What Is Maya? Understanding Illusion in Life, Spirituality, and Ayurveda
In Hindu philosophy, Maya is often described as the great illusion—the power that makes the temporary appear permanent, the changing appear stable, and the unreal appear real. In Vedānta, Maya veils our true nature as Atman (the Self) and makes us identify with the body, mind, and circumstances.
It doesn’t mean that life itself is false, but that our perception of it is incomplete. We mistake appearances for reality—much like looking at a mirage in the desert and believing there is water. The water is not “wrong” but it isn’t the full truth.
In spiritual practice, Maya is not to be rejected but understood. It is the cosmic play (leela) that allows us to learn, grow, and eventually return to truth. In its essence, Maya reminds us that what we see is not all that is—there is a deeper reality (Satya, truth; Brahman, the unchanging) behind appearances.
In our next Story Telling Session with Krishna we will dive a little deeper into this topic of Maya and Leela
Don’t forget to sing up
The 3 lenses of Maya
If everything seen is maya (appearance), then everything felt is also maya—appearances arising in the mind. But those feelings can point you toward what isn’t maya: the awareness that knows them.
Here are three lenses:
Advaita Vedānta
Seen and felt are both drishya (objects).
Emotions are mind-modifications (vrittis)—part of prakriti, hence maya.
The only non-object is the seer (sakshi, awareness). Feelings come and go; the knower of feeling doesn’t.
Yoga (Sāṅkhya–Yoga)
Sensation and emotion belong to manomaya & vijñānamaya layers (mind/intellect).
They’re colored by gunas (sattva/rajas/tamas).
Practice is to witness vrittis until the seer abides in itself (Yoga Sutra I.3).
Buddhism
“Feeling” (vedanā) is one of the five aggregates—dependently arisen and empty of self.
Not to be denied, but not to be mistaken for who you are.
Maya in Daily Life: Illusion, Reality, and Suffering
Maya is not only a lofty concept from the scriptures—it shows up every day in our lives. Traveling has made me reflect on this deeply.
From the outside, a travel-filled life looks rich, adventurous, even glamorous. Yet the lived experience is different: staying with family to reduce costs, lacking privacy, juggling different time zones, battling weak internet connections, and constantly tending to digestion and Agni to stay balanced. What others see and what I feel are not the same. This gap—between appearance and experience—is Maya in action.
We also encounter Maya in far more painful ways—through illness. Especially when it is terminal, illness is heartbreaking for those who witness a loved one’s suffering, and frightening for those who endure it themselves. Ayurveda is not a miracle cure that can always heal such conditions. What it does address, however, is a different layer of suffering: the mental and emotional pain that illness brings.
Through Ayurveda’s lens, this suffering can be eased by reconnecting to our true nature—Purusha or Brahman—and by cultivating balance in the three gunas. Strengthening sattva provides the clarity and stability to face pain, to hold space for grief, and to gradually learn acceptance and surrender.
In my own circle, we have lost close friends and family members in recent years. While nothing could take away the reality of loss, what gave us strength was the deeper remembrance that beyond the body’s fragility lies an essence untouched by disease. Aligning with that truth does not erase the sorrow, but it allows us to meet it with resilience and peace.
Maya creates suffering when we mistake the “outer picture” for the whole truth—whether that picture is the illusion of a glamorous life or the illusion that illness is only destruction. But beneath the veil, there is always a core of reality: connection, gratitude, and acceptance.
When we pause to look beyond appearances, we can rest in this deeper Satya, the truth that endures.
A simple way to work with this:
When a strong feeling arises, ask: “To whom is this felt?”
Notice the feeling as a wave in awareness.
Let the wave be; rest as the ocean that knows it.
Everything felt is maya as movement, and also a pointer—back to the unmoving awareness that you are.
Overcoming and Understanding Maya
Neither Ayurveda nor Vedānta teaches us to escape Maya completely—it is part of life’s fabric. Instead, the path is to recognize it, and gradually loosen its hold.
Awareness: The first step is noticing illusion. Just as you saw how travel looks different from how it feels, awareness itself is liberation. To see that “this is Maya” is to step outside its grip.
