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By Selina Van Orden
The Heart of the Matter
The Sanskrit word for heart is hrdaya, but it has other meanings: the organ that sits a little left-of-centre in our chest, our essence or core, as well as being the location of the mind in the body. The heart, in Ayurveda, is seen to be at the beating centre of our experience.
We all know the saying “I mean it, from the bottom of my heart”, and the song “don’t go breaking my heart”. Even in our rationalist world, this part of the body crosses the terrain between anatomy, emotion and poetic symbolism.
The Buddha talked about the heart being where we store emotion, memories and mind-images. At death, it is said that the heart reveals images of your life flashing before your eyes. Like a picture book of attachment and experience that can make it hard to leave, and could be a reason we keep coming back.
In Ancient Egypt, they had the concept of Ma’at, a moral code that Egyptians were to follow. In order that their heart was kept light, they were asked to act ‘with truth’ with their family, friends, community, society, nation and gods. At the time of death, their heart would be weighed against the ‘feather of Ma’at’ and only if it was lighter than this feather would they make it to the after-life.
In Ayurveda, prana is a person’s life force and vitality, without it, a person is dead. Prana’s seat is in the heart. The heart also houses ojas, another form of life energy that comes in nectar-like drops and allows a person to have lustre in their skin and a twinkle in their eye. These vital forces need to be propagated and nurtured by a life lived consciously.
The heart is our physical core of integrity. There is no hiding our actions, pleasures and disgusts from this all-seeing centre. And this was well documented in ancient cultures.
In Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, the heart, lungs and chest are said to hold fear, grief and doubt, they also house the experience of absolute peace and love. These opposing states cannot abide in the same place at the same time.
The heart pumps blood around the body the blood keeping us stocked with what we need, allowing us to get rid of what we don’t need. Sometimes our mind gets in the way and we can hold on too tight to some things while pushing away other things with absolute aversion. This could be part of the pathology of heart disease. Ayurveda doesn’t rank physical symptoms as more important than emotional ones, it sees them as inseparable.
Cardiovascular disease is now one of the biggest killers in the UK. And there is no link being made in Modern Western Medicine between what a person has had to bear throughout their life; what negative emotions we have to house in this part of the body and the pathological effect that might be having on us.
So what can we do to look after our hearts and minds? We are now in a time where we can access ancient wisdom and knowledge, so let’s learn from our ancestors and elders. Take up practices that alleviate the heart such as meditation. Know that you can let go of all that has been: alleviate the remnants of shame, remorse, doubt and confusion that lodge themselves in our chest. Find a way through these feelings, to the other side: to the place of utter stillness. You might eventually find that the brightest light and most comfortable resting place in your being is in a heart. This takes some effort and support, but might well be the most important journey of our life.
The Heart of the Matter
The Sanskrit word for heart is hrdaya, but it has other meanings: the organ that sits a little left-of-centre in our chest, our essence or core, as well as being the location of the mind in the body. The heart, in Ayurveda, is seen to be at the beating centre of our experience.
We all know the saying “I mean it, from the bottom of my heart”, and the song “don’t go breaking my heart”. Even in our rationalist world, this part of the body crosses the terrain between anatomy, emotion and poetic symbolism.
The Buddha talked about the heart being where we store emotion, memories and mind-images. At death, it is said that the heart reveals images of your life flashing before your eyes. Like a picture book of attachment and experience that can make it hard to leave, and could be a reason we keep coming back.
In Ancient Egypt, they had the concept of Ma’at, a moral code that Egyptians were to follow. In order that their heart was kept light, they were asked to act ‘with truth’ with their family, friends, community, society, nation and gods. At the time of death, their heart would be weighed against the ‘feather of Ma’at’ and only if it was lighter than this feather would they make it to the after-life.
In Ayurveda, prana is a person’s life force and vitality, without it, a person is dead. Prana’s seat is in the heart. The heart also houses ojas, another form of life energy that comes in nectar-like drops and allows a person to have lustre in their skin and a twinkle in their eye. These vital forces need to be propagated and nurtured by a life lived consciously.
The heart is our physical core of integrity. There is no hiding our actions, pleasures and disgusts from this all-seeing centre. And this was well documented in ancient cultures.
In Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, the heart, lungs and chest are said to hold fear, grief and doubt, they also house the experience of absolute peace and love. These opposing states cannot abide in the same place at the same time.
