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Depression |
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Depression affects
thousands of Irish people each year. Women are twice as likely
as men to experience depression in their lives, and are
especially vulnerable after the birth of a child, before
menstruation and during menopause.
Depression can
take many different forms: frequent sad, anxious or "empty"
mood; loss of interest and pleasure in activities; fatigue;
irritability; social withdrawal, acting out behaviour and
family conflict; insomnia; loss of appetite or weight gain;
feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness or pessimism;
declining school grades or job performance; and poor
concentration. For some, the winter season can bring on a low
mood, for others depression is caused by major life changes,
such as a divorce, major financial problems, a chronic
illness, death of a loved one and other life stresses.
Maharishi
Ayurveda has much to offer the person who suffers from
occasional emotional imbalance. Here we give some practical
guidelines to help you stay happy and healthy throughout life.
We also recommend seeing a Maharishi Ayurveda physician in
your area if you suspect you have depression - he or she can
do a pulse diagnosis and tailor an individualized program to
help restore balance.
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Practice the
Transcendental Meditation(R) program for 20 minutes twice
a day to relieve emotional, physical, mental and
environmental stress. |
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Go to bed before
10:00 p.m. Earlier is even better. Getting enough rest is
essential for emotional health, and falling asleep during
the Kapha time of night generates a deep, restful sleep
that truly refreshes mind and body. If you stay up beyond
10:00 p.m., after the Pitta time of night starts, you are
likely to feel hungry and give in to cravings to eat "junk"
food. Even eating healthy foods at this hour disrupts
digestion, which needs the night time to cleanse
impurities and rest. Falling asleep after 10:00 p.m.
produces a more restless sleep, and you will be more
likely to wake up in the night with emotional distress |
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Wake up with the
rising sun. Waking up early is critical to preventing
depression, because sleeping during the late morning,
after 6:00 a.m., causes the shrotas or channels of
communication to be clogged with impurities, leading to
dullness of mind, depressed moods and slow communication
between heart and mind. |
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Walk outdoors when
the sun is rising and breathe deeply. Daily exercise is
essential to combat depression, because exercise helps
moved blocked emotions and hormones out of the body. It
increases the power of agni and helps improve processing
power. Exercise also releases positive neurohormones,
elevating mood and positive thoughts. The early morning
sun adds an extra boost, because you become infused with
the positive energy of the sun when it is at its most
saatvic and benevolent for all body types. Walking in the
early morning sun helps open the channels, stimulates
digestion and elimination, clears the impurities from the
previous day, and is an overall tonic for ideal health. |
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Make sure you
eliminate each morning. Constipation can cause headache,
dullness, fatigue and depression. If your elimination is
sluggish or blocked, start your day with cooked apples,
prunes and figs. Take two Herbal Cleanse tablets at night
before bed. Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Eat
your meals at the same time each day, with the main meal
at noon and a lighter meal in the evening. The early
morning walk will go a long way toward making your
elimination regular as well. |
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Eat intelligent
foods. Foods that are natural, unprocessed and contain
more of nature's intelligence are digested quickly by the
body and create ojas. Ojas is the product of good
digestion that creates bliss, stable emotions and good
health in the body. Intelligent foods are milk, clove,
walnut, pear, and coconut. Eat intelligent proteins such
as soaked seeds and nuts with raisins and dates; panir
(fresh cheese); and buttermilk rather than yogurt or
lassi, as this lighter drink does not increase Kapha and
is better for lightening emotions. To make buttermilk,
follow this simple recipe. Please note that ayurvedic
buttermilk is not the same as the buttermilk you buy in
the store. This recipe helps restore the beneficial
bacteria in the intestinal tract, thus helping digestion
and assimilation. |
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Eat intelligent
foods. Give yourself a daily abhyanga (Ayurvedic oil
massage). Massage has many benefits: it increases
circulation, allows toxins to be cleared from the tissues,
invigorates the body, calms the mind and soothes emotions.
The sense of touch is associated with emotions, and even
if you are massaging yourself you are giving your skin the
tactile stimulation needed to balance Vata dosha and calm
anxiety and stress. For your massage oil, use Rejuvenation
Massage Oil for Men and Rejuvenation Massage Oil for women
Follow your massage with a warm bath to flush out the
toxins that have been pushed out from the cells with the
massage.
