Definition

Ayurveda is a holistic system of medicine from India that uses an authorized form. It endeavors  to offer guidance on the subject of food and lifestyle so that healthy people can stay healthy and those with health challenges can perk up their health.

There are numerous facets to Ayurveda that are quite unique:

Its references will often be diverse for each person regarding which foods and which lifestyle they should follow in order to be completely healthy. This is due to its use of a constitutional form.

Everything in Ayurveda is confirmed by scrutiny, query, direct examination and knowledge derived from the ancient texts.

It understands that there are energetic forces that influence nature and human beings. These forces are called the Tridosas

Because Ayurveda sees a strong association between the mind and the body, a huge amount of information is available regarding this relationship.

 Origin

Ayurveda is an complex system of healing that originated in India thousands of years ago. We can find chronological verification of Ayurveda in the ancient books of wisdom known as the Vedas. In the Rig Veda, over 60 preparations were mentioned that could be used to assist an individual in overcoming various ailments. The ancient texts called Rig Veda was written over 6,000 years ago, but really Ayurveda has been around even longer than that. What we see is that Ayurveda is more than just a medical system. It is a Science of Life; it is fair to say that Ayurveda is a system that helps preserves health in a person by using the intrinsic principles of nature to bring the individual back into symmetry with their true self. In essence Ayurveda has been in existence since the beginning of time because we have always been governed by nature's laws.

Meaning

Ayurveda is made up of two Sanskrit words: Ayu which means life and Veda which means the knowledge of. To know about life is Ayurveda .However, to fully comprehend the enormous range of Ayurveda let us first define "Ayu" or life. According to the ancient Ayurvedic scholar Charaka, "ayu" is encompassed of four essential parts. The combination of mind, body, senses and the soul.

Mind, Body, and Senses

We tend to recognize most with our physical bodies; yet, in reality, there is more to us then what meets the eye. We can see that fundamentally our physical structure is the mind, which not only controls our thought processes but helps aid us in carrying out day-to-day activities such as respiration, circulation, digestion and elimination. The mind and the body work in juxtaposition with one another to normalize our physiology. In order for the mind to act suitably to assist the physical body, we must use our senses as information gatherers.

SOUL

Ayurveda also sees that before we exist in physical form with the help of the mind and senses that we exist in a more subtle form known as the soul. The early seers of India believed that we were comprised of a certain vigorous essence that precluded the inhabitance of our physical entity. In fact, they assumed that we may indeed occupy many physical bodies throughout the course of time but that our underlying self or soul remains unchanged.

Principles

In Ayurveda we view a person as a distinctive individual made up of five primary elements. The elements are ether (space), air, fire, water, and earth. Just as in nature, we too have these five elements in us. When any of these elements are present in the environment change, they will in turn have an influence on us. While we are a composite of these five primary elements, certain elements are seen to have an ability to combine to create various physiological functions. Ether and air combine to form what is known in Ayurveda as the Vata dosa .Vata governs the principle of movement and therefore can be seen as the force which directs nerve impulses, circulation, respiration, and elimination. Fire and water are the elements that combine to form the Pitta dosa. The Pitta dosha is the process of transformation or metabolism. Finally, it is predominantly the water and earth elements which combine to form the Kapha dosa. Kapha is what is responsible for growth, adding structure unit by unit. Another function of the Kapha dosha is to offer protection. Cerebral-spinal fluid protects the brain and spinal column and is a type of Kapha found in the body. Also, the mucosal lining of the stomach is another example of the Kapha dosha protecting the tissues. We are all made up of unique proportions of Vata, Pitta and Kapha. These ratios of the doshas vary in each individual; and because of this, Ayurveda sees each person as a special mixture that accounts for our diversity.

Conclusion

This understanding that we are all unique individuals enables Ayurveda to address not only specific health concerns but also offers explanation as to why one person responds differently than another. We hope that you will continue to explore Ayurveda to enhance your health and to gain further insights into this miracle we call life.