What Is Ayurveda

Ayurveda, meditation and yoga are all important in leading an Ayurvedic lifestyle

What Is Ayurveda

Ayurveda is the traditional healing system of India and is practised by approximately 70% of India’s population. Dating back over 5000 years, the roots of Ayurveda are deeply steeped in history and tradition. There are mentions of the healing system in the first of the Hindu texts and the “Chakra Samhita’, the still cited Ayurvedic text on internal medicine appeared around the turn of the first millennium BC. It is estimated that there are currently around 650,000 doctors practising this science in India today with 70,000 doctors practising worldwide. Numbers which give a strong indication of the modern day popularity of the health system. Ayurveda advocates that each person is born with a basic genetic make-up called ‘Prakruti’. Maintaining prakruti is at the very core of what this healing system seeks to achieve. In our fast-paced, often highly stressful modern world, there are plenty of factors that can cause our prakruti to become imbalanced. This imbalance is referred to as ‘Vikruti’ and is the root cause of disease and ill health. Ayurveda aims to correct this imbalance to help achieve a disease-free, long life. While preventing and treating disease is an important aspect of Ayurveda, the health system reaches far beyond treating illness and encourages a holistically balanced, well-lived life. In that way, Ayurveda is a complete wellness system that encompasses all aspects of life, health and happiness. Ayurveda understands the world in energetic terms. An important part of our prakruti is our ‘dosha’ or body type. There are three primary doshas or bio-energies known as Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Each of us has different amounts of the three doshas in our bodies/minds. Once you know your unique dosha type, you’re able to work towards returning your body to perfect balance. Each and every one of us has our own defined constitution from birth to death that is affected by a whole host of different factors. Ayurvedic medicine seeks to bring the body back to equilibrium, to find out what it is lacking and modify it. These modifications may include changes to your diet, stress levels and lifestyle habits alongside prescribed Ayurvedic treatments. To put it in simple terms, Ayurveda helps the body to heal itself.