For the past few years, I’ve been teaching courses on the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems to students in the Masters of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine program at Maharishi International University. Most have no prior health care training. My focus has been on helping them develop clinical skills, integrate conventional medical knowledge, and learn how to explain Ayurveda in terms clients can understand. I’d like to share some of that with you.
Heart Physiology
The heart is an amazing product of nature found in all vertebrates. No manufactured pump can equal its reliability and durability. Of its 4 chambers, the two on the right receive blood from the veins and pump it to the lungs for oxygenation. The left atrium then sucks the blood back from the lungs and passes it to the left ventricle which propels it through the arteries to nourish all the tissues of the body. The contraction of the two atria provide a coordinated force that makes the subsequent left and right ventricular contractions more efficient.
No other organ is as essential to life. The heart forms and begins beating about the 10th week of gestation and continues to beat about once a second on average for the duration of our life. That’s more than 2.5 billion times over 80 years. When the heart stops, so does life.
Ayurveda’s Perspective on Heart Health
Ayurveda recognizes all this and more. The heart is seen as the root of the channels that carry Prana (life force) and Rasa (fundamental nourishment) to all parts of the body. Rasa, which is in its gross aspect equivalent to blood plasma, is the initial product of digestion of food. If our eating habits, choices of food, and digestion are faulty, then some toxins, collectively known as Ama, get introduced into the circulation and sow the seeds of disease.
Conversely, if we digest our food well, our body makes lots of Ojas, which nourishes all the tissues. Ojas is the real source of strength, vitality, and immunity. Corruption of the contents (plasma) can damage the container (heart and great vessels). This is why Ayurveda puts so much emphasis on developing good habits of diet and daily routine. Moreover, it explains the principle that Rasayanas, substances that enhance Ojas, are of great value to those who wish to protect the heart.
The Emotional Heart
In addition to these physical functions, the heart has a central role to life that is reflected in language. Expressions like “The heart of the matter,” “Take heart,” “Heartless,” “Big heart,” “Heartbreak,” and “Heart-felt,” speak volumes about the role of heart in our emotional life. This fine feeling level of the physiology corresponds to subtler, deeper levels of the ocean of Consciousness that, from the Vedic perspective, is the source of creation. In fact, for all these reasons, Ayurveda holds that the heart is the seat of consciousness in the body, not the brain.
To take this further, Ayurveda specifically links the emotional heart to the aspect of Pitta known as Sadhaka (fulfillment of desires and metabolism of experience). It explains why stress and heartbreaking experiences really can damage the heart and why the flow of love and results of life-supporting behaviors protect the heart. In fact, just as all 3 Doshas have a role in the digestive function (the transforming inner intelligence, which acts on food to sustain healthy tissues and the ability to act in the world), they all have a role connected to heart health.
Love is the Glue of the Universe
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who made the Transcendental Meditation technique widely available for the spiritual regeneration of the world, taught that normal human life begins in Cosmic Consciousness (CC), the entry level state of enlightenment and perfect health. Regular practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique is the easiest path for most to get there.
In that state of CC, the individual finds fulfillment in the uninterrupted experience of inner unbounded awareness and bliss. This knowledge that my true self is the cosmic Self of everyone at first co-exists with perceptions of the outer world as it has always been known. Then, the digestive system begins to make more refined products that enliven the senses of perception. As the senses become more powerful, they begin to appreciate subtler, more refined aspects of the outer world. This increasing delight in the symphony of life expands the heart and desire to know the Composer.
Thus, love is the force that bridges the duality of inner unbounded awareness and outer relative existence experienced in CC. The pinnacle of human development is Unity Consciousness. In that state, the absolute, eternal, unchanging, silent, Transcendental Self of everyone is appreciated in the objects of perception along with the finest, celestial values. Full appreciation of oneself and others enables the maximum capacity for love.
How to Protect and Preserve Heart Health
From this background, it should be easy to see that Ayurveda’s basic recommendations for health apply in spades to the heart. So, if you are suffering, first assess your Health Habits and check whether you have signs of Ama or Digestive Disturbance. Working on these opportunities for improvement may bring much benefit.
The basic formula is to favor Sattva in all things. Sattva is the force of evolution that moves life towards enlightenment and perfect health. Regular practice of Transcendental Meditation spontaneously aligns one with Sattvic choices. Sattva is intimately connected with Ojas. Thus, by attending to Sattva, we can maximize Ojas and minimize Ama.
A lacto-vegetarian diet featuring freshly prepared dishes exemplifies Sattvic choices. This particularly applies when food qualities and quantities follow the variation of digestive strength, which is linked to the Sun. Thus, it’s ideal to eat your main meal around noon. Respect for Ayurvedic guidelines for milk, yogurt & cheese will enhance the benefits. When our diet and habits are good and we protect digestion, we can fully benefit from Rasayanas.
In contrast to Sattva, excessively salty or spicey foods or beverages like coffee have the qualities of Rajas (movement without a direction). They can provoke anxiety or anger and have a negative effect on long-term health. Even worse are foods with the qualities of Tamas, the force of decay and destruction which is directly opposed to Sattva. Some, like alcohol, actually destroy Ojas. Others, like red meat, mushrooms, peanuts, and yeasted breads, just bring life down in a more subtle way and create dullness or depression in the mind. These negative effects may or may not involve Ama.
Control of stress helps to protect long term heart health. There is good data from NIH-funded studies showing benefits of regular practice of Transcendental Meditation for combating stress, controlling blood pressure, and mitigating established cardiovascular disease beyond what can be done via conventional medicine. Regular physical activity is good for the whole body too. A walk in nature especially during the first few hours after sunrise can do wonders to combat stress and uplift the emotions.
Herbal Therapies*
“Without proper diet and daily routine, medicines are of marginal benefit. With proper diet and daily routine, medicines are frequently not needed.” This oft-quoted aphorism identifies the highway to health. That said, herbal remedies can be of significant adjunctive benefit along the way.
Rasayana therapy is ideal for long term health promotion. There is no equivalent in conventional medicine. Rasayanas have the property of enhancing the physiology without negative side-effects. Essentially, they are superfoods. For more details, please see my website.
To help combat stress, when anger, heartbreak, or nightmares are problematic, consider Stress Free Emotions or Stress Ease tablets. Take 1-2 after lunch and dinner. Where anxiety, rumination, or monkey mind are present, consider Worry Free or Tranquil Mind tablets. Take 1-2 around 8 AM and 4 PM.
Since the nose is the gateway to the brain, application of herbalized oil to the nose (Nasya) can also help. Either Nasya Oil or Super Nasya Oil would be a good choice. Use twice daily. Aroma therapy is more than pleasant smell, it is uplifting to the emotions. Blissful Joy or Worry Free aroma oils would be good choices, but it’s fine to go with your preferences.
*If you order herbs or personal care products from Maharishi Ayurvedic Products (MAPI.com) using the links on my website, you will receive a 20% discount on most products except Amrit. I will receive a 20% commission. If you order products from Banyan Botanicals (banyanbotanicals.com) using the links on my website, I will receive a 15% commission. You can get a one-time 15% discount by using this code: EDWARDS15.