What exactly is Ayurveda?  Ayurveda can be explained in many ways, but most simply, it is the Science of Life.  The practice and use of Ayurveda as a way of living and a method of administering medical care dates back 5,000 years. Through the use of nutrition, lifestyle, herbs and body therapies, Ayurveda can provide support to maintain good health and wellness before diseases appear.  Ayurveda focuses on preventative care for the physical, mental and spiritual balance of the individual.  Additionally, Ayurveda provides support to reverse the onset and progression of diseases.

Mom was right, each of us is special.  We are each divinely unique and in Ayurveda we describe that divine uniqueness as elements of nature.  We are all a specific blend of five elements referred to as the Maha Pancha Bhutas or Five Great Elements.  These include  Air, Space, Fire, Water and Earth.  These elements are governed within our body and mind as a combination of three doshas; VATA, PITTA and KAPHA.
  

VATA:  Air and Space—provides space and movement within our body and mind.  Identified as dry, cold and light elements. 

PITTA: Fire and Water—responsible for transformation within our body and mind. Identified as hot, sharp and moist elements. 

KAPHA: Water and Earth—gives us stability and protection within our body and mind. Identified as cool, heavy and stable elements. 

As in nature, these elements in their doshic homes are impermanent and always changing.  The balanced state of the doshas in the body and the amount of each we have, our Ayurvedic Constitution, is established at our conception.  Since that time, our doshas’ balance are constantly affected by our experiences, food choices, seasons, climate, thoughts, emotions and time.  They ebb and flow on a natural course of accumulating, aggravating and alleviating.  When we work against this natural course, imbalances can result in disease.  Ayurveda teaches us how to guide our doshas back into balance naturally. 

One way to picture how the doshas flow is to picture gentle waves along a shoreline.  As the wave moves towards shore, it builds up (accumulates) and as it reaches the shore, it crests (aggravates) and gently crashes against the shore (alleviates).  And just as one wave ends, another is cycling towards shore.  In a balanced state, the doshas follow this gentle pattern within us on daily, seasonal and life stage cycles.  However, when we are out of balance or unable to guide ourselves back to balance, we can experience effects which can be represented by either stormy waves, hurricane like conditions and even droughts.

     

Within ourselves, we create these imbalances by forgetting our true nature and not acting accordingly.  In Ayurveda, we categorize the cause of imbalance and ultimately disease as one of three causes:

To rectify these imbalances caused by our actions and the elements of nature, we need to remember two general principles: