What is AYURVEDA?

Ayurveda is a Sanskrit term, made up of the words “ayus” and “veda.” “Ayus” means life, and “Veda” means knowledge or science. The term “ayurveda” thus means “the knowledge of life” or “the science of life.” According to the ancient Ayurvedic scholar Charaka, “ayu” comprises the mind, body, senses and the soul.

Widely regarded as the oldest form of healthcare in the world, Ayurveda is an intricate medical system that originated in India thousands of years ago. The fundamentals of Ayurveda can be found in Hindu scriptures called the Vedas–the ancient Indian books of wisdom. The Rig Veda, which was written over 6,000 years ago, contains a series of prescriptions that can help humans overcome various ailments. This forms the basis of Ayurveda practice, passed down to the present day.

Ayurveda has a complete medical system that includes treatments, life style guidelines, mental health. It believes prevention is more important than treating disease; a healthy lifestyle is more important than medical prescription.  Thus the aim of Ayurvda can be summarized as to prevent illness, heal the sick and preserve life.

What is “HEALTH” in Ayurveda?

Health is thoughtful way of living life in harmony with nature.

According to Charaka,

“PRAKUTI SUKHA” means leading life according to nature.

“DHATU SAAMYA” means maintaining the balance state of constituent of the body.

BASIC PRINCIPLES

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 energy: 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 (“tridoshas”). Ayurveda suggests specific lifestyle and nutritional guidelines to help individuals reduce the excess dosha.

A healthy person, as defined in Sushrut Samhita, one of the primary works on Ayurveda, is “he whose doshas are in balance, appetite is good, all tissues of the body and all natural urges are functioning properly, and whose mind, body and spirit are cheerful…”

Das, Subhamoy. “Introduction to Ayurveda: Basic Principles and Theory.” ThoughtCo, Oct. 5, 2017, thoughtco.com/what-is-ayurveda-1770039.