Ayurvedic
Buttermilk |
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1/4 c. fresh
cold yogurt (For best results, use freshly made
yogurt. To find out to make your own yogurt, see the
foods section at www.mapi.com)
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3/4 c.
purified cold water (the temperature must be cold for
this recipe to work) |
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1/4 t. cumin
powder |
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1/4 t.
coriander leaf (cilantro) |
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1 pinch of rock
salt or sea salt |
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Place the
freshly-made yogurt in the blender and blend for three to
five minutes. Add the cold water, and blend again on low
for three to five minutes. You will notice that a fatty
foam has collected at the top of the yogurt. Skim it off
with a spoon and discard. Repeat the blending and removing
of the fatty foam if the yogurt remains thick, white and
solid. When the yogurt has become watery but still cloudy
in colour, you have made buttermilk. Add the spices and
stir by hand briefly to mix the spices evenly. Serve at
room temperature. |
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Spices such as
black pepper help to enhance medha agni, which means they
improve coordination between different functions of the
mind. Other spices enhance digestion and balance the
emotions.
Spice
Mixture for Emotional Balance |
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1 part ground
black pepper |
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1 part ground
dried ginger |
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2 parts ground
coriander |
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3 parts ground
cumin |
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2 parts ground
turmeric |
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1 part crushed
black cumin (for women only) |
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Do moderate
exercise such as Yoga Asanas. In addition to your
half-hour walk in the early morning sun, it's important to
include Vedic exercise such as Yoga Asanas in your
schedule. Yoga Asanas enhance digestion, stimulate the
Sadhaka Agni, cleanse toxins from the channels and cells
of the body and improve overall balance and health. They
are excellent for clearing away the toxins that lead to
depression. |
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Take Maharishi
Ayurveda rasayanas. Rasayanas are elixirs for bliss and
rejuvenation, and are the cream of the herbal kingdom,
prepared according to ancient methods that can take weeks.
Maharishi Amrit Kalash is the most powerful of all the
rasayanas, and it has the ability to create bliss,
contentment, and ideal health. Like any true rasayana,
Maharishi Amrit Kalash has the ability to enhance medha,
or the coordination between the mental functions of
learning, retention and recall. This kind of coordination
is important for balancing the emotions and helping to
prevent depression. |
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HERBS THAT
HEAL |
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Blissful Joy is
excellent nutritional support for emotional balance. Blissful
Joy helps balance three subdoshas: Tarpaka Kapha, Prana Vata
and Sadhaka Pitta. Tarpaka Kapha governs fluid balance in the
brain, healthy brain tissue, and communication between brain
cells. When in balance, it contributes to a stable
personality. Prana Vata - which governs energy, creativity,
perception, growth of consciousness and self-realization - is
also nourished by Blissful Joy. Finally, Blissful Joy supports
Sadhaka Pitta, which is responsible for balanced emotions,
self-confidence, healthy desires, motivation and a feeling of
fulfilment.
Blissful Joy also improves metabolism and
clears away toxins from the microcirculatory channels
(shrotas) that deliver nutrients to the cells. Blocked shrotas
deprive the cells of energy and vitality and slow down cell
regeneration. When your body has more old cells than new ones,
fatigue and depression can result. Blissful Joy improves
metabolism and helps revitalize cell growth.
One of
the herbs included in Blissful Joy is Arjuna Myrobalans, known
to strengthen the heart and emotions. Ashwagandha and Holy
Basil assist the body's natural resistance to stressful
situations. Ashwagandha is also effective in balancing Prana
Vata and improving emotional stability. Finally, Ailanthus
Excelsa and Arjuna Myrobalans help strengthen the body's
natural rejuvenative mechanisms, hastening the replacement of
dead or weak cells with fresh, vital ones.
If in
addition to fragile emotions you also feel overwhelmed or
mentally fatigued, it's recommended that you also take Peace
of Mind.
For women who are of menopause age, the
Graceful Transition Emotional Support formula can help. This
formula is also extremely valuable for women during the
postpartum period after childbirth. Emotional Support enhances
heart/mind coordination and cleanses the channels between
heart and mind. It also deeply nourishes both the heart and
mind, improving resilience to stress and emotional imbalance.
Certain
herbs included in the Emotional Support formula are targeted
to balance Sadhaka Pitta, provide emotional strength and
restore bliss. These herbs are Arjuna Myrolbalan, Rose, Pearl
Bhasma and White Sandalwood. Anjelica Glauca, Nutmeg, Brahmi
and Zinc Bhasma improve coordination between the mind and
emotions (in ayurvedic terms, between Prana Vata and Sadhaka
Pitta). Brahmi, Aloeweed, and Ashwagandha provide emotional
and mental strength. Indian Asparagus nourishes all types of
body tissues, including those that support the heart and mind. |
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Tel: 01-4789744 
