 Ayurveda
What is Ayurveda?
The profound healing wisdom of Ayurvedic
medicine originated in the ancient culture of India and is thought to be the oldest
natural healing system, pre-dating even Chinese medicine. The word "Ayurveda" means
"Knowledge of Life" in Sanskrit.
Over five thousand years ago the ancient seers
of India imparted to their disciples the truths they learned about the Universe while
in a supramental state of meditation. This knowledge exists today in text written
in Sanskrit, and contains the secrets of the interaction of body, mind and soul within the
context of the fundamental elements of Nature and the Universe. It is a practical,
all-encompassing science which embraces the whole person in relation to the
outside world.
Within their framework, the Seers recognized
two main truths:
- that everything that exists in the external
universe has its counterpart in the internal universe of the
human body.
- that air, fire and water are the three elements
most fundamental to life (here they took air to include
air and ether, fire to include fire and water, and water to include water and
earth.)
At the heart of Ayurvedic medicine is the concept
that the elements are represented in the human body through Doshas (pronounced
Doe-sha) As you will see when you take the questionnaire you are either a
Vata, Pitta or Kapha dosha (or a combination of any of these). Respectively,
these Sanscrit words mean Air, Fire and Water. The chart on Page 49 of the
Herbal Healing Journey Playful Workbook makes the relationships of the doshas easier
to understand.
Three recommended references for Ayurveda:
| Prakruti, Your Ayurvedic Constitution
|
Dr. Robert E. Svoboda
|
| Ayurveda, The Science of Healing
|
Dr. Vasant Lad
|
| Perfect Health
|
Dr. Deepak Chopra
|
|
