When one is born, the body is in its purest form. There are no toxins or chemicals, so the body can work efficiently to grow and develop. However, as we grow older, many toxins enter the body and it starts getting weaker. This makes it harder to remove toxins which leads to a harmful build-up causing us to feel unhealthy, weak, and sluggish. This build-up of toxins interferes with the circulation of energy in the body which leads to the formation of diseases. In Ayurveda, when a disease is treated, the first step is to detoxify the body using five methods or Panchkarma. These methods allow the body to remove toxins right down to the cellular level. Once this happens, the energy in the body begins to flow again and the body begins to heal itself.

Similarly, when we start to feel anxiety or depression we do not feel good even though we do not have a physical disease. Inside our body, our mind and heart have stored so many toxins which creates mental diseases and ruins our way of life. We need constant detoxification of our mind and heart the same way our body detoxifies itself. This is the only way we can reach our purest nature thus bringing compassion, love, and bliss into our lives. If we drop a diamond in the mud, the diamond does not lose its value or its purity. Simply by washing the dirt off we can once again see the beauty of the diamond. When the detoxification of the mind and heart begins and continues, then our true purity will emerge and bring light into the world. Otherwise, negativity and pollution will take over and corrupt our wisdom and actions, leading us to commit wrongdoings that will only hurt us in the future.

There are many ways through which we can detoxify the mind and heart: Breathing exercises (Pranayama), listening to discourses, doing selfless service (Sewa). However, these alone will only help the outer layer. If we want to go to the depths of our mind and heart then we must contemplate on God’s name. Only through this can we remove even the deepest toxins from the mind and heart. When our clothes have stains on them, simple washing is not enough. We need to do extra treatment on the stains to remove them. To remove the deepest stains in ourselves we need a Guru who can reveal God’s name in our breath on which we can meditate upon to do a deeper cleansing. This is why throughout history, every disciple had a Guru who gave their disciples divine knowledge and revealed the name of God to them. And by contemplating on the name they cleansed their minds and hearts.

How do we know if we need to cleanse ourselves though? If we sit for 5 minutes, what kind of thoughts come into our heads. Are they kind, full of compassion and love? If they are not then we need to start the detoxification. We must meditate and contemplate on God’s name. Through careful repetition, we will see an amazing change in our nature and our thoughts. We will begin to contemplate on God’s name instead of the negativity around us. We will begin to observe our own purity and so will others around us.