Why Ayurveda is so Effective in the Treatment of ADHD
And why it's like a giant sattvic snowball!
I’ve been working with people on a very deep level for more than 30 years. I’ve also been on my own healing journey throughout this time. As a nurse, I saw that poor lifestyle choices caused many problems. As a therapist, I could understand how emotional distress and trauma were at the root of suffering. As a CBT coach, I could see that unhelpful thoughts, feelings, behaviour and habits result in disease and distress. I’d tried a ton of different healing modalities myself, but I still struggled to overcome bad habits. So, when Ayurveda worked, I wondered what made it so different.
Eventually, I had an epiphany. Ayurveda works because it addresses every aspect of being human. It works because it makes you WANT to do better, be better and make better choices. And the more you implement the practices, the less you want to fight with yourself. The inner conflict is over, and willpower is no longer required. As my lovely friend Emily says, it’s like a giant ‘sattvic’ snowball and here’s how it works.
Awareness. Yoga and Ayurveda practices help us become aware of what is going on. Cultivating self-awareness is always the first step to healing anything. Taking inventory of what your life is like, without judgement or criticism, is where we start. Self-compassion grows with consistent practice. But to start with, it’s all about noticing and witnessing your patterns and knowing that you have choices.
Holistic approach. Secondly, if you want different results, you must be willing to do things differently. As Einstein said, you can't solve problems using the same thinking you used to create them. The practices of Yoga and Ayurveda help you overcome your resistance and inability to create routines. Once you have established routines in your life, your nervous system will be calmer, and you will think before you act. You will make better life choices. The more you make good choices, the more you want to make good choices. It’s a bit like a permaculture garden. You don’t focus on clearing out the weeds. You focus on planting what you want to grow. This crowds out the least helpful plants, and eventually, you will have a well-balanced garden that requires minimum human intervention to thrive.
With Ayurveda, all the practices work together to create a strong desire to make the healthiest choices in every area of your life. You get to explore and find the right mix of practices that work for you, and when they do, it’s like magic. It’s a lifelong journey to be enjoyed, not raced through. There is no finish line. If there is a destination, it is to be fully present now. That is the goal and the process. This is freedom.Solve the actual problem. The symptoms of ADHD can be linked to out-of-control vata dosha. When vata dosha is pacified, it’s much easier to manage day-to-day life. Once calmed, change happens. The healing process can begin with much more ease. (To find out more about vata dosha and how to calm it, stay tuned for my next Substacks!)
End the struggle. Willpower doesn’t work long-term when trying to change any habit. You need to change your mind about something so you don’t want to do it anymore. With Ayurveda, the repetition and consistency of the practices result in a change of mind and heart. It’s hard to explain until you’ve tried it, but it does stop you from craving destructive habits.
Work harder on your environment than you do on yourself. We live in a chaotic world. Our senses are bombarded from morning to night, our schedules are stupidly busy, and our plates are piled high. Ayurveda helps you to declutter and simplify life. You will learn to be more discerning about what you allow into your life and home, and this reduces sensory overwhelm and decision fatigue.
We can’t change what’s going on out there, but we can change our routines and how much optional modern-day madness we buy into and consume.
You can find refuge in the ancient wisdom teachings of Ayurveda and Yoga. Despite being over 5,000 years old, they offer solutions to manage modern fears and anxieties and build resilience to navigate this crazy old world.