Introduction to Ayurveda

Ayurveda is an ancient Indian system of healing, the traditional medicine of India. It is a healing art that integrates body, mind and spirit. Ayur means life and Veda mean knowledge.

Ayurveda sees everything as interconnected. The body, the mind, the spirit. Ayurveda sees that blockages in energy can manifest in many different mental and physical ailments. Ayurveda looks for the root cause, as opposed to looking solely at the symptom.

Ayurveda is Yogic medicine. It is a holistic, energetic medicine. It looks at how a substance affects the prana (life force). It looks at how a substance affects the mind and spirit. Ayurveda considers that the inner treatment is more important than the outer treatment. The outer is just a manifestation of what is going on inside.

There are 3 Doshas or energies that make up everything including us. They are Vata (air/ether), Kapha (earth/water) and Pitta (fire/water). There are many quizzes out there to help you determine your dominant Dosha; here is one: Dosha Quiz.

Ayurveda dictates that there is a reason for all things. Any condition we experience is caused by something of a like nature. Kapha increases Kapha. Vata increases Vata. Pitta increases Pitta. Knowing what causes our conditions can allow us to treat them more effectively.