Know your body better than before
Show Your True Potential
Have you ever wished for a straight forward road map illuminating the dark path to vibrant,happy and robust health, meaningful purpose of life , and an everlasting sense of inner peace, contentment, and true joy with bliss ? You just have to get on directly on the divine path of Ayurveda concept of Health . Ayurveda literally means in Sanskrit as AYU +VEDA –Ayu means life , Veda means Knowledge so “knowledge of life” and its scope is truly infinite . While the tradition is thought to be over five to ten thousand years old, Ayurveda remains as relevant as centuries back —and it is enliven every day as individuals around the globe engage its timeless proven wisdom in their day-to-day lives.
Taking up the Individual Journey
Ayurveda is a remarkably individualized system of medicine. The tradition is rooted in the idea that each of us is born with a completely personal blueprint for optimum health. From birth onward, it is this reference point your constitution that, in many ways, defines who you are. No two constitutions are exactly alike; therefore, no two human beings can have precisely the same expression of ideal health.
In Ayurveda, everything is medicine and everything is poison; what might be beneficial to you could harm someone else, and visa versa. It all depends on the context of who you are, and what patterns are currently at play in your particular system. Ayurveda is fundamentally opposed to “One solution for all” remedies. While there are certainly some practices that are considered to be beneficial for most everyone, Ayurveda places the focus firmly on you, the individual concerned.
Meaning of Health in Ayurveda
Ayurveda is an indisputably holistic tradition that reaches far beyond the realms of physical health, healing, and the prevention of disease. It has a remarkable capacity to help each of us sync up with our truest inner nature, honor and build up our strengths, hone in on our challenge areas, redirect detrimental tendencies, and offer real support wherever it is needed—so that we can better maintain balance in the face of adversity. At its root, Ayurveda is a way of life that can help each of us to claim and celebrate our capacity for a fully personified sense of wellness.
The Sanskrit word for health, describes an authentically harmonious interaction of many parts within the whole such that the mind, soul, and senses are infused with an abiding sense of Self, wellness, and even bliss and this is known as Svastha in Sanskrit . Achieving this quality of life may seem a superior ambition, especially when human beings throughout the world are riddled with stress, anxiety, and chronic disease. But Ayurveda provides a fortune that can be used to assess the degree of conflict (no matter how lightt or severe), determine its root, and ultimately, begin reclaiming our health.
The Lenses of Ayurveda
As an initiating point , it is helpful to have a basic understanding of some of the lenses through which Ayurveda looks at the universe. These are foundational tools for understanding the laws of nature, identifying various states of health or imbalance, and for designing a course toward improved well-being and complete health .
The Basic Five Elements – Panchmahbhutam
Ayurveda recognizes five elements as the fundamental building blocks of nature—earth, water, fire, air, and ether (space or sky ). Every substance, every cell, contains all five of these elements. It is clear in ayurveda that in a given substance, one or two elements are typically predominant over the others.
The 20 Qualities (Gunas )
Ayurveda also identifies twenty qualities (in Ayurveda named- gunas) that can be used to describe every substance on this earth or experience of life . These qualities are managed into the following ten pairs of opposites qualities mentioned below :
| Cold | Hot |
| Slow (Dull) | Sharp (Penetrating) |
| Heavy | Light |
| Stable | Mobile |
| Smooth | Rough |
| Dense | Liquid |
| Soft | Hard |
| Dry | Sticky-Oily |
| Gross | Subtle |
| Cloudy | Clear |
The gunas (qualities ) are essential to understand the basic Ayurvedic principle that like nature increases like nature and that opposites balance. For example, a person who is particularly cold natured, living in a cold climate, in the middle of winter, is likely to be experiencing an aggravation of the cold quality. What is the t he remedy then ? Heat can be taken in the form of warming foods, hot drinks, heating spices, Firepots , Hot Bottles ,soothing baths, nicely warm clothes, and if possible, have plenty of heart-warming experiences.
