What is Ayurveda?

 Ayurveda is a sister science devoted to balancing the mind in relation to the body. Also many thousands of years old, Ayurveda was developed as a system for diagnosing imbalances in the body and mind in the form of illness, disease, and other symptoms of discomfort as well as treating those imbalances through the use of herbal medicine, treatments, and other natural remedies. 

The traditions of Ayurveda teach us that we must pursue health not just through attaining proper functioning of the body, but that we must combine physical health with mental health, a vocational contribution to society that fulfills our sense of purpose, relationships that enrich rather than encumber our lives, maintenance of a healthy environment/habitat, and a commitment to spiritual growth. 

All of us have 3 humors, and those humors are called Doshas.  These are three basic energy types that are found in each of us, and relate directly to certain functions of the body. The first (Pitta) is responsible for metabolizing for the sake of processing oxygen and perpetuating life.  The second (Kapha) forms our bodies, which serves as a container so that life can exist as matter.  The third (Vata)shifts matter’s position in space through the act of motion.  The sages not only understood these three types of energy to form the fundamental reality of our entire physical existence, but that each one informs us of how we feel day to day.

Our Pitta energy drives us to achieve, accomplish goals, and exhibit fiery qualities like passion and anger.  When excessive, Pitta energy can cause indigestion, liver complaints, bloating, fatigue, and other ailments.

 

Our Kapha energy helps us to feel grounded, facilitates our nurturing of others, and helps us exhibit a calming presence in stressful situations.  When excessive, Kapha energy can cause weight gain, diabetes, and a feeling of lethargy.

Our Vata energy helps us to explore creativity and inquisitiveness, express ourselves, and remain in motion.  When excessive, Vata energy can cause dry skin, insomnia, constipation, and various nervous disorders.

When an Ayurvedic practitioner diagnoses a patient’s conditions and observes their general health, they will use the relationship of the patient’s three doshas to determine how best to proceed with achieving and sustaining greater health.

 While Indian tradition assigns these three doshas to our bodies and constitutions, it also assigns three different qualities to the mind.  These three qualities are known as gunas, and while doshas relate to our basic nature, gunas relate to our thoughts at any given point of time in our life.  The three gunas are rajas, tamas, and sattva.

The rajas mind is active, intense, and has the potential to become incendiary and aggressive.  Those with a rajas-like mind are prone to argument and can be challenging.

The tamas mind is lethargic, slow, and has the potential to become negative and destructive.  Those with a tamas-like mind are prone to disengaging from situations and becoming lazy.

The sattva mind is balanced and pure.  When a person finds a sense of truth and light in their life, they are more open to creating sattvic qualities in their mind.  Many people might perpetuate sattvic qualities in any given moment, but truly sattvic people are particularly rare.

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