by Om Swami
All processed foods and fast foods are highly acidic.
All breads and pastas made from white flour are acidic and rajasic.
All forms of poultry, meat and alcohol are highly acidic and tamasic.
All bottled or canned sauces and carbonated drinks are highly acidic.
Most wholesome foods are either sattvic or alkali-forming. Organic foods are far better than non-organic foods.
Chlorinated water is acidic.
A healthy diet has at least eighty per cent alkaline foods.
From the Ayurvedic perspective, the more sattvic food you eat, the healthier your diet.
Eat as much as you can from the left side of this chart. The foods on the left of the chart are more nourishing than those in the middle and on the right.
Appendix 2
The Five Sheaths
The five elements in our bodies directly affect the state of the five sheaths and vice versa. The five sheaths represent various anatomical, physiological, psychical, intellectual and transcendental elements and processes that influence every aspect of our existence. From the union of an egg with a sperm till one’s last breath, there is a reciprocal relationship between these sheaths and our thoughts, emotions and actions. How we conduct our lives affects the sheaths and these sheaths, in turn, dictate our emotional and physical health. They are the five aspects of your whole being. See the table below:
The Five Sheaths and Elements
Element
Sheath
Sanskrit Term
Earth
Anatomical
Annamaya kosha
Water
Physiological
Pranamaya kosha
Fire
Psychical
Manomaya kosha
Air
Intellectual
Vijnanamaya kosha
Ether
Transcendental
Anandamaya kosha
The first sheath is dominated by the earth element and is called the anatomical sheath. The Sanskrit term is annamaya kosha. Anna means food; kosha means sheath. Your physical body is the sum total of materials formed by consuming food. From the formation of an embryo to surviving in the outside world, your body is a direct result of what you eat.
Weakness in the anatomical sheath creates diseases linked to the earth element. These could be as simple as acne and muscle aches, to more complicated benign lumps in the body requiring surgical removal. The food you eat has a direct and noticeable effect on your body. That being said, without the biological processes, there is no functioning; we are as good as dead. And this leads to the second sheath.
Even more important than the anatomical sheath, the second sheath has a direct impact on your physical health. It is called the physiological sheath (pranamaya kosha). Prana means the vital life force. It also means energy. There are five primary energies in your body. These are known as the five pranas (see Appendix 4). They are constantly flowing. If they cease to flow, there will be no breathing, digestion, excretions, secretions or speech.
The body ceases to function in the absence of these vital energies. A dead body, even though anatomically complete, can only rot. The vital energies keep the body alive. The five primary energies and the five secondary ones comprising the physiological sheath are covered in more detail in the following pages (Appendix 4). Deficiencies in the physiological sheath causes diseases related to the water element. They could range from excess urination to blood cancer.
The third sheath is the psychical sheath (manomaya kosha). A body may have an energy flow, it may be living, but without its psychic faculties it will be a vegetable. The literal meaning of manomaya is ‘made up of mind’. By psychic faculties, I don’t mean anything mystical or abstract but simply our mental processes. The psychical sheath can’t exist on its own, because a brain can only function if it is receiving oxygen. Therefore, the health and quality of the physiological sheath have a direct bearing on your mental health. The psychical sheath governs the fire element. Any holes in this sheath can result in anything from indigestion to stupor to malignant tumours in the physical body.
Every living creature, certainly any animate one, has three sheaths. From ants to an elephant, all animals have these three sheaths. But we have a special utility of the elements of air and ether that gives us two additional sheaths.
We are much more evolved than animals because of these two additional sheaths. The fourth is the intellectual sheath (vijnanamaya kosha). When our consciousness connects with the three sheaths, it gives birth to discriminating faculties of the mind. Our minds are able to discriminate between right and wrong. We can create information. We can hypothesize. We can assess and reach intellectual conclusions. We can perceive future threats; we can meditate and contemplate. This – the functioning of the intellectual sheath – is what makes us human.
With the help of this sheath, we can dream of a future and put our intelligence to use. It gives us the capacity for rational thought and inference. All living beings have intelligence, but only humans have intellect. The fourth sheath is linked to the air element. All mental disorders, from clinical depression to schizophrenia, are connected to this sheath and its corresponding element.
The first four sheaths – while they create us and affect us – are merely a covering on the one that really matters. These four sheaths make us forget our true selves – our intrinsic natures. Caught and torn between their biological, mental and emotional needs, most people spend their whole lives in a state of disequilibrium. Most of our fellow humans grow up, get a degree, get a job, get married, have kids, look after them, keep working, retire, get old and die. The beautiful life we are meant to celebrate is often wasted in meaningless pursuits, unfulfilled expectations, grudges, complaints, negativity and the rest. These pursuits are not wrong; our emotions are natural. But the truth is that they cover the real you. The first four sheaths don’t define who you really are.
