Ayurveda: The Ancient Treasure of India

Right from a peasant to a president, every one craves for some treasure. A commoner may view treasure as a worldly pleasure, whereas a sage considers it as becoming one with God!!! Do you want to acquire a treasure which serves both these purposes?!?! I’m sure you will certainly wish to!! If yes, then go ahead to equip yourself with one of the ancient treasures of INDIA. Known for its rich natural and cultural heritage, India is a land of spiritual values, which is ruled by the most celebrated emperor of all ages known as AYURVEDA. This holistic, spiritual and absolute healing medical practice is serving the humanity for nearly 5000 golden years and has attained great heights due to its incredible theories and attributes, for which it is rightly called as the Ancient Treasure of India.

Ayurveda – To Start With: The modern world where we survive is derailed with infinite incompatible agents most of which aim at impacting the health of humanity. Thus mankind is left with no option except for thriving in search of a spiritual healing practice that soothes the mind, strengthens the body and eventually enlightens the spirit!!! Mighty with its mythical roots, Ayurveda is what our ancestors have blessed us with to lead a charming life. This age old medical practice of Indian origin had been strengthened with the strenuous efforts of numerous sages and other skillful resources.

Inclusive Chattels of Ayurveda: With a sturdy base, Ayurveda has its branches wide-spread to deal with each single attribute of mankind.

  • The Eminent Disciplines of Ayurveda: There are eight eminent branches of Ayurveda. They are Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Surgery, Ophthalmology and ENT, Psychiatry, Toxicology, Rejuvenating and Improving Immunity, Aphrodisiacs and Improving health of progeny. This spectacular medical science thus covers the entire life-cycle of a human being right from his/her birth.
  • Base of Ayurveda: As the universe is composed of five basic elements, Ayurveda considers mankind as one of the life forms of universe with an entity built up with the same natural base. Dealing with Prevention and Cure in a natural way, Ayurveda first analyses the unique constitution of each individual, which is the stepping stone to a holistic approach. Perfect understanding of Prakriti (Constitution of the human body), Dosha (Ayurvedic body types ruled by three biological energies namely Vata, Pitta and Kapha) and Guna (Nature of human character) forms the basis of an Ayurvedic treatment that aims at liberating mankind from all woes; be it physical, emotional or spiritual.
  • Healing Methodology of Ayurveda: With the systematic understanding of the physical and mental constitution of each individual, Ayurveda stands unique with its unique healing therapy. Holistic Healing Approach in striking poise between the mind, body and spirit is what makes Ayurveda to glow with glory. A complete Ayurvedic routine that includes ‘a healthy Ayurvedic lifestyle, Ayurvedic diet, herbal products that are greatly utilized for medications and meditation, a stress-free physical exercise for the mind, body and soul – Yoga, Effective Usage of Ayurvedic essential oils that soothes the mind and the body’ is recommended for each individual based on their body types. This unique healing approach of Ayurveda makes one to feel special and unique and paves way to live in harmony with nature that results in eternal ecstasy.
  • Yoga and Meditation – Mind Tutors of Ayurveda: Human mind has the power to make/break the soul. Taking this into concern the Ayurvedic scholars have advised a powerful pack of physical and mental exercises that pacifies the soul and strengthens the body. Yoga – sister science of Ayurveda and Meditation – Mind healing tool, share the credit of bringing peace of mind to mankind. Incessant practice of yoga and meditation leads one to realize the true value of their purpose of life, leading to a meaningful existence with divine satisfaction.

Impact of Ayurveda in the field of Medicine: A detailed description of the healing techniques in various medical aspects is described in the mass Ayurvedic encyclopedias, namely Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita and Ashtanga Hridaya and Ashtanga Sangraha. These encyclopedias serve as the leading light to massive uplift mainly in the field of Plastic Surgery, Ophthalmology, Human anatomy and Embryology. Intensive care and concern was equally given to treating the diseases and the patients. Privacy of Patient’s Confidentiality was given high importance by the Ayurvedic practitioners of the ancient world who defined the ethical code for all medical practitioners.

Numerous scientific studies have been carried out to study the real essence of Ayurvedic treatments. Ayurveda can cure various diseases that include common cold, fever, toothache, insomnia etc. Based on the study by NCCAM (National center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine), Meditation is found to be practiced by people to deal with anxiety, insomnia and various other health disorders.

Ayurveda at Present: The Ayurvedic encyclopedias were translated into many foreign languages including Arabic, Latin, German and English thus spreading the true knowledge in healing mankind. With its essence spread to the world, Ayurveda is now gaining global attention since this is the only holistic healing approach that alleviates ailments, prevents recurrence of diseases and treats humanity without leaving any traces behind in the form of side effects. Ayurveda acts as an effective stress-buster by calming the human mind, cultivating positive thoughts leading to a healthy living. It is for this reason this mind blowing curing therapy is being greatly acknowledged in the Western World!!!

