Top Seven Ayurvedic Behavioral Rasayanas

Behavioral (Achara) rasayanas are behaviours that enhance health, happiness and longevity. Achara rasayanas do more than just tell us how to behave.

They provide practical methods – such as eating sattvic foods and practising meditation -to effortlessly improve our ability to choose positive behaviours and avoid making mistakes that cause ill health and unhappiness.

1. Speak the sweet truth.

There is a saying from the Vedic literature that goes, satyam bruyat, priyam bruyat, which means, “Speak the sweet truth.” Speaking truth creates ojas in the body, the biochemical correlate of bliss and health. Speaking lies, on the other hand, creates ama, or impurities.

But at the same time, you should find a pleasant way to convey a truthful message. For example, suppose your child has not washed his face properly. It would be true to say, “Your face is dirty,” but that could offend your child. Instead, you could say, “Your face looks good, but if you were to wash it with lots of water and cleanser, it would look even better.” If you say something encouraging first, a suggestion for improvement that comes later will be less likely to be taken in the wrong spirit. It’s important to find a way, to tell the truth without hurting anyone.

2. Stay free of anger.

Anger is within everyone in seed form. Like fire with a small flame, if you put oil on it, it can flare up. By practising unconditional forgiveness, you can prevent the seed of anger from becoming an uncontrollable wildfire.

In practising forgiveness, it’s important to also forgive yourself, or that anger will reflect to others. Sometimes people enjoy being angry, and they think it’s their birthright to be angry all the time. But they should be aware that anger not only creates ama and amavisha – flooding the body with harmful hormones – but it also burns ojas. If you forgive yourself and other people, anger can be prevented.

In the Mahabharata, the great Vedic epic that contains the Bhagavad Gita, there is a story of five noble brothers who are in exile. At one point they try to draw water from a stream, only to find that a divine spirit wants them to answer a number of questions first. One of those questions is “What is more powerful than fire itself?” None of the brothers can answer the questions except Dharma, the eldest, who immediately answers, “Anger is more powerful than fire. Anger can destroy the world.” That’s why it’s important to prevent the seed of anger from flaring up.

3. Be respectful to teachers and elders.

Teachers and elders can teach us invaluable lessons by sharing their wisdom and experience.

It’s easy to read a book to gain knowledge, but it’s often very difficult to apply that knowledge in daily life. An elder or teacher can tell you how they tried to practice unconditional forgiveness, for instance, and what were the results. Only wise elders can share such valuable life experiences. They are the best guides. And it is when one respects teachers and elders that they will offer their advice freely.

4. Gain Vedic knowledge.

The Vedas contain pure knowledge – the knowledge of how to enliven pure consciousness and live an enlightened daily life. They reveal the reality of life and give us the guideposts along the path to enlightenment.

Listening to Vedic chanting, such as the Sama Veda, helps enhance coordination between heart and mind, senses and mind, and aligns our awareness with the laws of nature, so we can live a mistake-free life.

Reading about practical ways to apply Vedic knowledge in Maharishi Ayurveda newsletters and books such as A Woman’s Best Medicine for Menopause by Nancy Lonsdorf, M.D., and The Answer to Cancer by Hari Sharma, M.D. helps us to make positive choices for our health and happiness.

5. Practice meditation and stay balanced in sleep and wakefulness.

By practising the Transcendental Meditation® technique twice a day, you open your mind to pure consciousness, releasing stress and strengthening the intellect to allow you to make healthy choices in life. You’ll find yourself naturally growing in positive behaviours without strain or effort.

Along with the practice of meditation, it’s important to follow the ayurvedic routine of rising before 6:00 a.m. and sleeping before 10:00 at night. This allows your body and mind to become attuned with nature’s rhythms, creating maximum clarity and alertness during the day and deep rest at night. It is when people are tired and stressed that many behavioural problems begin. All of the facets of the ayurvedic routine (massage, exercise, yoga, eating the main meal at noon and eating lightly at night) help to promote positive behaviour.

6. Eat sattvic foods such as milk, ghee, yoghurt, lassi, dates, mango, walnuts and almonds.

All of these foods are sattvic, meaning they are pure and convert easily to ojas. They are medhya, supporting the physical brain, and enhancing the coordination of mental functions, such as dhi, dhriti and smriti (learning, retention and recall).

When the mind remains strong, it is able to effortlessly command the senses, like a skilled charioteer who can guide wild horses without force. The mind that rules the senses, rather than the other way around, makes positive choices and engages in positive behaviours.

Tamasic foods are the opposite of sattvic – they break down the coordination between mind and body and inhibit the experience of pure consciousness. They create darkness rather than light. Tamasic foods include alcohol, garlic, onions, red meat, leftovers, and packaged foods, which have little life force. Anyone who wishes to practice Achara Rasayana should avoid them.

7. Keep the company of the wise.

Even if you are committed to eating sattvic foods, meditating daily and practising Achara Rasayana, it can become difficult if, due to social pressures, you find yourself drinking alcoholic beverages or eating tamasic foods.

This is why it’s important to stay in the company of the wise, to choose like-minded, sattvic friends who will support your desire to follow Achara Rasayana.

DISCLAIMER: The information in this document is presented for the sole purpose of imparting education on Maharishi AyurVeda and neither the information nor the products are intended to diagnose, treat, mitigate, cure or prevent any disease. If you have a medical condition or are pregnant or lactating, please consult a health professional and it is recommended that you speak with your physician before making significant changes to your diet or routine.