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Ayurveda is a 5,000-year-old system of
natural healing that has its origins in the
Vedic culture of India. Although suppressed
during years of foreign occupation, Ayurveda
has been enjoying a major resurgence in both
its native land and throughout the world.
Tibetan medicine and Traditional Chinese
Medicine both have their roots in Ayurveda.
Early Greek medicine also embraced many
concepts originally described in the
classical ayurvedic medical texts dating
back thousands of years.
More than a mere system of treating illness,
Ayurveda is a science of life (Ayur = life,
Veda = science or knowledge). It offers a
body of wisdom designed to help people stay
vital while realizing their full human
potential. Providing guidelines on ideal
daily and seasonal routines, diet, behavior
and the proper use of our senses, Ayurveda
reminds us that health is the balanced and
dynamic integration between our environment,
body, mind, and spirit.
Recognizing that human beings are part of
nature, Ayurveda describes three fundamental
energies that govern our inner and outer
environments: movement, transformation, and
structure. Known in Sanskrit as Vata (Wind),
Pitta (Fire), and Kapha (Earth), these
primary forces are responsible for the
characteristics of our mind and body. Each
of us has a unique proportion of these three
forces that shapes our nature. If Vata is
dominant in our system, we tend to be thin,
light, enthusiastic, energetic, and
changeable. If Pitta predominates in our
nature, we tend to be intense, intelligent,
and goal-oriented and we have a strong
appetite for life. When Kapha prevails, we
tend to be easy-going, methodical, and
nurturing. Although each of us has all three
forces, most people have one or two elements
that predominate.
For each element, there is a balanced and
imbalance expression. When Vata is balanced,
a person is lively and creative, but when
there is too much movement in the system, a
person tends to experience anxiety,
insomnia, dry skin, constipation, and
difficulty focusing. When Pitta is
functioning in a balanced manner, a person
is warm, friendly, disciplined, a good
leader, and a good speaker. When Pitta is
out of balance, a person tends to be
compulsive and irritable and may suffer from
indigestion or an inflammatory condition.
When Kapha is balanced, a person is sweet,
supportive, and stable but when Kapha is out
of balance, a person may experience
sluggishness, weight gain, and sinus
congestion.
An important goal of Ayurveda is to identify
a person’s ideal state of balance, determine
where they are out of balance, and offer
interventions using diet, herbs,
aromatherapy, massage treatments, music, and
meditation to reestablish balance. |
