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Harness the Power of Ayurveda

Ayurveda is an ancient Indian system of medicine; it takes a holistic view of the body, mind and spirit. Diagnosis is determined by looking at the three life forces (doshas) and the effect of mental attitude (gunas), the treatment focuses on rebalancing.

In Sanskrit ‘ayus’ means life and ‘veda’ means science, Ayurveda principles work on eliminating the cause of disease rather than just treating the symptoms. Individuals practising Ayurveda are expected to take control of their health and monitor their body, diet and exercise regimes.

Ayurvedic Medicine is based on 4 principles:

  • ·         All things in the world are connected, whether they are living or not. When diagnosing health issues their relationships with their body, with others and with the universe are all taken in to account.
  • ·         All humans are made up of the 5 elements – water, fire, earth, air and space. The balance/imbalance of these properties determines health.
  • ·        The body, spirit and mind all need to be in balance in order for health to be good.
  • ·         If a person experiences disharmony with the universe, or with themselves then disease, physical or emotional problems may occur.

The prakriti (a person’s constitution) is determined at birth; it is a combination of psychological and physical traits. There are two types of prakriti – physical (sareerika) and mental (maniska). In order to give proper treatment a person’s prakriti would need to be known.

Sareerika (physical) is based on doshas: 3 life forces – vata, pitta and kapha. Mansika (mental) are based on the three tendencies of the mind knows as gunas – sattva, rajas and tamas.

Here is a quick snapshot of the vata, pitta and kapha characteristics:

Vata’s keep balance by sticking with a routine, regular meal times and bedtimes. They need sufficient relaxation and sleep, keeping warm and out of cold/windy weather are key.

Pitta’s need to resist overworking, they should exercise but in moderation, they do not do well in hot sunny weather, they should try to avoid loud noise and excessive mental activity

Kapha’s like physical and mental activity, they are refreshed by rising early, they need to keep their diet warm and light, they should not nap during the day, and they do better in warmer dry weather.

If you feel that your life is out of balance then call one of our readers who can help you look at things with a fresh perspective.