Ayurveda
You are very powerful, providing you know how powerful you are….The greatest progress in life is when you know your limitations, and then you have the courage to drop them.
—Yogi Bhajan
Ayurveda is an ancient tradition of lifestyle medicine with practices and techniques of rejuvenating, detoxifying, building, purification and opening channels for life force -prana- to optimally flow through your physical body and the subtle bodies.
Prana is the light that plants and breath bring to us. It replenishes the energy of our cells, builds our Ojas, the juice that keeps us vital. Coming from India the practice has continued for over 5000 years.
~ joyful healing navigating your nature through nature
Ayurveda translates from the Sanskrit as the “science of life”. It is a sister science of yoga and together they balance the inward still point with flow of nature that sounds us. The concept is that humans are part of the laws and principles of nature and teaches us to co-operate with Nature realizing and aligning your inner environment with your outer environment – her rhythms, cycles, seasons. You are part of the grand design.
There is an entire organized system of practices involving your physical body, senses, psyche and spirit. It is expressed by the five elements – earth, air, water, fire, ether – of which everything is made of in a particular mix. The three doshas- Vata, Pitta, Kapha or your constitution, which is a particular blend of the five elements at the time of your birth, the unique qualities of you that direct your proclivities. Knowing this blueprint serves as a baseline for making choices, noticing when you are leaning out of balance in order to redirect yourself in small shifts into balance again. These doshas are in the natural rhythms and cycles as well – day/night, seasons, times of your life, the repeating cycles and patterns of nature inform us of our nature. We have all three doshas at play all the time as each one embodies particular characteristics of being alive. There are also the six tastes – sour, salty, sweet, pungent, astringent, bitter and the three gunas – qualities, attributes – Sattva, Rajas, Tamas, the seven dhatus, five pranas, the five koshas or sheaths and much more than a few lines can describe and all eloquently and more deeply understood through the Sanskrit language. The organization of Ayurveda as a system/practice leads us to conscious connection with our essence and Source.
The concentration is on wellbeing, promoting health, maintaining clear channels- both subtle and gross. It is Prana the invisible life force in all living things that brings innate intelligence through our cells promoting health by taking it’s cue from the wisdom of nature. Ayurveda speaks of daily and seasonal routines that ensure maximum health, mental clarity, and longevity. Daily routine includes; waking time, elimination, hygiene, massage, exercise, bathing, meditation and prayer, meals, study, work, relaxation and sleeping. This is done with a wide variety of therapies: herbal medicine, dietary changes, aromatherapy, massage, medicated oils, meditation, yoga postures, exercise, sound therapy (mantra), breathing techniques and many more. Ayurveda serves to prevent illness by consciously maintaining wellness through the choices we make and regain balance when we are experiencing dis-ease with the interplay and balance of the elements, the essence of the sun and moon, and the evolution of spirit within matter.
Through the practice of Ayurveda, our goal is to keep the body, mind and emotions purified giving us clarity to examine our patterns and transform into our most powerful self. The awareness of ourselves, of our authenticity and connection to consciousness allows us to make adjustments, to change, and thus to heal. There is a practical quality blended with the sublime that makes Ayurveda so enticing. It provides a way to get where you’re going in an atmosphere of joy. For me Ayurveda pulled many of my threads together. It expanded my understanding of nutrition, experiences with meditation and spiritual growth and helped clarify shifts I witnessed in my physiology with shifts in my thoughts and beliefs and through gratitude and forgiveness. Ayurveda gives me a place already organized to reflect from and make sense of my experiences and desire to heal.