Introducing Ayurveda- Alternative Medicine for Self Healing
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Introducing Ayurveda- Alternative Medicine for Self Healing
Alternative Medicine: Health & Wellbeing: Ayurveda
In this website some members of the spiritual family have been properly introduced, such as meditation, zen, yoga, chakra, kundalini, pranayama, etc. and hopefully you are getting to know them well. Today we are going to introduce another important member of this most lovely family. Say hello to Mr. Ayurveda. Ayurveda literarily means the Science of Life and Longevity. It is the science of natural healing which dates back almost 5 thousand years and has been evolving and gathering wisdom since then. Thus, today it is one of the most profound and complete holistic healing systems on this planet.
In this introductory article I will give you a broad overview of Ayurveda and lay down the foundation for providing you future health, healing and wellbeing solutions from this great science.
Background of Ayurveda:
Ayurveda is a psychobiological system that looks to optimize health taking into account your body, mind and emotions. Ayurveda is based on the Vedic Samkhya Philosophy of which, for our purposes here, we will focus on just the 5 Great Elements and the 3 Doshas (humours or fundamental energies that form your constitution) that are derived from them. The 5 great elements are space (ether), air, fire, water and earth. The 3 doshas are vata, pitta and kapha. More on this in the following sections.
The 5 Great Elements & the 3 Doshas of Ayruveda:
The Ayurvedic framework within which all healing is conducted is based on the 3 doshas. Understanding the doshas and their interaction is the key to understanding Ayurveda. The 3 doshas are formed by the 5 elements as follows…
Vata: Space & Air
Pitta: Fire & Water
Kapha: Water & Earth
According to Ayurveda everything, including the body-mind complex, can be defined by these 3 humours. They exist in varying quantities in all things. The qualities of the 3 doshas are as follows:
Vata: Dry, Light, Cold, Rough, Subtle & Mobile
Pitta: Sharp, Hot, Light, Slightly Oily, Slightly Odorous, Mobile & Liquid
Kapha: Wet, Cold, Heavy, Dull, Soft, Sticky & Fixed
Health Goal of Ayurveda (Prakruti & Vikruti):
Ayurveda states that each of us is born with a particular combination of the 3 doshas. This is our natural state, our constitution or our blueprint. It is called Prakruti. Due to life acting upon us, this natural balance is altered and the altered current state of your doshas is called Vikruti. The objective of Ayurveda is help you regain your natural state or close the discrepancy between Vikruti and Prakruti.
It is important to remember here that Ayurveda is not trying to equalize the amount of Vata, Pitta and Kapha in your system. It is trying to re-establish the natural composition of these three doshas that you were born with. Here is how Ayurveda looks to do this.
Healing Principles & Techniques of Ayurveda:
Ayurveda is based on the following 2 principles:
1. Like Increases Like
2. Opposites Decrease Each Other
Ayurveda is the manipulation of the three humours, vata, pitta & kapha, based on the 2 principles above. Since everything is composed of these 3 humours everything is available to be used to influence the quantities of these 3 humours in the body-mind complex. Some of the more common treatment modalities are as follows…
Diet & Nutrition
Medicinal Herbs
Yoga & Exercises
Lifestyle
Meditation
Thought & Visualization
Massage Therapy
Aroma Therapy
Sound Healing
Color Therapy
Gem Therapy
Summary:
One of the most fun parts of Ayurveda is figuring out your constitutional makeup and seeing in what quantities Vata, Pitta & Kapha doshas exist in you. But, the best part of Ayurveda is that it is a science of SELF HEALING. Once you understand the basic concepts as outlined in this article, you are well on your way to helping yourself create optimum health and vitality. In future articles I will go deeper into Ayurveda and how to use this great knowledge to effectively heal yourself and set the stage for greater spiritual and personal growth.
Best Yoga & Meditation Products: 
on August 16th, 2007 at 2:06 am
[…] Ayurveda. Ayurveda literarily means the Science of Life and Longevity. It is the science of natural healing which dates back almost 5 thousand years and has been evolving and gathering wisdom since then. Thus, today it is one of the … …more […]
on August 16th, 2007 at 10:22 pm
You are amazing, the way you explain a subject matter. Ayurveda is not a complex way of healthy life ,it is the way. We will wait for more information.
Thanks.
on October 12th, 2007 at 7:13 pm
[…] Introducing Ayurveda- Alternative Medicine for Self HealingAyurveda. Ayurveda literarily means the Science of Life and Longevity. It is the science of natural healing which dates back almost 5 thousand years and has been evolving and gathering wisdom since then. Thus, today it is one of the … […]
on February 4th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
[…] I want to mention briefly that the improvements to the digestive system are one of most common benefits I see when people take up Kundalini Yoga practice. This is very good news, as according to Ayurveda, digestive problems account for the vast majority of diseases and having a strong, healthy digestive system can go a long way in helping us live long, healthy, happy lives. […]
on May 19th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
[…] Many alternative medicine systems embrace and understand the above situation. They are designed to work with the body to help it heal and also, more and more, Western medicine is acknowledging and aligning with this view. You can read about Ayurveda, the ancient Indian science of healing, and how it models it’s treatment to help restore the natural state of health in the article Introduction to Ayurveda - The Science of Self-Healing. […]
on September 4th, 2008 at 3:09 am
Article is very nice to look forward. Really I liked it. As I know, Ayurveda is the best medicine for any disease. In ancient days it was only the medicine which is used by the people and now a days again it is emerging into the world. I think it is the best medicine.
