What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is the ancient Indian science of life, a totally natural way to obtain health, harmony and happiness which is over 5,000 years old. Ayurveda has a surprisingly modern sound to its essential teachings and so is sometimes referred to as "new age".

The basic concepts that make the most sense to us are those that refer to harmony. We all seek and need harmony, and by creating harmony for ourselves we create wellness.

Disharmony in mind, body or spirit, eventually gives rise to actual disease. Balance can be restored relatively easily in the first three stages of illness development. This is why it is so valuable for people to know their basic Ayurvedic type and the kinds of patterns that support their life.

According to Ayurveda 5 elements make up the material world we inhabit: ether, air, fire, water, and earth. The tradition of Ayurveda assumes that our bodies should reflect the nature of the universe and the way in which energy works in us. The teachings of Ayurveda state that the 5 elements combine in us to create 3 different energy forms known in Sanskrit as the 3 Doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.

The Doshas represent your psychological and physical nature. Most of us have a predominant dosha type. When stress, wrong diet, or lack of exercise enters our life, our dosha type becomes imbalanced, which leads to illness.

In Ayurvedic Medicine there are 6 important ways to balance your dosha and create health; diet, yoga, daily lifestyle, massage, herbs, and seasonal routine. The ultimate aim of Ayurveda is to maintain complete physical, spiritual and mental health.

"Ayurveda is truly the medicine of the coming planetary age, with almost no limits to its growth and application in the modern health situation, where Ayurvedic like methods of disease prevention and proper life-style are becoming the main considerations for everyone."     

~Dr. David Frawley