Mention the senses to those trained in Ayurveda and they may recall the fact that misuse of the senses (prajnaparada) is one of the main causes of disease. Misuse includes overuse as well as underuse or improper use ( meaningful in a society that promotes constant and immediate sense gratification). Mention of the senses to a yogi evokes Krishna’s words in the Bhagavad Gita likening them to five wild horses, or pratyahara, the withdrawal of the senses in the fifth limb of the Ashtanga Yoga path outlined in Patanjali’s Sutras.
We generally seek pleasurable experiences through our senses and attempt to avoid painful and unpleasant experiences. However, all sensory experiences are transient. What we truly seek is the eternal – therefore we are never completed ‘filled’ by even the most beautiful sensory enjoyments. Without developing viveka and vairagya (discrimination and dispassion), the fundamental qualifications of a seeker on the yogic path, we continuously attempt to gratify our innate sense of longing for the Divine through the senses; this can lead us into over-attachment and addictive habits.
Viveka helps us understand the solution does not lie in the satiation of the senses – they will not fill or free us. Vairagya allows us to detach from that which leads to bondage.
Yogis practice fasting, silence and stillness in solitude as the ultimate cure for attachment. Ayurvedic five sense therapies (including but not limited to aromatherapy, diet and herbs, color, massage and sound therapy) can be used for healing and to cultivate a balanced and healthy relationship with our senses. A spiritual and sensible (sense-able) approach to recovery acknowledges the roots of our addictions to be no less than the normal pitfalls of our human condition, teaching us to harmonize our sensory intake of the world, understand the mechanics of our mind and eventually, as we progress on our path, become ready to withdraw from our senses in an effort to contact the true Self that is independent and transcends environmental influences.
Ayurveda helps us to pay attention to how we ‘act out’ in the world through the senses, seeking and experimenting with new sensory experiences, hoping these will fulfill us. When we choose sattvic, peaceful, use of the senses, it helps us see our inner light and joy rather than to overindulge or withdrawal into addicted, unhealthy, destructive ways that are either rajasic (overactive) or tamasic (dull and dark). The difference is the direction, Sattva takes us toward health and enlightenment, tamas to disease, where we numb out, check out, escape. A simple solution is pacification with sattvic, sweet therapies for all five senses. Experiencing sense therapies can be a revelation to people who have never been guided on the balanced use of their senses as a means for developing a healthy relationship with all of the senses.
Sense-able Recovery
| Element | Earth | Water | Fire | Air | Ether |
| Sense | smell | taste | sight | touch | Hearing |
| Sense Organ | nose | tongue | eyes | skin | Ears |
| Motor Organ | anus | genitals | feet | hands | Vocal cords |
| Damaged By | Snorting/sniffing drugs, smoking | Eating disorders, over-consumption of alcohol, smoking, sexual addictions | Pornography, violence, alcohol, drugs | Physical violence, cutting/self-harm | Verbal abuse, noise |
| Therapies | Sweet, flower essential oils | Sattvic sweet food | Flowers, nature | Healing touch, massage | Music, chanting, mantra, meditiation, silence |
| Bhakti Practices | Incense | Prasad | Flame | Hands offering | Chanting of mantras |
Durga Leela Cathy O’Neill teaches Yoga of Recovery, an integration of Yoga, Ayurveda and 12-step philosophy and methodology. She will be teaching at the Sivananda Center in Marina del Rey, May 1 – 2: yogaofrecovery.com.
By Durga Leela Cathy O’Neill
Durga Leela developed an integrative approach to 12-step, Yoga and Ayurveda through Yoga of Recovery: yogaofrecovery.com. She leads retreats and works with people individually worldwide.