Isn’t it fascinating to know that one single medical practice that came into existence nearly 5000 years ago covers the entire life of an individual in an innovative natural way? Ayurveda is indeed the ancient treasure of India of enormous wealth that nourishes the entire world with its holistic principles of medical practices. Let’s join together and enjoy the benefits of Ayurveda in a comprehensive way!

Thought for the day:

Anyone who believes that anything can be suited to everyone is a great fool, because medicine is practised not on mankind in general, but on every individual in particular.                                                       -Henri de Mondeville

Suggested Reading:

  1. The Complete Illustrated Guide to Ayurveda: The Ancient Indian Healing Tradition by Gopi Warrier
  2. Ancient Wisdom for Modern Health (Wisdoms of health) By Mark Bunn
  3. Ayurveda: The A-Z Guide to Healing Techniques From Ancient India (The Essential Healing Arts Series) By Nancy Bruning

Reference Links:

  1. Ayurveda by Wikipedia
  2. Brief History of Ayurveda by Healing Sphere
  3. Overview of Meditation by National center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

The Goals of Ayurveda: The Ultimate Wisdom For Life

Every single task in this world has a purpose or a determined goal behind its sustenance. When this applies to simple things, then think of Ayurveda the noble science. Yes! The Ayurvedic goal has 4 prominent facets for life and each of them constitutes a vital part and parcel of our daily lives. These goals act as a point of connection between nature and mankind as it basically focuses on assuaging human torments.

The constitution of the human body is known as Prakriti and it is solely based upon the unique combination of Doshas also known as Ayurvedic body types namely Vata, Pitta and Kapha. This helps us in hitting perfect balance between our physical, mental, emotional, social, spiritual and environmental lives while pacifying the mind, body and soul. According to Ayurveda, a person can be called healthy only when he/she undergoes the positive conditions of finest robustness, sense of balance, tranquility and natural bliss.

The Ayurvedic Acumen: The ancient wisdom gifted by our ancestors has brilliantly talked about the 4 goals of human life, each of which is practical without any kind of embellishment. None of these goals reflect egocentricity or narcissism but apparently guides us to live happily by accepting ourselves and others also. With these goals, Ayurveda always aims at bringing back the right balance in the constitution of the human body. This common sense science wants human beings to understand their physical and mental set up along with the environmental factors that affect their health. This is where Ayurveda lays the foundation for treating illness first and preventing it in the future as well. Such sensible goals of realism are:

1. Dharma, the genuine purpose of life: The first goal of life according to Ayurveda is called as Dharma, which is a determined path of righteousness and the law of living right. It suggests you to be yourself and live originally without any imitation to be a better person to the world.

You can never a imagine a ‘tiger’ to be soft and feeble as a ‘deer’ and being ferocious is the Dharma of a tiger for which it cannot be cursed or blamed as it is created in such a way. Imitating like a deer will deteriorate the trust, respect and actual personality attributed to a tiger. ‘It is better to be yourself imperfectly than be like someone else perfectly’ says Bhagavad Gita, the most respected sacred book of the Indians. It also clearly explains about the eternal duties of a person, the benefits of performing them and the adverse effects of failing to carry out your duties in the third chapter, Karma Yoga.

Each and every individual is unique and has an exclusive trait or a specific set of attributes. It is that inborn and natural quality of you that decides who you are? And what are the roles you need to play in the society just be being ‘YOU’. Practicing a predetermined code of conduct will help an individual to lead a disciplined life and be a successful personality of his/her family and society through which he/she can do justice for his creation.

2. Artha, the scale of security: To live a closely controlled life of values, you basically need money or wealth but for which you might fail in rendering your duties to your family and your society. Understanding this important inference has made Ayurveda to indicate Artha as the second goal of life.

This doesn’t mean to accumulate wealth illegally and live a posh life but to lead a contented and meaningful life that helps in the progress of your culture as a whole. Failing to attain this goal of life means failing to earn enough for accomplishing your basic needs like food and shelter, which will increase your dependency, make you depressed and deprived of your needs, ending up in abandoning Dharma, the noble rationale behind your life.

3. Kama, the delight or decisive pleasure: Life cannot be mechanical and human beings are not just machines but social animals, who need some kind of pleasure or eternal joy to attain perpetual happiness. Such an enduring joy can be conquered only when there is a perfect balance of amusement and delight in the midst of a complicated life that he/she runs to reach Artha while abiding by Dharma simultaneously.

To be clear, Kama is not just the pleasure attained from mere sex as many of them mistakenly understand the term. Ayurveda insists that recreation, enjoyment, amusement and other things that contribute to cheerfulness including sex should be enjoyed and experienced at a healthy level. Too much of which would affect your physical and emotional well-being and when a comparatively lower level of pleasure will make you crave for things and feel depressed about not getting it.

4. Moksha, the lasting liberation: After passing through all the three goals of life, every individual prefers to attain Moksha or the ultimate freedom. Every religion in this world for that matter has a strong trust that their soul would reach their Creator in the world after.  Moksha or the final goal of life is the spiritual liberation where your mind, body or spirit is no more bound by any of the social or environmental factors.

