Addiction is a tiered disease: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual imbalances should be addressed accordingly. The first goal of ayurveda, when dealing with addiction is to detoxify the body of the substance. After physical homeostasis is achieved, the emotional, mental and spiritual state of being can be addressed.
Ayurveda uses a variety of tools that may be of value to an individual in drug and alcohol recovery. A few of these may include:
Ayurvedic treatment and healing programs are individualized, but typically contain the following steps in the order to best suit the individual needs:
Step One: Determining the Doshas
An ayurvedic consultation will determine an individuals unique bodily constitution (prakruti and vikruti ) and what imbalances need to be restored.
Step Two: Moving Prana
In ayurveda, prana controls movement. Using the techniques of pranayama (yogic breath work) the next step involves learning to control the breath, or prana, as it moves throughout the body. By doing this, one can learn to tame anxiety and bring mental clarity to the forefront.
Step Three: Enhancing Tejas
In ayurveda, tejas is our body's innate wisdom of transformative power. Restoration allows all cells to have the revitalization of energy and intelligence that they need to perform all necessary internal functions of the body. It also is the way that the mind is able to digest and process mental thoughts and impressions using cellular metabolic energy. A strong tejas gives us the power to digest, process and eliminate on the physical as well a mental level. The use of mantra and energy work techniques are incorporated here.
Step Four: Restoring Ojas
Ojas is the term in ayurveda that refers to the vital force of the body or the pure essence of one's being. Addiction depletes ojas, which needs to be restored for good health. This is done by examining the diet and enhancing food intake that replenishes ojas.
Step Five: Preparatory Actions (Purvakarma)
To prepare the body to be rid of toxins, ayurveda uses pachan (digestion), snehan (internal and external oleation) and svedana (therapeutic application of heat / sweating). A mono diet of kitchari and ghee typically begins during this step and lasts through step 7 when diet is examined and a plan is created.
Step Six: Detoxification & Purification (Panchakarma)
Pancha means "five" in sanskrit and "karma" means action. Panchakarma is a unique set of five detoxifying ayurvedic treatments. Treatments will be used and adjusted according to each client's individual needs drawing from ancient methods including vamana (induced therapeutic vomiting / emesis), virechan (induced purgation / therapeutic laxative), basti (medicated enema therapy), nasya (nasal medicine / elimination of toxins through the nose) & raktamoksha (detoxification of the blood).
Step Seven: Post Treatment Rejuvenation (Paschatkarma)
Rejuvenating the body may include rasayana, sansarjan krama (specific dietetics / examination of agni) and dhumapana (herbal smoking).
Step Eight: Dincharya
Dincharya is the ideal daily ayurvedic routine and rituals. By creating a new life routine, we set new intentions for ourselves in order to create the life we want, not the life addiction had created for us. Finding ways to incorporate ayurvedic rituals into our daily lives in a realistic way is key to have continued success in recovery.
Step Nine: Yoga
Yoga is a sister science of ayurveda and means "union". While controlling the breath is one step to maintaining control over one's being, yoga brings the breath, body and mind into alignment calming the nervous system in its entirety. It is a nonjudgmental practice that is done on a mat using principles that are carried off the mat into the rest of the world. Y12SR (www.y12sr.com) classes are recommended, but it is best to find the right yoga class to fit your individual doshic needs.
Step Ten: Meditation (Dhyana)
This practice involves the gradual shutting down of all the body’s sensory channels, to learn to sit with oneself in stillness. It is meant as a means to turn inward and connect to a unified source, to find a way to bring a quiet moment of peace whenever it is needed.
Step Eleven: Tarpana (Relationship Healing)
"We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world." ~ Buddha.
Tarpana is a healing ceremony in which traumatic, constraining and negative thoughts are released to develop a new outlook of the surrounding world and our connection to it, to others and to a universal source.
Step Twelve: Karma
Karma means action, work or deed; it also refers to the spiritual principle of cause and effect where intent and actions of an individual (cause) influence the future of that individual (effect). Developing good intent and good deeds contribute to good karma and future happiness, while developing bad intent and bad deeds contribute to bad karma and future suffering.
Ayurveda uses a variety of tools that may be of value to an individual in drug and alcohol recovery. A few of these may include:
- Yoga asana (postures) to help restore the body and energetic field.
