Ayurveda, the Yoga of Life

What is Ayurveda?

‘AYUR' in Sanskrit means ‘Life' or ‘Longevity' and ‘VEDA' means ‘Science' or ‘Knowing'. Ayurveda can be described as ‘The Science of Life or Longevity' or ‘The Yoga of Life'. Ayurveda and Siddha, provide the knowledge and the tools to allow you to experience your ‘life-span' to its fullest extent for very specific purposes.

Ayurveda is a time-honoured and ageless science and includes herbal ‘balanced' medicines, massage, nourishment (Dietetics), Hatha Yoga and Pranayama, surgery, meditation, Life-style management, psychology, and extends to include the deeper knowledge of spirituality.

Ayurveda became the basis or foundation of the healing traditions of Indonesia, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Burma and other Buddhist lands and has influenced Chinese medicine. It further spread west, where the Greeks were similarly influenced.

However, we should not get too caught up in terminology either, Ayurveda is an idea, and if we take care of the environment in which we live, and live with that and respond to that, then this is Ayurveda regardless of what word we use to describe it. Each person will practice and live differently as each person is different.

How and why are we different and unique?

 

Ayurveda tells us that all that is matter contains five great elements namely Ether (Space), Wind (Air), Fire, Water, and Earth. These elements are in all matter and therefore present in Man. As such the physical Man is an integral and inseparable part of Nature. According to this science, there are three primary life forces or energies formed by the combination of these five elements.

These three energies are known as Doshas and classified as follows:

Vata Dosha – Ether/Air Elements

Pitta Dosha – Fire/Water Elements

Kapha Dosha – Water/Earth Elements

The Goal and Purpose of Ayurveda

 

The highest or ultimate goal of Ayurveda and Siddha treatment is to attain absolute detachment of the ‘Atman' or soul. This is the state of liberation or ‘Moksham'. However for practical and commercial purposes this is hardly ever emphasized or practiced. At AYURYOGA, this is our Practitioner's primary emphasis. At the same instance, the body, mind and its equipment are not neglected but brought very much into focus and attention, as it is the only means of realizing the Self or Truth.

An important factor to consider is the natural law of Karma, that is “every action has an equal and opposite reaction” or “cause and effect”. This can be compared to Newton's Third Law of motion. Karma is a natural law, and understanding this we come to understand why we are born the way we are. This allows us to accept our situation and realise we were born this way in order to experience certain things in a certain way. With the science of Ayurveda we learn to manage our bodies and minds as instruments given to us in this life for a specific purpose.

The differences of approach and the working of the Eastern mind and the Western mind has and will create some difficulties in understanding fully the techniques utilized by Ayurveda. Though, there are bound to be questions as to the “How” and “Why” of certain methodology and treatments, it is inevitable that some of these must go unanswered. We have encountered similar circumstances in modern Western medicine, where certain concepts are proven to work, without the reason behind their phenomenal success being fully understood. We suggest that the reader look at it as a totally holistic science where numerous factors are involved.