What is the Origin ?

Ayurveda is an intricate system of healing that originated in India thousands of years ago. We can find historical evidence of Ayurveda in the ancient books of wisdom known as the Vedas. In the Rig Veda, over 60 preparation were mentioned that could be used to assist an individual in overcoming various ailments. The Rig Veda was written over 6,000 years ago, but really Ayurveda has been around even longer than that. What we see is that Ayurveda is more than just a medical system. It is a Science of Life. We are all part and parcel of nature. Just as the animals and plants live in harmony with nature and utilize the Laws of Nature to create health and balance within their beings, we, too, adhere to these very same principles. Therefore, it is fair to say that Ayurveda is a system that helps maintain health in a person by using the inherent principles of nature to bring the individual back into equilibrium with their true self. In essence Ayurveda has been in existence since the beginning of time because we have always been governed by nature's laws.
 

What is the Meaning ?

Ayurveda is made up of two Sanskrit words: Ayu which means life and Veda which means the knowledge of. To know about life is Ayurveda. However, to fully comprehend the vast s cope of Ayurveda let us first define "Ayu" or life. According to the ancient Ayurvedic scholar Charaka, "ayu" is comprised of four essential parts. The combination of mind, body, senses and the soul.

Mind, Body, and Senses

We tend to identify most with our physical bodies; yet, in actuality, there is more to us then what meets the eye. We can see that underlying our physical structure is the mind, which not only controls our thought processes but helps assist us in carrying out day-to-day activities such as respiration, circulation, digestion and elimination. The mind and the body work in conjunction with one another to regulate our physiology. In order for the mind to act appropriately to assist the physical body, we must use our senses as information gatherers. We can think of the mind as a computer and the senses as the data which gets entered into the computer. Smell and taste are two important senses that aid in the digestive process. When the mind registers that a particular food is entering the gastrointestinal tract, it directs the body to act accordingly by releasing various digestive enzymes. However, if we overindulge the taste buds with too much of a certain taste, such as sweet, we may find that the ability of the mind to perceive the sweet taste is impaired; and thereby the body becomes challenged in its ability to process sweet foods. Maintaining the clarity of our senses is an essential part in allowing the mind and body to integrate their functions and help in keeping us healthy and happy individuals.
 

SOUL

 Ayurveda also sees that before we exist in physical form with the help of the mind and senses that we exist in a more subtle form known as the soul. The ancient seers of India believed that we were comprised of a certain energetic essence that precluded the inhabitance of our physical entity. In fact, they hypothesized that we may indeed occupy many physical bodies throughout the course of time but that our underlying self or soul remains unchanged. What we see to help illustrate this concept is what transpires at the time of death. When the individual nears the time to leave the physical body, many of his/her desires will cease to be present. As the soul no longer identifies with the body, the desire to eat food or indulge in a particular activity that used to be a great source of satisfaction for that person drops by the wayside. In fact, many individuals have been documented to experience the sensation of being "out of their bodies."
These are just a few examples of how we are made up of these four components that we call life.
 

Ayurveda Basics

o What are the Tridoshas?
o Vata dosha
o Pitta dosha
o Kapha dosha
o Why should I care?
o What is the Normal State of the Tridoshas?
o What causes the Tridoshas to become Imbalanced ?
o Balanced & Imbalanced
o Two kinds of Imbalances
o Like increases Like

What are the Tridoshas?

Ayurveda's concept of the Tridoshas is unique to medical science. Ayurveda says the body is made up of tissues (dhatus), waste products (malas), and doshas (loosely translated to Energetic Forces). It is the Tridoshas' job to assist with the creation of all of the various tissues of the body and to remove any unnecessary waste products from the body. It is also the Tridoshas that influence all movements, all transformations, all sensory functions, and many of the other activities in the human body and mind.
Return to Ayurveda Basics.
 

Vata dosha

The Vata dosha is responsible for all movement in the body and is the most important of the three doshas. This is for two reasons. First, if Vata becomes imbalanced for long enough and sufficiently enough, it can also cause the other two doshas (Pitta or Kapha) to become imbalanced. It can even cause both Pitta and Kapha to become imbalanced; this is called a Tridoshic imbalance and is the most difficult to overcome. Secondly, Vata is the main driver or mover of the body, including the other two doshas, all the tissues (dhatus) and all of the waste products (malas).
Vata provides the following functions:
" All eliminations: fetus, semen, feces, urine, sweat, and a few others
" Assists with all the various metabolisms in the body (called Agni in Ayurveda)
" Controls all of the various movement of body (both physical & mental),
including such things as respiration, heart beat, motivation and contraction of muscles
" Relays all sensory input from the various sense organs to the brain
Return to Ayurveda Basics.
 

