Ayurveda Psychology

"A person's basic constitution is a permanent component.Understanding and taking it into account helps to go through life serenely and joyfully."

Many aspects shape our personality: in addition to upbringing, education and early childhood experiences in the family environment, the greatest influence on our character formation comes from our physical and mental constitution, according to Ayurveda. In concrete terms, this means that the decision about who we are and how we shape our lives depends on the way in which the doshas (vata, pitta, kapha) and the gunas (tamas, rajas, sattva) manifest themselves. In this regard, the imprints of the basic constitution (Deha-Prakrti), which are formed by the doshas, are unchangeable, while the mental constitution (Manas-Prakrti) is subject to our direct influence.

"Knowing the resilience of one's constitution is a great help in coping with the daily challenges of life." Kerstin Rosenberg encourages her participants in the psychology seminars.

In this context, we can think of the constellation of doshas as the hardware of a computer, which contributes to optimal functionality through basic gross structures and mechanisms.

Hardware supports software

The software, on the other hand, is provided by the mental constitution, which is responsible for the subtle processing and interpretation of data. The more stable and healthy our physical constitution (hardware) is, the better mental disturbance factors (software) can be cushioned. This is because the physical and mental immune system reacts according to type to overstrain and stress and is therefore vulnerable on different levels.

The classical Ayurveda texts describe impressively that every mental illness is preceded by a lack of ojas (vital life energy) and that a good digestion as well as an active cell metabolism are the basis for every psycho-mental therapy. To rebuild the lost ojas, simple regenerative measures such as vital substance-rich foods, spices and medicinal herbs are helpful.

It is more difficult, however, to treat the subtle causes of ojas loss. These usually lie at the subtle level of the emotional field. The most common "ojas killers" are painful or unresolved past experiences, repressed emotions and mental stress. All this creates an excess of rajas in the mental constitution and prepares the ground for all mental ailments.

Since many personality traits are an integral part of the basic constitution (Deha-Prakrti), they shape our life path in all stages of development from childhood to old age. However, how these fundamental character traits are expressed can be quite different.

"We are not victims of all the whims and fads of the prakrti, but the quality of our thoughts and emotions determines the happiness or unhappiness with which we experience each day."

The goal of all psycho-mental interventions of Ayurveda is to develop as much sattva-guna as possible and thus overcome the disturbing factors of tamas and rajas. Through a sattvic state of mind, we transform negative constitutional traits and show ourselves at our best: the sensitive vata mind receives spiritual and creative inspiration (sattva) rather than nervous overstimulation (rajas) or lethargy (tamas). Likewise, the degree of sattva determines whether a kapha type becomes a philanthropist or a miser, or whether pitta agency serves the productive good of all or leads to aggressive destruction.

Ayurvedic psychology cites the classical techniques of yoga as the best methods for strengthening sattvic personality expression. Especially the purifying breathing exercises of pranayama and the centering concentration exercises of silent meditation act like a mental burning glass and are used as optimal prevention to ward off mental disorders. However, if mental or psychosomatic complaints are already present, then in addition to a daily yoga and meditation practice, a custom-fit mixture of dosha balancing measures (diet, massage, medicinal herbs) and psychological counseling sessions are needed to effectively and sustainably strengthen Sattva. Then the mantra recitations work especially well to chant against the inner swine and to practice loving self-reflection during meditation.

A personality type characterized by Vata has a lot of openness, creativity and spontaneity. He perceives the world around him with all his senses, is curious, capable of learning and communicative. He can adapt quickly to new people and situations and has a good short-term memory. On the emotional level, a high Vata content can lead to nervousness, insecurity, shyness, fears, worries and doubts.

A Pitta personality is intelligent, ambitious and expressive. Goal-oriented, she goes through life conquering (her) world. She is demanding with herself and others, competitive, and very persuasive through words and actions. On the emotional level, a high Pitta content can lead to excessive ambition and perfectionism, anger, rage and overestimation of oneself.

Kapha-dominant personalities are naturally calm, content and friendly. They are loyal, comfortable and socially minded. Thus, they are most interested in their family and friends, good food, and the pleasant things in life. On the emotional level, a high Kapha content can lead to laziness, ignorance, untruthfulness, listlessness and depression.

Qualities of the mental constitution

Our mental constitution is formed by the three gunas tamas, rajas, sattva. The aim of the psychological therapies of Ayurveda and Yoga is to form a positive mental climate in which tamas and rajas manifest in healthy expression (level 1-3) and sattva-guna prevails.