A Brief Introduction to Ayurveda

Ayurveda A Brief Introduction and Guide by Vasant Lad, B.A.M.S., M.A.Sc. Ayurveda is considered by many scholars to be the Energy is required to create movement so that fluids oldest healing science. In Sanskrit, Ayurveda means “The and nutrients get to the cells, enabling the body to Science of Life.” Ayurvedic knowledge originated in function. Energy is also required to metabolize the India more than 5,000 years ago and is often called the nutrients in the cells, and is called for to lubricate and “Mother of All Healing.” It stems from the ancient Vedic maintain the structure of the cell. Vata is the energy of culture and was taught for many thousands of years in an movement, pitta is the energy of digestion or metabolism oral tradition from accomplished masters to their and kapha, the energy of lubrication and structure. All disciples. Some of this knowledge was set to print a few people have the qualities of vata, pitta and kapha, but one thousand years ago, but much of it is inaccessible. The is usually primary, one secondary and the third is usually principles of many of the natural healing systems now least prominent. The cause of disease in Ayurveda is familiar in the West have their roots in Ayurveda, viewed as a lack of proper cellular function due to an including Homeopathy and Polarity Therapy. excess or deficiency of vata, pitta or kapha. Disease can also be caused by the presence of toxins. The Strategy: Your Constitution and Its Inner Balance In Ayurveda, body, mind and consciousness work Ayurveda places great emphasis on prevention and together in maintaining balance. They are simply viewed encourages the maintenance of health through close as different facets of one’s being. To learn how to balance attention to balance in one’s life, right thinking, diet, the body, mind and consciousness requires an lifestyle and the use of herbs. Knowledge of Ayurveda understanding of how vata, pitta and kapha work enables one to understand how to create this balance of together. According to Ayurvedic philosophy the entire body, mind and consciousness according to one’s own cosmos is an interplay of the energies of the five great individual constitution and how to make lifestyle changes elements—Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. Vata, pitta to bring about and maintain this balance. and kapha are combinations and permutations of these five elements that manifest as patterns present in all Just as everyone has a unique fingerprint, each person creation. In the physical body, vata is the subtle energy of has a particular pattern of energy—an individual movement, pitta the energy of digestion and metabolism, combination of physical, mental and emotional and kapha the energy that forms the body’s structure. characteristics—which comprises their own constitution. This constitution is determined at conception by a number Vata is the subtle energy associated with movement of factors and remains the same throughout one’s life. — composed of Space and Air. It governs breathing, blinking, muscle and tissue movement, pulsation of the Many factors, both internal and external, act upon us heart, and all movements in the cytoplasm and cell to disturb this balance and are reflected as a change in membranes. In balance, vata promotes creativity and one’s constitution from the balanced state. Examples of flexibility. Out of balance, vata produces fear and anxiety. these emotional and physical stresses include one’s emotional state, diet and food choices, seasons and Pitta expresses as the body’s metabolic system — weather, physical trauma, work and family relationships. made up of Fire and Water. It governs digestion, Once these factors are understood, one can take absorption, assimilation, nutrition, metabolism and body appropriate actions to nullify or minimize their effects or temperature. In balance, pitta promotes understanding and eliminate the causes of imbalance and re-establish one’s intelligence. Out of balance, pitta arouses anger, hatred original constitution. Balance is the natural order; and jealousy. imbalance is disorder. Health is order; disease is disorder. Kapha is the energy that forms the body’s structure Within the body there is a constant interaction between — bones, muscles, tendons — and provides the “glue” order and disorder. When one understands the nature and that holds the cells together, formed from Earth and structure of disorder, one can re-establish order. Water. Kapha supplies the water for all bodily parts and Balancing the Three Principle Energies of the Body systems. It lubricates joints, moisturizes the skin, and Ayurveda identifies three basic types of energy or maintains immunity. In balance, kapha is expressed as functional principles that are present in everyone and love, calmness and forgiveness. Out of balance, it leads to everything. Since there are no single words in English that attachment, greed and envy. convey these concepts, we use the original