Is Aging Vibrantly just a balancing act?
What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda translates to: “the science of life”. We may believe we know what’s best for ourselves, but the study of Ayurveda, helps us to systematically pinpoint what it is we need to be our healthiest selves. It has existed for 5000 years, one of the first healing systems incorporating our evolution and the changing world.
The Five Elements
One of the laws of Ayurveda is living in harmony with nature and has a deeply rooted philosophy that we, as well as everything else, are a part of nature.
The 5 elements that make up all living matter are:
Either (Space),
Air,
Fire,
Water, and
Earth.
What is a Dosha?
Perhaps you’ve heard of the terms Pitta, Kapha and Vata?
Pitta is Fire and Water, Vata is Air and Either and Kapha is Earth and Water.
These are the “Doshas” and we all have some of each one in us in varying degrees. Ayurveda uses the Doshas to understand our health issues and what’s needed in order to bring about and maintain wellness.
One of the key differences between Modern Medicine and Ayurveda is that Ayurveda sees every person as unique and there is no cookie-cutter solution or drug that is a “one size fits all”. There must be an investigation to determine WHY a disease or issue arises and that MUST be addressed first. Ayurveda will use a protocol, cleansing, lifestyle and diet modifications to establish balance and herbs or medicines to be followed for a set amount of time. Unlike Allopathic Medicine, Ayurvedic herbal protocols are NOT something that would be recommended to be adhered to indefinitely. (unlike a typical pharmaceutical prescription)
That being said, Ayurveda is not trying to replace modern medicine, it’s an adjunct and addresses different quadrants. Ayurveda not only looks after the physical body, the emotional and spiritual aspects play a significant role.
What Elements are you made of?
Our Doshic makeup is established at birth, and akin to our DNA each of us is unique. We all require different inputs (food, lifestyle, environment) to operate optimally.
As we go through life and are exposed to a variety of environments, intentional or unintentional, our doshas can get unbalanced. We typically have a primary Dosha, with the other two existing in varying degrees. When we balance our Doshas to come as close as possible to our original blueprint, it’s believed that we can attain perfect health.
Here’s an example:
I’m primarily Pitta, with about 30% Kapha and maybe 10% Vata, but as I’m in my “Vata time of life”, (which starts after about 50), I need to pay more attention to balancing Vata Dosha. Vata is inherently cold, dry, and airy, so when out of balance, or in excess, a person can be overly dry, anxious, and scattered. To add to that, we’re just coming out of the Vata time of year, so I’ve upped my fat intake, eaten and drank more warm or hot foods and drinks, and taken care to follow more of a routine.
If you don’t know what your dosha is, you can enlist me to help you figure this out. I will use diagnostic tools such as pulse, examination, and inquiry. There are many online quizzes as well, where you can get a general idea of your Doshic makeup. A particularly good Doshic Test is at www.banyanbotanicals.com.
Our Doshas are affected not just by the food we eat, but seasonally, times of day, times of life, our routines, where we live, who we hang out with, our mindset, what we expose ourselves to in other ways like television, social media etc and what kind of exercise we do. It ALL makes a difference!
The more you understand your unique make-up, the more apt you will be to adjust to all of the variabilities of life. Over time, it will become more intuitive as you begin to tune into your body and your connection with all that exists, finding what works for you to be your best self.
May we be well, at ease, and may we be happy…