The Whole is Greater Than The Sum of Its Parts

... on Becoming an Ayurvedic Health Counselor

Namaste,

I am just coming up for air after a five day marathon of 8 hour classes. I’ve been studying Ayurveda for the better part of a year and yesterday was not graduation but it was the end of “formal” learning to become an Ayurvedic Health Counselor.

In the five days, I listened intently and tried to soak in every word my instructors were uttering. There were vast vacillations - I was a pendulum moving from - “I got this” to “damn, I know so little.”

Dr. Jay, our teacher told us that Ayurveda is a contextual science. He looked at us and said that he knew that we may be thinking that we don’t know anything.

He is reading my mind, I thought…

He assured us that once we start talking to someone who needs our guidance, knowledge will start resurfacing from the depths of our brain — knowledge that will help us see and define the “problems” to offer suggestions and recommendations that will help said person.

Deep sigh and breath in - Dr. Jay was making so much sense. He was speaking to me.

However, the next minute, I sat there staring at him and not believing him and once again doubting the knowledge I tried to acquire in a year.

There are books and your notes that will guide you, I reminded myself. No one expects you to know everything in this vast ocean that is Ayurveda. Just stay within the scope of what you’ve learned and that is a lot to help people.

Ayurveda tells us not to compare ourselves to others.

But I couldn’t help myself. When we did practice consultations where one of us was the rogi (person seeking guidance) and the other the counselor - I was constantly comparing my fellow students’ knowledge to mine. Some were so proficient with the Sanskrit terms we learned to define processes of our mind and bodies. Others’ had remedies like massage oils or herbal suggestions on the tip of their fingers. I have no idea what oil would be good for them. I have no idea if that herbal supplement would work.

I’d correct myself to stop comparing my knowledge with theirs. It helped for some time, then I would start comparing again. Note to self: nothing is one and done. Telling myself not to compare myself to others - needs to be said as many times as it needs to be said, till it sinks in and becomes a part of me.

As we did more and more consultations, I began to tally my strengths and putting my weaknesses on the back burner. In a kitchen we put something on a back burner, not to forget about it as the saying sometimes indicates - but to come back to it at a later time. Often, we park things on the back burner because it is simmering and doesn’t need our attention at the present moment.

This exercise was helpful. I began focusing on my strengths - active listening, minimal judgement, not jumping to conclusions too quickly, empathy, knowledge that life’s journey is different for every individual.

Because I am not perfect, I cannot expect anyone else to be perfect. Meeting people where they are is a big one. Life experiences, as well as formal education in human behavior, have taught me know that there are different ways that people learn and accept information. I have been that person. I am still that person. I have been told things about things that would be beneficial for me - but if I wasn’t ready to accept that information, it didn’t matter how beneficial that thing was. I wasn’t ready.

I wrote in my earlier post that Ayurveda is not for perfect people, nor is it there to make us perfect. Read here

Being condescending or in a rush is not the way to help anyone, including ourselves. Years of therapy taught me that.

At the end of the 5 days, Dr. Jay told us …

Connection to, and interest in the person we are trying to help is key.

My opinion which many might disagree with is:

Flawed humans make better therapists, counselors, friends, etc. Perfection is a myth. Striving to be better and do better is the goal.

My hope for myself and everyone is to know that each of us are a tiny part a larger whole. We all have strengths and flaws. We ALL can help each other IF we learn to give and accept help.