Ayurveda
What is Ayurveda?
Do you want to consistently feel your best?
Live an active, long life?
Age well?
Does the concept that your food is your medicine, resonate with you?
Are you aware of the healing properties of spices and herbs?
Ayurveda, the wisdom of nature has an abundance of ways to keep you healthy, happier and more fulfilled!
Find out more about which food choices are right for you, let me prepare for you a daily routine for you to follow, which will result in you feeling grounded, energised and cared for. Attend one of my workshops, or sign up for my newsletters; full of easy to follow and fascinating tips to keep you glowing from the inside out! I would love to hear from you and share this amazing, natural healing system.
The focal point of Ayurveda rests in the preservation and restoration of full health at all levels of our being. The term Ayurveda is composed of two Sanskrit words – Ayur, meaning life and Veda meaning knowledge or science. This “Science of Life” originated in India over 5000 years ago, making it the world’s oldest health care system.
Ayurveda is a complete knowledge of life that teaches us how to live in tune with nature and elevate ourselves into the higher realms of happiness – the ultimate goal in life.
According to Ayurveda each individual is unique, a combination of physical, mental & emotional characteristics which are known as his/her constitution (Dosha). Many factors, can affect you such as your emotional state, diet, daily food choices, season and weather, and relationships. Once we understand that these factors can cause an imbalance we have a choice to take appropriate action.
According to Ayurveda, full health can only be reached when a balance exists between our mind, body & soul.
Ayurveda therapy consists of:
- Right nutrition
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Breathing practices
- Herbal remedies
- Detoxification
- Body treatments
Discover the healing properties of Nature’s wisdom.
“Health is known as happiness, while disorder is unhappiness” Charaka Samhita. Sharma, PV Sutrasthana Ch IX, V4
Agni
Agni is our digestive ‘fire.’ It is important because an Ayurvedic lifestyle aims to stoke our internal furnace and fuel that digestive fire to ensure our food is digested efficiently. This is important so all the nutrients can effectively nourish our bodies and all waste products are evacuated completely to ensure minimum toxicity remains within our bodies.
Insights into the gut-brain crosstalk have revealed a complex communication system that not only ensures the proper maintenance of gastrointestinal balance, but is likely to have multiple effects on higher cognitive functions.
Good health is dependent upon our capability to fully metabolise the nutritional, emotional, and sensory information that we ingest.
Prana (life force energy)
Prana is our vital energy. Prana is the very life force that flows through all living things in the universe. Ayurveda provides ways of optimising this energy through what and when we eat, and our lifestyle, with specific emphasis on nutritious, wholesome real food and a daily routine that corresponds to the needs of your body’s natural rhythm, your mind-body constitution (dosha) together with the seasons.
According to Ayurveda, full health can only be reached when a balance exists between our mind, body & soul.
Everything in existence, including you, is composed of five elements or basic building blocks. These are: Earth, Fire, Water, Air, and Space. These elements, when paired together, form ‘doshas’ or the constitutions that influence our health, well-being, habits, personality and behaviours. There are three doshas: Vata (Air & Space), Pitta (Fire & Water) and Kapha (Earth & Water).
What is Your Dosha?
The qualities of Vata are cool, light, dry, irregular, rough, mobile, quick and changeable, making Vata people lively and enthusiastic, slim and wiry, with angular features. When Vata is balanced, they are creative and social. When imbalanced, a Vata person may suffer with nervous disorders such as anxiety and their digestion may become erratic.
The qualities of Pitta are hot, light, intense, pungent, sharp and spreading. The Pitta dosha controls our digestion, metabolism and energy production. Pitta people build muscle more easily, have bright complexions, and a piercing gaze. They are naturally fiery in nature. When in balance, they are content and clear minded. They make good leaders and organisers. When unbalanced, Pitta people can become dominating, angry and argumentative. They may suffer from indigestion, excessive body heat, inflammation, or heartburn.
The qualities of Kapha are heavy, slow, steady, solid, cold, soft, and oily. A Kapha person is steady in nature. They have a strong build but there is also a softness to them. When in balance, a Kapha person is steady, forgiving, courageous, generous, affectionate, serene, thoughtful, loving, loyal, patient and supportive. However, when out of balance, a Kapha person might suffer from weight gain, fluid retention, allergies, depression and lethargy, as well as being resistant to change.
According to Ayurveda, our Prakriti is our baseline constitution, or dosha balance, at birth. For optimal health, it’s recommended we seek to maintain our Prakriti and harmonise the doshas within the body through diet and lifestyle modifications, since imbalance can manifest as illness or even disease.
Enjoy an Ayurvedic lifestyle consultation and together we can create a personalised daily programme for you, including some yoga, breathing practices, meditation, or guided visualisations and nutritious meals to bring harmony and balance to your body and mind and senses.
Rasa (taste)
According to Ayurveda, it is incredibly important to taste our foods, our herbs – our lives. Rasa, the Sanskrit word for taste, has a number of meanings, among them: experience, enthusiasm, juice, and essence.
Ayurveda recognizes six tastes: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent tastes combine in countless ways to create the incredible diversity of flavours we encounter throughout our lives. Taste can tell us a great deal, not only about what we’re ingesting, but also about the physical and energetic qualities we’re taking in as a result.
Ayurveda sees rasa, or taste, as a powerful therapeutic tool that determines not only how we experience our food, but ultimately, the overall flavour of our existence!