GISYogaEastWest2018: Ayurveda: The Science of Life

Ayurveda is a 5,000-year-old system of natural healing that has its origins in the Vedic culture of India. It is one of the seven sister sciences (along with yoga). Although suppressed during years of foreign occupation and British colonial rule, 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 medical texts dating back thousands of years.

More than a mere system of treating illness, Ayurveda is a science of life (Ayur = life,Veda = science or knowledge).

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. There is no standard therapy as in Western (allopathic) medicine, so that the only limitations are those of the physician.

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 "constitution" (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.

For each element, there is a balanced and imbalance expression.

When Vata is balanced, a person is lively and creative, but when there is too much movement in the system, a person tends to experience anxiety, insomnia, dry skin, constipation, and difficulty focusing.
When Pitta is functioning in a balanced manner, a person is warm, friendly, disciplined, a good leader, and a good speaker. When Pitta is out of balance, a person tends to be compulsive and irritable and may suffer from indigestion or an inflammatory condition.
When Kapha is balanced, a person is sweet, supportive, and stable but when Kapha is out of balance, a person may experience sluggishness, weight gain, and sinus congestion.

An important goal of Ayurveda is to identify a person’s ideal state of balance, determine where they are out of balance, and offer interventions using diet, herbs, aromatherapy, massage treatments, music, and meditation to reestablish balance.