Ayurveda recognizes eight primary branches of medicine that can be used to support an individual’s health. Rasayana is an important branch of Ayurveda that focuses on the rejuvenation of the Self.
Considered a type of therapy under the Ayurvedic method of healing, Rasayana is often prescribed to individuals who are looking to recover from physically and mentally taxing treatments or who are feeling run down and want to strengthen the mind-body system.
This term came about in the early creation of Ayurvedic practices and was meant to describe techniques and remedies for longevity and reinvigoration of the body and mind. In Sanskrit, the word translates as ‘path of the essence’ meaning to focus on one’s essence or essential Self.
‘Rasa’ is considered the vital fluid produced during digestion which helps regulate and nourish the rest of the mind and body. Rasayana, in turn, provides strength and support to this essential bodily function, empowering your immune system and vitality, and helping to minimize illness and disease so individuals may live a long and invigorated life.
Many things are considered as Rasayanas in Ayurveda, such as certain herbs and botanicals or rejuvenating therapies and activities. Rasayana is also a way of life and ethos to follow to maintain balanced doshas. It is believed that when an individual is rejuvenated and balanced, you can achieve an optimized state of vitality and longevity.
The Three Types of Rasayana
There are three primary types, or philosophies, of Rasayana. Each type focuses on the different aspects of an individual, fulfilling the sacred balance of the body, mind, and spirit.
Naimittika Rasayana – This type of Rasayana is dedicated to rebalancing the body and mind, targeting a particular disease or sickness. This may include the use of certain traditional Ayurvedic medicines formulated for specific illnesses so the individual can heal.
Ajasrika Rasayana – This type of Rasayana aims to maintain a high quality of health and lifestyle through a balancing quality and quantity of nourishing, nutritious food.
Kamya Rasyana – This type of Rasayana is intended to serve a particular purpose or fulfill a desire and is a primary part of a healthy daily routine that promotes vitality including healthy eyes, increased longevity, or better memory and cognition. This changes the activities and habits of the individual’s routine.
Allowance to Live Life to Its Fullest
Balance is a goal that is hard to achieve and always in flux, changing with the seasons and internal and external influences in your external environment and within your own mind and body. It can be difficult to maintain balance for an optimal state of being, but Ayurveda teaches that the destination is not as important as the journey.
In other words, while the whole and complete balance may be fleeting, it is the constant striving for balance and the ability to go with the ebb and flow of these shifting energies that make up our lives.
Rasayana is just one of the many practices that can help you achieve balance and return to a state of healthfulness and vigor. The adaptogenic herbs in Rasayanas facilitate healthy brain function, memory, and concentration which centers the mental and emotional aspects of your being.
Furthermore, the active ingredients commonly found in Rasayana supplements, such as Amla, are rich in nutrients and support physical digestion, allowing you to absorb more nutrients and heighten immunity.
Application of Rasayana in Daily Life
Rasayana is about more than just herbs that focus on internal physical balance. Ayurveda is a complete system of holistic care that considers every part of your life.
This means daily activities, social environment, and physical environment all play a role in your health. By striving to change your habits around external factors like these, rather than trying to change the factors themselves, which can often be difficult to control, you can help minimize negative effects on your physical and mental well-being.
Rasayana can play a significant role in everyday mindfulness. Known as the path to rejuvenation, it is a way of life.
Diet and Lifestyle
Rasayana foods are ingredients that stimulate the blood, support the healthy development of cells, and help strengthen the immune system. Herbs and tonics may be included in this dietary category as well. All ingredients should be pure and unadulterated with GMOs.
Lifestyle habits such as meditation, physical and mental exercise, and yoga can all be considered Rasayana activities. The activities – or lack thereof -- that we participate in affect the balance of our doshas and shift the balance of our physical, mental, and spiritual Selves.
The goal of Rasayana is to go through your day mindfully, without strain or stress, and without causing strife. The better you can align your daily habits to reflect this, the less stress, and more vitality you invite into your life.
Supplements and Nutrients
Various adaptogenic supplements are considered Rasayanas within the Ayurvedic system of health. Amla is one such herbal, but there are many Rasayana blends that incorporate multiple fresh and pure ingredients.
Many of these active supplements also support a rejuvenating lifestyle because they help your body absorb the nutrients that you take in through food. The digestive system is essential to life. With healthy digestion and absorption of nutrients comes revitalized and invigorated feelings of health and vitality.