There is more to you. The fifth sheath is called the transcendental sheath (anandamaya kosha). Its literal meaning is a sheath of bliss. Your true nature transcends the shackles of the body, the flow of energies, the limitations of the mind and the conditioning of intellect: you are beyond these. You are an ocean of bliss. Sometimes, when you get glimpses of your true nature, you feel euphoric and infinite. This fifth transcendental sheath is beyond debilitation, diseases and disorders. It is a state of pure bliss.
The five great elements and the five sheaths segregate our existence into three parts. This is not gross division but a yogic framework to better utilize human potential. These three parts are called the three bodies. We have a gross body, a subtle body and a causal body. This is detailed in Appendix 3.
Appendix 3
The Three Bodies
On the surface, it may appear that you have a physical body, and its health is directly dependent on how you keep it and what you feed it. While this is not untrue, it is not the complete truth; it is not even half the truth. Just like a tiny cellphone allows us to make and receive calls, the structure of the cellphone alone does not give us the full picture. There is an electrical charge in it and a SIM card. It is communicating with the cellphone tower, which in turn communicates through a satellite. Think of your physical body as the cellphone. The software in it is your subtle body, and the electrical charge is the causal body. All three are needed for any communication to occur, and it’s practically of no use if we can’t make or take calls. Even with the three present, there needs to be a communication tower, a satellite – some infrastructure. Similarly, th
e three bodies are constantly impacted by the environment around us. Let me elucidate the three bodies.
Physical Body
Yogic texts call it sthula sharira. Sthula means gross, carnal or physical and sharira means body. It is also called karya sharira. Karya means duty or action. We perform all actions through this body. Your anatomical body is your physical body, and it is made up of the five elements and the seven tissues (covered later in this appendix). It includes your cognitive, conative and vital organs. It is through the physical body alone that you can perform any physical action. It is your field of karma. This is the first sheath. You eat and process food through your physical body. This body is perishable, though. Its only truth is death – it is ever deteriorating. Everyone is getting older.
Modern medical science treats the physical body as the cause and the consequence. Ayurveda and yogic texts approach it very differently. Any disease appearing in your physical body is generally not the cause but merely a symptom of an underlying problem. The problem has got out of hand and has expressed itself in your physical body, generally in the form of a disorder. Such disorders could range from simple allergies to terminal diseases; they could be anything from indigestion to chronic diabetes. The physical body in itself is not the originator – it is merely the messenger. Doubtless, there are some things you simply can’t change about your body but the rest of it, which is most of it – health and well-being included – remains entirely in your hands.
SUBTLE BODY
Your subtle body comprises three of the five sheaths. They are physiological, psychical and intellectual sheaths. It is called sukshma sharira or the linga sharira. Sukshma means subtle. In various sutras and Vedic philosophical treatises, there is an important and revealing definition of the word linga. It means the invisible mark that proves the existence of something; a mark that is inherent evidence. For thousands of years, Shivalingam has been worshipped in India. Shivalingam is an elongated cylindrical structure, rounded at the top, on an elliptical base. It is carved out of one stone. The top represents the masculine principle; it corresponds to the seed of creation. It is also called Purusha, the Supreme Man.
The word Purusha also means the One who has entered into the city of nine gates. This body is called a pura (city) of nine gates. The nine gates are the nine orifices of the human body (ten in the case of a female). The base of the Shivalingam represents the feminine principle; it means sustenance. It is also called Prakriti. Prakriti means Mother Nature, but it also means your constitution. Your constitution is the basis of Ayurveda. Shiva is the destroyer in the Vedic pantheon. This exemplifies the fundamental truth that seeds of destruction are present in the very creation – and sustenance – of every physical element. Creation, sustenance and destruction are simply three indivisible facets of existence.
And creation, sustenance and destruction are the three constant aspects of your bodily existence. To maintain the best health, your body undergoes degeneration and regeneration at the cellular level. For example, red blood cells meet their destruction every one hundred and twenty days and the bone marrow produces new blood cells. The development of spermatozoa takes seventy-one days, and they are destroyed within five days of ejaculation. Ova, the female reproductive cells, are only available for thirty-six hours. Every secretion in our bodies – everything about us, even the tiniest facet of our existence – has its own life cycle. Nature knows this.
