A little more about Ayurveda
The term ‘Ayurveda’ stems from two Sanskrit words:
‘Ayu’ = ‘life’ + ‘Veda’ = ‘knowledge’ or ‘Science’ = Science of Life
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Yoga’s sister science, Ayurveda, is one of the oldest holistic healing systems in the world. It originated over 5000 years ago on the Indian subcontinent and is more relevant today than ever before and is even recognised by the World Health Organisation.
As a holistic healing system, Ayurveda views wellness as a whole where optimal health is a balance between three primary pillars of health: food, sleep and the appropriate use of our energy.
Rather than treating only the symptoms, Ayurveda focuses on finding and treating the root cause of disease.
For instance, Ayurveda can help you improve and balance your:
Digestion
Sleep
Mental health
Energy levels
Overall wellbeing
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Core concepts in Ayurveda
There are several core concepts in Ayurveda, including:
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The five elements
The three doshas
Agni
Prana
Ojas
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The five elements
​In Ayurveda, the five elements of ether, air, fire, water and earth form the building blocks of all existence:
Ether Air Fire Water Earth
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These five elements exist in all things and come together to form the three doshas.
The three doshas are Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Vata is the energy of movement, Pitta is the energy of transformation and Kapha is the energy of structure. Everyone has all three doshas but often one is prominent.
The three doshas
According to Ayurveda, we are born with a unique constitution known as our Prakruti. Your prakruti, or essential character, is a unique combination of physical, psychological and emotional traits that influence your health, personality, habits and wellbeing.
Each person’s unique prakruti is made up of the three doshas, which each has a distinct influence on us:
VATA – ether and air PITTA – fire and water KAPHA – earth and water
Your prakruti is your natural state of body, mind and spirit and it remains constant throughout your life. But things like stress, a bad diet, lack of exercise, burnout, lifestyle choices and other factors can all contribute to bringing our prakruti out of balance and can result in visible symptoms, e.g. digestive issues or difficulty sleeping, and even sickness.
Therefore, Ayurveda focuses on promoting sustainable health and preventing sickness by following daily and seasonal practices and routines to help you maintain your balanced prakruti or essential nature.
When the three doshas are in balance, we experience optimal health and wellbeing. Optimal health is a balance between the primary pillars of health: food, sleep and the appropriate use of our energy. Therefore, at the core of Ayurveda practice is balance and living in tune with nature.
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Agni
Our agni is our metabolic fire. Ayurveda explains how it is vital for us to keep our metabolic fire burning strong, so we digest all that we intake properly, absorb all the nutrients from it and expel all the waste products from it.
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Our agni needs to be supported for strong digestion, to create good health, to eliminate toxins, to generate healthy new cells and tissue, and so on. When our agni is weak, it affects us physically, mentally and emotionally.
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Prana
Our prana is our vital life force or breath. It is the life force that flows through all living things. Ayurveda teaches us how to support and optimise our prana through specific practices based on the three primary pillars of health: food, sleep and the appropriate use of our energy.
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Prana nourishes and supports every cell in our body and is essentially the primary energy impulse that sparks our first breath and leaves with our last. According to Ayurveda our mind and our breath mirror each other – when the mind is calm, the breath is calm, but when the mind is agitated the breath is agitated and so on.
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Ojas
Ojas, literally meaning vitality, is a subtle substance that support prana (life energy) in the body and provides immunity. Having a low production or depletion of ojas may cause illness. Ancient Ayurvedic writings claim that there are eight drops of ojas in the heart, maintaining life.
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A strong agni helps create ojas in the body.
Vata
Comprised of ether and air, Vata governs breathing, muscle and tissue movement, the heart beat and promotes creativity and flexibility.
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Vata is light, changeable, quick, dry, irregular, cold, subtle, clear and rough.
Vata is responsible for the movement of the body and mind, such as circulation, respiration, neuromuscular activity, creativity, mental energy and efficient thought.
When irritated, Vata shows, for instance, fear, anxiety, isolation, loneliness, depleted energy, poor communication and muscle spasms.
Pitta
Comprised of fire and water, Pitta governs digestion, nutrition and metabolism and promotes understanding and intelligence.
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Pitta is hot, light, liquid, sharp, sour, oily, pungent and warm.
Pitta is responsible for all metabolic and transformational aspects of the body and mind such as the digestion of food, the digestion of ideas, reasoning and comprehension, the emotions, the secretion of stomach acids, maintaining body temperature, vision, recognition and the creation of hunger and thirst.
When irritated, Pitta shows strong emotional reactions (anger, frustration, jealousy) as well as inflammation and infection.
Kapha
Comprised of earth and water, Kapha governs bones, muscles and tendons, the ‘structures of the body’ and the lubrication of the body and it promotes love, calmness and forgiveness.
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Kapha is cold, slow, dense, static, heavy, oily, slimy, soft and sweet.
Kapha is responsible for producing the lubricating mucous of the lungs, stomach and joints, the distribution of heat, strength and stamina, longevity, long term memory, compassion and generosity.
When irritated Kapha shows lethargic moods, attachment, greed, stubbornness, congestion in organs.