What is Ayurveda?

Maybe you've seen Ayurveda hit mainstream media as one of the Kardashians partook in a cleansing practice called Panchakarma. I haven't seen the episode myself but am excited to see this ancient wisdom get talked about more openly.

You may be asking yourself, "What the heck is Ayurveda?" Let's dive into that.

Ayurveda is a science based medicinal system that is thousands of years old and originated in India. It is the first recorded medicinal system and has its own set of anatomy and physiology. Ayur [Life] and veda [science/knowledge]. Since Ayurveda is the study of life, it has a holistic approach to health, addressing the mind, body, and spirit.

Using the nature at its foundation, Ayurveda uses the 5 elements of the earth (fire, water, air, ether, earth) and 10 pairs of oppposites known as gunas/qualities. These qualities allow us to understand our own experiences and increase our awareness, forming a language that becomes essential in treating not only our symptoms, but at the root cause. It's very simple: Ayurveda seeks to bring balance by bringing in the opposite quality. "Feeling hot? Bring in cool." "Feeling anxious and mind racing? Bring in calm and slow." Take a moment and notice how you feel. You are already practicing Ayurveda.

Now, You may have heard of the 3 Doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. These are made up of different qualities and elements, allowing us to categorize our experiential health. You are NOT your Dosha and it does not define who you are but rather, your tendencies. At birth, we all are born with our constitution or prakruti, this is our homeostasis. As time goes on and life happens, we forget our true nature and as dis-ease settles in, we find our vikruti or current state of imbalance. This really just gives us more language to describe what is happening and make some helpful guidelines, given your vikruti (current doshic imbalance as Vata, Pitta, Kapha or a combination), doshic time of year, and doshic time of life.

Vata dosha is comprised of air and ether elements, having the qualities light, fast, mobile, cold, hard, dry, rough, and subtle. Vata season is Fall/early Winter and Vata season of life is age 50+. Common imbalances in Vata dosha are insomnia, anxiety, dry skin, constipation, and variable appetite. Balancing Vata is best done by bringing in routine, more unctuous, oily foods and self care practices that allow you to slow down.

Pitta dosha is comprised of fire and water elements, having the qualities fast, oily, sharp, hot, soft, spreading, and light. Pitta season is Summer and Pitta season of life is age 16-50. Common imbalances in Pitta dosha are excessive bleeding, inflammation, anger, judgement, diarrhea, acne, and hanger. Balancing Pitta is best done by adding in practices that are calm and cool, getting appropriate rest, favoring foods that promote better liver function, and learning to slow down.

Kapha dosha is comprised of earth and water elements, having the qualities slow, dense, soft, cold, gross, cloudy, oily, heavy. Kapha season is late Winter/Spring and season of life is birth to age 16. Common imbalances in Kapha dosha is weight gain, fatigue, slow bowel movements, lack of appetite, and depression. Balancing Kapha is best done by adding in invigoration, increasing prana, eating lighter foods, and getting out of your comfort zone.

Now, which dosha do you feel most connected to you? Vata? Pitta? Kapha? A mixture? This is where it can begin to get tricky. We may see all doshas, qualities, and elements in our diet, lifestyle, and herbs/supplements/drinks. Working with an Ayurvedic Health Counselor is the best way to determine what is called your Prakruti or constitution. This is the doshic ratio that you were born with. Your current state of imbalance is called your Vikruti. This is why you may see all these in your life. It can get confusing. But with the help of a trained Ayurvedic professional, they can put together some of the pieces of the puzzle that may be more difficult for someone to see.

Ayurveda truly is a individual science so what may be best for you may not be best for someone else. Thats what makes it so unique--because YOU are unique. Any more questions, send them my way! I would love to chat!