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SHOW NOTES:

Let's demystify Ayurveda together!  Not only did this traditional medicine of India survive the test of time and politics over 5000 years [recorded], but the science of Ayurveda has also spread to different parts of the world. It continues to allow people to transform personal health and consciousness! 

In this episode, we discuss ways of integrating alternative medicine into your everyday living.  Are you taking pills or drugs and feeling concerned that you may not participate in a holistic lifestyle?  No way!  Yes, you can! 

In Western medicine, what is typically ‘normal’ for one individual may harm another!  Ayurveda states that every person is born with a unique blueprint of the mind-body constitution.  Like our fingerprints, no other person is identical.  Therefore, Ayurveda medicine allows us to adapt its practices, herbs, and treatment plans to target the unique blueprint of each individual. 

I hope you are ready to rock-n-roll your uniqueness because you are made of the same glorious stars that shine above us in this vast, infinite, and beautiful Universe.

Tune in now. 

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TRANSCRIPT

The Mechanics Of Ayurveda: Basic Principles 101

Hi!  Welcome back!  This is Unleash Your Super Self Episode 003. And today, we are talking all about Ayurveda. 

WHAT IS AYURVEDA?

Ayurveda is thought to be the oldest healing system on our planet and has its roots in ancient India.  The word Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word that means “the Knowledge of Life.”  It is a holistic medical science realized by the rishis in deep, deep meditation and practiced in daily life.  It is rooted in Sankya philosophy- a philosophy that describes how Creation came about.   

Ayurveda is fundamentally rooted in Cosmic Consciousness and has a relationship with all aspects of Creation, including physical, philosophical, and metaphysical.  Ayurveda says that we are a microcosm of the macrocosm, and we are made of the same elements as this Creation. We as beings have a deep relationship with nature, time, seasons, and everything else.  Ayurveda aims to help a person to Self-heal and to become a Self-Realized being.  It seeks to preserve good health, wellness, and wholeness and prevent or manage the disease. 

There are eight branches of Ayurveda: internal medicine, otolaryngology, toxicology, surgery, pediatrics, psychiatry, gerontology, aphrodisiac therapy.

Ayurveda further teaches that we are integrated beings and not separate organs and systems.  All our systems are weaved together, and we have an interwoven experience of ourselves internally and in relation to the world around us.

Meaning Ayurveda does not split the human being into different parts and pieces.  It does not treat the physical body as if the body is a separate part from the mind.  It does not treat the mind as if the mind is separated from the physical body.  It also includes the treatment of the soul.  So, the body, mind, and soul (or consciousness) are intertwined and make up the whole being. All of the elements and components are addressed within a treatment protocol that focuses on lifestyle practices, natural therapies, and herbal medicines to increase optimal health and vitality and immunity and resiliency within the person so that the body can ward off any illness on its own.   Although Ayurveda does offer surgery and extreme interventions, the idea is that through the application of Ayurveda in our daily lives, we can prevent illness, manage a condition, and even dive deeper into the root cause of the disease and remove it. 

WESTERN ALLOPATHIC MEDICINE

Western allopathic medicine is also practical.  It treats symptomology and disease, but the approach is different.  Western allopathic medicine addresses acute conditions and trauma, and doctors immediately and frequently prescribe pills and drugs.  This type of medicine can potentially save lives and remove pain quickly, but at the same time, it can work to suppress symptoms of an illness, and the condition can return because the root cause of the disease does not get addressed.  This type of treatment often weakens the person's vitality and immunity, and resiliency can leave a person with many unfortunate short-term and long-term side effects.  It also does not address how to respond to stress.

I recommend working with several different healing modalities toward your healing goal as Ayurveda medicine can support the treatment plan of Western allopathic medicine and vice versa.

THE DEFINITION OF AYURVEDA

Here’s the definition of what health means according to Ayurveda, and I find it to be so very profound: 

One who is established in Self,

Who has balanced primary life force,

Balanced fire of digestion,

Properly formed tissues,

Proper elimination of waste products,

Well-functioning bodily processes,

And whose mind, soul, and senses are full of bliss

is called a healthy person.

