What is Ayurveda?

'Ayu' means 'Life'          'Veda' means 'Knowledge'

Ayurveda is the 'Science of Life'

Ayurveda is living with complete awareness in every aspect of life, including diet, sleep, exercise, work, living conditions, relationships, medicine and behaviours ..and understanding what is beneficial or harmful to you or life.

Ayurveda honours the individual, its sees every person as a unique individual. So therefore the regimes or treatment for one individual wont be the same regimes or treatment for another person.

Ayurveda originates from India some 5000 years ago and this powerful knowledge was attained through great sages and spiritual beings and these teachings were recorded as Sutras which are poetic verses in Sanskrit. Ayurveda is a gift passed down through the generations to us and is presently spreading to all parts of the world just like ‘Yoga’ which originates from the same philosophy.

When you start to understand a few of the basics about Ayurveda you start to realise how common sense it is.

Ayurveda is based on the qualities in the universe, so for example, hot and cold, heavy and light, oily and rough. These qualities make up the Dosha’s, which you may have heard of. The Dosha’s are 3 vital energies or intelligences - Vata, Pitta, Kapha.  For example:

Vata is made up of Air and Ether

Pitta is made up of Fire and Water

Kapha is made up of Earth and Water

These govern physiological, psychological, biological functions of the body. Health is the perfect balance of the 5 elements and disease is an imbalance of the 5 elements. So basically if our Dosha’s are in balance, our body is in balance.

Each of us has a unique body constitution (Prakruti) that was given to us at birth, which is unchanging. This is a unique combination of the 3 vital energies Vata, Pitta and Kapha and derived from your physical, mental and emotional characteristics. For example, you might be predominantly Vata the air element and Pitta the fire element and lastly Kapha. This will help you understand that you're creative and active due to Vata, organised and persistent due to Pitta and lastly Kapha.

When we know our constitution (Prakruti) we then start to have a better understanding of ourselves, who we are, what our lifestyle choices are, how we process our emotions, how we remain content in our life and how we interact with all the elements of nature around us.

It's then important to know your imbalance state (Vrikruti) also, which is how these vital energies - Vata, Pitta and Kapha manifest in your body. Unlike your constitution which never changes your imbalance state (Vrikruti) is constantly changing throughout your life depending on your age, food, lifestyle, stress, emotions, seasons, environments etc. for example if you live in a dry environment your Vata might be high - as one of the qualities of Vata is dryness, if your inactive your Kapha high be high - as one of the qualities of Kapha is heaviness and if you eat too many hot and spicy foods your Pitta might be high - as one of the qualities of Pitta is hot.

This gives you a base for understanding what in your life creates balance and causes imbalance and builds your self awareness to make specific choices for yourself. Through this understanding you are able to then treat the root cause of any issues and prevent any manifestation of serious illnesses.

If you don't know your constitution or would like more understanding of Ayurveda please come see us at the clinic.

The Value of Ayurveda

The increasing pace of our working lives and the amount of information that is transmitted rapidly around the world is changing our lifestyles, often detriment of our physical, mental and spiritual health. You can use Ayurveda to restore balance to your life by looking at the qualities you experience through your diet, work, leisure activities, and relationships - and how these interact with your unique constitution.

How is Ayurveda unique from other health modalities?

Ayurveda has never changed, because the basic principles derive from the Universal Laws of Nature which is eternally true. This is the great strength of this science.

Ayurveda is a philosophy of life, meaning the teachings need to be implemented into life and experienced, not just a modality, meaning just knowledge - this is the difference between many other health approach in the world. Ayurveda is about action! Not just listening, its about putting the practices into action - seeing and feeling the benefit, the changes, how it changes your life and others. These changes maybe to your mentality, outlook on life, your attitude and your thought patterns.

Everyone has a unique body constitution (Prakruti) which we are given at birth. This allows treatment and lifestyle to be specific to each person.

Ayurveda looks at the body as a whole. Meaning one part of the body effects all parts of the body. Based on this Ayurveda defines life as the intelligent coordination of the Soul (Atma), the Mind (Manas), the Senses (Indriyas) and the Body (Sharira).

Ayurveda focuses on prevention of disease. Providing daily and seasonal routines to live a balanced lifestyle in tune with nature.

Ayurveda treats the root cause of a disease not the symptoms.

The Theory of the Three Doshas - Vata, Pitta, Kapha - our bodily intelligence. These keep our body in a normal state. If the Doshas are in balance the body is in balance. This theory will explain why two people can eat the same thing but can be metabolised differently. Ayurveda anatomy and physiology is based on this.

The Five Element theory. What ever is present in the universe has an impact on everyone. The 5 elements have an impact on the human body - Doshas, bodily tissues, wastes, mind, taste, season- Ether (AKASH),Air (VAYU), Fire (AGNI), Water (AP or JAL), Earth (PRITHIVI). Health is the perfect balance of the 5 elements and disease is an imbalance of the 5 elements.

