The ultimate goal that we have for our clients is that ever-elusive “perfect health”.
What exactly does that mean?
In Ayurveda it means that we have balanced doshas, balanced dhatus, balanced digestion & elimination, a strong immune system, symptom-free body, and a content and peaceful mind. That is a tall order!
To create this state of perfect health, we must first address the state of the digestion, agni. We then want to rid the body of toxins that have built up over time, ama. After we have done that we will be ready to build ojas. This is reflected not only in the quality of the body’s dhatus but also in the stability, stamina and strength of the body and the mind.
Without a balanced agni, digestive fire, we can’t address the other concerns. This means that we must always begin with the digestion so that our future treatments will be most effective. We address the state of agni with foods, food habits and, when necessary, herbal support.
Once agni is regulated, we begin the process of removing ama from the tissues. This may be done by commitment to balanced digestion and right living over time. By stopping the flow of ama from the digestive system to the tissues, we allow the dhatu agni to destroy ama at its sites in the tissues. Over time, often a long time, we will remove ama from the digestive system and from its sites elsewhere in the body.
The other option is to remove ama following appropriate Pancha Karma practice. This requires a short-term commitment to the stages of deep cleansing, Shodhana Chikitsa, and the follow up commitment to balanced agni and right living over time.
In either case, we’d like our clients to commit to balanced digestion and elimination and a lifestyle that stimulates dhatu agni and assures both removal of any ama that exists within the tissues and no new ama being brought into the body.
Once you are assured that you have balanced agni and removed ama, you can begin the process of building ojas.
The analogy for building ojas that I often use when teaching is putting down shelf paper. The purpose of shelf paper to assure that the shelf is easy to clean and that it is well protected. If you don’t clean the shelf first, you’ll end up with debris under your shelf paper. You know it’s there. You can feel it. It causes an uneven surface in the shelf paper and weakens it. Tears form, dirt and gunk get under the shelf paper and eventually you are left with shreds of shelf paper and the shelf is no longer clean or protected.
Now consider how that relates here. When there is ama within the tissues and we attempt to build ojas before removing the ama, we are putting shelf paper on a dirty shelf. We trap the ama in the tissues and we solidify its ability to limit cell function and interfere with optimal tissue development.
The best approach is to start with a clean shelf. In this case, we’ll clean that shelf with balanced agni. The fire of the agni removes the ama from the digestive system. The dhatu agni do the work of removing ama from the tissues and then we will, naturally, build ojas as a by-product of healthy dhatu formation.
Agni, Ama, Ojas… the vital steps towards perfect health.