Ayurveda Is Boring

A Love Letter 

Boring.

This is only to say that taking care of yourself in an Ayurvedic fashion, to many people, is not traditionally exciting. But goodness is it gratifying, regulating and joy-inducing—which, to be fair, comes with its own excitement. Just not the kind we’re taught to want.  

To follow this statement, I feel almost a sense of urgency to elaborate by saying that no, in fact, Ayurveda is the single most interesting thing that I have ever come in contact with. The more I learn about this science, the more interested and devoted I become, and the more it makes sense.

 It’s almost as if my continuous exposure to learning Ayurveda triggers a deep understanding that was in my bones the whole time, an understanding that tells us that we are just as much a part of Nature in an elemental way as anything else that we sense in the natural world, that is, according to Ayurveda we possess elemental makeup as human beings. We are not an exception to the laws of Nature and should expect to be influenced by our environment. We are influenced in the same way that gravity pulls water down a hillside, the heat of the sun encourages plants to change and grow or how wind creates movement, regulates temperatures and distributes new seeds to create more life. Everything in the world has a job, a purpose, or an action on something else, the same is true of the elemental aspects of the human body and mind, and it is all an extraordinarily delicate balance. 

Ayurveda would agree with this commentary, likely further articulating that our primordial cause of disease is forgetting that true nature. More on that topic another time, but I am currently—and always— at risk of getting off topic.

Let me paint a picture of the unexciting, gratifying, regulating and joy-inducing types of things that Ayurveda encourages us to do to live a balanced life. This list is in no way exhaustive or definitive, but will hopefully give an idea of a type of philosophical tempo.

Practicing Ayurveda often means going to bed at the same and a reasonable hour most nights, getting up early and at the same time most mornings, avoiding almost anything in excess, and establishing ritual, regularity and routine. It means working with plant medicine, eating specific foods and doing it mindfully, paying close attention to your digestion, to how much water you’re drinking, your emotional and psychological state, and generally speaking building awareness of how your environment is impacting you. Through this process, you learn how to respond appropriately in an effort to balance the scales of your body, mind and spirit. All of your daily practices should reflect your understanding of your personal constitution (your elemental makeup) and the imbalances present, both of which are most accurately identified by an Ayurvedic practitioner.

It is a quiet, choice-oriented, slow-moving, and— in its own way— fierce and beautiful lifestyle and spiritual practice. It takes patience, diligence and lots of self-compassion and trust.

I didn’t realize when I signed up to study this extremely old science, just how deeply it conflicts with modernity. On a fundamental level, we live in a culture that consciously or unconsciously glorifies instant gratification, and we are meticulously trained to be this way. Trained through algorithms, media, general capitalism and probably seven or eight other primary reasons that are so blurred into the daily environment that they wouldn’t be easily identified. I think many of the things that are supposed to make life easier for us, or give us that illusion, ultimately wind up causing more stress, anger, depression, complacency, overwhelm, anxiety and fragility. Ayurvedic practice bolsters us against these things, makes us resilient, reflective and harmonious on many levels.

I encourage everyone to learn more about this lifestyle practice, especially if you are completely new to Ayurveda, read all of this and feel completely lost—do not be discouraged. Begin to learn about it, and let it resonate with you at a natural pace (because timing can be extremely important), be curious about yourself instead of critical, be patient, be bored, and sit with that boredom until you recognize what a bottomless resource your own mind is. That recognition and awareness of the depth of your mind gives way to a deep listening, and if you are listening deeply, you are beginning to practice Ayurveda. 

So I’ll say again that Ayurveda is not boring.

It is the traditional healing system of India dating back 5,000 years, that in a philosophical and practical way encapsulates what it is to be human. Though it does not belong to the west historically, it is a gift, and we have the absolute pleasure, opportunity and benefit of getting to know it intimately, should we choose to.