The heart pumps blood around the body the blood keeping us stocked with what we need, allowing us to get rid of what we don’t need. Sometimes our mind gets in the way and we can hold on too tight to some things while pushing away other things with absolute aversion. This could be part of the pathology of heart disease. Ayurveda doesn’t rank physical symptoms as more important than emotional ones, it sees them as inseparable.
Cardiovascular disease is now one of the biggest killers in the UK. And there is no link being made in Modern Western Medicine between what a person has had to bear throughout their life; what negative emotions we have to house in this part of the body and the pathological effect that might be having on us.
So what can we do to look after our hearts and minds? We are now in a time where we can access ancient wisdom and knowledge, so let’s learn from our ancestors and elders. Take up practices that alleviate the heart such as meditation. Know that you can let go of all that has been: alleviate the remnants of shame, remorse, doubt and confusion that lodge themselves in our chest. Find a way through these feelings, to the other side: to the place of utter stillness. You might eventually find that the brightest light and most comfortable resting place in your being is in a heart. This takes some effort and support, but might well be the most important journey of our life.
Selina Van Orden is an Ayurvedic doctor.
By Selina Van Orden
The Heart of the Matter
The Sanskrit word for heart is hrdaya, but it has other meanings: the organ that sits a little left-of-centre in our chest, our essence or core, as well as being the location of the mind in the body. The heart, in Ayurveda, is seen to be at the beating centre of our experience.
We all know the saying “I mean it, from the bottom of my heart”, and the song “don’t go breaking my heart”. Even in our rationalist world, this part of the body crosses the terrain between anatomy, emotion and poetic symbolism.
The Buddha talked about the heart being where we store emotion, memories and mind-images. At death, it is said that the heart reveals images of your life flashing before your eyes. Like a picture book of attachment and experience that can make it hard to leave, and could be a reason we keep coming back.
In Ancient Egypt, they had the concept of Ma’at, a moral code that Egyptians were to follow. In order that their heart was kept light, they were asked to act ‘with truth’ with their family, friends, community, society, nation and gods. At the time of death, their heart would be weighed against the ‘feather of Ma’at’ and only if it was lighter than this feather would they make it to the after-life.
In Ayurveda, prana is a person’s life force and vitality, without it, a person is dead. Prana’s seat is in the heart. The heart also houses ojas, another form of life energy that comes in nectar-like drops and allows a person to have lustre in their skin and a twinkle in their eye. These vital forces need to be propagated and nurtured by a life lived consciously.
The heart is our physical core of integrity. There is no hiding our actions, pleasures and disgusts from this all-seeing centre. And this was well documented in ancient cultures.
In Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, the heart, lungs and chest are said to hold fear, grief and doubt, they also house the experience of absolute peace and love. These opposing states cannot abide in the same place at the same time.
The heart pumps blood around the body the blood keeping us stocked with what we need, allowing us to get rid of what we don’t need. Sometimes our mind gets in the way and we can hold on too tight to some things while pushing away other things with absolute aversion. This could be part of the pathology of heart disease. Ayurveda doesn’t rank physical symptoms as more important than emotional ones, it sees them as inseparable.
Cardiovascular disease is now one of the biggest killers in the UK. And there is no link being made in Modern Western Medicine between what a person has had to bear throughout their life; what negative emotions we have to house in this part of the body and the pathological effect that might be having on us.
So what can we do to look after our hearts and minds? We are now in a time where we can access ancient wisdom and knowledge, so let’s learn from our ancestors and elders. Take up practices that alleviate the heart such as meditation. Know that you can let go of all that has been: alleviate the remnants of shame, remorse, doubt and confusion that lodge themselves in our chest. Find a way through these feelings, to the other side: to the place of utter stillness. You might eventually find that the brightest light and most comfortable resting place in your being is in a heart. This takes some effort and support, but might well be the most important journey of our life.
The Heart of the Matter
The Sanskrit word for heart is hrdaya, but it has other meanings: the organ that sits a little left-of-centre in our chest, our essence or core, as well as being the location of the mind in the body. The heart, in Ayurveda, is seen to be at the beating centre of our experience.
We all know the saying “I mean it, from the bottom of my heart”, and the song “don’t go breaking my heart”. Even in our rationalist world, this part of the body crosses the terrain between anatomy, emotion and poetic symbolism.