Sanskrit words Life presents us with many challenges and vata, pitta and kapha. These principles can be related to opportunities. Although there is much over which we the basic biology of the body. © 1996, 2016 All Rights Reserved. Copyright by The Ayurvedic Institute and Dr. Vasant Lad. For permission or more information, contact: The Ayurvedic Institute, PO Box 23445, Albuquerque, NM 87192-1445; 505.291.9698; www.ayurveda.com by Vasant Lad, M.A.Sc. Page 2 have little control, we do have the power to decide about some cases, participating in a cleansing program, called some things, such as diet and lifestyle. To maintain panchakarma, is suggested to help the body rid itself of balance and health, it is important to pay attention to these accumulated toxins to gain more benefit from the various decisions. Diet and lifestyle appropriate to one’s suggested measures of treatment. individual constitution strengthen the body, mind and consciousness. In summary, Ayurveda addresses all aspects of life— the body, mind and spirit. It recognizes that each of us is Ayurveda as a Complementary System of Healing unique, each responds differently to the many aspects of The basic difference between Ayurveda and Western life, each possesses different strengths and weaknesses. allopathic medicine is important to understand. Western Through insight, understanding and experience Ayurveda allopathic medicine currently tends to focus on presents a vast wealth of information on the relationships symptomatology and disease, and primarily uses drugs between causes and their effects, both immediate and and surgery to rid the body of pathogens or diseased subtle, for each unique individual. tissue. Many lives have been saved by this approach. In fact, surgery is encompassed by Ayurveda. However, Vata: The Energy of Movement drugs, because of their toxicity, often weaken the body. General Description Ayurveda does not focus on disease. Rather, Ayurveda Vata provides the essential motion for all bodily processes maintains that all life must be supported by energy in and is extremely vital for health. On an annual basis, vata balance. When there is minimal stress and the flow of is most prominent in the fall and at the change of seasons, energy within a person is balanced, the body’s natural and these are the most important times to be careful of defense systems will be strong and can more easily diet and lifestyle. One purpose of lifestyle considerations defend against disease. is stabilize this motion. Routine is very useful in assisting It must be emphasized that Ayurveda is not a the vata individual to effectively ground all this moving substitute for Western allopathic medicine. There are energy. many instances when the disease process and acute A person with vata conditions can best be treated with drugs or surgery. predominant is blessed with a quick Ayurveda can be used in conjunction with Western mind, flexibility and creativity. medicine to make a person stronger and less likely to be Mentally, they usually grasp afflicted with disease and/or to rebuild the body after concepts quickly but then forget being treated with drugs or surgery. them just as quickly. Alert, restless We all have times when we don’t feel well and and very active, vata people walk, talk and think fast, but recognize that we’re out of balance. Sometimes we go to are easily fatigued. They tend to have less willpower, the doctor only to be told there is nothing wrong. What is confidence, boldness and tolerance for fluctuation than actually occurring is that this imbalance has not yet other types and often feel unstable and ungrounded. When become recognizable as a disease. Yet it is serious enough unbalanced, vata types may become fearful, nervous and to make us notice our discomfort. We may start to wonder anxious. In the external world, vata types tend to earn whether it is just our imagination. We may also begin to money quickly and spend it quickly. They are not good consider alternative measures and actively seek to create planners and as a consequence may suffer economic balance in our body, mind and consciousness. hardship. Evaluation and Treatment of Imbalances Vata types have variable appetite and digestion. They Ayurveda encompasses various techniques for assessing are often attracted to astringent foods like salad and raw health. The practitioner carefully evaluates key signs and vegetables, but their constitution is balanced by warm, symptoms of illness, especially in relation to the origin cooked foods and sweet, sour and salty tastes. With a and cause of an imbalance. They also consider the tendency to produce little urine, their feces are often hard, patient’s suitability for various treatments. The dry and small in size and quantity. practitioner arrives at diagnosis through direct Vata resides in the colon, as well as the brain, ears, questioning, observation and a physical exam, as well as bones, joints, skin and thighs.

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