Tri Doshas Concept (VATA_PITTA_KAPHA )
Each of the Dosha embodies a particular combination of elements and qualities to create a functional entity an energetic force of nature. The doshas, or some combination of them, can be identified in various weather conditions , seasons, climates, landscapes, activities, geographical locations, plants, and animals. In the context of our bodies, all three doshas are necessary to facilitate important physiological and psychological functions. But if they get accumulated beyond healthy limits (those determined by one’s constitution), the doshas can also unleash havoc on our health.
| Dosha | Vata Type | Pitta Type | Kapha Type |
| Dosha’s Basic Elements | Air + Ether | Fire + Water | Water + Earth |
| Swift Preview of
Qualities of Dosha |
Dry Rough Light Cold Subtle Mobile Clear |
Sharp Hot Light Liquid Spreading Oily |
Oily Heavy Slow Cool Smooth Dense Soft Stable Gross Cloudy (Sticky) |
All three doshas are present in everyone, but the ratio between them varies a great deal from one person to the next. We will get to that in a moment, but first, here is an overview of the essential nature of each dosha.
Vata
Vata is the energy with combination of air and ether, movement and impulse, creativity and connection. This dosha governs breathing, the pulsation of the heart, muscular movement in general, nerve impulses, sensory perception, communication, and our competence to experience flexibility, joy, and expansive consciousness.
When in excess, vata can cause fear, anxiety, physical and emotional limitation, ungroundedness j, dull circulation, constipation, dry skin, cracking joints , insomnia, twitches, tremors, and other abnormal jmovements.
Pitta
Pitta is the energy with combination of of fire and water, digestion and transformation. This dosha governs appetite, digestion, absorption, assimilation, intelligence, charisma, courage, and ambition.
When in excess, pitta can cause anger, jealousy, inflammation, excessive heat, heartburn, loose stools, migraines, rashes, skin issues , bruising, bleeding disorders, very sharp hunger, hyper metabolism, and difficulty to catch up with easy sleep.
Kapha
Kapha is the energy with combination of water and earth, structure and cohesiveness, grounding and stability. This dosha governs nourishment, growth, lubrication, regeneration, fluid balance, fat regulation, strength, stamina, memory, and our ability to feel compassion and contentment.
When in excess, kapha can cause stubborn attachment, greed, difficulty to adapt to change, lack of motivation, heaviness in the mind and body, excessive sleep, depression, a slow metabolism, congestion, water retention, hardening of the arteries, and the formation of masses ,fibroids and tumors.
A New model approach
According to Ayurveda, your constitution (in Sanskrit it is called Prakriti ) is the particular combination of vata, pitta, and kapha that is established within you at when u were conceived in divine mother’s womb, cemented at birth, and that remains constant over the entire span of your lifecycle . It represents your natural state of equilibrium, your blueprint for perfect health, and it influences your physiology,Your psychology . your physical structure , your likes and dislikes pattern , your tendencies and habits, your mental and emotional body , as well as your prone areas toward imbalance and disease. Therefore, understanding your constitution can be truly enlightening and life changing . .
Now if vata, pitta, or kapha – all of them become imbalanced in a body , and this baseline state of health is disturbed, the doshas can also cause a great deal of harm. When this occurs, recognizing which doshas are at high and where they have accumulated is a important first step in finding out how to return to balance. This is why your current state of balance (in Sanskrit This is called Vikriti ), which reflects the present level of the doshas in your system, is equally important. In contrast to one’s constitution, the current state of balance can and does change over time, as we move through different climates, different seasons, and the different stages of life . It is also impacted by our daily routines, diet, exercise, relationships, stress levels, and our evolving life circumstances. In fact, it is not uncommon for one’s current state to undergo minute changes from one day to the other one , or even over the span of a single day.
Together, your constitution and your current state of balance provide an invaluable insight from which to consider your path forward. An experienced Ayurvedic practitioner uses all of this pattern of information to identify the root cause of any deviation from one’s natural state of equilibrium, and to find the ways that how balance can best be best restored.
