The term “Ayurveda” is derived from the Sanskrit terms Ayur (life) and Veda (knowledge) means “Knowledge of Life” or translated as “Science of Life”. It is one of the oldest holistic healing systems which dates back to over 5000 years and so it is time tested.

The definition of ayurveda is adopted by WHO as is. It’s an all natural plant based health and wellness care practice rather than medical science, a consciousness based approach to health focused on preventive care. It seeks to understand the root cause of a disease, rather than addressing the symptoms.

The Basic Principles of Ayurveda

All human beings have a specific constitution, or prakriti, which is determined by three fundamental bodily energies known as doshas. These doshas make up our physical, mental, and emotional selves. Although, every individual typically has a dosha that dominates, ideally the three doshas exist in harmony. It is believed that when the doshas are out of balance illness can result.

The body consists of 5 elements listed below:

• Fire (metabolism/transformation)
• Water (Fluids/carrier)
• Earth (Bones/muscles)
• Air (movements/vibrations)
• Space (holds all of the above)

The combinations of these five elements creates the bodily energies or three doshas. Each element is unique to each individual just like our fingerprints or Iris of the eyes.

The key goal of Ayurveda is to balance all three doshas to maintain a healthy mind and body. It is not a “One size fits all” form of approach. Ayurveda offers guidelines to keep the doshas in harmony with Panchkarma therapies, yoga, breathing techniques, food knowledge and lifestyle modifications.