In this episode of “5 Minutes,” Dr. Robert Svoboda explores an Ayurvedic perspective on anxiety and its connection with Vata.

Let us start with the word anxiety. Probably the best Sanskrit word to represent it is Chinta. Chinta has the basic meaning of thinking, but it also has the additional meaning of overthinking and thinking anxious thoughts. It means allowing thoughts to begin circulating in such a way that you dwell on them. When you dwell on those thoughts, they tend to create worry, then dread, and then anxiety develops.

It is very much a matter of thinking. As my Jyotish Guru, Mr. Mantriji, used to say, thinking is a very bad habit. You should be able to recognize that thinking, as a habit, can be a bad habit. This is because, in order to think, you are moving thoughts around in your head, and any kind of movement is controlled by Vata.

Moreover, very commonly those thoughts are being compared with what happened in the past, which requires memory, and memory is also under the control of Vata. When you combine these two things, there is a tendency to project forward into the future, particularly to project an undesirable outcome. That is where anxiety and dread begin to develop and create momentum, allowing them to circulate and chase their own tails, just as Vata does.

Think about the kind of movement associated with Vata in the atmosphere. A tornado or hurricane moves around and around in a circle. The faster it moves, the more powerful it becomes and the more destructive it can be, both externally and internally.

Therefore, anxiety is understood in Ayurveda as a Vata condition. The treatment of anxiety begins first with the physical body. You need to make sure that you have the right food, Vata-controlling food, and the right Vata-controlling habits. You should work carefully to make your sleep as deep and uninterrupted as possible, because that itself will help reduce Vata.

Vata-controlling herbs and minerals can also be useful, as can oil application. In particular, oil application to the head can be helpful. One popular method today is called Shirodhara, where a continuous stream of oil is poured onto the forehead while you are lying down.

For anxiety, however, it can sometimes be even more effective to use Shiro Basti. The word basti means bladder, because originally an animal bladder was used for these purposes. Today, other materials are used. Shiro Basti involves creating a kind of open-topped container around the head and filling it with oil, allowing the oil to remain there until certain signs appear, after which the oil is removed.

In some people, this can be very effective. I have seen this myself. I remember someone from many years ago who would become very wound up after a period of a few months. She would then receive Shiro Basti and become calm again, remaining well for several months until the momentum of those thoughts began increasing again. At that point, Shiro Basti would be used again to bring the anxiety back to a manageable level.