Revitalizing Life Through Rasayana
There are many ways you can revitalize your everyday life through Rasayana practices in your daily routine. These Rasayana therapies are geared toward enriching and balancing everyday life. Below are several ways you can incorporate mindful practices into your routine:
Restorative Yoga
Yoga is closely tied to Ayurveda and certain types of restorative yoga, for example, are known as Rasayana practices that help invigorate and enrich both the physical and mental aspects of your body. Yoga can support relaxation, allowing you to sleep deeper at night, just as it can invigorate the body and help you wake up in the morning.
Mindful Meditation
Meditation is one of the most important practices in Ayurveda. It can help you balance all the doshas and become mentally calm, alert, and mindful of your environment. Meditation is effective at minimizing stress and allowing you to focus and be present in all of your routines. This is a practice that sets you up for success at the start of every day and helps you practice mindfulness as an easy-going and calm way of life that is true to the principles of Rasayana.
Abhyanga Self-Massage
Abhyanga is a form of self-massage performed with dosha-specific soothing oils. By practicing Abhyanga as a part of your sleep routine, you can lull your body into a sense of calm and relaxation that promotes deep and restful sleep. Alternatively, you can help the body wake up and become invigorated for the day with energizing oils in the morning.
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Rejuvenating Sleep
Sleep is how the body restores and repairs itself, both mentally and physically. By getting a good night’s sleep, you’ll notice you feel rejuvenated and refreshed when you wake up in the morning. Rasayana can help you achieve restful, deep sleep.
Sleep also helps balance the three doshas, aiding in muscle recovery and managing anxiety. Rasayana practices such as mindful meditation along with nourishing recipes like warm golden milk can also be terrific aid for insomnia.
Minimal Stress
By managing the amount of stress you encounter on a regular basis, you can help minimize the amount of oxidative damage to cells as they regenerate. Modern science teaches us oxidative damage is one of the primary reasons for cell mutation and signs of aging.
Since stress is the primary cause of oxidative damage, it makes sense that by reducing stress, you can minimize the impact it has on the body’s organs and the aging process. Practicing Rasayana therapies in your daily routine provides you with another tool to deal with stress.
The Perfect Rasayana Complex
At Kerala Ayurveda, our Rasayana blend incorporates fresh, non-GMO, and organic ingredients, all following the ancient Vedic recipe from the Kerala region of India.
This formula has been used for millennia to combat the harmful effects of aging and help facilitate vitality and longevity.
With Amla, Indian Tinospora, and Tribulus, our Rasayana complex is a perfect choice for individuals looking for tridoshic balance that helps manage and balance mood and other manifestations of stress.
The synergy of ingredienst blends perfectly to create a supportive formula for brain health, mind-body rejuvenation, and the fortification of the immune system.
Tridoshic Benefits of Rasayana
By supplementing your Ayurvedic regimen with Rasayana herbals or incorporating Rasayana practices into your daily routine, you work towards revitalizing your health and supporting lasting vigor. Each of these practices incorporates Tridoshic benefits, balancing Pitta, Kapha, and Vata together according to your Ayurvedic constitution, or Prakriti.
Rasayana’s anti-aging support naturally boosts the immune system and balances the doshas to their ideal levels within your body. The type of Rasayana therapy or botanical taken, as well as the different methods and quantities of Rasayana incorporated into your routine all affect the balance of an individual’s mind-body constitution.
It is recommended to always take Rasayana supplements or incorporate Rasayana activities into your routine under the guidance of a Vaidya, or Ayurvedic doctor.
Healthy Aging and Vitality Starts with Rasayana
Detoxifying the body from harmful elements and naturally boosting mood and digestion are just some of the ways Rasayana supports vitality and longevity. Each small step towards health strengthens your defenses against imbalances and gives you better insight into what constitutes a healthy lifestyle.
At Kerala Ayurveda, we are not only among the first seed-to-shelf Ayurveda institutions that provide traditional and pure herbals to the modern world, but we also help you learn more about traditional Ayurvedic practices and different influences on your health, from stress to sleep, and everything in between.
It all starts with learning about the principles and effects of Rasayana, one of the eight primary branches of Ayurvedic healing. You are one step forward on your journey to rejuvenation.
