“Ayurveda is more than the absence of disease, it defines health as one who is established in one’s natural state, with balanced constitution and digestion, proper elimination, well-formed tissues, and enthusiastic, with integrated body, senses, mind, and consciousness.”
AYURVEDA: CARING FOR YOUR WHOLE SELF
Ayurveda is
the oldest continuously practiced healthcare system in the world. It originated
in India over 5,000 years ago, and is a global medical system based upon the
“Five Great Elements” of nature, that includes understanding nature’s rhythms
and laws.
Human beings are natural beings, governed by all the rules and laws
that other natural beings are governed by, and if we choose to ignore these
laws then imbalances will begin to appear. These imbalances are the precursor
to disharmony and disease in the body, mind, and consciousness.
Ayurveda is a Quantum
Mechanical Science, where, we
are considered a “microcosm” of the “macrocosm”, whereby we are a mirror
of the external universe, and the layers that make up our human experience,
which includes the total integration; physically, energetically, psycho
emotionally, intuitively, and spiritually or consciously, also considered
blissfully. The psycho emotional level includes the level of the mind and
emotions, that are made up of our conditioning and reactions.
This system of medicine understands our deepest connections with
the whole universe and the influences of the energies that make up this
universe and continue its evolution.
Ayurvedic health principles and
practices contain the benefit of thousands of years of experience in
understanding how we are integrated into the world around us, with a view of
"holism" as compared to the view of "reductionism" that is
provided within the modern medical system.
While Ayurveda focuses on
the health of the whole individual, including lifestyle and lived experience,
western medicine focuses on the management of disease.
The ancients didn't know of
molecules, atoms, cells, micro biomes and the like, in those terms, because
they did not have microscopes or external technology, as we know them today. However, they honed their personal internal
technology, their senses and mind, through which they observed the same
relationships and referred to them by different names.
The science of physics explains how
energy is the quantitative property that must be transferred to an object, to
perform, work on, or to heat, the object. Energy is a conserved quantity; the
law of conservation of energy states that energy can be converted in form, but
not created or destroyed.
Common forms of energy include the kinetic energy of a moving object, the potential energy stored by an object's
position in a force field (gravitational,
electric, or magnetic energy),
the elastic energy stored by
stretching solid objects, the chemical
energy released when a fuel burns, the radiant
energy carried by light, and the thermal
energy due to an object's temperature.
The Sun is the source of energy for
most of life on Earth. As a star, the Sun is heated to high temperatures by the
conversion of nuclear binding energy due to the fusion of hydrogen in its core.
This energy is ultimately transferred (released) into space mainly in the form
of radiant (light) energy.
The ancients understood this on a
subtle level and thereby revered the Sun, the digestive fire, role in
metabolism and the understanding and value of the flame of attention, needed to
make good decisions, leading to health and a balanced body, mind and senses and
ultimately “Ayur” or life, which is defined as the intelligent
integration of the body, senses, mind and consciousness that occurs through the
metabolism of the mind necessary to access the state of “veda”, to know
life beyond ordinary perception, and therewith is the root of Ayurveda
and it’s root cause theory and philosophy.
The science and philosophies of Ayurveda explain the world
and creation, through the archetypical elements of ether (space), air, fire, water,
and earth. Ether and earth are static
in nature while air, fire and water are dynamic and ever changing. These
elements have inherent energies expressed by their qualities that govern their
functions. We are a product of all these energies and their subsequent
qualities, with everyone having slightly different proportions of the
individual elements, making everyone unique in their own constitutional or
genetic composition.
Ayurveda
assesses and treats everyone, according to their unique physical, psychological,
emotional, spiritual constitution and its tendencies. We evaluate the
imbalances of the body and its function through this system of the elements and
root cause theory as well. Our world and bodies are in constant interplay, constantly
adapting to changes in the environment as well as new environments, and our
perceptions of them, all of which affect us in some way.
Ayurveda concentrates on prevention through
understanding one’s own constitutional makeup, and the effects that the outer
world, environment, relationships, diet, and lifestyle choices make on our
constitution and our daily lives.
“Samadosha
Samagnischa Samadhatumala kriyaha Prasanna atmenindriya manaha Swasthya
ityabhidheeyate”
