ayurveda sadhana

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Ayurveda Sadhana

Written by Dr. Marc Halpern

Part 5: The Sadhana Of Healthy Hearing

Our sense of hearing is a vital part of who we are, how we relate to the world, and on a spiritual

level it is a vital part of how we relate to the Divine. Unfortunately, as we age our ability to hear

typically begins to decline and as a result, so too does the quality of our life. Known as

presbycusis, nearly one-third of people between ages 65 and 75, and about half of those older

than age 75 will suffer from this condition. With the proper care, however, this number can be

greatly reduced.

Hearing loss is not simply an inability to hear but also an inability to understand what you hear.

With hearing loss, words sound garbled or muffled. Early indicators that a person is

experiencing hearing loss include turning up the volume on the radio and TV, and asking others

to speak more slowly or loudly.

We are able to hear sound because sound vibration or waves enter your ear and then travel to

the middle ear where your ear drum is located. These waves vibrate the ear drum along with

three small bones behind it, which are called the hammer, anvil and stirrup. The vibrations pass

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into the inner ear where the cochlea is found. The cochlea is filled with nerve cells surrounded

by tiny hairs which are really nerve endings. These translate sound vibrations into neurological

information which then travels along the auditory nerve to the cortex of the temporal lobe of the

brain. Here sound is interpreted and understood.

While there are several causes of hearing loss, by far the most common is due to damage of

the hairs and nerve cells in the inner ear. These structures are damaged by loud noises, such

as ones found at a race track, music concert, near an airport, or adjacent to a construction site.

However, damage may also occur simply from turning up the iPod too high or sirens from

emergency vehicles. Additional contributing factors include age, heredity, some infections and

certain drugs. Hearing loss due to aging occurs from a combination of environmental and

genetic factors.

It is not difficult to assess hearing. Doctors utilize tests as simple as whispering to patients, to

more sophisticated techniques such as using tuning forks that vibrate at different frequencies, or

an audiometer, an instrument that create tones at various frequency and volume. If a hearing

loss is found, tests may be ordered to rule out more significant but relatively rare causes of

hearing loss.

When hearing does begin to fail, the modern western approach focuses on the use of hearing

aids that amplify sound and remove distortion while filtering out background noise. More

sophisticated still are cochlear implants; devices that attempt to compensate for the damaged

parts of the inner ear.

Our ears are not only an instrument of hearing. The ear is involved in maintaining balance, and

when the small bones of the inner ear are not functioning properly, dizziness or vertigo may be

experienced. Another common challenge is painful middle ear infections. Chronic, mild earinfections and allergies can result in temporary hearing loss due to swelling and fluid

accumulation in the inner ear. The last of the common symptoms of disturbance is tinnitus or

ringing in the ear. Ringing may be due to a problem with the nerve endings in the cochlea and is

often caused by the same factors that result in hearing loss.

The Ear from an Ayurvedic and Yogic Perspective

The ear is a receptive organ taking in sound impressions from the environment. Prana vayu

draws you to the sounds you hear. Once sound arrives, it must be digested. Digestion of soundis function of pitta within the inner ear. Information is then passed along the auditory nerve

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under the auspices of samana vayu to the cortex of the temporal lobe.

The ears are connected to the sahasra padma chakra, the seventh or crown chakra known asthe thousand-petal lotus. While we hear the physical world through the physical ear, in our most

subtle body, it is through our inner ears that we hear the word of the Divine. In accordance

with the development of a persons consciousness and the quietude of the mind, what is heard

is nothing at all, distorted insights or clear guidance. Ayurveda teaches that disease begins in

our most subtle or karmic body as a result of our ignorance of our true nature as spirit. It

becomes more noticeable as it progresses into the mind and we get caught up in drama. Only

later does it become noticeable in the physical body as pain or disability. As such, our inability

to hear the Divine Word and the physical word are related.

Hearing Disturbance Due to the Doshas

Most hearing loss is due to disturbance of vata dosha. Vata vitiation can result in damage to

the auditory nerve and nerve endings, which can lead to hearing loss and ringing in the ear. If

the vestibular nerve is affected, vertigo can result. When pitta is vitiated due to infection,

allergies, or autoimmune disease, inflammation in the structures of the ear causes similar

symptoms. When kapha is vitiated, the result is obstruction of the sound pathway. Types of

obstruction include: wax build up in the ear and fluid accumulation, both of which may result in

temporary hearing loss. Finally, disturbances of kapha can affect the auditory nerve resulting in

obstructions to the flow of nerve impulses.

The Sadhana of Healthy Hearing

A healthy lifestyle for the prevention of ear and hearing challenges is one that is in harmony

with a persons constitution. This begins by understanding the balance of doshas in your body

and then adopting the proper diet and lifestyle.

The sadhana of healthy hearing includes practices that maintain health of the ears and clear

hearing by improving fluid circulation and supporting the well-being of all the ears internal

structures.

Karna Purana

Karna purana is the practice of filling the ear with herbal oils. This can be done at home while

laying on ones side or in a practitioners office. At home, use a dropper to insert warm (body

temperature) herbal oil into the ear. In a practitioners office or with the support of an assistant alarger amount of oil can be poured into the ear until it is full. After the application, lie still on your

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side for 20 minutes and let it absorb. When you are done, turn over and drain the excess oil into

a towel and then wipe the inside of the ear with a soft cloth.

By soaking the middle ear in warm oil, the tissues surrounding the ear relax and circulation

improves. This can be beneficial for ear infections, vertigo and the prevention and treatment of

hearing loss. Ayurvedic practitioners prepare different oils for individuals and conditions

depending upon the doshic imbalance. For prevention simple warm sesame oil or oil with the

herb ashwaganda (Withania somnifera) cooked into it can be used weekly. For hearing loss, the

frequency can be increased to three times per week. For vertigo and tinnitis, practitioners may

prepare jatamansi (Nardostachys jatamansi) and ashwaganda together in the oil and apply

daily.

Listen Within

Listening within to your souls voice is one of the best treatments for the prevention of hearing

issues. Of course it is very challenging to hear the higher wisdom of the Divine, and to do so

requires that we create a quiet external and internal environment. Through meditation, the

chatter of the mind ceases and the whispers of the soul can be heard providing guidance in

every moment. This is the higher function of the seventh chakra.

Healthy Lifestyle

Our health and well-being are ultimately a reflection of our lifestyle. Where there is harmony,

there is health and where there is disharmony there is disease. Harmony for our ears is the

nectar of Nature and the wisdom of the Divine. The nectar of nature is found in the sound of the

wind moving through the trees and the water flowing over rocks. It is found in the chirping of a

bird and the howling of a coyote. The wisdom of the divine is found within the silence; the space

between experiences, and the space between our thoughts.

Dr. Marc Halpern is the founder and president of the California College of Ayurveda (ayurveda

college.com

) and co-founder of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (ayurveda-nama.org) and the

California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine (

ayurveda-caam.org

). He is also a yogi in the lineage of Swami Sivananda and Swami Vishnu Devananda. Look for

his new book, Healing Your Life: Lessons on the Path of Ayurveda next spring on Lotus Press.

He can be reached at

[email protected]

or by calling (866) 541 - 6699.

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