Ayurveda: The Science of Life
Living in balance with nature
Ayurveda, considered the sister science of yoga, is India’s 5,000-year-old traditional system of medicine. Ayus means life, and veda is translated as knowledge or wisdom. Therefore, Ayurveda is known as the science of life.
If you do not know anything about Ayurveda, think of it as the wisdom of “Abuelitas” passed down from generation to generation. Ayurveda is believed to be the oldest continuously practiced form of medicine in the world. Subsequent generations have taught us about living in balance with nature through simple guidelines and practices.
Just like our mothers and grandmothers are filled with wisdom, and have their unique remedies and wellness secrets, Ayurveda teaches us that the body, the senses, the mind and the soul are the four main components of life; without their constant connection, it is said, life cannot exist.
Abuelitas’ Wisdom vs. Ayurveda
The essence of our grandmothers’ advice and the Ayurveda teachings is to guide us toward a healthy life. Therefore, I thought it would be nice to go back to the basics and compare some of these teachings.
Dice la Abuelita: El que madruga, Dios lo ayuda. The early bird gets the worm.
Ayurveda’s approach: Let your internal clock guide you. Wake up at sunrise and use that time for spiritual or contemplative practices. Take some time to cleanse your senses.
Dice la Abuelita: “Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Ayurveda’s approach: The aim of Ayurveda is to maintain health first and then treat disease.
Dice la Abuelita: “Chicken soup for the soul and the common cold.”
Ayurveda’s approach: There are many cookbooks with nourishing recipes for the body and soul. One of my favorites is “The Kripalu Kitchen.”
Which are your favorite Abuelita remedies or your best Ayurveda self-care tools?
Doshas: Vata, pitta and kapha
We all have innate strengths and gifts, as well as many challenging areas in our life and health. The doshas (vata, pitta and kapha) are wonderful tools for understanding, recognizing and correcting any imbalances in our systems.
According to Banyan Botanicals: “The doshas are energetic forces of nature, functional principles that help us to better understand ourselves, and the world around us.”
Each dosha is characterized by a collection of qualities that support its particular state:
Vata qualities: dry, light, cold, rough, subtle, mobile, clear
Pitta qualities: hot, sharp, light, liquid, spreading, oily
Kapha qualities: heavy, slow, cool, oily, smooth, dense, soft, stable, gross, cloudy, sticky
Just as we might nurture relationships with individual family members, cultivating a relationship with each dosha can have a transformative impact on your overall health and well-being.
To find out which of the doshas make up your constitution and state of imbalance, take the Ayurvedic profile quiz.
* Disclaimer: No content on this post or site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinicians.
NOTE: This content was originally written for the northamericanproject.com