The Buddha talked about the heart being where we store emotion, memories and mind-images. At death, it is said that the heart reveals images of your life flashing before your eyes. Like a picture book of attachment and experience that can make it hard to leave, and could be a reason we keep coming back.
In Ancient Egypt, they had the concept of Ma’at, a moral code that Egyptians were to follow. In order that their heart was kept light, they were asked to act ‘with truth’ with their family, friends, community, society, nation and gods. At the time of death, their heart would be weighed against the ‘feather of Ma’at’ and only if it was lighter than this feather would they make it to the after-life.
In Ayurveda, prana is a person’s life force and vitality, without it, a person is dead. Prana’s seat is in the heart. The heart also houses ojas, another form of life energy that comes in nectar-like drops and allows a person to have lustre in their skin and a twinkle in their eye. These vital forces need to be propagated and nurtured by a life lived consciously.
The heart is our physical core of integrity. There is no hiding our actions, pleasures and disgusts from this all-seeing centre. And this was well documented in ancient cultures.
In Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, the heart, lungs and chest are said to hold fear, grief and doubt, they also house the experience of absolute peace and love. These opposing states cannot abide in the same place at the same time.
The heart pumps blood around the body the blood keeping us stocked with what we need, allowing us to get rid of what we don’t need. Sometimes our mind gets in the way and we can hold on too tight to some things while pushing away other things with absolute aversion. This could be part of the pathology of heart disease. Ayurveda doesn’t rank physical symptoms as more important than emotional ones, it sees them as inseparable.
Cardiovascular disease is now one of the biggest killers in the UK. And there is no link being made in Modern Western Medicine between what a person has had to bear throughout their life; what negative emotions we have to house in this part of the body and the pathological effect that might be having on us.
So what can we do to look after our hearts and minds? We are now in a time where we can access ancient wisdom and knowledge, so let’s learn from our ancestors and elders. Take up practices that alleviate the heart such as meditation. Know that you can let go of all that has been: alleviate the remnants of shame, remorse, doubt and confusion that lodge themselves in our chest. Find a way through these feelings, to the other side: to the place of utter stillness. You might eventually find that the brightest light and most comfortable resting place in your being is in a heart. This takes some effort and support, but might well be the most important journey of our life.
Selina Van Orden is an Ayurvedic doctor.
By Selina Van Orden
The Heart of the Matter
The Sanskrit word for heart is hrdaya, but it has other meanings: the organ that sits a little left-of-centre in our chest, our essence or core, as well as being the location of the mind in the body. The heart, in Ayurveda, is seen to be at the beating centre of our experience.
We all know the saying “I mean it, from the bottom of my heart”, and the song “don’t go breaking my heart”. Even in our rationalist world, this part of the body crosses the terrain between anatomy, emotion and poetic symbolism.
The Buddha talked about the heart being where we store emotion, memories and mind-images. At death, it is said that the heart reveals images of your life flashing before your eyes. Like a picture book of attachment and experience that can make it hard to leave, and could be a reason we keep coming back.
In Ancient Egypt, they had the concept of Ma’at, a moral code that Egyptians were to follow. In order that their heart was kept light, they were asked to act ‘with truth’ with their family, friends, community, society, nation and gods. At the time of death, their heart would be weighed against the ‘feather of Ma’at’ and only if it was lighter than this feather would they make it to the after-life.
In Ayurveda, prana is a person’s life force and vitality, without it, a person is dead. Prana’s seat is in the heart. The heart also houses ojas, another form of life energy that comes in nectar-like drops and allows a person to have lustre in their skin and a twinkle in their eye. These vital forces need to be propagated and nurtured by a life lived consciously.
The heart is our physical core of integrity. There is no hiding our actions, pleasures and disgusts from this all-seeing centre. And this was well documented in ancient cultures.
In Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, the heart, lungs and chest are said to hold fear, grief and doubt, they also house the experience of absolute peace and love. These opposing states cannot abide in the same place at the same time.
The heart pumps blood around the body the blood keeping us stocked with what we need, allowing us to get rid of what we don’t need. Sometimes our mind gets in the way and we can hold on too tight to some things while pushing away other things with absolute aversion. This could be part of the pathology of heart disease. Ayurveda doesn’t rank physical symptoms as more important than emotional ones, it sees them as inseparable.
Cardiovascular disease is now one of the biggest killers in the UK. And there is no link being made in Modern Western Medicine between what a person has had to bear throughout their life; what negative emotions we have to house in this part of the body and the pathological effect that might be having on us.
