"AYURVEDA" is made
up of two words-Ayuh and Veda. Ayuh means life and Veda means
knowledge or
science. Thus "AYURVEDA’ in totality means ‘Science of life’. It
incorporates
all aspects of life
whether physical, psychological, spiritual or social. What is
beneficial and what
is harmful to life, what is happy life and what is sorrowful
life; all these four
questions and life span allied issues are elaborately and emphatically
discussed in
Ayurveda. It believes the existence of soul before birth and after
death too.
AN INTRODUCTION TO AYURVEDA
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Ayurveda is the
traditional medical life-style system from India. It is simply
translated
as ‘science of life’
and more comprehensively as ‘the knowledge that teaches us
which substances,
life-styles and activities are beneficial or harmful to life’.
It is the knowledge
of wholesome and righteous living according to our unique and
individual
constitutional make up. An early description given in the Charaka
Samhita
(the earliest
Ayurvedic literature) says:
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“It is called
ayurveda because it tells us which substances, qualities and actions
are life enhancing,
and which are not.” Sutrasthana 30.23
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Ayurveda has
developed in India over at least the last 4000 years. It has now spread
all over the world.
It is a blend of herbal medicine, massage, dietetics, spiritual
insight, practical
experience, scientific analysis and artistic creativity. It uses
medicinal plants,
foods, massage, meditation, surgery and judicious living as part
of its ‘life-style’
and methodology.
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The Ayurvedic
principles can be applied to yoga as well. Although they developed
in different
backgrounds there are many similarities and crossover points between
these two
traditions. The diets, attitudes and attention to optimum health are all
specific to both
traditions. I will write more about special yogic practices for
the different
seasons and individual constitutions in due course.
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There are three
constitutions in Ayurveda (see below). They are combinations of
the essential
elements of nature- Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. Comparing this
idea to our modern
world view and the Elemental Table, we could say that light molecules
such as Hydrogen
relate to the Ayurvedic concept of Space, denser molecules such
as Oxygen for Air,
reactive molecules such as Phosphorus or Magnesium for Fire,
liquid elements such
as Mercury represent fluid Water and dense molecules such as
Carbon or Gold make
up the solid building-blocks of Earth. These all combine to
make up our natural
world- outer and inner.
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The Five Elements
AKASA -SPACE Quality: Expansive, light, infinite and all-encompassing
space. Relates to
the sense of sound and the ear. It is the arena within which ‘life’
takes place. Sound
travels through space. VAYU - AIR Quality: Like the wind, light,
mobile, rough, dry
& erratic. Relates to the sense of touch, the nerves and the
skin. Sensation
travels through the skin and nerves just as you can feel the wind
on your skin TEJAS -
FIRE Quality: Hot, sharp, penetrating, luminous, ascending
& dispersing.
Relates to the sense of sight and the eyes. Light and perception travel
through the eyes due
to the metabolic activity of light sensitive photons in the
eyes. JALA - WATER
Quality: Fluid, heavy, wet, lubricating, cool, cohesive & subtle.
Relates to the sense
of taste and the tongue. Flavours and tastes are only perceivable
when the tongue is
wet. PRITHVI - EARTH Quality: Thick, dense, solid, heavy &stable.
Relates to the sense
of smell and the nose. Earthy and dense objects give off smells.
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We will look at the
elements in more detail over the next few weeks. From understanding
the qualities of
each you can understand the qualities of foods, herbs and emotions.
Understanding these
is the key to Ayurvedic living
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The three
constitutions: the dosha There are three constitutional types mentioned
in Ayurveda These
are called the three dosha.
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“ Vata, pitta and
kapha move in the whole body producing good or ill effects upon
the entire system
according to their normal or provoked states. Their normal state
is balance and their
abnormal state is illness.” Charaka Samhita Vata (V) is connected
with the wind and
space, it regulates movement and communication and relates to
the nervous system.
