Ayurveda is the traditional natural healing system of India, dating back over 5,000 years.  A Sanskrit word, Ayurveda literally means “the science of life”.  Ayurveda is the sister science of Yoga: it is the healing side of Yoga, while Yoga is the spiritual/ philosophical side of Ayurveda. Together, Yoga and Ayurveda provide a complete, holistic approach to physical well-being and emotional balance.

In the simplest terms, Ayurveda views health and disease as the end result of how we interact with our environment. Harmonious interactions lead to health, while dis-harmonious interactions lead to dis-ease.

These interactions include our food and how we eat it, lifestyle choices such as the jobs we take, the people we surround ourselves with, our sleep patterns, extracurricular activities, relaxation opportunities, and many more.

Next time, I’ll explain the basic principles of Ayurveda.

Define it!

Prana: Life-force, life-breath, vital energy. It is the kinetic force of the universe, similar to chi in Chinese Medicine.

Veda: Knowledge, wisdom. The “Vedas” are the ancient texts of India containing the scriptures of Hinduism. They are the oldest extant text on the planet today (they came to us in written form 4000-6000 years ago).