Ayurveda, both an art and a science , allows you to take the knowledge of your body and connect it with the universal knowledge of nature. It connects and balances your internal and external worlds to give you the experience of life.

Ayurveda's Fundamental Teaching

Ayurveda’s fundamental teaching is that everything in nature, including ourselves, is made up of the same elements -fire, water, earth, wind, and ether (space). We all have a unique constitutional makeup of these elements that we are born with. Too much or too little of a certain element creates an imbalance; which in turn, creates dis-ease. 

Ayurveda groups these elements in three functional energies (dosha) that are present in every living being -Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. We experience the world through the senses and everything we experience has a certain quality to it (think, light, heavy, rough, smooth, etc.). Ayurveda classifies these qualities as Gunas, there are 10 pairs that allows us to interpret the world around us. Disease invades the body when there is a deficit or excessive amount of the gunas in the body. Ayurvedic treatment is based on brining in the opposite qualities to bring the body's functional energy back to balance. 

Oftentimes, we experience dis-ease, or disruption in the natural functioning of the body because we grow detached from nature. We succumb to the vices of the ego; the using of the senses to get instant pleasure and gratification. Too much of something, good or bad, leads to imbalance. The artistic side of Ayurveda is balancing what we consume -images, sounds, ideas, food, etc. to create harmony between the mind, body, and soul; which in turn, brings health back into our life. 

Ayurveda believes that the mind, body, and soul are undoubtedly connected and the three are contingent on the overall health and balance of our experience of life. 

Agni 

Agni is our biological fire. The fire of digestion that manifests and mediates between what we consume to make it apart of our tissues. The fire of knowledge -ability to interpret information. Agni digests everything we consume, when agni is weak, the body accumulates toxins. The build up of those toxins leads to obstruction and the built up of a dosha outside of its respective organ; which leads to further imbalance and weakening agni -the cycle continues. 

Agni is detrimental in maintaining the balance between the mind, body, and soul. With a strong agni, we expirience radiant health and vitality, with a compromised agni we experience the polar opposite. Read more about agni here.

Branches of Ayurveda

Ayurveda is a medical practice with respective branches that focus on one area of the body at a time. They are:

● Kaayachikitsa – Internal Medicine
● Baalachikitsa – Pediatrics
● Bhuta Vidya – Psychiatry
● Shalakya Tantra – Ear, Nose and Throat Treatment
● Shalya Tantra – Surgery (not practiced in the United States)
● Vishagara Vairodh Tantra – Toxicology
● Jarachikitsa/Rasayana – Geriatrics and Rejuvenation
● Vajikarana — Aphrodisiac Therapy, Fertility, and Conception 

All of these branches focus on strengthening agni and returning the dosha to their respective organ. Part of the "medicine" is reconnecting with nature, eating what is opposite to the qualities of the imbalance, yoga and pranayama that concentrates the mind, and the use of herbs. 

Contact me today to talk more about how Ayurveda can restore the balance in your life.