What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda or Ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to India and practiced in other parts of the world as a form of alternative healing. In Sanskrit the word Ayurveda consists of the words "ayus" meaning "longevity", and "veda", meaning "related to knowledge" or "science".

This traditional medicine remains an influential system of medicine in Asia. The earliest literature on Indian medical practice appeared during the Vedic period in India. It is considered to be the most ancient and comprehensive health system in the world. Due to its holistic perspective, Ayurveda is now enjoying increasing popularity and recognition.The secret of its success lies in its simplicity, its naturalness, and its effectiveness. According to Ayurveda, inner stability and balance of the physiology are the foundation of lasting health, perfect well-being, and natural beauty. Over the following centuries Ayurveda practitioners developed a number of medicinal preparations and surgical procedures for treatment of various ailments.

In other words, the aim of this system is to prevent illness, heal the sick and preserve life.

Another longer definition of ayurveda goes: ayurhitahitamvyadhe nidaanamshamanam thathaa vidyate yatra vidhwadhihi tatra ayurveda uchyate. This verse takes us to a deeper level to understand what ayurveda is.

Ayurveda is based on the premise that the universe is made up of five elements: air, fire, water, earth and ether. These elements are represented in humans by three "doshas", or energies: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. When any of the doshas accumulate in the body beyond the desirable limit, the body loses its balance. Every individual has a distinct balance, and our health and well-being depend on getting a right balance of the three doshas.

This alternative medicine system suggests specific lifestyle and nutritional guidelines to help individuals reduce the excess dosha.

A characteristic feature of Ayurveda is that it considers the individual as a whole, rather than just the disease. Treatment is fine-tuned by fine tuning the imbalances so the original prakriti or natural form is restored to its original form.

Ayurvedic doctors diagnose illnesses and imbalances through darsana (observing the way a person moves, walks and behaves), sparsana (touching) and prasna, (asking questions). The goal of Ayurveda is detoxification and restoration of one’s overall balance.This alternative medicine includes a treatment with: diet, yoga, meditation and massage to prepare the body for elimination of waste, called agni.

This ancient practice is recognized by the World Health Organization as an effective health science.

Vyadhakanam vyadhi paramokshaha, means "for the person who does not have this knowledge of how to stay optimally healthy or does not implement the knowledge, and thus gets out of balance, ayurveda teaches that person how to get rid of the imbalance."



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