Principles of Ayurveda

Principles of Ayurveda

Ayurveda is bestowed upon us by our ancestors, who were eminent and wiser and having insight into our being. Basically Ayurveda is Health promotive - preventive - curative and nutritive - all self contained.

The two principle objectives of Ayurveda are :

(a.) "Swasthyas swasthya rakshanam" - To prolong life and promote perfect health ( add years to life and life to years )

(b.) "Aturasya vikar prashamanamcha" - To completely eradicate the disease and dysfunction of the body.

Ayurveda takes the individual as whole and seeks to re-establish harmony between all the constituents in the body. Perfect balance of the tripod - Mind, Body and Spirit means perfect health.

To understand Ayurvedic treatment, it is necessary to have an idea how the Ayurvedic system views the body. The basic life force in the body is prana, which is also found in the elements and is similar to the Chinese notion of chi.

In Ayurveda, there are five basic elements that contain prana: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. These elements interact and are further organized in the human body as three main categories or basic physiological principles in the body that govern all bodily functions known as the doshas. The three doshas are vata, pitta, and kapha. Each person has a unique blend of the three doshas, known as the person’s prakriti, which is why Ayurvedic treatment is always individualized. In Ayurveda, disease is viewed as a state of imbalance in one or more of a person’s doshas, and an Ayurvedic physician strives to adjust and balance them, using a variety of techniques.