A Healthy Heart is a Happy Heart
While elevated cholesterol and a diet of fatty foods contribute towards the likelihood of a heart attack, Maharishi Ayurveda recognises the role that emotions play in having a healthy heart.
Ayurvedic practitioners use pulse diagnosis to reveal the state of the physiology. The part of the pulse that is felt for the health of the physical heart is identical to that which is felt for our emotional well being. The qualities felt in that area will be different for someone who is verging on a heart attack to someone who is prone to feeling angry and frustrated however, when left untreated, emotional symptoms generally manifest into physical ones.
According to Ayurvedic wisdom, your life depends on the maintenance of a substance called Ojas which is located in the heart. Ojas is the finest product of your physical body and gives lightness, bliss, balanced mind and emotions. It is increased by meditation, food such as ghee, rice, milk and dates and doing fulfilling activities or being with people that you love. Ojas is depleted by alcohol, toxins, stress and physical and mental exhaustion.
Mental and emotional well-being plays an enormous role in preserving Ojas in the physiology; positive inner experience fosters Ojas while negative emotions such as fear, anxiety and hate destroy it. While western medicine doesn’t recognise Ojas it does acknowledge the effect of emotions as a trigger to heart attacks. Scientific studies show that a person is twice as likely to have a heart attack within two hours of an episode of sudden, intense anger as opposed to other times.
How happy or unhappy you are in your marriage has also been shown to affect recurrent heart problems. Increased martial stress has been found to contribute to more heart attacks, increased heart related surgery and heart related deaths.
Emotions can be balanced by following dosha pacifying recommendations. Soothing changeable, flighty Vata can reduce anxiety and nervousness; cooling the excess heat of Pitta can balance anger and frustration and stimulating Kapha’s sluggishness can reduce depression and stuck emotions.
Transcendental Meditation has been found to be the most effective natural tool for improving heart health. A recent study conducted over 9 years found a 47% reduction in the combined incidence of heart attacks, strokes and deaths in people with coronary artery disease who practiced TM. This was attributed to the deep physical rest which helped to reset the body’s own selfrepair mechanisms and the reduction of mental stress.
Don’t let the silly season become the stressy season. If you’re feeling like your emotions could do with some balancing book in for an Ayurvedic consultation or find out more about TM. Call Wendy on 5499 9580 or 0438 507 188. Wendy Rosenfeldt is a Maharishi Vedic Health Educator and Teacher of Transcendental Meditation.
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