Nurturing Balance
At the core centre of the Ayurveda approach to overall health and wellness is the idea that like nature increases like nature and that opposites one balance each other So whether we are attempting to mitigate the effects of certain innate vulnerabilities, or trying to correct an active imbalance, we can apply the energy of opposite side in order to put our bodies in the right direction. The 20 qualities mentioned above provide the most straight-forward illustration of how the concept works, and their grouping into ten pairs of opposites makes for a fairly intuitive grasp of how this wisdom can be applied in practical terms.
A person with aggravated pitta can invite a return to balance by minimizing exposure to the qualities that provoke pitta (hot, sharp, light, liquid, spreading, and oily) and by increasing contact with the cool, slow, heavy, dense, stable, and dry qualities that balance pitta. And when we know which qualities, in particular, are disturbed , we can be even more particular in our treatment strategies. For example, if this same person were suffering from acid indigestion and a short temperament issue , we could focus on balancing the hot and sharp qualities with more cooling, calming foods and herbs while taming more slow, relaxed experiences throughout each day.
The beauty of the Ayurvedic approach is that it is as graceful and sensitive to the novice as it is the seasoned Ayurvedic practitioner. For those relatively new to Ayurveda especially those willing to cultivate enhanced self-awareness around their habits, strengths, and vulnerabilities the tradition offers a clear path to improved health wellness and vitality. The same set of fundamental principles guides the seasoned practitioner of Ayurveda in directing potent remedies to specific organs, tissues, and channels throughout the physical and energetic bodies.
There are, of course, some universals in Ayurveda: practices that are generally understood to be beneficial for all of us, regardless of body constitution or current state of balance. These include things like eating whole foods, proper food combining, and following a traditional Ayurveda approach which might involve cleaning practices (Shatkarma ) like Eye cleaning ( Netar Dhoti ) Nasal Wash ( Jal Neti ) along with your tongue cleaning upon waking, practicing some yoga Asanas, pranayma ( Breathing exercises ) followed by meditation (Dhayana ) daily, and soothing your system periodically with a suitable oil massage. But if you follow only general principles, you may inadvertently limit Ayurveda’s extraordinary ability to specifically support you and your changing needs.
Vata, Pitta, Kapha, and You :
In many ways, the doshas—vata, pitta, and kapha—are the basic building blocks of the material world. All three of them can be found in everyone and every thing in this world , but in different magnitude. Ayurveda recognizes seven basic constitutional types and then classifies imbalances according to which doshas are increased above and beyond their normal ratio in your constitution. Knowing your Ayurvedic constitution and your current state of balance enhances your capacity to benefit from the wisdom of Ayurveda. It offers insights that can help you better understand your body and mind , your natural tendencies, as well as your habitual and current bad areas of health . It also provides an important framework for learning the core principles that make Ayurveda such a timeless art and science. In essence, self-awareness increases Ayurveda’s relevance in your life and can anchor your study of the tradition in personal experience. Once you know your body’s constitutional make-up and your current state of dosha balance, you can jerk the most basic components of your day like which form of exercise to be done daily , or when you eat better support your overall well-being. As a result, these two pieces of vital information can be a bring paradigm shift in propelling yourself towards best of your health at both physical and mental level .
Core Crux
Remember, your constitution reflects the ideal ratio of vata, pitta, and kapha in your system. However, if any of the doshas are out of balance (and for most of us, at least one of them is always ), your constitution is not the entire story. Your current state of balance may actually be more important because it highlights which doshas you need to calm down in order to restore the balance, and can help you identify the most effective treatment strategies for your different dosha situation.
Fortunately, Swaraj Kendra for Yoga has devised a Dosha assessment tool explicitly for the purpose of establishing your Dosha Profile with the name of Dosha Profile 4u . It is a simple questionnaire type that, within just a few moments , helps you to establish both your constitution and your current state of balance. Your Dosha Profile is intended to be a celebration of who you are from an Ayurvedic perspective, and ultimately, it is designed to help you in your pursuit of optimal health.You can answer these questions by logging to our website www.skyyogshala.org and click on Free Dosha Profile 4 U .
Finally we would like to extend our gratitude and offer our divine welcome with folded hands as you begin to explore the journey to the world of Ayurveda. We hope that you find it equally motivating and inspiring as we do, and that we can support and serve you in your process of discovery of your new self .