Ayurvedic medicine is entirely holistic. Its adherents strive to create harmony between the body, mind, and spirit, maintaining that this balance prevents illness, treats acute conditions, and contributes to a long and healthy life.

The Basic Principles of Ayurveda

Ayurveda is based on the premise that the universe is made up of five elements: air, fire, water, earth and ether. These elements are represented in humans by three “doshas”, or energies: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Any imbalance of these elements in our body is experienced as illness, discomfort or pain.

The five elements come together in each person in a different combination. And so each person is slightly different from every other person in their mixture of elements and in that way they balance themselves.

These five elements, when joined in different combinations, make up the three “doshas” or “biological modes” which are the “Prakruti” or nature of an individual and the nature of all things.

In all, the three doshas govern all the strategic activities of our lives:

• Catatabolism (vata)
• Metabolism (pitta)
• Anabolism (kapha)

Basics of Vata

Vata, composed of air, governs all movement in the mind and body and must be kept in good balance. Too much vata leads to worries, insomnia, cramps and constipation. It controls blood flow, elimination of wastes, breathing and the movement of thoughts across the mind. It is also responsible for the activation of the nervous system, hearing and speech; and expresses as enthusiasm and creativity. Vata also controls the other two principles, Pitta and Kapha, and is usually the first cause of disease.

At a Metaphysical level, it promotes the mental balance and comprehension.

Basics of Pitta

Pitta is said to be composed of fire and water; it governs all heat, metabolism and transformation in the mind and body. It controls how we digest food, how we metabolize our sensory perceptions, and how we discriminate between right and wrong. Pitta must be kept in balance, too. Too much it can lead to anger, criticism, ulcers, rashes and thinning hair. A balanced Pitta mind makes one a good leader with a warm personality.

Metaphysically, it rules our ability to perceive ideas and impressions and supposedly stimulates the intellect.

Basics of Kapha

Kapha cements the elements in the body, providing the material for physical structure and maintains the body resistance by lubricating the joints; providing moisture to the skin, helping to heal the wounds, filling the spaces in the body; giving the biological strength, vigor and stability, supporting memory retention and giving the energy to the heart and lungs. In all it maintains immunity.

Kapha is also responsible for emotions of attachment, greed and long-standing envy; it is also expressed in tendencies toward calmness, forgiveness and love. Too much Kapha leads to lethargy and weight gain, as well as congestion and allergies.

At a metaphysical level, it governs emotions including love, compassion, forgiveness, loyalty and patience.

• vata, the energy of movement this pertains to air and ether elements. This energy is generally seen as the force, which directs nerve impulses, circulation, respiration, and elimination.

• pitta, the energy of digestion and metabolism, Pitta pertains to fire and water elements. This dosha governs metabolism, e.g., the transformation of foods into nutrients. Pitta is also responsible for metabolism in the organ and tissue systems.

• kapha, the energy of lubrication. Kapha pertains to water and earth elements. Kapha is responsible for growth and protection. The mucousal lining of the stomach, and the cerebral-spinal fluid that protects the brain and spinal column are examples of kapha.

A healthy person, is defined as Sushrut Samhita, meaning whose doshas are in balance, appetite is good, all tissues of the body and all natural urges are functioning properly, and whose mind, body and spirit are cheerful…
When any of the doshas accumulate in the body beyond the desirable limit, the body loses its balance. Every individual has a distinct balance, and our health and well-being depend on getting a right balance of the three doshas (“tridoshas”). Ayurveda suggests specific lifestyle and nutritional guidelines to help individuals reduce the excess dosha.

What is ‘Panchakarma’ {five Therapies} or the Therapy of Purification?:
To reduce the excess doshas or toxins a cleansing process known as panchakarma is recommended to purge these unwanted toxins. This fivefold purification therapy is a classical form of treatment in ayurveda. These specialized procedures consist of the following:

• Therapeutic vomiting or emesis (Vaman)
• Purgation (Virechan)
• Enema (Basti)
• Elimination of toxins through the nose (Nasya)
• Detoxification of the blood (Rakta moksha)

YOGA AND AYURVEDA

Both yoga and ayurveda have their origin in the Vedic tradition of India, and both are a means to gain better health.

Yoga balances all three doshas, and different poses have different effects. Forward bending postures cool Pitta dosha. Twists are good for Kapha because they stimulate digestion. Backward bends are heating, and thus balancing to Vata types, as long as the person has the strength to do them. Yoga postures tone every area of the body, and cleanse the internal organs of toxins, which is one of the goals of ayurveda.

Also the pranayama in yogic exercises has a profound effect in the internal workings of the body in terms of circulation, digestion, and the transmission of impulses through the nervous system. Prânâyâma works on prâna, which is directly connected to vata dosha, the most important of the three doshas, and has a strong therapeutic value in reducing kapha dosha, which causes diseases of mucus and congestion in the stomach, lungs, and heart.

Yogic concentration, mantra, and meditation practices are important for treating all psychological disorders, according to Ayurveda, and are a necessary part of any healthy lifestyle for body and mind. They not only help to balance the doshas but also to increase the quality of inner harmony, balance, and contentment that is another important concept in both Yogic and Ayurvedic healing.

Also an ayurvedic massage helps remove toxins from the body and relaxes the muscles for yoga practice which is important.