What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda, an ancient Indian science of preventative health and healing, is becoming a popular alternative for treating modern illnesses. Literally meaning “the science or wisdom of life,” Ayurveda is approximately 5,000 years old and originated along with yoga during India’s Vedic age.
Ayurvedic philosophy says that everything in the universe is connected, that human beings share characteristics with nature as well as a responsibility toward it. The system defines five elements -- ether, air, fire, water and earth -- as the building blocks of all material things in the universe. These five elements combine within us into three doshas or bioenergetic forces that provide us with a unique “blueprint” or constitutional makeup. Balancing these elements, say Ayurvedic practioners, is key to maintaining optimal health.
An Ayurvedic consultation is not for those in a rush. At the Pacific Institute of Wholistic Living, Ayurvedic physician Dr. Sivakumar Varma spends over an hour with me, asking questions and scrutinizing everything from the underside of my tongue to my diet, sleeping patterns, stress triggers, relationships, working and home conditions, and spiritual beliefs. From this, he identifies my predominant energy type as vata and its current level of balance or, as in my case, imbalance.
Vata is the dosha that governs movement, as represented by air and ether. The other two doshas are pitta, which embodies transformation and metabolism as ruled by fire, and kapha, which provides structure and stability as represented by the earth and water elements.
For most of us, one dosha predominates, while another is secondary. But whatever one's native type, when imbalances occur, the fast-moving vata element destabilizes first, affecting the pitta and kapha elements and throwing our constitution into disharmony.
Renowned Ayurvedic scholar Dr. Robert Svoboda, the first Westerner to obtain a degree in Ayurvedic medicine and also a prolific author, calls this destabilization “vata-derangement,” and he deems it symptomatic of modern life, with its emphasis on speed in both travel and communication, a disregard of the natural rhythms of nature, and nonstop stimulation. We are always on, plugged in and ready to go.
This imbalance in the vata dosha can affect anyone. Take almost everyone’s morning ritual: drinking coffee. According to Ayurveda, coffee is a stimulant, one that also increases the vata and pitta forces in us because of its drying and heating qualities.
That explains why, after a cup of morning coffee, you suddenly start to feel more fiery and alive and begin to articulate your thoughts quickly, traits essential to success in most corporate settings… However, if you indulge in a few more cups, you will experience the vata force more intensely, feeling spacey, ungrounded and anxious.
In fact, if you want to feel the quality of vata-derangement right now, check to see how many e-mails you’ve received in your inbox since you began reading this article. The feeling of being overwhelmed and fragmented you may experience is a simple example of how our lives are dominated by the speed of the vata force. It’s no wonder so many of us eventually reach a point of fatigue and exhaustion.
How do we step off the treadmill? Ayurveda’s power lies in affecting the cause of our symptoms with simple and practical suggestions. First, establish a routine, eat and sleep at consistent times, protect yourself in cold, windy weather (wind increases the impact of vata) and limit the use of stimulants such as caffeine or alcohol -- moderation is key. Eating grounding foods such as warming stews and whole grains, prepared with good-quality oils and ghee (clarified butter), is recommended. (Salads and rice cakes are not.) Delicious Ayurvedic recipes are available that use spices in a medicinal way, something that is foundational to Indian cuisine; and the practice of yoga, especially gentle yoga, is beneficial.
Touch is also an important remedy. During Abhyanga massage, a traditional Ayurvedic treatment, one is slathered with warming sesame oil and a blend of medicinal herbs chosen to balance your doshas.
Colleen Fraser of Vida Wellness says Ayurvedic treatments were incorporated into the spa’s offerings in the early 90s. Fraser is passionate about Ayurveda’s benefits. “The treatments really relax people, calming their nervous systems. There is a softening of the eyes and a relief from stress.”
And that, in a nutshell, is one of Ayurveda’s most essential teachings for our modern age: to take the time to slow down, to allow our bodies to catch up with our overstimulated minds.
As Svoboda points out in his book Prakriti, “The hummingbird lives only a few seasons because of its constant ‘quick’ vata nature, while tortoises live for over a hundred years... because they know how to take things slow.”
~Insiya Rasiwala, Spas of America
When not writing about the benefits of health and wellness, Insiya practices and teaches yoga in Vancouver, Canada. Article previously published in The Westender. Insiya Rasiwala
