Ayurveda, also known as “the Knowledge of Life,” is a holistic approach to healing that originated almost 5000 years ago in India. The main premise of Ayurveda is to implement different modern and traditional techniques to maintain a balance between a person’s mind, body, and spirit. If you plan to study at an Ayurvedic institute, you will learn about the following beliefs of Ayurveda.
The Five Elements
Ayurveda believes the universe comprises five fundamental elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Space. Likewise, Ayurveda believes that the human body is also made up of these five elements.
The food that we eat is part of Earth’s elements. The blood flowing through our veins represents that water element. Our body heat represents fire, while the air we breathe represents wind.
Space is represented by the sinuses in our skeletal systems, such as our skulls and nostrils. The Ayurvedic approach to healing maintains the balance and levels of these five elements in our body. Any imbalance with these elements may lead to deteriorated health and the occurrence of diseases.
The Prakriti and the Three Doshas
The central belief of Ayurveda is that a person’s five fundamental elements combine into a physical form that represents the person’s constitution or Prakriti. Three possible elemental combinations can be categorized into three doshas.
The Vata Dosha is a combination of the Air and Space Elements. Fire and water elements combine to form the Pitta Dosha, while the Kapha Dosha comprises Water and Earth elements.
Vata Dosha.
Vata is associated with the body’s movement’s energy and is linked with how the body functions to move. These functions include the heart’s beating, the breathing of the lungs, muscle and tissue movement and contractions, and the communication between the brain and the nervous system.
Pitta Dosha.Â
Pitta is the dosha related to the energy of transformation. It is linked with intelligence and emotions and regulates body temperature, nutrition, and metabolism.
Kapha Dosha.Â
The Kapha dosha is responsible for connecting all the body components of a person. Kapha is associated with the hydration and lubrication of cells and joints of the body. The lymphatic system is also linked to the Kapha dosha. Kapha is also coupled with a person’s growth and strength.
These three doshas are responsible for a person’s Prakriti or constitution. Kapha accounts for a person’s physical volume. Pitta is attributed to the chemical processes and reactions that take place within the body. Vata is responsible for the body’s movement and support structure.
Ayurveda believes that the three doshas must be in perfect equilibrium for a person to remain healthy. When these three are not balanced, a person’s health may deteriorate.
Ayurveda also believes that when a person ingests food and excretes waste, the three doshas move from one part of the body to another to protect the parts from getting infected with diseases and give the parts strength and sound health.
However, when the doshas get excited or imbalanced, they will not prevent the body from getting sick.
Cure, Detox, and Rejuvenate.
Studying at an Ayurvedic institute will lead you to the three approaches to healing: cure, detox, and rejuvenate.
- While modern medical science has developed drugs that can alleviate the symptoms of illnesses, Ayurvedic healing believes that these drugs can only relieve the disease’s symptoms and not obliterate them. The Ayurvedic approach to curing the disease involves regaining the overall harmony of all the body systems. This balance can be attained by bringing the three doshas in perfect sync. When you study at an Ayurvedic institute, you will know how to identify which of your three doshas is not in sync and what approaches you can use to correct the imbalance.
- Ayurveda also believes that the gut is critical to a person’s health. A clean heart is key to regaining a balanced metabolism. The seat can be cleansed through an Ayurvedic treatment known as panchakarma, a five-step gut cleansing program.
Rejuvenate. Lastly, the Ayurvedic approach to rejuvenating the body involves living sustainably with your surroundings. In the Ayurvedic concept, rejuvenation is the ability to maintain a clean gut, pure mind, body, and spirit.
Learning Ayurveda will give you a healthy lifestyle, whether you enroll at an Ayurvedic institute to become a practitioner or for personal well-being.
