calling a grandparent and giving your time more often, volunteering to do a weekly shop for those who aren’t able to leave home during the current global situation, or listening to someone who needs to talk right now.
