Ayurveda is a simple and practical holistic healing system with principles that stem from ancient Vedas of India more than 5,000 years ago. The Vedas are the most ancient, classic texts known to mankind, there are four Vedas namely; Rhugved, Yajurved, Samved and Atharvaved. It can be said that Ayurveda — in written form — is first found in Vedas, making Ayurveda one of the oldest forms of health science in the world. Ayurveda seeks to understand one’s own personal constitution (known as Prakruti in Sanskrit) and its relationship to the laws of nature, with a simple goal of reaching a perfect and harmonious balance of body, soul and mind. Understanding our constitution plays a major role in how we can live our lives effectively and optimally.
Ayurveda aims at preventing and relieving the dis-eases of body and mind through self-observation and self-care.
"Because we cannot scrub our inner body we need to learn a few skills to help cleanse our tissues, organs, and mind. This is the art of Ayurveda."
— Sebastian Pole
Ayurveda and the 21st Century
The ancient wisdom of Ayurveda describes a number of ways to maintain our internal balance as the ever changing variables of life move forward ebbing and flowing, seasons change, relationships change, we grow older and wiser. The only constant in life is change.
If we adjust ourselves internally according to external forces or stresses we can remain in a state of relatively stable equilibrium and good health. All of these principles are as applicable now as they were when the Vedas were written.
Mindfulness in modern life
In our modern lives we are bombarded by stimulation: electricity and technology, family demands, financial pressures, stress, social expectations and processed foods. This is far from the type of lives the Indian sages and scholars led – a life of self-inquiry, at one with nature, living with its natural rhythms and leading a spiritual life.
By looking at how they lived their lives with mindfulness and intention we too can find this state of balance amongst the chaos of our busy, modern lives.
Tradition meets Scientific research
What is exciting is that current studies are beginning to prove this ancient wisdom scientifically. Take turmeric, for example, a much-used root in Ayurvedic formulations and meals, known for its active ingredient curcumin and its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties, now so prevalent on the market and widely accepted. Where some pharmaceutical drugs have failed, the principles of Ayurveda and its herbs have succeeded.
And even more powerful is the integration of modern medicine with ancient Ayurveda to reach new levels of healing, gaining results for some patients where every other treatment or drug has failed them.
Slow down
We know we could all slow down, we know we could all eat healthier and we know the benefits if we would all meditate more regularly. It’s a daily struggle facing to ‘do/be better’. Ayurveda has a tradition of dinacharya – ‘following the rhythm of the day’ – and is one of the single most powerful Ayurvedic tools for living in harmony and balance. Having a daily routine invites health, vitality and a sense of clarity into our lives. Adopting an appropriate routine or ‘healthful habits’ is one of the most grounding and nurturing things you could do for yourself. Having a strong morning routine can help start the day the right way, physically and mentally.
Morning Routines and individuality
Rise earlier with the sun, to be in sync with nature’s rhythm and to feel alert;
• Start the day with a warm drink of ginger, lemon and honey to flush the system and awaken digestion;
• Scrap the tongue to remove toxins;
• Move such as yoga and meditation to get the system circulating, aids elimination and gets the mind focused for the day ahead; and,
• Regular (self) massage with oil.
Very simple practices yet extremely effective in keeping us balanced and grounded.
Ayurveda also outlines the healing power of spices and herbs and what is best to eat for an individual, including how and when (and how much!). It talks about specific therapeutic treatments to improve and eliminate ailments of the body and mind. It seeks out the root cause of an illness rather than just treating the symptoms.
Ayurveda Self Care
It includes any internal action you take to care for your physical health, but also for your mental and emotional wellbeing. Terms used to describe this concept are individual control, deliberate, self-initiated.
Self-care is often an area we overlook. Many of us are a parent, a spouse, somebody’s boss, an employee, AKA busy. We rush from obligation to obligation, hastily eat meals, forgo exercise or meditation because we “don’t have time” and more often than not put the needs of others before ourselves. Being selfless is an admirable trait, and parents in particular demonstrate this daily, but being selffull is much more imperative so that we have energy to offer those relationships around us the best version of ourselves.
The better care we take of our physical body and our mental and emotional health, the more balanced we become. Self-care leads to becoming self-aware.
"Ayurveda is not just about nutrition or herbology, it has a unique tool for diagnosis, diagnosis of understanding the human constitution is different from person to person. Each one has a unique metabolic system." — Maya Tiwari
