Ayurveda

What is Ayurveda all about

Ayurveda is not just a health system, it is a complete approach to life based on the understanding that human life is a close reflection of the entire universe and its underlying principles. It takes into account all parts of human existence, from subtle, non-tangible aspects to the most concrete and material expression in the human body.

More than 10,000 years ago, the first civilization on earth emerged in the Indus Valley region in what is now called South Asia. With the Vedic culture, it brought forth groundbreaking sciences and progress in a wide variety of fields. One of these sciences is Ayurveda which is widely acknowledged today as the world's first system of health.

Ayurvedic traditions have been passed down orally from generation to generation for thousands of years. Only in the last 5,000 years, Ayurveda was documented in a written form.

Knowledge of Longevity

The word Ayurveda comes from Sanskrit. Sanskrit is the language of the ancient Vedic scriptures. Ayurveda is the composition of two Sanskrit words:

Ayur = Life, Longevity

Veda = Knowledge

Therefore, Ayurveda means the Knowledge of Longevity or the Knowledge of Life.

Relevant Longevity

Ayurveda is about giving years to life and life to years, so it’s not simply about prolonging life per se, but about living as long and as healthy and joyful a life as possible. A life with maximum ease that is as free as possible from illness, pain and suffering. The objective of Ayurveda is relevant longevity, meaning that life span (the number of years we live) and health span (the number of years we are healthy) should be equal.

Situated in self for your personal equilibrium

Ayurveda aims for every human being to be swastha, seated in one’s true self (Prakriti). Ayurveda recognizes that every person’s Prakriti is truly unique. This knowing about oneself, the awareness of one’s own nature, uniqueness, to understand ever more deeply who am I, who am I truly meant to be, what is my potential, versus what the environment has made of me is at the core of Ayurveda. Ayurveda also realizes that there is an intimate interplay between body, mind, soul, behavior, and environment.

Knowing about and living up to your own uniqueness

By identifying and maintaining an individual's unique body type or true nature which is commonly known as Prakriti, Ayurveda helps each human being to create and preserve their own state of ideal health. By being aware of the universal principles and observing oneself and all the factors that influence us, we can develop a sense of what is healthy and beneficial for each individual. Living life in accordance with our unique constitution and nature brings us health, vitality, happiness and fulfillment.

On the other hand, ignorance of this uniqueness of our body, mind and soul becomes the root cause of human ailments and suffering.

Addressing the root cause

Every imbalance or illness has a rational explanation in Ayurveda. The goal of health and wellbeing cannot be realized if the root cause of the disease is not addressed.

Ayurveda is helping everyone to achieve their unique equilibrium in life through personalized, seasonal advice and treatment with diet, lifestyle and daily routines, medicinal herbs and body treatments and therapies.

Key Principles of Ayurveda

Ayurveda provides very detailed and differentiated information on how we can achieve relevant longevity. It is a very logical and rational science which is based on universal laws and principles. These principles are eternally true and intimately tied to how nature functions everywhere in creation:

1. Law of cause and effect

This principle is the law of karma: there is always a cause and an effect.

It means that there is no effect without a cause. There is no symptom, no disease without a cause. The cause must be eliminated for healing to take place.

E.g. a smoker with a Vata problem in the lungs. The symptoms may be reduced with Vata reducing measures, but there will be no cure as long as the smoking continues.

2. Like increases like

The second concept in Ayurveda is “like increases like”, or “same nourishes same”.

E.g. if someone with dry skin eats popcorn and crackers, the dry quality will increase.


3. Opposites reduce

A key principle in Ayurveda is to identify the attribute (guna) that is increasing and reduce it by using the opposite attribute or quality. This stops the aggravation of the dosha and the disease process associated with the increase of the respective attribute.

E.g. a cooling cucumber salad on a hot summer's day reduces the quality of heat.

These laws of nature are universal, so Ayurveda is valid and applicable all over the world and can be easily adapted to local conditions.

Key Concepts of Ayurveda

Five Categories of Matter

Ayurveda recognizes that human life is an integral part of nature.

