During this time of crisis, many of us are exploring how we can optimise our health at home. There’s sooo much we can do but I think a good place to start is over 5000 years ago, when the ancient Indian healing system and sister science of Yoga – Ayurveda, the oldest healing science in existence – was created.
Ok…so, what does Ayurveda actually mean? You might wonder. Well, “ayuh” means “life” or “longevity” and “veda” means “science” or “sacred knowledge” so Ayurveda’s definition pretty much translates to “the science of longevity” or “the sacred knowledge of life.” Ayurveda teaches us to see the world as it relates to the elements— Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Ether.
We, ourselves are made up of the elements! And Ayurveda helps us understand our physical constitution, emotional nature and spiritual outlook in relation to the universe. In Ayurveda, our universal life force manifests as three different energies, or ‘doshas’ – Vata (Air and Ether), Pitta (Fire and Water)and Kapha (Water and Earth) – and we’re all made up of a unique combination of these three doshas, though most of us are usually more predominant in one or two of these.
What I also love about Ayurveda is that prevention of disease is its primary objective rather than the cure – even though they do that too – naturally. When, on the other hand, we have the western medical system that looks at us as separate from nature and doesn’t focus on prevention and lifestyle much at all, but rather just prescribes medications to mask a symptom.
Understanding that we are part of nature and made up of the five elements, knowing which elements are more predominant and how we can balance them will in turn, lead us to better health and quality of life.
So what can we do NOW?
- First, look at how you fuel your body. From an Ayurvedic stand point we want to be following a SATTVIC diet (sattvic translates to “pure essence”), this is the most pure diet we can adopt for our mind body and soul – it’s basically fresh, nourishing, easy to digest, whole foods.
- Then, go take a dosha test and find out what your predominant dosha is. Here’s a link to a free one – http://ayurvedadosha.org/doshas/ayurveda-dosha-test#/axzz6H6rQQSgb There’s plenty online and it’s always good to do more than one to crosscheck as some are more comprehensive than others.
When we eat sattvic foods that support our dosha type, you will begin to notice improvements not just physically, but mentally, emotionally and spiritually as well.
This is your homework – Go find out your Ayurvedic dosha!
In the coming weeks I will share some tips on how to balance out your doshas and improve your overall health through the many different ways Ayurveda offers.
I’d love to know what your dosha is so let me know when you find out!