Ayurveda, which comes from the Vedic culture of India and has a history of 5,000 years, is one of the oldest and traditional natural treatment systems in the world.
I have been long thinking about writing on ayurveda for a long time and today I will start a series that will express my thoughts and feelings on the subject.
My main purpose is to introduce Ayurveda in general and to mention nutritional recommendations according to body types in Ayurveda.
What is Ayurveda?
“Ayu”means life and “veda” means science; that is to say, Ayurveda should be considered not only as a system used in the healing of diseases, but also as a “life science” that guides each of us to find and maintain their own health balance. Ayurveda is a way of life that gives us the hints for living in harmony with the energy of nature. According to Ayurveda, epidemic diseases occur as a result of damage to earth (soil), water and air. The damage to the soil is the biggest damage. It is necessary to understand the rhythm of nature. Human physiology begins to adapt nature’s rhythm, comes at the same frequency with it, and is thus balanced. Just as the blockages that accumulate in a river and block the flow of water. When we clear these blockages in the river, the water starts to flow “naturally”. The water knows the direction to go, and when its path is open, it easily flows in that direction. Ayurveda, as a way of life, clears the blockages in the body and helps it to “be” naturally.
What is the aim of Ayurveda?
The aim of Ayurveda is to gain health not by fighting the diseases, but by trying to achieve balance and harmony. Ayurveda recognizes the importance of physical balance, emotional comfort, mental health, environmental awareness and spiritual development on health as a whole. Ayurveda examines health and balance by considering ten different metabolic types. It is believed that Ayurveda brings health by organizing life, routines, nutrition and movement. The science of Ayurveda basically describes how we live macro cosmos (nature) in our micro cosmos (body). According to Ayurveda, the real health comes from the dynamic balance of our inner and outer world.
Ayurveda is a holistic system of natural healing that uses food, herbs, and bodywork, pranayama (breath), yoga and meditation techniques for physical and psychological healing. According to Ayurveda, the doctrine of “we are what we eat” is fundamental. Ayurveda explains the body and organ system with the three states of being in the human world and the five elements in nature, and these elements affect the mind, thought and emotions. Humans are a microcosm of the universe (macrocosm, nature, etc.). Thus, like everything in nature, including nature itself, the human body is also formed by these five basic elements (building block); earth, water, fire, air and space (ether). These are important to understand the balance and imbalance in the human body. Seasonal changes in nature (rain, melting of snow, sun, etc.) also manifest themselves in body function. Each individual has a nature or combination in Ayurveda called “dosha” and has associated elements with this nature. When someone learns about nature, her/his own integrity with nature, her/his dosha (nature) and guna (properties), s/he understands what is good for her/him, what kind of nutrition system, how many hours of sleep, what yoga style s/he needs. For this reason, it is recommended to get consultation from a specialist on Ayurveda.
In the next blog post, I will explain the elements and three states of being (“dosha”) with guidelines for proper nutrition according to Ayurveda.
Keep safe.
Anıl Uzun