AYURVEDA AND ELEMENTS

Ayurveda states that we come into the world with a unique mind and body blueprint consisting of five elements: the most subtle element being ether or space, then air, fire, water, and earth.  We experience these elements directly in the body, not just in the world.

Ether element is an element of space.  It is vast and infinite.  It is the idea of connection within which all communication happens.  It cannot be seen but can be felt in the form of intuition. It is the hollow space in the bones; it is the space in the colon. 

Air element moves within the body.  It is the involuntary movement like breathing or the beating of the heart.  It is that movement in the body that keeps the body alive.  A sudden twitching in the eye and the flow of consciousness is air in motion.  The action of gas in the colon is the air element. 

The Fire element is responsible for the process of metabolizing food into energy.  It regulates the temperature in the body.  It is responsible for how we perceive and process information received through our senses (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, skin), and it integrates this information into knowledge.  Sometimes we say “the fire of knowledge” or the “Light of Truth” meaning the ability to clearly see and properly discern right knowledge vs. wrong knowledge, right-thinking vs. wrong thinking.

The Water element is the principle of liquidity and lubrication in the body.  It is a flow that carries nutrients from one part of the body to the next, from one system to the next, like blood, plasma, the lymphatic system allowing for life. 

The Earth element is associated with the grossest aspect.  It references solid structures such as our physical body, the bones, the skin. It provides stability and increases strength and durability in the body.  On a person, this could appear as having a thicker bone structure, maybe a bit more weight.

WHAT IS A DOSHA?

Ayurveda organizes these five elements into three functional principles or energies known as vata, pitta, and kapha. 

Vata is made up of Air and Ether.  Pitta is made up of Fire and Water.  Kapha is made up of Water and Earth. 

We are born with a specific blueprint of different proportions of these principles in our constitution, but they vary in relationship to many factors such as our age, our stress levels, the foods we eat, the season we are in, and many more other factors are involved.  It is important to maintain the health of these principles.  To do this, we look at the attributes or the qualities of each principle.

Vata attributes will be subtle in nature.  Its qualities are light, cold, dry, rough, clear, mobile, and astringent.  A person with a vata imbalance can experience cold feet or cold hands, constipation, dry skin, rough patches on the elbows.  Thinning hair.  Signs of aging presenting earlier.  With Vata imbalance, a person can have trouble focusing.  This person may struggle with anxiety and restlessness. 

Pitta qualities are sharp, hot, smooth, liquid, mobile, oily.  A person with a pitta imbalance may experience indigestion, diarrhea, inflammation.  They can become hot quickly.  They can experience burnout.  They can also experience hair loss and balding.  And so on.

Kapha qualities are heavy, cold, dense, slow, oily, hard, gross, liquid, slimy, soft, static, sticky.  A person with a kapha imbalance can experience weight gain, resistance to change, stubbornness, depression.  They can experience sugar cravings and emotional eating.

Vata, pitta, and kapha dominant people can experience overlapping qualities.  A vata dominant person can have a sugar craving and gain weight.  A dominant pitta person can experience cold feet and hands.  A kapha dominant person can also be easygoing.  These attributes are reflected in every individual in their unique way. 

We consider and investigate many factors before deciding the person's blueprint and its relative relationship to what we consider the standard of normality relative to the person.  Every time we experience discomfort does not mean that we have a disease.  An imbalance would be when a person is suffering and is looking for help to feel better.  If a person experiences heartburn one time, we don’t necessarily treat it right away.  If a person is beginning to experience heartburn more frequently and regularly, we notice and begin to make changes to perhaps their eating habits.  The changes we implement depend on the person's imbalance, age, emotional state, and stress levels. As I mentioned before, many other factors contribute to one’s imbalance that needs to be well-considered and evaluated.

But on a more positive note, Vata dominant people are super active, quick on their feet, extremely creative, and talented in many different areas.  They can think outside the box.  They are quick to move from one project to the next.  They are quickly excited and are loving people.  They love to change their surroundings and are always ready to change themselves. 

