Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word that means "knowledge of life."
Ayurveda is the most well-known of the indigenous Indian medicinal systems, and it is based mainly on two Sanskrit medical texts: the Charaka Samhita (1st century CE) and the Sushruta Samhita (2nd century CE) (4th century C.E.).
The idea of the three body humors—vata (wind), pitta (bile), and kapha (blood)—is the fundamental premise in both of these books and in ayurveda (phlegm).
- Each is made up of various components, and although everyone has all three humors, their relative amounts are used to explain differences in body types, metabolic dispositions, and personalities.
- People who have a lot of vata are believed to have fast brains, thin bodies, and a lot of energy, but they also become tired more quickly than others.
- Pitta-dominant individuals are strong-willed and excellent leaders, but they are also hot-tempered and sensitive to heat.
- People that are Kapha-dominant are robust, healthy, and steady, but they also have a tendency to lassitude and lethargy.
Each of these humors may therefore have both wholesome and unwholesome expressions, but when the humors are in a state of relative balance, the five bodily winds (prana) that are thought to be responsible for fundamental physiological processes will operate properly, and the individual will be healthy.
Disease is produced by an imbalance of these humors, according to ayurveda, which typically has environmental origins.
- Environmental factors, such as the pressures that different seasons (hot, cold, wet, etc.) have on different constitutions, are one potential reason.
- The person's own behavior, such as inadequate nutrition, bad sleep patterns, insufficient or incorrect physical activity, and other chronic stressors on the body, may also contribute to an imbalance.
- People are viewed as creatures in connection with their environment in ayurveda, and proponents of the system acknowledge that many illnesses may have many origins.
- The ultimate goal of any therapy, whether it's a diet, exercise, or medication, is to reestablish this lost balance.
- Because each person's unique composition must be reflected in the balance sought, it will be different for everyone.
Gopi Warrier's The Complete Illustrated Guide to Ayurveda was published in 1997, while Judith Morrison's The Book of Ayurveda was published in 1995.
You may also want to read more about Hinduism here.
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