What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is one of the oldest medical systems in the world, focusing on the prevention, care, and treatment of individuals. Since ancient times, Ayurveda has practiced “individualized medicine”, which is treatment based on an individual’s specific characteristics. “Ayurveda” means “Science (or knowledge) of life”, describing its focus on the health of the whole person, or “holistic health”.

Ayurveda is a sister to yoga, which is familiar to most people as postures (asanas) that promote physical fitness. While yoga asanas are great for physical fitness, the practice of yoga encompasses a broader set of principles that promote awareness of body, mind, and spirit. Ayurveda, on the other hand, is a healing science, focusing on health maintenance and longevity, as well as the prevention and treatment of disease. Because yoga and Ayurveda are related, Ayurvedic treatment may include yoga asanas that address an individual’s specific needs.

Ayurvedic treatment usually begins with nutrition, recommending foods and diets that address specific needs in individuals. Most of our knowledge about diets comes from population-based studies, where the “average” result is identified as a recommendation for most people. But we have seen in recent decades that different ideas about diets have resulted in hundreds of fad-based diets — this seems clear that something is not working!

Underlying the concepts of food and diet in Ayurveda is the theory that everything is made up of a combination of five elements – earth, water, fire, air, and ether – and that each element is described by a combination of qualities (such as hot or cold, dry or moist, heavy or light, etc.) This theory, which was also popular in Western medicine until the 16th century, is used in the prescription of diets, where foods with specific qualities are advised for an individual based on the individual’s constitution of elements and qualities.

The first step in finding an individualized diet to bring the body into balance is to meet with an Ayurvedic Practitioner. The practitioner makes dietary recommendations unique to your constitution and imbalance, which are identified during your session. The practitioner may also make lifestyle and herbal recommendations to gradually bring you back into balance.