Slow Down to Heal
Slow Down to Heal
In Ayurveda, we often say "like increases like, and opposites bring balance." So when life becomes fast, scattered, overstimulated, and mentally chaotic—it’s no surprise that our bodies begin to mirror those same qualities. We move fast, think fast, talk fast, eat fast... and then wonder why we feel so ungrounded, exhausted, anxious, or ill.
But here’s a truth I return to again and again, both in my own life and in the lives of my clients:
Slowing down is healing. It’s not optional. It’s a necessity.
Why Rest is Medicine
"rágádi rogán satatánu saktán asesa káya prasrtána sesán,
autsukya mohárati dáñjaghána yo’pürva vaidyáya namo’stu tasmai."
— Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdayam, Sūtrasthāna 1.1
“Salutations to that unparalleled healer who has completely destroyed all diseases like rāga (attachment/desire), which are ever connected with the body and mind, and which spread restlessness, delusion, and craving throughout the entire being.”
We begin the ancient science of Ayurveda not with a diagnosis, not with doshas, and not even with herbs—but with a prayer. A prayer that names the first disease as desire—rāga—and honors the healer who removes it from the root.
Before there is imbalance in the body, there is craving in the mind. Before we feel pain, we feel the discontent of never-enough. This verse reminds us that true healing doesn't begin with supplements, cleanses, or diagnosis—it begins with awareness. With the recognition that rāga, or desire, is what drives us out of harmony.
Ayurveda teaches that the mind is the origin of all physical disease. And in our modern world, we are living in a mental state of chronic imbalance.
The Desire to Do More: A Modern Mental Epidemic
We are constantly asked to move faster, do more, accomplish more, and consume more. There is always a new project. A new goal. A new version of ourselves we’re chasing.
But what we call “ambition” is often unprocessed rāga—a craving for validation, safety, or worthiness. It’s not desire from the soul. It’s desire from the wound.
And the truth is: you will never catch up.
Because the system was designed for you to never feel finished.
This is why so many of my clients are deeply anxious, depleted, and burnt out. It’s not because they’re doing something wrong—it’s because they’re trying to heal in a system that profits from them staying unwell.
The Ayurvedic View: Fast Living = Vata Imbalance
In Ayurveda, constant movement and overstimulation increase Vata dosha—the air + ether principle that governs movement, communication, and the nervous system.
When Vata is high, we feel:
Anxious or ungrounded
Scatter-brained and restless
Dry, depleted, and fatigued
Sleep Disturbances and trouble falling asleep
Poor digestion like gas, bloating and constipation
Spiritually disconnected or numb
And because of its mobile quality, Vata is often the initiator of dis-regulation. It spreads ama (toxins) and imbalanced doshas to vulnerable tissues, igniting deeper Ayurvedic pathology.
Like increases like. Opposites bring balance.
To balance the excess motion, we must invite stillness.
To calm the dry winds of Vata, we need warmth, nourishment, and rest.
My Own Journey with Slowing Down
Slowing down didn’t come naturally to me.
I was that person who filled every hour with something “productive”—even healing became a kind of to do list. I didn’t realize how deeply my nervous system had been wired to hustle. How I had been trained to earn my rest. How I equated stillness with laziness.
For most of my life, I lived in this disturbed state.
I’ve experienced three traumatic brain injuries, a history of seizures, and the kind of trauma that many of us quietly carry. My anxiety started early—I couldn’t sleep or leave my home as a child. As I got older, it deepened into nightly and daily panic attacks that looked like seizures or Tourette’s, terrifying both myself and those around me. It was relentless, and I was desperate to heal.
I tried everything. Yoga, breathwork, medication, strict Ayurvedic routines, sattvic diets, every herb and therapy I could access. And while these created a beautiful baseline of support, something deeper was still out of balance.
What finally healed me—what calmed my nervous system in a way nothing else ever had—was the one thing I had always resisted:
Slowing down.
Not just pausing, but radically, intentionally choosing stillness.
Slowing my breath.
Slowing my days.
Saying no to urgency.
Being still enough to feel my own rhythm return.
And most of all—a steady meditation practice that let my body feel safe, perhaps for the first time in years.
And I see this over and over in my clients.
So many arrive at my practice because their bodies are forcing them to stop. They're on sabbatical. On leave. On the edge of collapse. And what often heals them the most is not doing more, but finally doing less.
In that pause, everything shifts.
Slowness is the Medicine
Slowness is not laziness. It’s wisdom.
When we slow down:
We digest better—physically and emotionally.
We sleep deeper and more restoratively.
Our systems strengthens.
Our hormones regulate.
We reconnect with the parts of ourselves that were buried under busyness.
But even more than that—we begin to move from presence, not pressure.
This is the medicine Ayurveda offers: a return to our original rhythm. A re-rooting of the mind so the body can follow. A radical act of healing in a world that constantly tells us to do more.
How to Slow Down
If you're feeling burnt out, anxious, or always behind—this is your sign to slow down.
Not just by clearing your schedule, but by reorienting your life toward presence.
Eat slowly and intentionally - 15-20 intentional chews per bite
Spend time offline - go on a slow walk, listen to the birds, smell a flower
Say "no" more often—protect your energy.
Let yourself be nourished - nourish yourself with a home cooked meal, self oil massage (abhyanga), or a skin care routine.
Learn to embrace doing nothing
Walk slowly—whether at the airport, in the park, or grocery store. Feel your feet on the earth.
Spend time in nature - listen and observe.
Develop a meditation practice that resonates with you. Stay consistent and let it anchor you.
When practicing yoga asana, slow down, work your way towards a 12 count breath. As the breath slows down so does your movement.
Close doors and drawers slowly and mindfully without creating a sound.
Start leaving 30 minutes earlier than you think you need to. Let yourself experience the ease of arriving early.
Build in moments of pause—sips of tea, a few conscious breaths, or a moment of stillness between tasks.
Breathe.
Feel.
Rest.
You don’t need to earn your worth through doing.
You don’t have to be more than you already are.
Your wholeness is already here.
Let Ayurveda walk you back home—to yourself, your stillness, your breath, your center.