About Ayurveda
“When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use; When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.”
- Ayurvedic ProverbWhat is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is a Sanskrit term, made up of two words; “ ayur” and “veda”. Ayur (आयुर्) means “life” and veda (वेढ) means “knowledge or science.” Thus Ayurveda (आयुर्वेढ) translates to “knowledge of life.”
It is one of the world’s ancient and comprehensive medical sciences, which originated in India more than 5,000 years ago. Ayurveda , like its sister science Yoga, has its philosophical foundation in the Vedas, the oldest scriptures on spiritual wisdom and knowledge from ancient India. Today The World Health Organization ( WHO) recognizes Ayurveda as a complete, natural health care system.
Ayurveda recognizes the interconnectedness of our physical health with our emotional, mental, and spiritual states. It has a consciousness-based approach to health, that brings harmony and balance to all areas of one’s life. Ayurveda offers a natural and intuitive path to healthy living, grounded in the principles of nature. It is more than just a system of medicine; it’s awareness, it’s knowledge and it’s “a way of life” that combines, science, spirituality, and personal transformation.
Ayurveda is based on the principles of matter and energy, and the laws of nature, that govern our physical, mental, and spiritual bodies. It gives scientific explanation on the intrinsic inseparable relationship between the human being and the universe. It teaches us that natural healing and health can be attained, when our Biological rhythm is in harmony with the Cosmic rhythm.
How is Ayurveda different from modern medicine?
Ayurveda focuses on prevention, through its emphasis on lifestyle and immunity-building. Unlike modern medicine, which focuses on physical health and addresses symptoms and diseases with a curative approach, Ayurveda aims to establish natural homeostasis for disease prevention. It emphasizes the management of imbalances and restoration of health, by considering all physical, emotional, and environmental factors and then offering personalized-holistic lifestyle solutions.
Ayurveda believes that each of us, in this human form, is a microcosm of the universe. It views each individual as a unique combination of the five elements that the entire universe is made of ; Ether, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. Everything living and nonliving in the universe is made of these five foundational elements, but each creation differs from another, in the proportions of each element it contains. This specific proportion, or ratio, of these five elements, forms an individual's unique physical and psychological constitution, or “Prakriti” in Ayurveda. It is the innate makeup of an individual that determines their nature, affinities, tendencies, strengths, weaknesses, and overall health. Since each Prakriti is unique, the management of ailments in Ayurveda is also personalized.
The Ayurvedic approach to healing and well being, takes into account your unique mind-body constitution, your current state of imbalances, your physical, emotional, and spiritual health status, and everything else that is happening in your life. And on the basis of all those factors, an Ayurvedic counselor suggests changes—often simple ones—in diet, lifestyle, and environment in order to bring individuals into balance with the elements of their unique constitution, climate, and daily life.
The five basic elements, Prakriti and Doshas are three closely related concepts, that are integral to Ayurveda’s holistic approach. The qualities of the five elements ( Ether, with the quality of space, Air, with the quality of movement, Fire with the quality of heat and transformation, Water, with the quality of cohesion, and Earth, with the quality of structure) can manifest both as matter and energy. Ayurveda identifies their manifestation in the form of three foundational energies called Doshas ( Vata, Pitta, and Kapha). In Sanskrit “Doshas” means “that which can go out of balance.”
Vata Dosha, is a combination of air and ether elements.
Pitta Dosha, is a combination of fire and water elements.
Kapha Dosha, is a combination of earth and water elements.
One of the central concepts in Ayurveda is that the Doshas govern all aspects of one’s physical and mental health. Vata controls movement, Pitta regulates metabolism, and Kapha maintains structure. An excess or depletion of Doshas in the body is responsible for illness. Disease, according to Ayurveda, is simply an imbalance of one’s Doshas. But when the three are in balance, they maintain homeostasis and constitute health.
Due to the way we live our lives, these energies can become imbalanced, causing both mental and physical ailments. According to Ayurveda, your mind and body are inseparable and affect each other. Therefore, Ayurvedic healing focuses on understanding your physical, mental, and emotional state, along with your current lifestyle and diet.
Based on your unique constitution and Dosha imbalance, Ayurveda offers simple yet effective lifestyle adjustments, that include guidelines on diet, exercise, self-care rituals, and daily routines, to optimize your well-being and support your body's natural ability to maintain health and, when necessary to heal itself.
Ayurveda teaches us how to sync our body’s functions and energetics with the daily lunar and solar energy cycles and the circadian rhythm. Ayurvedic principles direct us towards a wholesome way of living, that is responsive to and aligned with the changes in seasons and our environment, and which imperceptibly steers us towards balance and health.