Ayurveda is Sanskrit for “Science of Life” and is a holistic system of breath, movement, meditation and nutrition. Based on a 5000 year old tradition of healing, Ayurveda seeks to help each individual live in balance with their own unique constitution. When a person becomes unbalanced from their natural set-point, symptoms and disease present themselves as an indication to re-align their lifestyle to be in harmony with their true nature.
The main tenet of Ayurveda is in that the human body is composed of the exact same elements as the Universe and each unique individual has varying amounts of these elements within. This unique combination of elements makes up our constitution (or dosha). There are five elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Air and Space. Space or Ether is probable one many of us are unfamiliar with. Space is the openness within which matter can exist or the emptiness in which the other elements can exist. It can be thought of as vibration and is represented by sound.
According to Ayurveda, we are all born with all five of these elements in different strengths and combinations. This natural and unique setpoint is called our constitution or dosha. When we are predominated by Fire and Water, we are said to be the dosha of Pitta. Air and Space is called Vata and Earth and Water predominated people are Kapha. Since we all have each of the five elements, most of us are combination of the three main doshas: Pitta/Kapha, Vata/Pitta, Kapha/Vata. True wellbeing, with the absence of disease, is achieved when we maintain balance of the elements according to our unique doshas. Symptoms of unbalance manifest themselves in different ways based on the dosha that is out of balance.
In a more simplistic manner – have you noticed that when certain people get upset they have intestinal distress when others break out in hives or others start sweating profusely? We all have different ways that we manifest unbalance. Some people scream and yell. Others get very quiet. Some cry, some laugh. Many times we attribute such things to “human nature” and that is partially correct. It is more accurate to say that we behave in such a way based on our dosha.
Throughout this blog, we will talk about doshas and how to determine our own and what we can do to identify what throws us out of balance and what can help us remain in balance. It is not a “one size fits all” approach. It is about getting to know ourselves and using the techniques that will balance us – not everyone, just us. Not the fad of the day, or the low-fat/carb/taste diet of the moment. It is about getting to know how our bodies are made and allowing them to live in balance according to our unique needs. We will talk about taste and movement and mediation and smell and sleep and sound. It is a holistic approach because health is not achieved in a vacuum. And we will explore how purpose can impact the outcome.
With that…
Namaste,
Julie
