"Swathasya swasthya rakshanam

aturasya vikara prashamanam"

"Ayurveda aims to maintain the health of a healthy person and to restore health to a person who is sick or unwell "

Ayurveda is the science of life and longevity.  Translated from Sanskrit it means Ayur=life, Veda= science.  This holistic system of healing is rooted in ancient India and is more than 5,ooo years old.  By taking into consideration the whole life of the individual it seeks to discover the root cause of dis-ease so that balance can be restored.  Ayurveda aims to add years to life and life to years by encouraging each person to harmonize with the rhythms of nature. 

According to ayurvedic philosophy, everything in the cosmos is formed  from the panchamahabhutas- or five great elements- Ether, Air, Fire, Water, Earth.  

Ether(Akasha): all pervading, all enclosing, omnipotent.  This element is expansive and empty, it provides the freedom in which to move.

Air(Vayu): the vital life force or prana, the flow of consciousness throughout the body.  Necessary for all subtle and gross movements.

Fire(Agni): radiant energy-the flame of attention.  Governs all transformative processes including digestion, absorption, assimilation of food, body temperature, and processing perception into knowledge.

Water(Apas): the universal solvent, all biochemical functions are governed by it.  Our blood plasma is roughly 90% water and carries nutrients throughout the body.  This internal river is the water of life.  

Earth(Prithvi): the firm ground which provides structure and sustenance.  This is the most dense of the elements.  

The combination of elements in an  individual determines their constitution or prakruti.  Out of these five elements come the doshas-vata, pitta, and kapha.  

Vata is the combination of ether and air.  

Pitta is fire and water.  

Kapha is water and earth.

 According to ayurveda our constitution(prakruti) doesn’t change, however the doshas can become elevated or diminished on a daily basis from stress, stage of life, environmental factors, and daily habits.  This is called vikruti or the state of the doshas now.  

Ayurveda teaches us to cherish our innate nature, to love who we are.   It shows us the pathway to balancing body, mind, and spirti by harmonizing with the rhythms of  nature and activating our the  inner healer within.  

The ayurvedic lifestyle emphasis is given to health maintenance through daily and seasonal routines.  This includes wake time, sleep time, refular exercise, a balanced diet, work, hobbies, social activities, and relationships(including with ourselves).  Our bodies thrive on routines, sleeping and waking at the same times in addition to eating meals at the same times(as much as possilbe) help to maintain hormaonal and blood sugar balance.

 Each season places different demands on our bodies and so foods and daily activities are adjusted accordingly.   By thinking about the ten pairs of opposites such as hot/cold, static/moblie, heavy/light, oily/dry, smooth/rough, dense/liquid, soft/hard, gross/subtle, cloudy/clear, dull/sharp we can bring balance by applying the quality needed.   Hot soup on a cold winter day or a garden salad with cucumber in the summer are examples of applying this strategy. 

Many people suffer from digestive disorders ranging from acid reflux, peptic ulcers, diverticulitis,irritable bowel syndrome to constipation and diarrhea.  Our modern lives often involve eating on the run, skipping meals, eating incompatible food combinations and/or eating late at night.  Ayurveda teaches us how to eat for our individual constitution along with providing herbs and teas for relief and ideas for meal planning.  

In ayurveda the term agni refers to our digestive fire.  It is the fire of transformation, responsible for digestion, absorption, assimilation, and transformation of food into energy.   Balanced agni provides us with mental clarity, a sense of lightness after meals, enthusiasm & zest for life, good quality sleep, and a strong immune system. 

Imbalanced agni can manifest as a sense of heaviness or lethargy, brain fog, body aches/stiffness, constipation, bloating, gas, and/or diarrhea. 

 Using the ayurvedic lens we are able to determine if agni is vishama(irregular), tiksha(too hot), manda(slow), or sama(balanced).  

Proper sleep allows our organs, brain, and lymphatic system to detoxify .  This is important for maintaining overall health, immunity and vitality.  Sleep disturbances can lead to weight gain, high blood pressure, and a weakened immune system.  Whether you suffer from trouble falling asleep, staying asleep. or insomnia ayurveda offers a wealth of practical suggestions.  Simple adjustments to ones routine, lifestyle, diet, and exercise can often have a profound effect on sleep. 

According to ayurveda, the mind has a powerful influence on our overall health and well-being. Even minor disturbances in the mind can affect the quality of our lives. Unresolved anger can accumulate in the liver and impair its functioning, unprocessed grief can disturb the lungs, and chronic anxiety can upset colon health.  Fortunately the ayurvedic tradition has many effective, practical tools for balancing common disturbances of the mind.  The following are among the most helpful; being selective about the sensory input we receive daily,  mindfulness regarding the quality of our relationships, and partaking in practices that help to engage and balance the subtle pathways of the mind( such as pranayama, yoga, and meditattion)..

Womens bodies move through many specific phases during a lifetime.   Childhood, adolescence, puberty, adulthood, perimenopause, menopause, and post menopause.  Ayurveda teaches us the importance of acknowledging, celebrating, and embracing these changes.  Many factors such as stress, emotional trauma, over scheduling and irregular routine can lead to disrupted menses and fertility.  Menstrual flow is said to be a mirror of a womans health.  By  being familiar with ones cycle it's possible to discover which imbalances need to be addressed.  With rest and rejuvenation along with gentle adjustments to diet and daily routine it is possible to regain and maintain balance.