Balance Health of Ben Lomond, Kathy Eisenhart

About Ayurveda

Ayurveda, (“I-yer-vay-dah”), literally the ‘science of life’, is a 5,000 year old traditional system of medicine. It is sometimes called the ‘Mother of All Healing Systems’ since it is the longest continuously practiced system of medicine in existence.

Ayurveda has its roots in the classical Indian texts called the Vedas. As such, Ayurveda is a sister science to yoga. In ancient times the goal of Ayurveda was to enable a long life so that the person had the time to become enlightened. Today this is also true but it is also relevant to all of us who just wish for a long life!

Ayurveda helps us to return to our natural rhythm. In today’s fast moving society it is easy to fall out of touch with our true nature. Ayurveda is about remembering. It is a natural system of healing that is complementary to western medicine. Ayurveda understands the cause of disease. When we embrace ayurveda, we are returning our bodies and minds to a state of balance so that the body can heal itself.

The ancient rishis or seers identified 5 Elements that make up all of nature, including us. These are Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. They further identified that these elements combine together into forces called Doshas. Ether and air combine to form the force of wind or Vata. This is the concept of motion. In our bodies it is the force of circulation and absorption. Vata people tend to be cold, light, dry and active. Fire with a little water combine to form the force of the Pitta dosha. This is the concept of transformation. Pitta is responsible for our digestion and our ability to digest information. Pitta people tend to be warm, light and a little moist or oily. Water and earth combine to form the Kapha dosha. In our bodies this is the concept of solidity and water or phlegm. Kapha people tend to run cold and are larger in structure than their Vata and Pitta counterparts. We are all unique combinations of these doshas.

The doshas also relate to our mental state. Vata dosha in its balanced state inspires creativity and spirituality. Vata individuals out of balance may be prone to worry and anxiety. A balanced pitta dosha gives the visionary light of knowledge. An imbalanced pitta person may have a lot of anger or judgement. Balanced kapha is the calm peace of contentment. An out of balance kapha personality may be subject to greed or attachment.

In Ayurveda we balance the doshas by applying their opposite qualities. For example, if someone has a vata imbalance they would be cold, light, dry and mobile in some combination. We would use therapies that are warm, heavy, moist and stable to counter the imbalance. Once we know the qualities of an imbalance and the qualities of a therapy we can combine them to bring an individual back into balance. In Ayurveda we use food, herbs, colors, aromatherapy, massage, yoga, meditation and more to bring balance to an individual.

Ayurveda is an active journey into self discovery and renewal. Taking part in this ancient practice leads you on the path to optimal health and well-being.