Ayurveda can change your life, seriously. It changed mine. I always thought I was relatively healthy but after I graduated from a 300 hour Ayurveda program, I realized there was so much more opportunity to be healthier, and happier, than ever before.

Ayurveda is The Science of Life

The word Ayurveda comes from the ancient language of Sanskrit and means life knowledge or the science of life. Ayur (life) and Veda (knowledge, wisdom). I also love to describe this as a way of understanding how to live to your individual specific needs.

Ayurveda comes from Sankhya philosophy which means, to know the truth. When we practice Ayurveda we are learning the truth of who we are under all of the ego, life events, trauma, diet, and lifestyle, but more on that later. It’s a whole-body approach to healing and holistic wellness.

Ayurveda is a science that understands that everyone’s mind and body is totally unique. We’re all vastly different but there are ways where we can read your specific mind body type just by looking at your bone structure, hair, eyes, temperament, coloring, and even your palm.

The History of Ayurveda

Ayurveda is an ancient, modern, and futuristic medicine. It is not a medicine of the past but a living medicine that has evolved over the past 4,000 years. Although it is said to be the oldest science known to humans it is appropriate for the time, place and person who is using it. Ayurveda bloomed out of India but has planted roots all over the world. 

While Western medicine has been predominantly practiced in more established countries, Ayurveda, and more forms of holistic health, are starting to rebloom. More people are seeking functional doctors, holistic naturopaths, integrative medicine, and even seeking MD’s who will appreciate the mind/body connection. We are also seeing more doctors incorporate alternative forms of holistic medicine, because it works, and because we are demanding it! Of course, we should use modern allopathic medicine to treat disease, however, Ayurveda is a perfect addition for treatment and also for disease prevention. These two medicines combined can be of immense benefit to humanity. 

You may have heard that Ayurveda is the sister science of yoga. While yoga teaches us about mindfulness and expansion of the soul, Ayurveda is about teaching us how to be physically healthy and in balance. They work together, and you have most likely heard about Ayurveda at least once if you practice yoga. It’s no longer a secret that holistic lifestyle, diet, sleep, and mental wellness impacts your daily life and longevity. 

Ayurveda says that everything starts from the mind including disease and discomfort. When there is disharmony between the knowledge and the action of the mind you need to bring it back into harmony. Ayurveda teaches us how to reestablish the rhythmic synchronicity of the mind, body, emotions, and spirit connection. 

Our Original Nature

At the time of birth, and some say conception, we were born with different ratios of the 5 great elements – ether, air, fire, water, earth. This is a force inside of you that is unchanging, perfect, and whole. Over time our original nature gets damped or completely overridden due to life events such as childhood conditioning, trauma, relentless jobs, unhealthy relationships, dietary choices, and everyday modern life.

When we become imbalanced, or pull away from our original nature, this is the beginning of manifestation of disease. So how can we become so in-tuned with ourselves that we understand how to live every minute of our life consciously attempting to make choices that will draw us away from imbalance and back to our original nature? 

You were born with the perfect amounts of all of the elements and have inherent qualities of all three doshas, or constitutions. Dosha literally means fault, but every person has a different percentage of the doshas that are innate to them. 

The Five Great Elements

At birth, you are created with different amounts of all of the elements and have inherent qualities of the three doshas..

Vata (Air, Space)

Pitta (Fire, Water),

Kapha (Earth, Water)

We see dosha in everything including human beings, the plant kingdom, and even immovable objects. Tridoshic (3 doshas) theory means that all elements and dosha exist in all things. 

How to Notice Imbalance

When our body is imbalanced that means we are experiencing and excess of one, or multiple doshas, that are not aligning to our original makeup. For example, my true nature is about 45% Pitta dominant, 40% Vata, and 15% Kapha. Meaning the elements in my nature are predominantly fire/water, air/space. If all of a sudden my Pitta has increased to 70% then I have a Pitta imbalance. I may experience symptoms of anger, criticalness, judgment, rashes, loose stools, and acid-reflux which are all imbalances of Pitta. 

Ayurveda is all about noticing the Pitta like symptoms and then making appropriate choices to bring the 70% back down to 45%. In future articles, we will discuss the doshas and imbalances of each in more detail but for now I want to leave you with this. 

Our bodies are so incredibly important, but it’s not the only thing that matters. The body is the seat for our mind and our soul. The mind and body work together to become the seat for your consciousness. When you ask the question what is Ayurveda – it is about living life in balance so you live a life symptom and disease free. It’s about learning to love and respect Mother Earth, the 5 great elements, and nature’s bounty. But above all else, it’s about coming back to yourself. 

Do you experience symptoms such as bloating, gas, acne, loose stools, or constipation? If so, I’d love to work with you 1:1 to customize an approach to bring your body back into balance so you can live with vitality!

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