No, it is not what you think. Yeah, it is not analysis with another tongue, La Leçon- a lesson with a French touchJ. I was reading a book called Ayurvedic tongue analysis by Walter Shantree Kacera – (ISBN 978-81-208-3231-2).
Two emotions overwhelmed me – Awe and shock. Awe because of the depth of knowledge we Indians had for ages and our ability to see interconnection between spirituality, health, taste, environment and what not. Shock because despite having such a legacy we have to read and understand this from a foreigner who dedicated his life to learn our scriptures and share it with the world. The author has done a brilliant job of integrating and correlating Ayurveda with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and modern day allopathy in many places.
· Have you ever wondered as to why tongue tastes bitter or sweet early morning when you wake up?
· I am sure you have wondered as to why you have bad breadth – for some it may be a way of life and for many it is triggered on few days.
· Do you know the non-invasive visual analysis of tongue can clearly state the current physical, mental and emotional state of a person?
· Do you know that most of the imbalances in your system, potential diseases can be detected at an early stage for corrected before disease manifests?
· Above all you don’t need a doctor to do all the above and you standing in front of the mirror early morning for few minutes would do the trick?
Sounds too good to be true isn’t? Read on.
The key point that got reinforced to me is Ayurveda is not a medical system but a holistic science of life which is absolutely aligned with nature – a scientific way of balancing and harmonizing your unique prakruti with that of your environment.
In the current allopathic medical world most of the clinical diagnostic procedures are invasive and expensive. In this scheme of things it is important to emphasis that almost all of the diagnostic techniques in Ayurveda are non-invasive like Nadi reading, visual analysis of eyes, tongue, feces and Urine.
How do we go about this?
Step 1: Understand the basics
· Ayurveda is a bio-energetic, bio-spiritual and bio-chemical science on how the dynamics of environment around you affects – physiologically and psychologically and how to harmonize the same.
· Ayurveda considers that every individual has a unique prakruti. The book very nicely explains 5 elements, 3 doshas, 10 categories of prakruti, 6 tastes and its effect on the physiology and psychology of a human being, 3 qualities of food and its impact, and the physiology of the human being like 7 dhatus, 7 updhatus, 3 malas and its dynamic relation to all the above.
· The relation between 5 elements was nicely explained like 1/10th of ether becomes Air, 1/10th of Air becomes Fire, 1/10th of Fire becomes water, 1/10th of water becomes earth. This was significant for me since for every gross form (Earth) we see the inter & intra cellular space is 10 power 4 times the size of the gross form.
I can’t help but recollect great words of a Siddhar and Lao Tzu in the Tao te Ching and correlate both with the above:
“காயமே இது பொய்யடா, வெறும் காற்றடைத்த பையடா!”
This means the body is not true and is a bag filled with air. This means not just the body but for any form which includes the world.
‘The Tao is an empty vessel; it is used but never filled…”
“Thirty spokes share the wheel's hub; it is the center hole that makes it useful.
Shape clay into a vessel; It is the space within that makes it useful.
Cut doors and windows for a room; It is the holes which make it useful.
Therefore benefit comes from what is there;
Usefulness from what is not there!”
Step 2: Under your nature (Prakruti).
· So first understand what your prakruti is and align for harmony and balance. Learn what you are and be such.
· It is said that every individual is a unique combination of the 3 dosha (Vata, Pitta, Kapha). But one of the components is always strong and that defines your personality, emotional state, taste preferences et al.
· Then comes the 4 important concepts:
o Like increases like
§ This means if your constitution is strong Pitta and if your food also contains strong pitta then the pitta in the body aggravates.
o Everything affects everything else.
§ Be it climate, food or any external environment or internal mental state everything is interconnected and there is a continuous and dynamic correlation of these factors.
o Weakness grows out of strength.
§ The strongest element in our constitution tends to increase the most leading us to illness. And also people with good immunity tend to abuse their health and when they fall ill they find it difficult to recover quickly. Hence people with weaker and delicate constitution tend to live longer. Hence strength kills the strong. J
I am quoting my other blog where I argue that the nature favors the weak http://ragsgopalan.blogspot.com/2010/11/musings-hail-frailty.html
o Will supersedes structure (Adaptability)
§ Ayurveda does not seem to believe that your constitution and nature are fixed and hence your personality, tastes, attitudes and behavior are predetermined. The concept of adaptability where by the sheer power of our will we can change the structure is highlighted.
Hence we need to be aware of our own constitution and these 4 important concepts.
Continuing this blog in the next part… Part 2.
Happy reading!
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