Pitta dosha

The Pitta dosha is associated with fire or heat and is responsible for all metabolism in the body. Wherever there is transformation, there is Pitta (doing its job). Whether it is in the GI tract, liver, skin, eyes or brain doesn't matter, for these are all locations where Pitta works.
Pitta provides the following functions:
" Metabolism - at all the various levels
from digestion of food to transformation of all other material
" Thermogenesis - maintains the proper body temperature
" Vision - converts external images into optic nerve impulses
" Appetite - the feeling of hunger and thirst
" Comprehension - of information into knowledge, also reasoning and judgment
" Courage & Braveness - to face the situation
" Complexion - gives color and softness to skin
 

Kapha dosha

Kapha is the heaviest of the three doshas. It provides the structures and the lubrication that the body needs. These qualities help to counterbalance Vata's movement and Pitta's metabolism. A big, heavyset football play or wrestler is a person with a predominance of Kapha.
Kapha provides the following functions:
" Strength - to perform physical tasks
" Moistness & Lubrication - to prevent excessive friction from occurring between the various parts of the body
" Stability - to add the necessary grounding aspect to both mind and body
" Mass & Structure - to provide fullness to bodily tissues
" Fertility & Virility - to produce healthy offspring                                 " Prevention of many diseases before they take hold
(In other words, keep healthy folks healthy)
" In many cases, slowing down or reversing the disease process
(particularly the case in many auto immune disorders)
" Assistance in becoming totally healthy: physically, mentally, and spiritually
(In other words, maximize your full potential)
 

What is the Normal State of the Tridoshas?

When the Tridoshas are balanced, the individual experiences health on all levels: mental, physical and spiritual. This is much more than the mere absence of disease.
The following areas help to define what Ayurveda considers as health.
" Happiness - sense of well being
" Emotions - evenly balanced emotional states
" Mental Functions - good memory, comprehension, intelligence, and reasoning ability
" Senses - proper functioning of eyes, ears, nose, taste, and touch
" Energy - abundant mental & physical energy to perform
" Digestion - easy digestion of food and drink
" Elimination - normal elimination of wastes: sweat, urine, feces and others
" Physical Body - healthy bodily tissues, organs, and systems
 

What causes the Tridoshas to become Imbalanced?

Balanced & Imbalanced:
Each of the three doshas have certain quantity, qualities, and functions. When all of these are balanced, it is called normal or balanced (Dosha Shamya). This condition is conducive to well-being, health, and wellness. However, this balanced state is not stable; it is always changing. The Doshas will become either increased (vriddhi) or decreased (kasaya). Both of these states lead to ill-health or disease. However, increased Doshas have much more power to cause problems than do decreased Doshas. The important point here is to understand that each dosha has a set of qualities (gunas) associated with it which can increase or decrease in quantity.
Qualities of Vata Dosha
Cold, Light, Dry, Rough, Hard, Mobile and the Ability to penetrate fine particles

Why should I care?
 

Because by learning how to balance the Tridoshas, the following goals can likely be achieved:
Qualities of Pitta Dosha
Hot, Sharp, Slightly Oily, Penetrating, Liquid, Light and can be sour and foul smelling when excessively increased

Qualities of Kapha Dosha
Cool, Heavy, Dense, Stable, Oily and slimy

Two kinds of Imbalances
 

Natural - imbalances:
Natural imbalance is due to time and age, which are mild and normally do not cause any problems. Vata, Pitta, and Kapha increase and become predominant during one's life, during a season and during certain times of day. For example, Vata is predominant during the latter part of one's life, during the fall season and during late afternoon, as well as during the last part of night and the last part of digestion. Whew!! I know that's a lot of stuff! Hang in there! Pitta is predominant during middle age, during the summer season, at midday, at midnight and during the middle part of digestion. Kapha is predominant during childhood, during the spring season, in late morning, at the first part of evening and during the early part of digestion.
 

Unnatural - imbalances:
Unnatural imbalances of the Doshas can be caused by such things as: inappropriate diet, inappropriate lifestyle, trauma (like a car accident), viruses, parasites, etc. While some of these items are beyond our control, the type of lifestyle we live and the foods we eat are within our control.
 

Like increases Like

To learn how to reduce the Tridoshas, it is first necessary to understand what causes the Tridoshas to increase. The reason, according to a simple rule in Ayurvedic principles, is: "Like increases Like, while Dislike (opposite) decreases Like." For example, if you are cold and you eat ice cream, you will become colder; or if you are hot and you eat chilli peppers, you will become hotter. These examples, which seem so obvious, are the basis for much of what is done in Ayurveda that allows its exceptional results. Herein lies one of the true beauties of Ayurveda: its principles are so simple, so basic, that it naturally appeals to common sense.