Body and Soul: The Exciting and Introspective World of Ayurveda

When it comes to your health, you want the best for yourself: great doctors, personal trainers, and dietitian advice. You need the knowledge to keep yourself healthy and feel better. These days many people seek out holistic health resources to add to or improve on their existing practices. One of these, Ayurveda, is one of the most popular. Originating in India over three thousand years ago, citizens the world over often seek it out to help improve their day-to-day health. 

What is Ayurveda? 

A complementary health system, Ayurveda is based on the concept that great daily health is created through a balance of one’s three key physical and metaphysical characteristics: mind, body, and spirit. If you’re able to keep a balance, your health with be sustained. The study of Ayurveda focuses on maintaining that three-way balance over time. 

Breaking it Down

Ayurveda practitioners focus on five human elements: earth, water, fire, space, and air. To use the proper terminology, the Ayurveda combines those five elements into the proper doshas or life energies—Vata dosha [space and air], Kapha dosha [water and earth], and Pitta dosha [fire and water]. Each dosha controls certain aspects of the body’s health, such as Vata dosha dealing with basic body functions, Pitta dosha dealing with your digestion and body metabolism, and Kapha dosha covering your bodily strengths and immunity. 

Controlling the Chakras

Once you grasp the fundamentals of Ayurveda, you learn how to maintain the energy levels of the body. One key aspect of this is diet and cleansing the body of undigested food, better known as panchakarma. This leads to maintaining core energy or chakra levels. Your Ayurveda instructor assists with this with advice on diet, exercise, and meditation practices.