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maddy
Holistic Rehab
on September 4th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Glad you liked the article and yes I am too a big fan of Ayurveda :-D.
Thanks for you feedback.
Cheers,
Anmol
on October 14th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
[…] This topic is actually too big to cover in this guide, but here what I am saying is that eat according to your constitution and physical condition. Ayurveda provides a comprehensive model to help you determine what you should be eating and you can read more about this in the following 2 articles: Introduction to Ayurveda & Healthy Ayurvedic Diet to Burn Fat and Lose Weight. […]
on October 19th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Come on Anmol! Write the next article! :p I can’t wait, i’m so interested in Ayurveda now. I know i’m mostly Vata, then Kapha and least pitta….but i don’t really know what that means or what i should do according to that.
on October 20th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
:-)
Now I know what articles to plan next… will put together a few on Ayurveda in the near future.
Cheers,
Anmol
on December 3rd, 2008 at 12:23 am
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Sarah
http://www.thetreadmillguide.com
on December 3rd, 2008 at 12:22 pm
They say that when the student is ready, the teacher appears. When the right time comes, we are swept along by the wave and brought to the wonders of life. I truly feel that coming across your site was one such thing I will always be grateful for. I had already been here but hopefully this time, I will make some serious progress towards the greatest goal of my life. I am a huge fan of Ayurveda too and glad that it has featured in your blog. Thanks again for all the work. :)
on January 3rd, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Glad you have decided to take the plunge. It is the greatest adventure of all.
Sent you details of where to begin in a separate comment.
Best,
Anmol
on January 24th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
[…] Introducing Ayurveda- Alternative Medicine for Self Healing […]
on February 8th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
[…] So use this yoga exercise if you have any heat related issue, whether that be emotion or physical in nature. The pranayama counteracts "pitta" (heat: See Introduction to Ayuveda) in the system. The breathing exercise also bestows calmness and helps reduce stress, anger and irritation. Below is a brief overview of what this video covers. […]
on February 10th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
As a colour therapist i naturally use the chakra energy system as a basis of healing. However, i have done reiki using the charas whereas some purists believe reiki should be based upon the Japanese Hara and using chakras is a miss match. What do you think?
on February 11th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
I feel the chakra system works nicely with Reiki and would use it to administer healing.
Best,
Anmol
on April 15th, 2009 at 5:52 am
Good introduction and history of Ayurveda. Where did you find such info? do you advise any ayurvedic resource in particular?
thanks
Barbara
on April 21st, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Thank you for your feedback. I recommend any book by Doctor Vasand Lad.
Best,
Anmol
on May 9th, 2009 at 10:13 am
Dear Anmol,
When will you tell us more about Ayurveda? Please. This ariticle is very interesting. Have you wrote another since then which perhaps I have missed.?
Thanks a lot for your generousity.
shva
on May 9th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
Glad you enjoyed this article. Yes I have written other articles and plan to write more down the road for sure. You will find all the Ayurveda related articles in the Ayurveda category below…
All Ayurveda Articles
Best,
Anmol
on June 4th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
[…] If you are new to Ayurveda, the following article will be very helpful to you: Introduction to Ayurveda | Alternative Medicine for Self Healing. In addition, the following Healthy Eating Guide, will give you very good tips for how to eat in order to avoid the buildup of toxins in your system. Finally, I want to point out a powerful breathing technique which is excellent for helping you detoxify your entire system, and you will find details of that in the article, Cleanse & Detox Your System with Powerful Yoga. Here now is the list of dietary guidelines for preventing toxin buildup due to incompatible foods. […]
on June 22nd, 2009 at 10:27 am
I’d never actually heard about Ayurveda until now. It sounds really interesting and will definitely checking out more articles that you have about it.
I’m really starting to enjoy reading about alternative medicines.
Tim
Fireplace design
on September 25th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
[…] Introducing Ayurveda- Alternative Medicine for Self Healing No Comments RSS Filed under: Chakra Retreat Tags: based-upon, chakra-energy, charas, japanese-hara,naturally-use, reiki, some-members, spiritual, the-spiritual, therapist. Spa Glossary | SPA STORY » « The Re-emergence of the Divine Feminine […]
on October 1st, 2009 at 5:18 pm
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on November 5th, 2009 at 11:14 am
got anything for gastric acidity?
on November 6th, 2009 at 12:29 am
Use cooling techniques and gentle yoga that is good for the digestive system.
Try Sheetali Pranayama and Spinal Warmup Yoga Exercises.
Best,
Anmol
on January 19th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
[…] Always remember that the body has a blue print of perfect health and always tries to return to this state. You should always try to work with the body, in it’s efforts to return to perfect health. Yoga and Ayurveda (the Indian holistic science of life and longevity) are designed to do just this. On the other hand, when you use chemical, surgical or other such quick fixes, you tend to not work holistically with the body, and even as you are fixing one problem, you tend to create many more. So using Yoga for weight loss is the best way to intelligently and naturally lose the weight and help the body return to optimum health. […]
on February 5th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
[…] Always remember that the body has a blue print of perfect health and always tries to return to this state. You should always try to work with the body, in it’s efforts to return to perfect health. Yoga and Ayurveda (the Indian holistic science of life and longevity) are designed to do just this. On the other hand, when you use chemical, surgical or other such quick fixes, you tend to not work holistically with the body, and even as you are fixing one problem, you tend to create many more. So using Yoga for weight loss is the best way to intelligently and naturally lose the weight and help the body return to optimum health. […]