What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is an ancient healing science that originated over 5000 years ago in India. “Ayu” means life and “veda” means knowledge. Hence, Ayurveda literally means the knowledge of life. It encompasses how to improve health through diet, herbs, daily habits, yoga, massage, and various other methods. 

Ayurveda uses the idea of balancing the five elements (air, ether/space, fire, water, and earth) as represented in the body. Air can be seen as the air we breathe and the gas exchange throughout our body. Space can be seen as the hollow cavities in our body. Fire is represented by the fire of vision or the fire of digestion in our body, and can also be seen as heat. Water is the flow of blood or fluids throughout the body. Earth is represented by bones.

These five elements are further organized into the three Doshas of Ayurveda: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Vata is a predominance of air and ether. Pitta is a predominance of fire and air. Kapha is a predominance of water and earth.

We are all born with our own unique balance of these three Doshas. This is called our ‘Prakruti.’ Over time, due to our diet, external environments, activities, etc., this balance of the three Doshas may get affected and the levels of the three Doshas may become altered. Our current state of being, as defined by our current combination of Doshas, is called our ‘Vikruti.’ This current combination of Doshas may represent an imbalance when compared to our natural combination of Doshas at birth. This imbalance can result in symptoms and complications in our health.

Ayurveda works with diet, lifestyle habits, herbal supplements, yoga, massage therapy, aromatherapy, and various other methods to help bring these Doshas back to balance in an aim to reduce symptoms and bring health back to its optimal state. 

So how do we determine what our current Dosha levels are as opposed to what they should be? Stay tuned for our next post to find out...

Be Healthy ~ Stay Happy ~ Live Fully