Much attention has been paid to the connection between mental health and Western medicine, but what about Ayurveda?

Mental health is an integral part of human wellbeing, but it’s more often spoken about in the context of mental disorders rather than causes. People also usually refrain from discussing mental health; that’s why we’re glad to provide you with this article on the connection between mental health and Ayurveda!

This article will explore how Ayurveda views mental health, the factors that can affect it and how Ayurveda can also be used to improve your mental health and wellbeing.

What is Ayurveda?

Developed over thousands of years ago in the Indian subcontinent, Ayurveda is one of the oldest holistic healing systems. Ayurveda focuses on preserving the delicate balance between the mind, body, and spirit to foster good health and fight diseases.

Ayurveda has a holistic approach to mental health which integrates the mind, body, and soul and the correlation between the three. As per Ayurveda, a person is said to be swastha(healthy) when there is a balance of physical and psychological elements, energies produced in the body, and nutrition, along with the proper elimination of wastes. This results in a happy mind and soul and proper functioning of the five senses.

What is mental health?

As per World Health Organization(WHO), Mental health is “a state of wellbeing in which the individual recognizes their abilities-cognitive, emotional and behavioral, and can cope with the stresses of life, work productively and effectively, and contribute to their community”.

Mental health as per Ayurveda.

The first mention of Ayurveda and mental health is found in Atharva Veda and further in treatises by Charak, Sushrut, and Vagbhatt, containing the details of symptoms, diagnosis, and therapy for mental health problems, ranging from mild anger and greed to severe psychoses. It also offers solutions to the inner conflicts of life (like heartbreaks, tension, anxiety, etc.) afflicting mental health.

Ayurveda’s mental health theory is based on a combination of the three Gunas, three doshas, and panch mahabhuta(Earth, water, fire, air, and Ether). The intermixing of the three doshas and Gunas in individual forms one’s Prakriti or nature. The dynamic balance of these above elements results in good mental health, while an imbalance causes disorders.

Manas(mind), as per Ayurveda, is constituted of three Gunas: Satva, Rajas and Tamas. Satva guna represents good things in life, i.e., self-control, cleanliness, knowledge, power to determine right and wrong, etc. Rajas guna means passion or excessive emotion and action, i.e., violence, envy, hard work, authority, anxiety, desire, confusion, etc. Tamas represents inaction and bad things in life, i.e., dullness and inactivity, laziness, depression, drowsiness, etc.

Excess of Rajas and Tamas is said to cause Manodoshas(Mental problems); the more these two are present in a person, the more severe is the Manovikara(mental illness).

Apart from the three Gunas, there are also three Doshas: Vata (air), Pitta (fire) and Kapha (earth). These tridoshas are generally perceived negatively, but they also help protect the body. Problems happen when there is an imbalance of the three doshas, which primarily affect the body, but the secondary effects are also felt on the mind, causing mental illness. This is where the holistic approach of Ayurveda comes to help.

The treatment recommended by Ayurveda for resolving mental ailments includes Daiva vyaprashraya, Yuktivyapashrya, Satvavajaya cikitsa, Achara Rasayana, Dinacharya and Yoga therapy.

As most of the ayurvedic medicines are either free from or have fewer side effects, it has become the first choice for treatment in several parts of India and around the World. Apart from that, Ayurveda is also becoming increasingly popular with psychiatric patients to reduce drug dependence.

Ayurveda tips for better mental health-

Here are some of the easy to practice Ayurveda tips for good mental health,-

1. Increase Satva Guna- As Satva increases, it positively affects the mind and body, so one should increase Satva. To do so, one can practice yoga, pranayama, meditation, following a routine, having a balanced diet,
2. Balance the doshas– The tridoshas are balanced by taking proper rest, eating seasonal fruits and vegetables, having a balanced lifestyle,
3. Maintain Personal Hygiene- All the Ayurveda texts emphasize maintaining personal hygiene to feel fresh and good, like taking a bath every day, brushing teeth regularly, oiling hair and body, wearing clean clothes,
4. Balanced diet- Nutritional psychology is an emerging field showing the food mood connection, which Ayurveda has always Here the emphasis should be on

having a diet as per the season, eating warm, easy-to-digest fresh food, having all the six tastes or Shadrasa in diet, etc.

5. Adequate Sleep- Ayurveda recommends a balanced sleep usually, 6-8 hours daily, to maintain our cognitive abilities and properly rest our minds and
6. Balanced lifestyle- Lifestyle diseases are on the rise; to avoid them, Ayurveda recommends keeping a proper daily schedule, giving adequate time to exercise, rest, eat and
7. Stay socially active- Ayurveda emphasizes maintaining one’s relationship with family and community, and various studies have also shown that nurturing relationships improves longevity and mental health. It also recommends Seva(social work) and spirituality for maintaining proper mental
8. Attend to immunity and Ojas- Ojas or vitality is a unique concept of It is the essence of all our nutrition and our inborn genetic strength. Depleted Ojas negatively impacts mental health and vice versa; psychological factors like grief or anxiety can trigger a depletion in Ojas and immune resistance. To boost Ojas, people could include herbs in their diet, milk, ghee and honey, practices like silence, celibacy, and Achara Rasayana.

Want to learn more-

If you are mental health or Ayurveda enthusiast, you can kickstart your career in Ayurveda by getting a BAMS degree. Many Ayurveda colleges like MAMC, BHU, Sri Sai, NIA, etc., are spread all over India. One can easily find an ayurvedic college in Bhopal, Varanasi, Jaipur, etc. Apart from that, universities like BHU, MGU, Sri Sai, etc., have a Department of Ayurveda with good research facilities to boost one’s career in Ayurveda.