Friday, May 24, 2013

What is Ayurveda?

 Photo via YogaCommunity.net.

Ayurveda is a 5,000-year-old system of natural healing that has its origins in the Vedic culture of India. The Sanskrit translation of the word means "life-knowledge."

Our Soul Center’s approach to health and wellbeing fuses the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda with modern spa rituals. We offer ayurvedic lifestyle consultations and body rituals. We also teach the practical tools and techniques of Ayurveda at all of our programs and workshops




Although suppressed during years of foreign occupation, Ayurveda has been enjoying a major resurgence in both its native land and throughout the world. Tibetan medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine both have their roots in Ayurveda. Early Greek medicine also embraced many concepts originally described in the classical ayurvedic medicinal texts dating back thousands of years.


More than a mere system of treating illness, Ayurveda is a science of life. It offers a body of wisdom designed to help people stay vital while realizing their full human potential. Providing guidelines on ideal daily and seasonal routines, diet, behavior and the proper use of our senses, Ayurveda reminds us that health is the balanced and dynamic integration between our environment, body, mind, and spirit.


Recognizing that human beings are part of nature, Ayurveda describes three fundamental energies that govern our inner and outer environments: movement, transformation, and structure. Known in Sanskrit as Vata (Wind), Pitta (Fire), and Kapha (Earth), these primary forces are responsible for the characteristics of our mind and body. Each of us has a unique proportion of these three forces that shapes our nature. If Vata is dominant in our system, we tend to be thin, light, enthusiastic, energetic, and changeable. If Pitta predominates in our nature, we tend to be intense, intelligent, and goal-oriented and we have a strong appetite for life. When Kapha prevails, we tend to be easy-going, methodical, and nurturing. Although each of us has all three forces, most people have one or two elements that predominate.

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