Ayurveda, the science of life (“ayur” – life, “veda” – knowledge) is a natural holistic system of medicine developed primarily in India and Sri Lanka and it has been continuously practiced for several thousand years. It is a system of health, rather than a broad collection of folk medicine recipes. It is established in a logical foundation of ancient Vedic philosophical traditions and uses a range of logical tools to analyze human body and health such as observation, analogy and inference. Ayurveda has developed its own terminology, its own vision and approach to physiology and anatomy of a human body, its understanding of how mind and body work and interact with each other. It has developed branches of medicine such as internal medicine, surgical treatments, pediatrics, toxicology, psychology, etc.
The two principle objectives of Ayurveda are:
- To prolong and promote perfect health
- To completely eradicate the disease and dysfunction of the
Ayurveda strives to achieve these two principle goals by utilizing a wide range of healing methods, including herbal formulations, body work techniques, suggestions on daily routines, yoga, meditation and other.
Traditional roots of Ayurvedic medical practice go back to ancient times. Some of Ayurveda originated as part of Vedic Science, an integral spiritual science that provides a comprehensive understanding of the entire Universe of matter, mind and consciousness. It derives its roots from two streams of Hindu Philosophical teachings named Vaisheshika and the school of logic named Nyaya. Vedic Sciences include yoga, meditation, mantra and astrology, and sets forth Ayurveda as its special branch for healing body and mind. On this broad and profound background Ayurveda includes herbal medicine, dietetics, bodywork, surgery, psychology, and spirituality.
Fundamental Principles of Ayurveda
Prakriti and Vikriti
Ayurvedic philosophy maintains that people are born with a specific constitution which is called Prakriti. The Prakriti, established at conception, is viewed as a unique combination of physical and psychological characteristics that affect the way each person functions. Deviation from the Prakriti by not observing rhythms and cycles of Nature or engaging in unhealthy life practices (e.g. bad eating habits, poor sleep, overexertion, etc.) gradually lead to the state of Vikriti, i.e. state of health imbalance.
A person who has maintained his or her Body Constitution by experiencing balanced functions of three doshas, strong agni (digestive fire), healthy dhatus (tissues) and malas (bodily waste products), who has clear thoughts, sharp sense organs and a calm, peaceful mind is believed to have achieved a state of perfect health.
Throughout life an individual’s underlying Prakriti remains the same. Note, that Vikriti is a temporary state of health imbalance. Vikriti might change over the life period and is different from Prakriti. When Vikriti is the same as Prakriti, then that individual remains in the state of its own health. According to Ayurveda living in accordance with one’s Prakriti is a source of health, happiness, and wellbeing. However, one’s Prakriti is constantly influenced by various internal, external, and environmental factors like day and night, seasonal changes, diet, lifestyle choices and more. Ayurveda places great emphasis on prevention of illness and recommends maintaining health through following daily seasonal regimes which create balance.
Doshas, Dhatus, Malas
Ayurveda teaches that three qualities called doshas form important characteristics of Prakriti or constitution. These doshas are called Vata, Pitta and Kapha and they all have a specific impact on bodily functions. In fact, one of the best ways to understand them is to associate them with three functional bodily energies responsible for facilitating growth, transformation, and movement functions in the body. Doshas, in turn, perform their functions within bodily tissues, called dhatus. Dhatus can be correlated to a collection of cells specialized to perform a particular function in a body. Ayurveda identified seven key bodily tissues: rasa (lymph and plasma), rakta (blood), mamsa (muscle), medo (fat), asthi (bone), majja (bone marrow) and shukra (male and female reproductive fluid). Our bodily organs are built from a combination of these seven various tissues. Ayurveda also places a great emphasis on our elimination system, called malas. Some of the key eliminating mechanisms of our body are urine, sweat and feces.
Agni and Ama
And finally, the key concept of Ayurveda which is responsible for maintaining formation of healthy body tissues, is called Agni. Agni is a source of life. Metaphorically speaking, it is an eternal fire that is burning in our body from the beginning of our life till the end. In a narrower sense it is responsible for the strength of our digestive power. There is no place for a disease in a body with strong Agni, however slow or irregular Agni is the first cause of formation of health imbalances in the body. When Agni is not functioning properly, it does not allow the body to fully digest the food which it takes in resulting in formation of undigested food particles called Ama in Ayurveda. When Ama accumulates in the stomach, it eventually leaves it to spread all over the body. With time this unhealthy process results in clogging various functional body channels (e.g. accumulated cholesterol which blocks veins and arteries) which impedes healthy functioning of dosha and dhatus in the body: doshas are getting blocked from moving freely around the body to perform their key functions while dhatus are being built of unhealthy quality and quantity (e.g. consider overproduction of fat tissues in obesity.