Cultivating Sattva: In Ayurveda, clarity of mind (sattva) is the antidote to illusion. Diet, routine, and practices like meditation or pranayama strengthen Agni and purify perception, so we see more clearly instead of through the fog of rajas (restlessness) or tamas (inertia).
Witnessing: Yoga and Vedānta remind us that we are the witness (sakshi) of experiences, not the experiences themselves. Feelings, sensations, successes, and failures are all part of Maya—ever-changing. Awareness of this witness helps us return to truth.
Living the Reality (Satya): Reality behind Maya is not abstract—it is the quiet presence of acceptance, gratitude, and peace within. When you discover contentment in the midst of challenges, you are touching Satya. Ayurveda calls this balance; Vedānta calls it truth; spirituality calls it freedom.
To “overcome” Maya is not to push it away, but to live in it consciously, knowing that illusion will always color perception—yet beyond it, truth remains unshaken.
What I see is different from what you see. What I feel is different from what you feel. But what is real is your awareness and my awareness.
How does Ayurveda relate to Maya ?
Ayurveda is rooted in Sāṅkhya philosophy, where:
Purusha = pure consciousness (unchanging witness).
Prakriti = nature, made of the three gunas (sattva, rajas, tamas).
Maya is the power that makes the ever-changing play of prakriti appear as solid, lasting, or "real." Ayurveda says that everything we perceive through the senses—forms, tastes, smells, sensations—belongs to prakriti, hence is subject to change, imbalance, and dissolution.
Thus, disease and health themselves are part of maya: fluctuations in prakriti, not the Self.
Maya in Perception and Mind
Ayurveda teaches that:
The mind (manas) is a sense organ.
Feelings, thoughts, and perceptions are colored by rajas/tamas and can distort reality.
This distortion is maya on a psychological level. For example, craving sugar when the body is imbalanced, or mistaking stress for productivity. Ayurveda prescribes lifestyle, diet, and meditation to purify perception so sattva (clarity) shines, reducing the veil of maya.
Maya and Suffering
Ayurveda aligns with Vedānta: forgetting our true nature is the root cause of suffering.
Identifying with body/doshas → imbalance → disease.
Remembering the Self as beyond body and mind → liberation (moksha).
Thus, Ayurveda is not only about herbs or food—it’s a path to see through maya by restoring balance, so we can rest in awareness.
Practical Teaching
The body is real enough to be cared for, but not ultimately real.
Illness is real enough to be treated, but its root cause of the suffering is ignorance of our nature (prakriti).
Healing in Ayurveda is both material and spiritual: using food, herbs, yoga, meditation to dissolve layers of maya and return to clarity.
Ayurveda sees maya as the veil of imbalance and misperception—the illusion that body, senses, and mind are the ultimate Self. Its therapies are tools to lift this veil, so one experiences harmony in prakriti while realizing the freedom of Purusha.
Seeing Through Maya in Daily Life with Soul Veda
Maya will always be part of our lives. We cannot escape it completely—but we can learn to see through it. The question is not whether illusion exists, but how we relate to it: do we remain trapped inside appearances, or do we cultivate the clarity to recognize what is real, nourishing, and true?
This is the essence of my work. Through Ayurveda, psychotherapy-inspired dialogue, and art therapy, I support people in navigating the illusions that shape their health, emotions, and self-perception:
Ayurveda Dosha Assessment helps reveal the truth of your constitution and imbalances. Instead of being caught in the illusion of “this is just who I am,” you begin to see the patterns clearly and learn how to bring them back into balance.
Ayurvedic Psychotherapy gives tools to step back from the mental stories and attachments that cloud perception. By working with the three gunas, we create a more stable ground to face challenges with clarity and resilience.
Art Therapy and Mantra Art provide a way to move beyond the “mask” of appearances, expressing what is real beneath the surface and reconnecting to authenticity through creativity and meditation.
Each of these practices is a way of gently lifting the veil of Maya—not to reject life’s play of appearances, but to meet it with awareness, balance, and truth.
✨ If you feel called to explore how these practices can support you in your own journey of seeing through Maya, you can learn more here or book a session with me directly.
