Ayurveda, Yoga and Tantra form interdependent practices, together nurturing the health of the body and the mind.
Three subtle life energies (vata, pitta, and kapha) govern one’s mind and body. Vata can be translated roughly as air, space, or movement, Pitta as heat or fire, and Kapha as stability, water plus earth. If these elements are out of balance, illness occurs. Each person’s ideal balance of these energies is set at birth and does not change. Health is maintained by keeping vata, pitta, and kapha close to one’s individualized balance through proper diet, exercise and rejuvenation programs. Imbalance of these energies creates toxins that circulate through the body and accumulate in weak areas. Repression of emotions or bodily urges results in an imbalance of vata. In Ayurvedic practice, one is taught to observe negative emotions with detachment, allowing them to dissipate. For example, one is taught that when anger occurs, one should be completely aware of it, watch the feeling as it unfolds, learn the nature of the anger, then let it go, releasing it. Ayurveda teaches that all negative emotions can be released through awareness.
Just as repression of emotions can cause the harmful build-up of toxins, one should also not supress bodily functions such as coughing, sneezing, belching, or passing gas. Generally speaking, imbalances in bodily waste systems result in disease. Diabetes and ascites, for example, result from imbalances of urine and perspiration.