At this stage an individual would have completed all his duties and would start realizing the divinity, sacred love and the reason behind his creation in an unambiguous manner. He/she would arrive at the everlasting bliss of their life and get ready to reach the next world where he would be rewarded for his life on earth. This can also be called as stage of surrender, where an individual completely admits himself to God, thanking Him and showing his gratitude for all the gifts He has given through all the stages of one’s life. Yoga and Meditation act as the influential part of attaining Moksha.

Remembering these goals and following them without any digression can certainly help you live a balanced life, free of diseases, filled with wisdom and fruitful for the entire society granting complete peace of mind.

Thought for the day:

Every goal, every action, every thought, every feeling one experiences, whether it be consciously or unconsciously known, is an attempt to increase one’s level of peace of mind. By Sydney Madwed

Suggested Reading:

  1. Ayurveda: Life, Health, and Longevity by Robert E. Svoboda B.A.M.S
  2. Textbook of Ayurveda, Volume One: Fundamental Principles
    By Vasant Lad
  3. Tao and Dharma: Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda
    By Robert Svoboda, Arnie Lade

Reference Links:

  1. Dharma by Wikipedia
  2. Karma Yoga by Bhagavad Gita
  3. The Wisdom of Ayurveda: The 4 Goals of Life by Jonathan Glass, LAc, MAc

What Can You Expect From Your First Ayurvedic Consultation?

Every task in this world has a system to adopt and a strategy to follow, Ayurvedic treatment also fits under this ceiling. Just by hearing about certain random facts, you cannot pluck the leaves in your backyard to cure an illness because there’s a heap of things to be done before kick starting your Ayurvedic therapy. Only a skilled Ayurvedic professional can hit the nail for you the first time itself. So you are ready to take up this holistic approach for your well-being. It is at this stage that you’ll be inquisitive in knowing about the things that you can expect from your first Ayurvedic consultation. It’s time to pull the plug and here you go with the occurrences that you can look for in an initial Ayurvedic session.

1st Stride: Most of the Ayurvedic institutions ask you to fill in a short form with your personal details along with the ground reason for the actual visit. After which the sitting with your Ayurvedic expert is set upon. The first consultation may last for about 1 to 2 hours and the follow-up sessions will be for about 30 minutes.

2nd Stride: Here starts the assessment where most of your physical functions are tested thoroughly by the Ayurvedic practitioner. We’ll take a quick look at the different tests you’ll undergo:

  • Every Ayurvedic consultant will start with the pulse checkup to determine the strength, regularity, degree, association and warmth of your body. This test aids in weighing the function of your cell system, endocrine system and your cardiac system.
  • Your pulse analysis is followed by a breathing test for finding the speed and disparities in breathing. This helps in tracing out the fortitude, level of stress dynamics, wetness and time-span of the flow and robustness of your lungs.
  • Now the Ayurvedic specialist will look into your eyes analyzing its shape, color, glow and movement that will help him discover the working of your brain, pancreas, gall bladder and liver. This also assists in concluding the level of toxins in your body.
  • Your tongue is then checked for thickness, color, texture and shape revealing the condition of your digestive system, pancreas and gall bladder and discloses the presence of bacteria or other micro organisms in the body.
  • Mineral, vitamins and other nutrition deficiencies along with the mucus content are assessed by testing the surface of your skin and palm reading is also done to test out the planetary influence on your system.

This step helps in verifying the contemporary condition of your vital organs along with the psychosomatic structure (Doshas) of your body according to Ayurveda.

3rd Stride: This is the time when you need to wear your heart on your sleeve. Yes! Open up and never hide any of your personal details as every small thing has a greater influence in deciding your treatment composition. At this step you’ll be inquired about your medical history and that of your blood relations like father, mother, brother, sister, grandparents and your children. Along with this, you also need to answer questions on your routines, eating and other customary habits, lifestyle, your food and other general preferences, any events that have affected or moved you and any other physical or mental problems that have been bothering you persistently in the past.

At the end of these 3 steps, your Ayurvedic consultant will come to a conclusion on your natural inheritance known as Prakriti, current health condition or imbalances of body types called as Vikriti and estimate your health condition in the near future. After which he’ll prescribe you the right Ayurvedic treatment in the form of powder, capsules, decoction or massage therapy with Ayurvedic essential oils for handling your current illness and to confiscate the actual root cause for the disorders along with a pertinent diet, meditation and other physical exercises for enlightening your lifestyle. Your Ayurvedic specialist will also confirm you the date for your follow-up consultation for better and complete results.

Reference Links:

  1. Ayurvedic Consultation by Yatan Holistic Ayurvedic Center
  2. Prakriti by Wikipedia
  3. Dosha by Wikipedia
  4. Vikriti: Your Current Condition-Test by Banyan Botanicals Ayurvedic Herbs