Ayurveda Explained

Revive inate wisdom for better health and lasting healing. Tune in to your true nature

What is Ayurveda?

You may have heard about Ayurveda at your local yoga class, health food store or on a box of tea but you may be wondering what exactly is Ayurveda!? In this article I will answer that very question and give you some tips to help you start your Ayurveda journey. Ayurveda (Ah!-your-veda) literally means the science of life. It is an ancient holistic health care system that encompasses diet, lifestyle and herbs as healing tools to bring balance to our bodies. It truly honors the individual meaning that a regiment for you would be totally different for me. Ayurveda originated in India as is said to be over 5000 years old. In fact the classical text are written in the ancient language of sandskrit. It has survived thousands of years and is now gaining popularity in the western world as a supplemental practice to modern medicine.

Why Choose Ayurveda?

As I mentioned before Ayurveda embraces you as an individaul believing that each person was born with a unique combination of energies and qualities. Because of this no two treatments are alike. Ayurveda helps to fosters self awareness meaning you make your own decision day to day based on how you are feeling or what season it may be. Ayurveda is considered a preventative medicine. Each person has a set of lifestyle , herbal and dietary recommendations based on their bodies set point and imbalances . These remedies are used to address the root cause of an illness rather than treating the symptoms. Finally Ayurveda empowers us as individuals to embrace our intuitive nature & live in harmony with our environment. So if you understand the basic patterns and qualities, living a life of balance will become like second nature to you!

Basic Rules & Philosophies

It is believed that all things in the universe are made up of the 5 Elements. Here they are listed by quality from the most dense to the lightest:

Prthvi– Earth
Jal-Water
Agni-Fire
Vayu– Air
Akasha-Eather/Space

These five elements create the three Doshas which determine a persons characteristics, personality traits and lifestyle need to avoid dis-ease.

Vatta (wind & eather)
Pitta (fire & water)
Kapha (earth & water)

Ayurveda looks at the world in terms of qualities . An excess or deficiency in any of these qualities can cause a disruption to our set point. These 20 qualities are listed in pairs of opposite so it’s very easy to know what to do when one is out of balance. Ayurveda states that “Like creates Like” so when one quality is too high balance it with its opposite:

Dull	Sharp
Hard	Soft
Heavy	Light
Cold	Hot
Wet	Dry
Dense	Subtle
Rough	Smooth
Slow	Quick
Solid	Liquid
Oily	Brittle

Now back to your Dosha, Each person has a set point called their Prakruti which is the combination of elements that they were born with this never changes. It is believed that when any of your Doshas or elements are imbalanced we stray away from our set point leaving an opening for physical, mental and emotional dis-ease. This new combination is know as your Vakruti and changes constantly due to your lifestyle, the climate you live in and other factors.

Living A Balanced Life

All you need to know to get started is your set point (Prakruti ) and your imbalance (Vakruti)

Knowing this helps us embrace who we are and how we react to our environment. To find your Doshas check out the Quiz Here. Or continue reading in the next article.

Dinacharya Means to live a life in balance, we recommend creating a routine that supports you by doing things around the same time of day like waking up, eating meals, and exercising. We also encourage you to have a regular bedtime routine so your body can use that time to repair it’s self. It is ideal to be in bed before 10 pm for all three Doshas.

Now for some basic lifestyle tips to help you balance your dosha with its opposites.

Your Daily rituals might include: