Ayurveda

“There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy.”

— Friedrich Nietzsche

Balance is the natural order; imbalance is disorder.

Ayurveda, translated as the ‘science of life’ (‘ayu’, meaning ‘life’ and ‘veda’, meaning ‘knowledge’), originated in India over 5,000 years ago and continues to be one of the world’s most sophisticated and powerful mind-body health systems.

Ayurveda places great emphasis on prevention and encourages the maintenance of health through close attention to balance in one’s life, right thinking, diet, lifestyle and the use of herbs.

Each of us has our own unique pattern of energy - an individual combination of physical, mental and emotional characteristics - which comprises our own constitution, or Prakruti. This constitution is determined at conception by a number of factors and remains the same throughout life.

Many factors, both internal and external, act upon us to disturb this balance and are reflected as a change in one’s constitution from the balanced state. Examples include diet and food choices, seasons and weather, physical trauma, work and family relationships.

Knowledge of Ayurveda enables us to understand how to create this balance of body, mind and consciousness according to one’s own individual constitution, and how to make lifestyle changes to bring about and maintain this balance.

Doshas

According to Ayurvedic philosophy, the entire cosmos is an interaction of the energies of the five elements - Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. These elements are combined and manifested as three principle energies, or doshas, which are present in everyone, and every living thing, known as vata, pitta and kapha.

Vata = Air + Ether

Pitta = Fire + Water

Kapha = Earth + Water

Vata, pitta and kapha can be related to the basic biology of the body. Vata is the energy of movement; pitta is the energy of digestion or metabolism and kapha, the energy of lubrication and structure.

Ayurveda maintains that all life must be supported by energy in balance. When there is minimal stress and the flow of energy within us is balanced, the body’s natural defence systems will be strong, and can more easily defend against disease and viruses.

Prakruti

Each individual constitution is a combination of the doshas. In general, there are seven kinds of constitutions:

Vata
Pitta
Kapha
Vata-Pitta
Pitta-Kapha
Vata-Kapha
Vata-Pitta-Kapha

Understanding your Prakruti and the specific needs that derive from it, allows you to make the correct choices about diet, exercise, relationships and all other aspects of your life. Knowing more about your dosha combination also determines the treatment you receive and makes you aware of the types of illnesses or disorders that you are most prone to when out of balance.

Agni

Ayurveda teaches us that good health is dependent upon our capability to fully metabolise the nutritional, emotional and sensory information that we ingest. When our digestive energy, known as agni (fire), is strong, we create healthy tissues, eliminate waste products efficiently and produce a subtle essence call ojas. Ojas, the source of our vitality, is the basis for clarity of perception, physical strength and immunity.

If our agni is weakened, digestion is incomplete which leads to an accumulation of toxic residue known as ama. The buildup of ama in the body and mind leads to obstructions in the flow of energy, information, and nourishment, and is the basis of all disease.

Keep your agni strong.

Eat mindfully

Turn off your screen, and focus on each mouthful of food, not chewing too fast or too slowly,

Include all 6 Tastes

As above, adding all six tastes to your food makes it more digestible.

Don’t eat when distressed.

The more relaxed you are when you eat, the easier it is for you to digest your food.

Drink hot water with ginger

Just sipping hot water with ginger through the day helps to balance your agni.

Only eat when hungry.

Your agni needs to be ready to receive the undigested food to work effectively.

Moderate exercise.

Going for a walk, or doing some form of exercise every day keeps your agni in check.

Avoid raw foods.

These are much harder for your body to digest.

Daily oil massage

Self-massage with warm oil balances your mind-body type and keeps your agni in balance.

In addition to these tips, Ayurvedic digestive herbs can be taken through the day to balance your digestive fire, and detoxify your body.

The Six Rasas

Taste is made from the same five elements that make up the doshas: either, air, fire, water and earth. Each taste, or rasa, has an effect on Vata, Pitta and Kapha. When our doshas are out of balance, these six tastes can help to repair this imbalance. The Ayurvedic herbal remedies contain certain tastes to work on the digestion in different ways, depending on the disorder. Adding these tastes to each meal, even by sprinkling on different herbs and spices, helps your body to digest your food efficiently.