- Ayurvedic diet to restore nutritional deficiencies.
- Meditation tools for coping with daily mental and emotional stressors and to cultivate a connection with Spirit.
- Daily rituals (dincharya) for a purified body, mind and spirit.
- Herbal remedies for physical and mental wellness.
- Holistic massage and bodywork therapies to address system imbalances, specifically for the nervous system.
Ayurvedic treatment and healing programs are individualized, but typically contain the following steps in the order to best suit the individual needs:
Step One: Determining the Doshas
An ayurvedic consultation will determine an individuals unique bodily constitution (prakruti and vikruti ) and what imbalances need to be restored.
Step Two: Moving Prana
In ayurveda, prana controls movement. Using the techniques of pranayama (yogic breath work) the next step involves learning to control the breath, or prana, as it moves throughout the body. By doing this, one can learn to tame anxiety and bring mental clarity to the forefront.
Step Three: Enhancing Tejas
In ayurveda, tejas is our body's innate wisdom of transformative power. Restoration allows all cells to have the revitalization of energy and intelligence that they need to perform all necessary internal functions of the body. It also is the way that the mind is able to digest and process mental thoughts and impressions using cellular metabolic energy. A strong tejas gives us the power to digest, process and eliminate on the physical as well a mental level. The use of mantra and energy work techniques are incorporated here.
Step Four: Restoring Ojas
Ojas is the term in ayurveda that refers to the vital force of the body or the pure essence of one's being. Addiction depletes ojas, which needs to be restored for good health. This is done by examining the diet and enhancing food intake that replenishes ojas.
Step Five: Preparatory Actions (Purvakarma)
To prepare the body to be rid of toxins, ayurveda uses pachan (digestion), snehan (internal and external oleation) and svedana (therapeutic application of heat / sweating). A mono diet of kitchari and ghee typically begins during this step and lasts through step 7 when diet is examined and a plan is created.
Step Six: Detoxification & Purification (Panchakarma)
Pancha means "five" in sanskrit and "karma" means action. Panchakarma is a unique set of five detoxifying ayurvedic treatments. Treatments will be used and adjusted according to each client's individual needs drawing from ancient methods including vamana (induced therapeutic vomiting / emesis), virechan (induced purgation / therapeutic laxative), basti (medicated enema therapy), nasya (nasal medicine / elimination of toxins through the nose) & raktamoksha (detoxification of the blood).
Step Seven: Post Treatment Rejuvenation (Paschatkarma)
Rejuvenating the body may include rasayana, sansarjan krama (specific dietetics / examination of agni) and dhumapana (herbal smoking).
Step Eight: Dincharya
Dincharya is the ideal daily ayurvedic routine and rituals. By creating a new life routine, we set new intentions for ourselves in order to create the life we want, not the life addiction had created for us. Finding ways to incorporate ayurvedic rituals into our daily lives in a realistic way is key to have continued success in recovery.
Step Nine: Yoga
Yoga is a sister science of ayurveda and means "union". While controlling the breath is one step to maintaining control over one's being, yoga brings the breath, body and mind into alignment calming the nervous system in its entirety. It is a nonjudgmental practice that is done on a mat using principles that are carried off the mat into the rest of the world. Y12SR (www.y12sr.com) classes are recommended, but it is best to find the right yoga class to fit your individual doshic needs.
Step Ten: Meditation (Dhyana)
This practice involves the gradual shutting down of all the body’s sensory channels, to learn to sit with oneself in stillness. It is meant as a means to turn inward and connect to a unified source, to find a way to bring a quiet moment of peace whenever it is needed.
Step Eleven: Tarpana (Relationship Healing)
"We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world." ~ Buddha.
Tarpana is a healing ceremony in which traumatic, constraining and negative thoughts are released to develop a new outlook of the surrounding world and our connection to it, to others and to a universal source.
Step Twelve: Karma
Karma means action, work or deed; it also refers to the spiritual principle of cause and effect where intent and actions of an individual (cause) influence the future of that individual (effect). Developing good intent and good deeds contribute to good karma and future happiness, while developing bad intent and bad deeds contribute to bad karma and future suffering.