Inner Healer Project
Where Kizuki Leads, Healing Follows
Inner Healer Project
Where Kizuki Leads, Healing Follows
September 14, 2025
In my yoga therapy training, one of our modules focused on Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of medicine. We were fortunate to learn from a professor from India who explained how Ayurveda views both mental and physical health as deeply interconnected. His lecture helped me see emotions and daily life in a new way.
In Ayurveda, digestion is not just about food. Just as the stomach processes what we eat, the mind must also process what we feel and experience each day. When digestion is incomplete—whether physical or emotional—it leaves behind residues that create imbalance.
Undigested food can lead to fatigue, heaviness, or disease.
Undigested emotions can create restlessness, worry, sadness, or confusion.
This idea immediately resonated with me. Some nights I go to bed without having fully processed what I felt that day, and I can sense that weight inside. Emotions are fragile, and yet they expose us so vulnerably to the world. If I ignore them, they linger. If I numb myself to them, I lose sensitivity. Ayurveda offers a path in between: to digest emotions gently and regularly, just as we digest meals.
Ayurveda describes the qualities of the mind through the three gunas:
Sattva – clarity, harmony, balance
Rajas – activity, restlessness, passion
Tamas – heaviness, dullness, inertia
When rajas or tamas dominate, our emotions can feel unstable or overwhelming. For example:
Rajas may appear as impatience, anger, or overthinking.
Tamas may appear as sadness, depression, or lack of motivation.
The goal is not to eliminate rajas or tamas—they have their place in life—but to cultivate sattva, the quality of calm awareness, so the mind can meet emotions without being controlled by them.
On the physical side, Ayurveda explains balance through the three doshas:
Vata (air/space) – linked to movement, the nervous system, creativity
Pitta (fire/water) – linked to digestion, metabolism, intensity
Kapha (earth/water) – linked to stability, immunity, endurance
When a dosha becomes imbalanced, the body shows signs of distress. For example:
Vata imbalance may cause anxiety, insomnia, or digestive troubles.
Pitta imbalance may cause anger, inflammation, or burnout.
Kapha imbalance may cause lethargy, heaviness, or attachment.
The professor reminded us that caring for the body and mind together creates the best chance for balance.
He offered practical suggestions to help digest the day’s experiences, especially before bed:
Journaling: Write down three emotions you experienced that day. This simple act of naming allows the mind to acknowledge and release them.
Evening rituals: Chanting, gentle yoga, or pranayama (breathwork) can calm the nervous system, inviting a more restful sleep.
Wholesome food: Eating fresh, nourishing meals supports not just the body, but also emotional stability.
Gratitude: Take a moment to thank your ancestors—parents, teachers, and those who guided you. This practice roots us in humility and connection.
Weekly reflection: Set aside time once a week to reflect on how you lived, felt, and acted. This helps you notice patterns and realign with balance.
What stays with me most is the reminder that emotions deserve the same care as food. Some nights, I lie in bed and realize I have not yet “digested” my feelings. They sit inside me, unsettled. I don’t want to become emotionally dull by ignoring them, but I also don’t want to be overwhelmed.
Ayurveda encourages me to meet emotions without judgment—neither clinging to them nor pushing them away. Through journaling, reflection, and daily rituals, I can learn to let my emotions move through me, leaving clarity instead of residue.
Ayurveda teaches that cleansing is not only for the body, but also for the heart and mind. By understanding the interplay of gunas and doshas, and by practicing small rituals each day, we can cultivate resilience, balance, and compassion for ourselves.
Emotional digestion, like physical digestion, is not always easy. But step by step, practice by practice, we can create a life that feels lighter, calmer, and more deeply connected.