This is a big story to tell, and at every level it is completely fascinating. In this book I look at the essentials of Ayurveda so that we can begin to see the depth and gravitas of this ancient knowledge and how best to begin to understand it, and from there how we can work with it. Sounds a bit complicated already? Yes, that was my first thought when I initially stumbled across this idea, but not so now. Essentially, implementing Ayurveda is like learning a new language, a new way of looking at things that is probably a little different from a more linear Western way of doing things. Trust me, this all begins to make sense when you immerse yourself in this new holistic (which comes from the word ‘whole’) approach, relearning the fundamentals of health and viewing life through a 360-degree lens.
THE MOST DEVELOPED MEDICAL SYSTEM
Ayurveda is the mother of all healing systems. It developed thousands of years ago to help people sync with nature and thrive in an ever-changing environment. Bringing 5,000 years of human experience to the table since its birthplace in India, it is now practised all over the world. Ayurveda translates as the science or knowledge of life – ‘Ayur’ meaning life and ‘Veda’ meaning knowledge in ancient Sanskrit. It’s worth noting that Sanskrit is said to to be the oldest, most rich and systematic language, having influenced several Western languages and holding a status in India and across Southeast Asia similar to that of Latin and Greek in the Western world. Ayurveda was passed down as an oral tradition from one generation to the next until it was committed to text in around 1000 BC, in ‘the Vedas’, which are amongst the world’s oldest-existing work of literature.
Along with Chinese traditional medicine, with which it shares many similar concepts, Ayurveda is said to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest, and most developed medical system. It was created to help people maintain health and longevity. In some rural parts of India it has been the only healthcare system for thousands of years, even though under British rule Ayurveda was banned in 1835 in favour of European medicine, which is a much more recent phenomenon. Thankfully for us, the poor continued to use the tried-and-tested traditional treatments for their ailments, so Ayurveda survived underground until 1947, when India became a free nation and Ayurveda received full recognition as a medical system.
A PHILOSOPHY FOR LIFE
The principles of this ancient holistic healing system are based on the belief that health and wellbeing depend on a delicate balance between the mind, body and spirit, which are all unified, so therefore being ill in one area affects the others. As opposed to viewing health as simply an absence of disease, Ayurveda defines wellbeing as reaching and maintaining this unique balance. Ayurveda focuses on promoting good health as a proactive method of warding off disease, and working with the principle of ‘like increases like’, offers a comprehensive approach to treating disease by slowly unravelling the causes of ill health through remedying the imbalances. So just as disease manifests, it can also unwind. Ayurveda is an energetic system that addresses internal imbalances which prevent us from obtaining optimum health and healing. These include how we eat, move and live in our world. Because we are all individuals, Ayurveda works on the idea that no single diet or lifestyle works for everyone (‘one man’s food is another man’s poison’, so to speak), but that food, daily routines and how we connect to our environment are essential for maintaining a physically and emotionally balanced state.
Ayurvedic cooking is in itself part of the medicine of wellbeing. The principles of Ayurveda can therefore find a home in everyday food practices, and manifest themselves in meals through ingredients, preparation and the process of eating. In Ayurvedic practice, meals are nutritious, nurturing, wholesome and satisfying. In short, they are comforting, supporting, restoring and revitalising.
A vast treasure trove of knowledge about natural healthcare, Ayurveda encompasses all aspects of your wellbeing, from breathing to digestion, and supporting you from birth to the end of your life. A major principle of Ayurveda is that we, like everything else in the universe, are made up of the same five key Elements (see here), the difference being that everyone and everything is its own unique blend. Ayurveda teaches us to work with our constitution by observing who we are, how we feel, what we like and what we are like. Learning and understanding your real nature is the name of the game in life, and from there you can live a truly authentic life that suits you and allows your health – mind, body and spirit – to flourish.