So what can we do to look after our hearts and minds? We are now in a time where we can access ancient wisdom and knowledge, so let’s learn from our ancestors and elders. Take up practices that alleviate the heart such as meditation. Know that you can let go of all that has been: alleviate the remnants of shame, remorse, doubt and confusion that lodge themselves in our chest. Find a way through these feelings, to the other side: to the place of utter stillness. You might eventually find that the brightest light and most comfortable resting place in your being is in a heart. This takes some effort and support, but might well be the most important journey of our life.
The Heart of the Matter
The Sanskrit word for heart is hrdaya, but it has other meanings: the organ that sits a little left-of-centre in our chest, our essence or core, as well as being the location of the mind in the body. The heart, in Ayurveda, is seen to be at the beating centre of our experience.
We all know the saying “I mean it, from the bottom of my heart”, and the song “don’t go breaking my heart”. Even in our rationalist world, this part of the body crosses the terrain between anatomy, emotion and poetic symbolism.
The Buddha talked about the heart being where we store emotion, memories and mind-images. At death, it is said that the heart reveals images of your life flashing before your eyes. Like a picture book of attachment and experience that can make it hard to leave, and could be a reason we keep coming back.
In Ancient Egypt, they had the concept of Ma’at, a moral code that Egyptians were to follow. In order that their heart was kept light, they were asked to act ‘with truth’ with their family, friends, community, society, nation and gods. At the time of death, their heart would be weighed against the ‘feather of Ma’at’ and only if it was lighter than this feather would they make it to the after-life.
In Ayurveda, prana is a person’s life force and vitality, without it, a person is dead. Prana’s seat is in the heart. The heart also houses ojas, another form of life energy that comes in nectar-like drops and allows a person to have lustre in their skin and a twinkle in their eye. These vital forces need to be propagated and nurtured by a life lived consciously.
The heart is our physical core of integrity. There is no hiding our actions, pleasures and disgusts from this all-seeing centre. And this was well documented in ancient cultures.
In Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, the heart, lungs and chest are said to hold fear, grief and doubt, they also house the experience of absolute peace and love. These opposing states cannot abide in the same place at the same time.
The heart pumps blood around the body the blood keeping us stocked with what we need, allowing us to get rid of what we don’t need. Sometimes our mind gets in the way and we can hold on too tight to some things while pushing away other things with absolute aversion. This could be part of the pathology of heart disease. Ayurveda doesn’t rank physical symptoms as more important than emotional ones, it sees them as inseparable.
Cardiovascular disease is now one of the biggest killers in the UK. And there is no link being made in Modern Western Medicine between what a person has had to bear throughout their life; what negative emotions we have to house in this part of the body and the pathological effect that might be having on us.
So what can we do to look after our hearts and minds? We are now in a time where we can access ancient wisdom and knowledge, so let’s learn from our ancestors and elders. Take up practices that alleviate the heart such as meditation. Know that you can let go of all that has been: alleviate the remnants of shame, remorse, doubt and confusion that lodge themselves in our chest. Find a way through these feelings, to the other side: to the place of utter stillness. You might eventually find that the brightest light and most comfortable resting place in your being is in a heart. This takes some effort and support, but might well be the most important journey of our life.
Selina Van Orden is an Ayurvedic doctor.
By Selina Van Orden
The Heart of the Matter
The Sanskrit word for heart is hrdaya, but it has other meanings: the organ that sits a little left-of-centre in our chest, our essence or core, as well as being the location of the mind in the body. The heart, in Ayurveda, is seen to be at the beating centre of our experience.
We all know the saying “I mean it, from the bottom of my heart”, and the song “don’t go breaking my heart”. Even in our rationalist world, this part of the body crosses the terrain between anatomy, emotion and poetic symbolism.
The Buddha talked about the heart being where we store emotion, memories and mind-images. At death, it is said that the heart reveals images of your life flashing before your eyes. Like a picture book of attachment and experience that can make it hard to leave, and could be a reason we keep coming back.
In Ancient Egypt, they had the concept of Ma’at, a moral code that Egyptians were to follow. In order that their heart was kept light, they were asked to act ‘with truth’ with their family, friends, community, society, nation and gods. At the time of death, their heart would be weighed against the ‘feather of Ma’at’ and only if it was lighter than this feather would they make it to the after-life.