The intelligence responsible for orchestrating nature also guides all physiological processes within us. Ayurveda calls these fundamental principles which guide nature's functioning in creation mahabhutas or cosmic elements. They are the underlying intelligence that gives rise to the five categories of matter, commonly known as:

  • Field or Space

  • In Motion

  • Transformation

  • Liquid

  • Solid

The universe consists of these five states of matter and is created through interaction. They form the three doshas in different combinations - Vata dosha (air and ether), Pitta dosha (fire and water), and Kapha dosha (earth and water).

All manifestations comprise the five states of matter - the doshas are the intelligence that enables these five states of matter to function together as an organism.

The three Doshas

One of the most powerful tools in Ayurveda is the three Dosha concept.

This concept explains how the five states of matter which make up physical creation dynamically combine to control all processes within human physiology. The three Doshas are like managers. Each manager has its area of responsibility.

The three Doshas orchestrate and perform all functions in a human being.

  • VATA

    Movement, Transport

    Communication

    Separation

    Elimination

    Sluggishness

    Deconstruction

    VATA

  • PITTA

    Digestion, Metabolism

    Transformation of Awareness

    Transformation of Intelligence

    Transformation of Thoughts

    Transformation of Food

  • KAPHA

    Structure, Cohesion

    Growth

    Endurance

    Reconstruction

    Lubrication

The three Doshas are like three intelligent Managers

The three Doshas coordinate all physical processes in the body as well as the mental and psychological states. Often, an interplay between the three doshas is required to perform certain functions in the body or mind. For example in the nervous system or mind, it is Vata dosha that is responsible for the movement of the mind, thoughts, feelings, emotions, sensation and perception. Pitta is present in the gray matter of the brain in the form of certain neurotransmitters, and is responsible for knowledge, understanding, comprehension and compassion. It transforms sensations into feelings and emotions. Kapha makes the structure of the gray matter and surrounds the brain with a subtle layer of white matter where every visual, olfactory and tactile experience is recorded by Vata dosha. The ink that serves to record this experience in the structure provided by Kapha is Pitta.

Without any one of these processes, there would be no human life.

Ayurveda is a functional health system. The three managers or Doshas control everything in the body and when they are in the their natural state, they create an equilibrium or homeostasis. The Dosha is the intelligent function of the body that connects the five categories of matter and makes them work together. When we have symptoms or disease, we know that something in the Dosha, in the network of systems and the relationships between them, is not working correctly. This is a very different approach than western medicine which looks at the body through form, structure and organs.

The Factors influencing Doshas

• Diet

• Lifestyle/routines

• Cycles of the day, seasons, age

• Climate, environment

• Psyche: conditioning, experiences, trauma

Everything is potentially a factor that disturbs the Doshas, life itself is one of the main causes of Dosha imbalance. The whole universe is potentially a cause of disease as it can increase the three Doshas.

The Doshas have a difficult job. They have to perform their area of responsibility properly. They have to work together with the other two Doshas. They must maintain internal homeostasis, the equilibrium of Doshas, and react correctly to changes in the external environment. And the Doshas work 24/7, they never get a break. 

Prakriti and Vikriti

Ayurveda recognizes that every human being is born with all three Doshas, but we have them in a unique combination, in a unique expression which is like a fingerprint and responsible for the physical, mental and emotional differences of people.

We call this state we are born with Prakriti or natural constitution. The individual constitution of the Doshas is fixed for life and a unique genetic code that is present in every cell, every organ and every system. If it is in its natural balance, it forms a protective shield and homeostasis. Ayurveda says that if we are in our natural constitution or Praktiti, we will have a healthy, happy and fulfilled life, leading to relevant longevity.

Ayurveda applies a personalized approach to everyone

As a consequence, Ayurveda sees every human being as unique and assumes that each person needs personalized advice and treatment. One size fits all does not work from an Ayurvedic perspective.

Life, meaning our lifestyle, our habits, our diet and our experiences can disrupt this unique combination, i.e. one or more Doshas. We call this status quo Vikriti, which covers up our nature or Prakriti. Vikriti is the result of the law of cause and effect. Vikriti results in symptoms and over time, if not corrected, to disease.

The way back to Prakriti

How do we move from Vikriti/status quo, back to Prakriti/natural constitution to achieve relevant longevity?

Ayurveda helps us reconnect with our true nature, our Prakriti, through personalized, seasonal diets, lifestyle/daily routines, medicinal herbs, and body treatments/therapies.