Your subtle body is the one that sustains the flow of various energies: your consciousness and your intellect. It governs the physiology of the physical body. In its absence, the physical body is dead, and the only possibilities for a dead body are decomposition and disintegration. The subtle body is invisible, but it has a direct influence on your physical and mental well-being. If you take care of the subtle body, your physical health improves automatically and even dramatically. When the subtle body is healthy, any food you consume is properly processed by the body; the food nourishes you.
CAUSAL BODY
The causal body is called karana sharira in Sanskrit. It is the cause on which the other two bodies rest. The causal body relates to your true and original nature of peace and bliss. Vedic texts state that your atman (soul) is above the three bodies, and that the causal body refers to your original state of bliss. To keep things simple, however, think of the causal body as your soul. When a person dies, he is unable to respond to any stimulation. Why? Because the causal body (the soul) has gone, and therefore the subtle body cannot operate either. Hence the physical body is already dead.
When you nourish and nurture your physical and subtle bodies, you feel more and more connected with your soul. The more you work on self-purification, the more bliss you enjoy in life.
Appendix 4
The Ten Energies
The ten energies control all voluntary and involuntary physical actions, reactions and habits. The energies, in turn, can be controlled by asana siddhi – mastery of the yogic posture, regulation of the breath and concentrative meditation. The Sanskrit term is vayu. It means fluid, subtle energy. It is a term frequently used to mean wind as well. The ten vital energies are divided into five primary and five secondary energies. Their functions are as follows.
PRIMARY ENERGIES
Prana vayu or vital life energy: This energy is the basis of your life. It is the vital life force in your breath, the subtle element in oxygen. It is almost like fuel for your body. It has a direct impact on your state of mind, your emotions, moods and disposition.
Apana vayu or descending energy: Urine, seminal fluids and defecation are controlled by the descending energy. It predominantly lives below your stomach. Mastery over this vayu can give you control over urination, bowel movements and ejaculation.
Udana vayu or ascending energy: This energy lives in your throat and is responsible for producing the voice. Thyroid glands can be controlled by the manipulation of ascending energy. Thyroid glands directly affect the production of hormones.
Samana vayu or thermal energy: This energy resides in your stomach. It is responsible for the movement of food and digestion. Control of this energy can help you change your body heat at will. Channelled thermal energy will give you an exceptionally well-functioning colon and metabolism.
Vyana vayu or diffusive energy: This energy circulates through your whole body. It causes the blood to transport oxygen to all parts of the body. Manipulation of this energy can help you stay in one posture for as long as you want.
SECONDARY ENERGIES
Naga: It controls belching, burping and all upwards wind movement from your stomach.
Kurma: It controls sneezing and all abnormal wind movement in the sinuses.
Krikara: It controls the blinking of the eyes.
Devadatta: Yawning can be completely controlled by manipulation of this vayu.
Dhananjaya: Twitching in any part of the body is affected by this energy.
There are many yogic practices aimed at stilling the ten energies. Stillness of the ten energies infuses extraordinary calmness and willpower in the practitioner.
Further Reading
If you are interested in knowing more about Ayurveda and yoga, I recommend you read the following classical texts. Many learned ones have translated them and I don’t have any personal favourites per se, so pick any translation you like. I read most of these texts nearly two decades ago but I am naming these here because they are the basis of my theoretical exposition in this book:
Sharangdhara Samhita
Sushurta Samhita
Charaka Samhita
Bhavprakash Nighantu
Harita Samhita
Kashyapa Samhita
Ashtanga Samgraha
Ashtanga Hridayam
Shiva Samhita
Gheranda Samhita
Hatha Yoga Pradipika
Rasa Tattva Chintamani (no English translation ava
ilable, I believe)
Rasaratna Samuchchaya (no English translation available, I believe)
Other than the classical texts cited above, I came across some wonderful writings in the past few years. Parts of this book have been influenced by the thoughts of these scholars. You too will gain much from reading the following:
Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by B.K.S. Iyengar
Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom by B.K.S. Iyengar
Prakriti: Your Ayurvedic Constitution by Robert E. Svoboda
A translation of Charaka Samhita by Gabriel van Loon
The Acid Alkaline Food Guide by Dr Susan Brown and Larry Triveri Jr
The Enzyme Factor by Hiromi Shinya
With some research, you should be able to get your hands on almost all of these.
Also by Om Swami
If Truth Be Told – A Monk’s Memoir
A HarperCollins imprint
Go to omswami.com for more.
