Battling mood swings?

Battling mood swings? Ayurveda can restore your emotional balance

A dialogue between Scimmione the curious monkey and Dr. Poonam, an expert Ayurvedic physician

🦍: (swinging dramatically from a ceiling fan) Dr. Poonam! One minute I'm swinging happily, the next I'm throwing bananas at my reflection! What's happening to meeeee?

👩🏽⚕️: (calmly observing) I see your doshas are quite imbalanced today, Scimmione. These emotional fluctuations are precisely what we address in Ayurveda through the concept of manas prakriti – your mental constitution.

🦍: (scratching head) Ma-what now? I thought we covered doshas last time, but my brain feels like mashed bananas trying to remember.

👩🏽⚕️: In our traditional Ayurvedic understanding, emotional balance is not separate from physical health. Your mind – manas – has its own constitutional nature, just as your body does. When we examine mood swings, we look deeper than modern psychology might.

🦍: (suddenly interested, leaping down) Deeper how? Can you see my feelings with one of those fancy stethoscopes?

👩🏽⚕️: (smiling) No stethoscope needed. In the ancient texts like Charaka Samhita, written over 2,000 years ago, we recognize three primary mental constitutions: Sattvic (balanced), Rajasic (active), and Tamasic (inert). Your rapid swings suggest a predominance of rajas – excessive activity in the mind.

🦍: (pacing nervously) So I'm too... rajasicky? Is that why I feel like my emotions are doing the tango without me?

👩🏽⚕️: Precisely. Rajas creates restlessness, anxiety, and mood fluctuations. This excess is often aggravated by certain lifestyle practices that you might not associate with emotional health.

🦍: (stops suddenly) Wait, are you saying my habit of eating spicy banana chips at midnight while watching monkey wrestling affects my mood?

👩🏽⚕️: (nodding sagely) Indeed. According to Ayurvedic principles found in Ashtanga Hridayam, another classical text, food is not just nourishment for the body but for the mind as well. Certain foods are considered rajasic – like those spicy snacks, caffeine, and fermented foods – and they increase mental agitation.

🦍: (looking guilty) So my diet is making me bananas? What about my sleeping habits?

👩🏽⚕️: Sleep is fundamental to emotional balance. Our ancient texts describe ratricharya – night regimen – which emphasizes sleeping during the kapha time of night (6 PM to 10 PM) and rising during vata time (2 AM to 6 AM). Your habit of staying up late disrupts this natural rhythm.

🦍: (yawning) That's when all the good jungle shows are on! But... I do notice I'm crankier after late nights.

👩🏽⚕️: Beyond food and sleep, Ayurveda offers specific herbs that specifically target emotional balance. These are not merely sedatives but work to harmonize the interconnection between mind and body.

🦍: (excited) Ooh! Magic jungle plants? Do tell!

👩🏽⚕️: Not magic, but rather the result of thousands of years of observation and documentation. Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) has been used for centuries to calm an agitated mind while enhancing cognitive function. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) helps regulate cortisol – what you might call the stress hormone. Jatamansi (Nardostachys jatamansi) is particularly effective for emotional instability.

🦍: (trying to pronounce) Jata-what-si? How do these actually work? My cousin Bobo tried some wellness supplements and just got expensive pee.

👩🏽⚕️: (chuckling) Unlike many modern approaches, these herbs are understood through the lens of rasa (taste), virya (energy), and vipaka (post-digestive effect). For instance, Brahmi has a bitter rasa, which naturally calms both pitta and kapha doshas that might be contributing to your emotional imbalance. You can also drink calming teas. You can find a very good selection at Sattva Best of India: 

3 Infusions Combo - Building immunity, effective digestive stimulator and increases body metabolism.

Aarogya Tea - Effective digestive stimulator and increases body metabolism, thanks among other components, to Ginger, Black Pepper and Pippali.

🦍: (scratching chin thoughtfully) So it's not just "take this pill and call me in the morning"?

👩🏽⚕️: Precisely. In authentic Ayurvedic treatment, we would create a comprehensive protocol called satvavajaya chikitsa – literally "mind-strengthening therapy." This might include specific pranayama breathing techniques like anulom vilom (alternate nostril breathing) which has been shown to balance the hemispheres of the brain.

🦍: (attempts alternate nostril breathing but accidentally pokes nose) Ouch! This is harder than it looks!

👩🏽⚕️: (demonstrating correctly) With practice, it becomes natural. We would also incorporate daily self-massage with specific oils like brahmi-infused sesame oil at the crown of your head – where there's a vital energy point called adhipati marma.

🦍: (massaging head) My grandmother used to oil my fur! I thought she was just making me slippery so I couldn't steal mangoes!

👩🏽⚕️: (smiling) Your grandmother knew traditional wisdom. Another crucial aspect is dinacharya – daily routine. Emotional balance requires regularity. The classical texts emphasize activities like rising before sunrise, eliminating waste, tongue scraping, and oil pulling – all before the day begins.

🦍: (overwhelmed) That's a lot to do before my first banana!

👩🏽⚕️: Start small. Perhaps incorporate one practice, like abhyanga (self-massage), before adding others. Within a few weeks, you'll notice subtle changes in your emotional reactivity.

🦍: (thoughtfully) You know, my uncle got really into meditation, but he just sits there with his eyes closed while we throw fruit at him.

👩🏽⚕️: Meditation is indeed central to satvavajaya chikitsa. But Ayurveda offers various forms suited to different constitutions. For someone with your active rajasic nature, walking meditation might be more effective than sitting still.

🦍: (jumping up) You mean I can meditate WHILE swinging through trees?

👩🏽⚕️: (laughing) Perhaps not quite so vigorously, but mindful movement yes. The ancient practice of chankramana – walking meditation – would be perfect for you. The key is presence and awareness, not stillness.

🦍: (calmer now) This all makes sense... it's like tuning an instrument instead of just turning the volume down.

👩🏽⚕️: A beautiful analogy. Remember that Ayurveda sees emotions as messengers, not enemies. Even difficult emotions serve a purpose in the grand orchestra of your being.

🦍: (thoughtfully) So when I feel like throwing bananas at my reflection...?

👩🏽⚕️: Ask what the emotion is trying to tell you, while using these practices to maintain enough balance to hear the message clearly.

🦍: (bowing respectfully) Thank you, Dr. Poonam. I think I'll start with the brahmi and that nostril breathing thing... once my nose stops hurting.

👩🏽⚕️: (returning the bow) The journey to emotional balance is itself a balancing act, dear Scimmione. Take it one breath – and one banana – at a time.