Achara Rasayana – Behavioral Therapy For Calm Mind And Long Life

Article by – Dr Renita D’Souza
For improving quality of life, it is very important to have a calm, composed and concentrated mind.  For good health, we can have lot of medicines, home remedies, diet etc. But to have a calm mind, more than remedies, disciplined training is more useful. Ayurveda explains this with a concept called Achara Rasayana. It is a unique Ayurvedic concept of mind rejuvenation. 

Gains

Benefits of rejuvenating behavioral therapy – Achar Rasayan: 

• Optimistic thinking
• Relieves mental stress and physical strain
• Improve patience and tolerance capacity
• Maintain better family and social relationships
• Personality development
• Acts as a catalyst for rejuvenating medicines

Read related – Right Method Of Rasayana Therapy – Dr CR Agnives

Word meaning

Achara – mental attitude
Rasayana – rejuvenating therapy
Achara Rasayana is mentioned in ancient Indian medical treatise – Charaka Samhitha in chapters explaining rejuvenation therapies.
Read related – Immunity In Ayurveda: Concept, Diet, Herbs, Medicines, Exercise

Rejuvenation therapy is given in 3 forms –

• Diet (aahara)
• Medicines (aushadha)
• Behavioral therapy (achara rasayana)

For better action of rejuvenating therapies one has to undergo prior purification of body and mind.
These mental attitudes followed in our daily routine will hasten the action of mind rejuvenating diet and medicines.
Read related – Brahma rasayana: Benefits, Dose, Usage, Side Effects

Classical reference

Practicing methods

Achara Rasayana  – Rejuvenating attitudes

• Sathya vadi –  Be truthful. Being truthful takes away lot of anxiety and makes us more courageous. Read related: How to avoid stress with truths
• Akrodha – free from anger. Read how to control anger
• Madya maithuna nivrutham – avoid  alcohol and maintain celibacy. Following Brahmacharya improves quality of mind and health, naturally.
• Aahimsa – avoid violence. Even mental violence – hating someone or wishing bad luck to someone may backfire on our health.

• Anaayasam – avoid exhaustion, excessive thinking, stress and worries
• Prashantha – calm, indulge in creative activities
• Priyavadhinam – talking with pleasing words
• Japa – following religious rites
• Shoucha param – maintain hygiene. Having a clean body begets clean mind. Read – Ayurvedic way of tooth brushing
• Dheeram – stable in thoughts and courageous and straight forward in actions. Courage – best anxiety medicine

• Daananithyam – indulge in works of charity regularly. Charity can be done in the form of service for a social cause. It need not involve money necessarily. Just helping a blind person to cross road can be counted.
• Thapasvinam – regular practice of penance. Meditation, self analysis of how our mind is engaging with all the things is very much required from time to time. It helps to prioritize our thoughts and concentrate on only important things.

• Deva go bramana acharya guravridharchane ratham – respect God, cow, Brahmans, teachers, preceptors and old people
• Nithya aanrshasyaparam – avoid barbaric behavior. Control the inner animal, win over the mind and you can conquer the world.
• Nithya karuna vedhinam – compassionate
• Sama jaagarana swapnam – maintain regular period of awakening and sleep
• Nithya ksheera ghritha ashinam – regular intake of milk and ghee

• Deshakalapramana jnanam – possess knowledge of things appropriate to place and time
• Yukthi jnanam – possess knowledge of rationality. At all times, we should have wisdom to judge what is good for us and what is bad.
• Anahakretham – free from ego. Having a higher imagination about ourselves makes us to
• Shastha achara – good conduct
• Asamkeernam – who are not narrow minded. Having a broad mind really helps to feel the pain of others and be helpful.

A person who was rich with all the gadgets and still unhappy consulted a Yogi for advice to find purpose of his life. The Yogi smilingly advised – “Go and do something helpful to just one person per day.”

• Aadhyathmam – love for spiritual knowledge
• Pravanedriyam – proper functioning of sense organs
• Upasitharam vridhanamaasthikanam – respect seniors and those believe in existence of God (aastikas)
• Jethaathmanam – have self control. Read Cry Alone, But Laugh In The Crowd
• Dharmashaastraparam vidyanaram – who regularly study scriptures. Sometimes we lose our focus chasing all our dreams and ambitions. During those times of busy confusions, reading our ancient scriptures, religious books and self help books brings back focus to our mind and purpose to our lives.

Read related – Sadvritta In Ayurveda – Code Of Conduct For Healthy Life
If  people of all walks of life possessing these qualities practice rejuvenation therapy, will be bestowed with all its effects.

Click to Consult Dr Renita D’Souza