Ayurveda – The Knowledge of Life

THE OLDEST HEALING SYSTEM IN THE WORLD

Ayurveda, Ayuh meaning life and veda meaning knowledge. And now I give you… The Knowledge of Life! Sounds like a tall order, well stay tuned because it is! Here I will merely introduce the concept of Ayurveda, but as time goes on I will be unveiling many more deep aspects of this very magical system.Ayurveda is an ancient healing system founded in the roots of ancient India. It is believed to be thousands of years old and potentially the oldest known healing system around on the planet today. Ayurveda works with individual human life as a microcosm of the cosmos and as a reflection of all the 5 elements of nature; ether, air, fire, water, and earth. It is meant to unite the body, mind, and spirit in a harmonious nature to live in a state of clarity and enlightenment.

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE IS TO KNOW ONESELF…

As Dr. Vasant Lad’s book The Principles of Ayurveda Volume I claims Ayurveda states that the purpose of life is to know or realize the Creator, both within and without, and to express this Divinity in one’s daily life. I do love this definition, but no matter if you’re looking to find more purpose, reach some kind of enlightenment or relationship with the Divine, or simply just want to feel physically energized and mentally clear, Ayurveda does it all!

The beautiful thing about Ayurveda is it works with the most gross, dense, physical parts of us- the body and moves its ways to the most subtle parts from the mind, emotions, and spirit. No matter your aim, the healing will happen and more often than not, you’ll notice it in places you weren’t even expecting. Now this might sound all very mystical but Ayurveda is a medical science with universities, practitioners, and doctors! Many people don’t realize that, there are many schools in the U.S. and of course many in India as well. Studying in India even for a short period of time is on my list of goals! It’s purpose really is to heal and maintain the quality and longevity of life.

To begin to apply Ayurveda in your life, you will start with a list of questions generally asked from an Ayurvedic Counselor or Practitioner or simply someone educated in the field. These questions may be listed into 3 different types of inquiries such as physical attributes, physical functions, and psychological functions. Through answering these questions, this will give you and your counselor the beginnings of your unique body type. Being in person is also helpful for a counselor or practitioner because usually they will want to examine your pulse and also be speaking to you one-on-one to gather more information about your unique nature.

PRAKRUTI – THE ORIGINAL CREATION

What we really want to identify at first is your constitution or in Sanskrit, your prakruti, meaning original creation. This is the balance of the three doshas at the moment of conception and will make up your unique body type. Guess I gotta tell you what doshas are too! For simplicity’s sake, I will briefly state the doshas here, but will be going WAY more into them on later posts. The doshas in Ayurveda are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha; these each contain a blend of the 5 elements. Vata is ether and air, Pitta is a little water and a lot of fire, and Kapha is water and earth. These are the elements that are believed to make up the cosmos, world, and our bodies. Remember, the microcosm is just a reflection of the macrocosm.

Once we have what I like to call your body’s “blueprint”, you will answer a similar series of questions inquiring more about your present nature or in Sanskrit, your vikruti, meaning after creation. This will be the balance of the three doshas in your body right now. You might be asking what difference is there in my body now that didn’t use to be there when I was born? Well, I’m sure you could answer that with “a lot is different”! Clearly your body has grown physically, changing in shape and appearance, but along the way things probably start to feel a little imbalanced… Maybe you’re noticing more lower back pain, or you are more chronically tired, perhaps you’re noticing anxieties that didn’t use to be there or trembling in your hands. Whatever it may be, our bodies surely start to move into states of imbalance or pain whether that be skeletal, muscular, neurological, or mental.

The beauty of Ayurveda and knowing your prakruti or your blueprint, is now being able to navigate back to a place of balance and harmony! Through the scientific, philosophical, and practical knowledge of this system, you can get to the root causes of your short or long term ailments, whether they be physical, mental, spiritual, or all of the above. I will be posting much more information from the origin story of Ayurveda, philosophical ideologies, in depth views of its major key components, and practices and recipes you can apply to your life right away!

If you have any questions now regarding Ayurveda and what it could do for you, please contact me! If you wish to go to further in discovering your unique blueprint, schedule a session with me HERE.

I hope this helped spark your intrigue on Ayurveda and what magic it has in store for you. Please stay tuned for all the hidden gems in this very complex yet beautifully tangible healing system! Happy healing ~Om Shanti~