prajna - not what we “think” it to be.

As I was scrolling through Instagram I came across a reel about prajna - advising viewers about it.

For those new to Ayurveda - Prajna is the term that describes an innate wisdom that guides us on the best care of our body, mind & spirit. When we do not listen to that wisdom and go against it - Ayurveda says it leads to disease.

For audiences that understand Ayurveda on the more physical level - this may translate into the “shoulds” and “should nots” that we have associated with good health.

“I should exercise”

“I should drink 2 L of water a day” etc.

But I wanted to add a comment onto this that takes into consideration the psychological & spiritual aspects of the science.

I was prompted into this trail of thought after listening to one of my favourite teachers, Nayaswami Asha. She was doing a series on “How to listen to intuitive guidance”.

On one of the sessions she mentioned that we have to be sure that intuitive guidance is not simply our subconscious thoughts telling us what is right and what is wrong. And so we have to be very careful in deciphering where exactly our inner guidance is coming from.

I then realised that the concept of Prajna in Ayurveda, is most likely what our spiritual lives would call “intuition”.

In which case this makes Prajna contextual - individual - unique and personalised.

A bit like Dharma too… anything that is guided by a higher power is beyond the scope of what is “right” and “wrong” in our human minds.

Therefore we can never judge a persons actions and categorise them as good or bad. It all depends on the situation.

Here is an example:

This morning I ordered a paneer paratha for breakfast and had it with a chai.

I can already count the “do nots” of Ayurvedic eating guidelines with this - its outside food, it is heavy, the sugar in the chai is not good, caffeine is not good, the gluten is “not good”.

But… it was like a medicine for me right now. I needed something heavy & comforting - and I am unable to cook at the moment so it was the best option for me! I was also really craving it…

In terms of the context - what is deemed as “not good” - which comes from my mind, turned out to be what I needed.

And so in this situation, who is to say what Prajna is?

Our Prajna is not of the mind - and therefore we cannot always tell if we are following our mind, or the Prajna…

More often than not our mind is ruling the show and we follow the subconscious thoughts that have been planted in there.

Our health can end up being a life lived by rules.

And so I offer a new take on Prajna - one that allows you to see the context first, and then tune into what is the highest and most expansive choice for you to take for your health in that moment. Forget what you should or should not do. What is needed of you in that moment .

Following Prajna may ofetn surprise you. It can sometimes just be a “knowing” Just like how Intuitive guidance. There is often no logical reasoning for it - there sometimes is.

As Nayaswami Asha says, intuitive guidance is a very subtle subject.

Following it requires courage - mainly because we have to trust that inner guidance over the thoughts of our mind.

And so… awakening Prajna within us has to go hand in hand with learning to control the mind, to heal the mind, to quieten the mind.

When we do not follow Prajna, we are led further into ignorance as we simply follow the minds’ rules and tensions - which can be very rigid.

Awakening our Prajna Ayurvedically is akin to coming back to our Spiritual Self and tuning into higher guidance. It is where health is becomes led by spirituality.

But the best thing is that no one can ever really tell you what is right and wrong for your health. Only you can tell from that inner voice (that is not the mind either!).

The best way to tune into that voice is to meditate.

Meditation allows us to tune out from the minds’ thoughts and feel our way to guidance in our lives.

In my latest online course, Ayurveda for All, I have included hours of pranayama & meditation classes for you to do. I do believe it is paramount to coming back to health - purely for the reason of it awakening your own inner guidance beyond the mind.

To enrol onto Ayurveda for All you can click here.

As Sri Yukteshwar says, “All disease is rooted in ignorance"

Our Spiritual journey is one and the same as our journey to health.

Om :)