- Ayurveda
means knowledge, or science of life
- A
holistic medical system
- Achieves
balance in moderation
- Considered
to be the mother of all medicine
- The
classical system of Indian medicine
- Tailored
to the individual
- Is
a mind-body discipline
- Uses
food as medicine
- The
body is seen in terms of three doshas, or mind-body constitutions
- Vata (Wind)
- Pitta (Bile)
- Kapha (Phlegm)
- We
are each born with a unique combination of these three doshas that stays
constant for the rest of our life
- This
is known as prakruti, a sanskrit term that means nature
- This
unique combination is what will keep you in harmony with your own nature
- In
contrast, when out of balance, vikruti represents the
state of imbalance in an individual's doshas, which can lead to illness
- Works
on the principle that perfect digestion = perfect health
- Based on maintaining healthy agni, the digestive fire
- Reducing ama, the toxic residue which
results from weak agni
Further reading
Take the dosha quiz - which one are you?