What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is the ancient healing wisdom of India, a medical system that has been tried and tested over thousands of years. It is today regaining popularity as people realise the effects of our modern lifestyle, diet and medicines, and seek a more balanced way of living. Ayurveda helps you to understand your true nature and work in harmony with it, to bring your whole being into balance - body, mind, emotions, spirit - and give long-term good health and vitality.

The five elements
According to ayurveda, everything in nature, including us, is made up of five elements: space, wind, fire, water and earth. These manifest in the body as three doshas, or subtle energies, called Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Each dosha controls different physiological functions in the body. So when they go out balance, the body's functioning is disrupted and imbalance results. Keeping the doshas in balance is the key to good health.

One or two doshas will be more dominant in you: this is your individual constitution - your mind-body type. This determines your physical appearance and your mental and emotional characteristics. This explains why the foods and habits that suit one person may not suit another - they have different constitutions. By following the right diet and lifestyle for your type, you can achieve optimum health and harmony in your physical health, mind, emotions and spirit. Which dosha are you?

Ayurveda is not a short-term programme or a diet. It is the Science of Life (Ayu = life, Veda = science or knowledge); a way of living in harmony with yourself and with nature, bringing body, mind, emotions and consciousness into balance with each other. When we can do this, happiness and success come into all areas of life: personal, social, relationships, work, home, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. Ayurveda does treat illness but it is also a way of living that helps prevent illness and imbalance, and maintains health. Yoga is one of its main therapies, and they share the same spiritual understanding: that we are all part of one Divine, or universal, energy. Ayurveda's purpose is to give us a life that is long and healthy - and happy!