The Three Sub Modalities of Ayurveda used by Practitioners
- May 15
- 4 min read
By Monica Groover
(Monica Groover is a published author of the book Essential Guide to Ayurveda, herbalist, Ayurvedic Practitioner and has been a director of two Ayurveda colleges and was on the board of directors for the National Ayurvedic Medical Association for a year. She received the Ayurveda Doctor level membership with NAMA in 2017.)
“You are an Ayurvedic Witch. Awesome,” said my client Moe (name changed) after her Ayurvedic consultation. She said that over the phone to me after her weeping eczema and other skin issues practically disappeared after three days of using the lepa, a herbal paste made up of freshly ground sandalwood, manjishtha powder, neem, turmeric, aloe, and rose water I had sent over to her house.
Of course, I launched into the “Ayurveda is not allowed to treat, cure, diagnose, or prevent any health issue or disease” disclaimer speech. However, I finally told her that it was partly true, though the witchy part was the herbs themselves, which had been powered by chanting over them!
A lot of Ayurvedic practitioners go out of their way to delete and pretend that the divination aspect of Ayurveda does not exist. They are trying to gain respect from the West and do not want to affect Ayurveda’s credibility. I was trained as a diviner before becoming an Ayurveda professional. Then I was told by teachers and peers to hide my spiritual side and faith-based approach from everyone to gain credibility. So, I did try to do that for 14 years.
Mother Earth has so many plants that she gives us. Some of them have backstories that are associated with sages, devas (demigods), and Gandharvas (angels).
Let me ask you a question? Why is it that the same herb from three different providers can have three different effects? Well, let me tell you why. In Ayurveda, we have three different forms of protocols or supporting protocols for helping heal. And these are called chikitsas. And they are yukti chikitsa or yukti vyapashraya chikitsa.
So, Yukti Vyapashraye Chikitsa (Let's just call it yukti, to make things simpler) is what you and I, we all know, right? Yukti is the lifestyle that includes daily routine, seasonal protocols, and a dosha-based diet. These are lifestyle protocols, daily routine, seasonal routine, diet customized for Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, and to balance the agni and kitchen spices and herbs, and so on.
Number two is satva vajay chikitsa, the root word being sattva. This word has many meanings, like intellect or mode of purity, but it also means the mind. The Classical Definition (from Charaka Samhita): "Sattvavajayah punah ahitebhyo arthebhyo mano nigrahah", which can be translated as the restraint of the mind from sticky, harmful thoughts and feelings that imbalance us. In other words, it is the art of Ayurvedic therapy using yoga, breathing, and so on. The focus of Sattva chikitsa is to address imbalances in the mental doshas — Rajas (restlessness, agitation) and Tamas (inertia, delusion) — while enhancing Sattva (clarity, balance, harmony).
Goals of Sattva Vajaya Chikitsa:
Control the senses and support the mind.
Aims to replace negative or unwholesome thoughts with positive opposites (pratipaksha bhavana).
Aims to support mental stability, emotional regulation, and spiritual well-being.
The third one is Daiva or Daiva Vyapasharaya Chikitsa. Satva also means to promote. Satva is to promote peace. So this is to do with mental health, for example, yoga, pranayama, and so on.
for mental health. The third one is the spiritual dimension or the faith-based healing. It's called Daiva. Daiva comes from the word, divine comes from the word Daiva. Daiva, Daivik, meaning we are chanting, we are fasting on days like Ekadashi, Dwadashi, Purnima. We are praying to different Devatas, Angels, and Demigods.
Now lets move on to the main topic. In order to power plants with higher vibrations or make the herbs highly effective, Shamans and old herbal traditions have used chanting and rituals, prayers for millennia.
In fact, in Ayurveda we have a name for it. It is called Daiva Vyapashraye Chikitsa. (Again, let's call it Daiva chikitsa.)
Daiva: Refers to the divine, celestial, or unseen forces (including karma from past lives or adrishta — the invisible/unobserved).
Vyapashraya: Means depending on, taking refuge in, or resorting to.
It is a a spiritual faith based protocol or modality that relies on divine or spiritual intervention to address diseases, especially those believed to stem from past-life karma (daivakruta vyadhi), sins (papajanya), or supernatural influences. It is considered particularly useful for chronic, intractable, or "incurable" conditions when other methods fall short.
For example, we are chanting mantras and hoping the sacred sounds will be absorbed and increase the vibrational power of the herbs. And we're asking for their blessing, we're performing Vedic rituals to increase the efficacy of the herb. In today's modern Ayurveda, the spiritual dimension has pretty much disappeared because Ayurveda practitioners sometimes are so desperate for acceptance from Western people. They think that if they actually reveal, and I was one of them, so I made a podcast (see below) about Daiva Vyapashraya Chikitsa.
Hope you enjoy it!
Monica Groover lives in Gainesville, Florida and is available for Ayurvedic Consultations both online or in person.
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