Pitta (P) is connected with fire and water, it regulates heat
and digestion and
relates to metabolism. Kapha (K) is connected with earth and water,
it is responsible
for stability and moisture and relates to the structure of the
body. These
constitutions are both friend and foe. They can ‘support’ us in times
of balance or
‘aggravate’ us when we are out of balance. They are both invisible
and visible. The
invisible relates to the ‘hidden’ processes of our body and mind-
our physiology and
inner processes, the visible relates to the secretions and excretions
that are a by
product of these processes; hormones, enzymes, mucus and nervous
impulses.
We can be any
combination of constitution- individually (V, P, K), in combination
(VP, VK, KP) or
balanced (VPK). Every combination is unique AND has dominant
characterisitics.
We will spend lots
of time understanding the doshas as they are the centrepiece
that makes Ayurveda
so unique and still so tangible.
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Ayurveda, health and
disease Ayurveda understands that disease is due to an imbalance
in the inner
processes of the body and mind. It is a disassociation within the whole
system. This is
different from our modern functional view of disease that regards
organs in isolation
and bacteria as causes of disease. Although Ayurveda understands
the potential of
invading organisms (and refers to them as worms (krimi)) its primary
understanding of
disease is systemic rather than reductionist (ie due to the whole
system being out of
balance and not just caused by one disease causing bacteria).
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Many of the causes
of disease are seen as originating from within us as are many
of the preventative
measures that can keep us at optimum health. For Ayurveda health
is more than the
absence of disease, it is the whole reason of living because without
health you cannot
enjoy or pursue the goals of your life (happiness, fulfilment
and contentment).
Therefore Ayurveda gives insight into the causes of disease and
the means to obtain
the best health.
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Ayurveda is about
wise living. It is about balancing your ‘nature’ with big Nature-
your environment
with the larger environment. For example, if it is a boiling hot
day, you have a
pitta constitution by nature and you have been living off hot curries
its time to seek the
opposite- some cooling refreshing, soothing activities- swimming,
drinking cool
coconut water or rose water and generally chilling out etc
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What is refreshing
is that we can adjust our behaviour to the time of day, the season
of the year, the
stage of our life, the particular circumstances of our day etc
according to the
dominant nature of that event. Our constitution is important but
so is reality!!
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Example: 1. I may be
a Vata/Pitta individual who is living in a cold damp valley,
it has been raining
for days, I ate a bowl of yoghurt (wet and cold) yesterday and
can feel catarrh
building up- Kapha is increasing. Although it is against my constitution
(Vata/Pittas are dry
and hot), in order to deal with the immediate environment I
must oppose the
increase of Kapha. This means ime for some hot, energising and spicy
drinks and foods and
activities. 2. I may be a pure Kapha type who usually feels
very calm and
grounded. Unfortunately I have had 4 meetings today, I was late for
the first (and then
the rest), I have been talking on my mobile telephone a lot,
I have been rushing
all day- Vata is aggravated. It is time for a mellow massage
and some grounded
‘Kapha’like activity.
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Ayurveda sees the
qualities of the three constitutions in the environment, times
of day and different
stages of life.
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PLACES : An open dry
plateau or mountain top are places where vata predominates.
A hot and humid
tropical rain forest is very pitta aggravating. A wet and cold marsh
land has
predominantly kapha like qualities.
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TIMES : Morning is
very kapha- we are sleepy and can feel sluggish, it is a damp
or dewy time. Midday
is very pitta- its all go, the sun is at its zenith, it’s the
warmest time of day.
Afternoon is very vata- things are calming down but a bit burnt
out, we can be tired
(or frazzled!), it is often windy.
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AGE : Childhood
(0-16) is kapha- children are soft, loving and cuddly- kapha problems
such as coughs or
glue-ear may develop; have you ever seen a child not dribbling
or without a runny
nose?! Mid-life (16-50) is dominated by pitta- time to organise,
manage, work hard,
build a career, have a family- pitta imbalances such as acne,
hyperacidity, heart
problems etc can develop during this stage of life. Later life
(50-?) is a vata
stage of life- elder people are full of the wisdom of life’s
experiences.
Like vata they are
thinner, drier and lighter- vata diseases such as osteoporosis
or alzheimers can
develop during this era.
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