An Introduction to Ayurveda
Ayurveda is a holistic health model that is thought to be the oldest healing system still in practice today. In Sanskrit, Ayurveda literally means “the knowledge of life” or “the science of living.”
I first came across Ayurveda in my yoga training. It immediately rang true to me on both a physiological and intuitive basis. We did a trial run for a couple of weeks and truly, I felt SO good! I felt light yet filled, every day. Why didn't I continue....? Now there is the bread and butter of all good questions folks.
I think http://vidyacleanse.com/ does a good job of explaining what the Ayurveda actually is:
"The purpose of Ayurveda is to heal and maintain a quality of life and longevity through balancing the elements and working with nature. The five elements – earth, water, fire, air, ether – combine together to create the three Doshas, or constitutions, known as Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Everything in the universe contains certain characteristics defined by these elements - from foods, to emotions, to our body structures. Through the practice of Ayurveda, we seek to find health by keeping these different Doshas in balance. We eat and partake in activities that bring seasonal balance back into the picture. For example, if it is July and the temperature is 100 degrees outside, you would seek cooling foods to relieve the heat in your internal body, rather than consuming foods like hot peppers and ginger that contain heating properties. Since each season is characterized by a particular Dosha, we can then generally follow guidelines on how to eat appropriate to each season. For Spring, the element of water and fire (Kapha and Pitta), we seek warming spices and cooling herbs. Warming spices stimulate the removal of excess water and mucous build-up and cooling herbs promote cleansing and calming as the months warm up again. In Summer, the fire element of Pitta, we seek cooling herbs until the weather begins to cool off and the winds blow in with Fall – the air and ether element of Vata. Through Fall and Winter, seek warming grounding foods like root vegetables and heating spices of peppers and ginger to stimulate blood flow. This seasonal science, practiced in alignment with your body type and the balance of the six tastes (rasas), can help keep you tuned in and balanced throughout the year."
Anyway, If you want to learn more, as I do, here are some other helpful websites. I'm going to try to do a bit more investigating and see if I can't do round two of experimentation.
General Info:
What are doshas?
- http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-1117/Ayurveda-Dosha-Types-for-Beginners.html
- http://www.jiva.com/ayurveda/about-ayurveda/30.html
- http://www.yogajournal.com/health/646
Dosha Quiz's
Balancing the Doshas