In Ayurveda, prana is a person’s life force and vitality, without it, a person is dead. Prana’s seat is in the heart. The heart also houses ojas, another form of life energy that comes in nectar-like drops and allows a person to have lustre in their skin and a twinkle in their eye. These vital forces need to be propagated and nurtured by a life lived consciously.
The heart is our physical core of integrity. There is no hiding our actions, pleasures and disgusts from this all-seeing centre. And this was well documented in ancient cultures.
In Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, the heart, lungs and chest are said to hold fear, grief and doubt, they also house the experience of absolute peace and love. These opposing states cannot abide in the same place at the same time.
The heart pumps blood around the body the blood keeping us stocked with what we need, allowing us to get rid of what we don’t need. Sometimes our mind gets in the way and we can hold on too tight to some things while pushing away other things with absolute aversion. This could be part of the pathology of heart disease. Ayurveda doesn’t rank physical symptoms as more important than emotional ones, it sees them as inseparable.
Cardiovascular disease is now one of the biggest killers in the UK. And there is no link being made in Modern Western Medicine between what a person has had to bear throughout their life; what negative emotions we have to house in this part of the body and the pathological effect that might be having on us.
So what can we do to look after our hearts and minds? We are now in a time where we can access ancient wisdom and knowledge, so let’s learn from our ancestors and elders. Take up practices that alleviate the heart such as meditation. Know that you can let go of all that has been: alleviate the remnants of shame, remorse, doubt and confusion that lodge themselves in our chest. Find a way through these feelings, to the other side: to the place of utter stillness. You might eventually find that the brightest light and most comfortable resting place in your being is in a heart. This takes some effort and support, but might well be the most important journey of our life.
The Heart of the Matter
The Sanskrit word for heart is hrdaya, but it has other meanings: the organ that sits a little left-of-centre in our chest, our essence or core, as well as being the location of the mind in the body. The heart, in Ayurveda, is seen to be at the beating centre of our experience.
We all know the saying “I mean it, from the bottom of my heart”, and the song “don’t go breaking my heart”. Even in our rationalist world, this part of the body crosses the terrain between anatomy, emotion and poetic symbolism.
The Buddha talked about the heart being where we store emotion, memories and mind-images. At death, it is said that the heart reveals images of your life flashing before your eyes. Like a picture book of attachment and experience that can make it hard to leave, and could be a reason we keep coming back.
In Ancient Egypt, they had the concept of Ma’at, a moral code that Egyptians were to follow. In order that their heart was kept light, they were asked to act ‘with truth’ with their family, friends, community, society, nation and gods. At the time of death, their heart would be weighed against the ‘feather of Ma’at’ and only if it was lighter than this feather would they make it to the after-life.
In Ayurveda, prana is a person’s life force and vitality, without it, a person is dead. Prana’s seat is in the heart. The heart also houses ojas, another form of life energy that comes in nectar-like drops and allows a person to have lustre in their skin and a twinkle in their eye. These vital forces need to be propagated and nurtured by a life lived consciously.
The heart is our physical core of integrity. There is no hiding our actions, pleasures and disgusts from this all-seeing centre. And this was well documented in ancient cultures.
In Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, the heart, lungs and chest are said to hold fear, grief and doubt, they also house the experience of absolute peace and love. These opposing states cannot abide in the same place at the same time.
The heart pumps blood around the body the blood keeping us stocked with what we need, allowing us to get rid of what we don’t need. Sometimes our mind gets in the way and we can hold on too tight to some things while pushing away other things with absolute aversion. This could be part of the pathology of heart disease. Ayurveda doesn’t rank physical symptoms as more important than emotional ones, it sees them as inseparable.
Cardiovascular disease is now one of the biggest killers in the UK. And there is no link being made in Modern Western Medicine between what a person has had to bear throughout their life; what negative emotions we have to house in this part of the body and the pathological effect that might be having on us.
So what can we do to look after our hearts and minds? We are now in a time where we can access ancient wisdom and knowledge, so let’s learn from our ancestors and elders. Take up practices that alleviate the heart such as meditation. Know that you can let go of all that has been: alleviate the remnants of shame, remorse, doubt and confusion that lodge themselves in our chest. Find a way through these feelings, to the other side: to the place of utter stillness. You might eventually find that the brightest light and most comfortable resting place in your being is in a heart. This takes some effort and support, but might well be the most important journey of our life.
Selina Van Orden is an Ayurvedic doctor.