The importance of the Digestive Fire (Agni). In Ayurveda all disease begins in the gut. When your digestion and metabolism are properly functioning, you reap the nutrients of what you eat. You also expel toxins (urine, faeces, sweat) properly, that otherwise accumulate into toxins (Ama), that slow down your mind and body and ultimately cause disease. Correcting ones digestive fire is number one for correcting a persons health.

The Three Gunas. Is the phenomena that the universe comes under the influence of three primary phases of activity. Sattva is the quality of intelligence, virtue and goodness and creates harmony, balance and stability. Rajas is the quality of change, activity and turbulence and creates distraction, stimulation, distress and conflict. Tamas is the quality of dullness, darkness, and inertia and is heavy, veiling and obstructing in action. A mind naturally dominated by Sattva correlates with consciousness and clarity. Rajas and Tamas are factors of mental disharmony. These are used to judge mental maturity - the prime attributes of Prakruti.

What are the benefits of applying Ayurveda philosophies to our day to day lifestyles?

These include:

Greater understanding of your unique body constitution (Prakruti). Understanding what is beneficial for you and what isn't and making these changes in your lifestyle, diet, exercise regime, environment etc. Basically what makes you ill and whats makes you healthy on all levels.

Start recognise the body as a whole. Recognising that you need balance in your physical, emotional and mental bodies to achieve balance of health - not just one aspect e.g. exercise or nutrition.

Start using food as medicine. Rather than eating for pleasure, and indulging. Recognising that food is medicine. It is our fuel. This doesn't mean you cant enjoy your food but having this understanding and putting it into action, such as only eating the amount your body needs, choosing quality foods, eating mindfully, cooking etc.

Understanding what you do on a daily basis has a profound effect on your health and balance in the body. Establishing good daily routines such as the Ayurvedic routines that clean out the Ama (toxins) on a daily basis and assist in regaining or maintaining balance on all levels. E.g. get up before 6am, brush teeth on waking and scrape your tongue, have a cleansing drink on waking, live in line with the seasons, use spices when cooking, exercise, notice your Agni (metabolism/digestion).

Living your life with ethical standards and self discipline. Being a good person. Do good, get good. Do bad, get bad. Living with nonviolence, truthfulness, cleanliness, contentment for example. Not creating any additional karma.

More connected to who you are. Accepting your self, not trying to be someone else. Know and live the truth. Acknowledge the divine self in all beings. We are all one and the same.

Greater understanding of your thoughts and emotions. Using some of the practices such as processing your thoughts, meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, self study daily to clear and quieten the mind.



Understanding the Doshas

To learn how to balance the body, mind and consciousness requires an understanding of how Vata, Pitta and Kapha work together.

According to Ayurvedic philosophy the entire universe is an interplay of the five elements — Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. What goes on in the world at large also goes on within the human physiology. Vata, Pitta and Kapha are combinations of these five elements. In the physical body, Vata is the subtle energy of movement, Pitta the energy of digestion and metabolism, and Kapha the energy that forms the body's structure.

Vata is responsible for all movement - composed of Space and Air. Vata regulates all sensory and mental balance. It governs breathing, blinking, beating of the heart, muscle and tissue movement, and all impulses of the nervous system, such as stimulation of nerves; transmission of sensory stimuli; initiation of motor functions, creation of impulses, creation of reflexes, inspiration and expiration, circulation of blood, oxygen, nutrients, thoughts, stimulation of digestive juices, peristalsis, normal elimination, ejaculation, delivery of foetus, stimulation of tears, expression of emotions, enthusiasm, creativity. In balance, Vata promotes creativity and flexibility. Out of balance, Vata produces fear and anxiety.

Pitta is the energy of all transformation - composed of Fire and Water. It governs digestion, absorption, assimilation, nutrition, metabolism, body temperature, creation of thirst and hunger, lustre of eyes and skin, vision, comprehension of sensory stimuli, transformation with the mind and body, assimilation of thoughts, recognition, discrimination, comprehension, confidence, cheerfulness, increase appetite and thirst. In balance, Pitta promotes understanding and intelligence. Out of balance, Pitta arouses anger, hatred and jealousy.

Kapha is the energy that forms the body's structure - composed of Earth and Water. Kapha is responsible for giving compactness to the body as a whole. Kapha supplies the water for all bodily parts and systems. It brings strength, stability, firmness to the body, lubricates joints, moisturises the skin, and maintains immunity. In balance, Kapha is expressed as love, calmness and forgiveness. Out of balance, it leads to attachment, greed and envy.

Life will always challenge us, and things are always changing. We can learn to let go of the things we cannot change and focusing on the things we can control such as our diet and lifestyle. To maintain balance and health, it is important to pay attention to these decisions on a daily basis.

Ayurveda teaches us this and provides the practices and teachings to live in accordance with our body constitution, so we can strengthen the body, mind and consciousness.