Ayurveda
:
-Ayurveda is India’s traditional, natural system of
medicine that has been practiced for more than 5,000
years. Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word that literally
translated means "science of life" or "practices of
longevity." Ayurveda was the system of health care
conceived and developed by the seers (rishis) and
natural scientists through centuries of
observations, experiments, discussions, and
meditations. For several thousand years their
teachings were passed on orally from teacher to
student; about the fifth to sixth century BC,
elaborately detailed texts were written in Sanskrit,
the ancient language of India. For many years
Ayurveda flourished and was used by rich and poor
alike in India and Southeast Asia.
-Manuscript page from Atharva-Veda, earliest Indian
text (approx. 1500 BC) with much medical
information, one of several Vedas (meaning
"knowledge"), upon which Ayurvedic medical practice
is based on. Ayurvedic manuals were written by
Charaka, Sushruta, and Vagbhata that give detailed
descriptions of the various practices. Charaka
listed 500 hundred remedies and Sushruta over 700
vegetable medicines.
-Ayurveda is applicable to every living thing, as
implied by its name, the science of life. Vedic
sciences attribute life to more things than we
normally do - the things such as air, wind, fire,
the earth, planets, stars, etc. are all thought to
possess conscience like living beings.
-The
basic principle of Ayurveda is that the entire
cosmos or universe is part of one singular absolute.
Everything that exists in the vast external universe
(macrocosm) also appears in the internal cosmos of
the human body (microcosm). The human body
consisting of 50-100 million cells, when healthy, is
in harmony, self-perpetuating and self-correcting
just as the universe is. The ancient Ayurveda text,
Charaka, says, "Man is the epitome of the
universe. Within man, there is as much diversity as
in the world outside. Similarly, the outside world
is as diverse as human beings themselves." In
other words, all human beings are a living microcosm
of the universe and the universe is a living
macrocosm of the human beings.
-Ayurveda views each and every person as unique, with
a unique mind-body constitution and a unique set of
life circumstances, all of which must be considered
in determining either natural healing approaches or
recommendations for daily living. This view is in
alignment with the modern science which views
individuals as unique in the universe with a unique
DNA.
-According to Ayurveda, because we each have a unique
constitution, our health prescription must be unique
to us. This means that in order to be healthy, you
need to eat certain foods that are beneficial for
your body type and stay away from others. Your
exercise program must be personally suitable as
well. Your constitution determines very much about
you - your body, your personality, even how you
relate to other people. Understanding it lets you
know what you need in order to be healthy.
-The
human body is part of nature, as we discussed before
as a microcosm of the universe, and when it runs
perfectly, as it was designed to run, it can be
perfectly healthy. It is trying to be perfectly
healthy all the time, using its innate self-healing,
self-regulating ability as it strives for a perfect
homeostatic balance. But we repeatedly interfere.
-Nature has set us up with all the equipment we need
to be perfectly healthy. Health is our natural
state, and ill health is unnatural. Every day our
systems are exposed to literally millions of
bacteria, viruses, allergens, even carcinogens, and
yet our immune system has the intelligence and skill
to deal with all those invaders and keep us healthy.
However, when stress, inadequate nutrition, or just
fatigue weakens the immune system, those same
invaders may produce disease.
-Every
second the body is adjusting to countless thousands
of changing parameters, keeping us in homeostatic
balance. No matter what comes along to upset the
balance, the body knows its own nature, knows what
ideal temperature it should be and the correct
chemistry it needs to maintain, and keeps referring
back to that blueprint to maintain proper balance.
-The
Self, as this inner dimension of our nature
is called in Ayurveda, is the central point of our
being, the hub of the wheel. It is the true inner
center of our diversified lives. Thought, feelings,
speech, action, and relationships all originate
here, deep within the personality. The whole
person-and the whole field of interpersonal
behavior, can be, spontaneously enhanced by the
process of self-referral, or looking within
to experience the Self. This is analogous to the
natural process by which all the branches, leaves,
flowers, and fruit of a tree can be simultaneously
nourished and enlivened by watering the root. The
Self can be directly experienced. Those who do
experience it find it to be deeply peaceful, yet a
reservoir of creativity, intelligence, and happiness
that spills over into all phases of living.
