Whole lot of talk in past year has been around mental wellness. Going forward it is going to be more and more pronounced individual fundamental need. The whole complex of the way we are / we think/ we feel/ we act, etc …..is Mind. Improving mental wellness is a calling to acknowledge & address it holistically…. looking at its entire spectrum, not judging & finding solutions in limited purview. Here is to look deeper into mental wellbeing, beyond a talk point, beyond band aiding.
In Yoga & ayurveda mind is identified as Manomaya kosha. It is one of the 5 layers of every human being. It is identified as the ground of all pain, unhappiness, sufferings, obstacles, diseases & their myriad manifestations. Samkhya philosophy identifies mind as the sixth sense organ. Yoga Sutras by Rishi Patanjali and Samkhya Darshan have laid open the whole anatomy of its nature, functioning, manifestations and management.
Manomaya is where all emotions, feelings, & everything else related to it is present. Including memories, residues, illusions, delusions, obstacles, tendencies, reactions, responses, processing ability, dominating thoughts etc. This database is made of past experiences & residues. Interestingly the inference of every event is drawn on this very database. Also, note the span of this collection is not just current lifetime, but across past ones too. Yes, across lifetimes.
Brain is the CPU, releasing neurochemicals/ hormones based on the inputs from this mind. Mind receives input from other 5 sense organs, puts the colours which it carries, processes based on existing database and draws inference. Inferential signal goes to brain. Brain sends signal to body, actions are made, body physiology shifts to adapts accordingly.
A good read to grapple this mind & brain concept outside of yoga sutras is by Neuroscientist David Eagelman – The Brain. The Story of You.
Now it’s obvious, if this very database is not in good health, regularly vetted, cleansed & maintained properly, it is bound to yield unwholesome outputs. Fact is that the disturbances of Manomaya show up as changes in the vital energy of the individual aka Pranamaya Kosha (Vital Energy of human), and in due course manifest as disease in Annamaya kosha or the gross body – what eyes can see, and instruments can measure.
The GPS given to humans are feelings and emotions but only when vetted, cleansed & healed regularly. Otherwise, those can be enough to self-generate constant imbalances/ toxicities. Patterns in life are great indicators to take a deeper look in the trappings of the mind. Identify those patterns. Some patterns play out internally in the way we think and some patterns playout in our external life dynamics. Both point to spaces within us that need to be addressed.
Body and breath are the very tools to advance our wellness. The 8 limbs that Yoga is, are primarily for the purpose of mental wellness & empowerment. Take help from healers to cross the barriers. Various healing modalities are effective in various ways. Ultimate ownership is the path of Yoga. Whatever keeps one pulling back into a sense of inner weight, blockage, heaviness needs deeper look and healing.
Healing Is Possible for the Willing.