Pitta dominant people are good learners.  They possess intelligence and understanding.  They are goal-oriented, ambitious, driven, and disciplined.  They are athletic.  They are very confident, and they make great leaders.

Kapha dominant people have deep faith.  They are calm, peaceful, and possess lots of compassion and love.  They try to take care of everyone.  Their bodies are naturally curvy and robust.  They make great listeners and counselors, therapists.

When we know our imbalance, we can apply Ayurveda in our daily lives to strengthen and support the places that need more strength and support to keep the mind, body, and spirit in balance and harmony.

I see clients for these consultations, and the process of self-discovery is interesting for people.  But, I think it is essential to be aware that there is always something we can all do to feel well. One of the many laws in Ayurveda states that like increases like. If a vata dosha (dosha meaning mistake or imbalance) person presents bloating, and constipation, the attributes of dryness, lightness, and roughness should change their diet to a food with soupy texture with heating spices to treat the aggravation with opposite qualities.  If this person eats popcorn or grazes on cashews, they will aggravate their symptoms further as these foods are also light and dry. Simply put, if you are cold, you may want to drink hot tea, not iced tea.  If you are feeling sad, you may want to do something that helps you feel less sad. The same principles apply to seasons.

We need to consider the season as, during Kapha season, kapha in the body will be increased, so more cloudy and sticky and heavy and cold qualities will be present.  During the summer Pitta season, pitta qualities will be increased in the body, so hot, sharp, liquid, mobile, and oily qualities will be present.  During the vata season in the winter, vata will be increased in the body, so more cold, dry, rough qualities will be present in the body.  We can counterbalance the imbalance through our food, herbs and spices, and drinks. 

As an Ayurveda proverb states, “When the diet is wrong, medicine is of no use; when the diet is correct, medicine is of no need”

I would love to continue this discussion and discuss how Ayurveda approaches balancing dosha with food, herbs and spices, and drinks next week.

Thank you for listening.  I would love to hear from you.  Please send any questions you may have or perhaps a topic you would like to be included in future episodes to hello@mariageller.com. 

Talk to you next time. Om Shanti. Om Peace.

Maria 

POSTED BY: Maria Geller

Maria’s teaching style is described as both compassionate and powerful, and invites body awareness. Through working directly with Maria, clients feel safe enough to uncover profound sources of internal wisdom. Her techniques incorporate her extensive library of knowledge with a calm, professional, and nourishing presence.

WHAT’S YOUR DOSHA?

Ayurveda is the traditional medicine of India. It is also the oldest documented and most comprehensive, holistic medical system in the world. The ancient Ayurveda text Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, Ashtanga Samhita date back to 1,000 B.C. focusing on internal medicine, surgery, and the eight branches of Ayurveda. As a medical system, it aims to preserve good health, wellness, and wholeness, as well as be used to prevent and manage the disease.

WHICH TREATMENT IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

Living with chronic pain, or acute pain from a recent injury can deeply affect your well-being. Pain can limit activity and disturb the body’s natural ability to support you in daily life. I offer rejuvenating body treatments targeting specific areas to relieve discomfort and support the natural healing process.

HOLISTIC THERAPY

I offer wellness sessions in trauma recovery and the management of stress-related states such as anxiety, depression, or agitation to optimize your health and well-being.  The sessions will help to establish supportive self-regulation practices, build up and support resiliency, support adaptability, develop locus of control, foster integration, and practice adjustment or acceptance.

YOGA FOR YOU

A balanced Yoga practice integrates various branches of Yoga to develop the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual aspects of an individual.

The basic Yoga Hatha class is designed for a broad spectrum of students and is considered to be a good introduction to a wider field of Yogic philosophy and practices. 

YOGA FOR YOUR CHILD

Children of all ages are welcome.  I encourage children to experiment with their body and breath, mind and spirit.  My Yoga classes are discovery classes in which children move from gross body awareness to subtle spiritual experience.   They learn simple anatomy and age-appropriate breath work which translates into body awareness and mindfulness.