Swastha - Established in the Self

 What is health?  For one thing, health is much more than the mere absence of disease.  In fact, it is the most dynamic state of your being, expressed as robust physical energy, mental clarity, joy, and a deep spiritual connection. Ayurveda's calls this state Swastha,  meaning established in the Self.  To be healthy, you must be firmly established in yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  Your doshas (vata, pitta, kapha) must be perfectly balanced, your appetite and digestion(agni) well balanced, your tissues well nourished and functioning properly, and all the different types of waste products and excretory functions must be at optimum.  But, that's not all.  Your mind, senses, even your identity must be firmly established in bliss! 

  Obviously, health is multi-dimensional.  It is also dynamic.  Dynamic means that to be and stay healthy we must seamlessly create a new equilibrium with our environment whenever it changes.  The environment has several components: physical (seasons, etc.), societal, mental, emotional, and spiritual.  Furthermore, these various environments are in constant flux. Being healthy, established in one's self, allows you to easily adapt to all the changes you face day-by-day and moment-to-moment.  Reciprocally, by adapting you stay healthy.  You could say that health allows one to "roll with the punches." 

  Most importantly, a true definition of health indicates the inseparable link between the microcosm and the macrocosm.  All the forces of nature that are "outside" are also within each individual.  Health is intimately interwoven with and inseparable from this greater universal intelligence.  Ayurveda's definition of health reflects and expresses the fundamental and underlying universal order governing all of life.

James L. Pace is an Ayurvedic practitioner, educator, and author. Involved in the practice of Ayurveda for over 20 years, he is a graduate of New Mexico's Ayurvedic Institute and its advanced program, in Pune, India. For the past seven years, he has trained in the SVA tradition under the personal guidance of its living custodian...the world-renowned Vaidya Rama Kant Mishra.

JMr. Pace offers the following health services at Yoga + Herbs:

• The Transdermal Marma System (TMS) for Health & Relief of Imbalances
• The Blissful Beauty Ayurvedic Marma Facelift for Inner, Outer, and Lasting Beauty
• Vibrational Cleansing Package (VCP balances the negative effects of EMFs)

Yoga Plus Herbs, Marlboro Plaza, Intersection of Rte 9 and Rte 520 in Marlboro, NJ 07726, 732-617-2020, http://www.yogaplusherbs.com/, info at yogaplusherbs dot com