The Aromatic Journey of Prana
Friday, August 8th, 2008By David Crow, L.Ac.
Published in Light on Ayurveda, September ‘07
Traditional medical systems such as Ayurveda and Chinese medicine (TCM) are fundamentally systems of eco-physiology, which describe the functioning of the human body using terms and concepts derived from observing the elements and energetic patterns of planetary biospheric physiology. If students contemplate these principles deeply, they begin to develop a kind of macro-thinking that reveals not just the basic elemental correspondences taught in Ayurvedic and TCM colleges, but vast patterns of interrelationships between living beings and the underlying commonalities of biological functions. When this type of synthetic and integrative thinking is combined with an understanding, even rudimentary, of botany, physiology, and chemistry, a truly holistic vision of life emerges. A holistic vision of life awakens a sense of reverence for the intelligence operating within every aspect of nature, and this awakening in turn is the foundation of spiritual wisdom.