Ayurveda is the ancient Indian art of living a more healthy, wholesome life. It evolved alongside yoga thousands of years ago. It’s difficult to make a plan or map of something that is as deep as it is wide, and this list is by no means exhaustive, but here you can find the basic principles of Ayurveda in a glossary form and see how they relate to each other. Nature is recognised by its characteristics, and these form the language of Ayurveda.
WE ARE ONE
Individual life is part of universal life. We are truly microcosms of the universe and are governed by forces bigger than us: the Sun, the Moon and the wind. Science and Ayurveda tell us that if we break everything down, we are made of the same atoms and energy. Everything around us is a recycling of that energy, and from Ayurveda’s perspective we need to harness that energy in its different forms to sustain us.
Metaphorically speaking, we are as a drop in the ocean, and at the same time, as Rumi says, ‘You are the entire ocean in a drop.’ It stands to reason that outside energies affect us in our day-to-day life. The world operates in a rhythm; for example, the cycles of the Sun, Moon, tides and seasons, and so do we – anything less and we feel the effects of moving in the opposite direction to the forces and life gets tough. Being in sync and going with the flow of nature is the way forward.
THE THREE PSYCHIC ENERGIES FORM THE CIRCLE OF LIFE
Sattva, Rajas and Tamas are the three psychic energies that form the very fabric of creation (or pure consciousness). They interact to create a unique and harmonious flow – the circle of life. Everything that ‘is’ goes through the process of creation – Rajas (or kinetic energy) signifies birth; Sattva (or potential energy) signifies maintenance; and Tamas (or inertia) signifies destruction. It is born, lives and dies.
When we refer to these three energies in terms of food, it is like the life of an apple: some part of it is ripening, some of it is ripe and then it is overripe – all three are always present. When we apply this understanding to our general diet we want to concentrate on the Sattvic, the ‘ripe’ foods, as much as possible because these are perfectly developed. This is fresh food, grown naturally, treated naturally and consumed naturally. Rajasic foods, which include onions, garlic, chilli, lemon, tomatoes, aubergine, tea, coffee, meat, eggs and commercial condiments, are very stimulating, just like the sharpness of the underripe apple, and too much of these foods can lead to stress and anxiety. Then there are Tamasic foods such as meat; fried foods; leftovers; reheated, processed, preserved, tinned and refined foods; junk foods and soft drinks; commercial cakes and pastries; confectionery; and even mushrooms, which are said to have a heavy energy on the body – too much makes you lethargic and mentally dull. Avoiding most Rajasic and Tamasic foods in your day-to-day life makes sense for anyone who is interested in an Ayurvedic diet. However, it is also important to have the other two psychic energies present in our life and in our diet – after all, they are also part of the circle of life, so in this cookbook you will find natural Rajasic and Tamasic foods used in small amounts.
Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic are more than just qualities in food – they are a way of life. We can think of Sattvic when waking in the morning at a perfectly balanced time. Rajasic might be the wired person waking too early and relying on stimulants to power through the day. Tamasic would be the one who wakes late and feels lethargic, using junk food to get through. Choosing to do and eat more of the Sattvic things in life helps to make us clear-minded, balanced and spiritually aware.
THE FIVE ELEMENTS ARE THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE
The three psychic energies form the five Elements – Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth – the building blocks of life from which everything in the universe is constructed. Since the human body is therefore also a combination of these five Elements, it needs the right amount of the vital nutrients found within each of the Elements for the wellbeing of various parts of the body. Too much or too little of any of these natural nutrients leads to illness. On a subtle level, each human being has a variation of these Elements that’s different from any other human being and it’s in this way that Ayurveda also recognises our individual needs.
THE THREE DOSHAS REPRESENT MIND–BODY TYPES
The five Elements are categorised into three mind–body types known as Doshas, which describe certain characteristics based on the Elements that they contain. They are: Vata (prominent Air), Pitta (prominent Fire) and Kapha (prominent Earth). Each of us have all three Doshas in varying proportions. Our mind–body health is dependent on our own unique balance. To understand more about the Doshas and how they can be used to great effect in Ayurveda, turn here).
THERE ARE 20 QUALITIES TO ACHIEVE BALANCE
Everything in our physical and mental world can be described as a mixture of 10 pairs of opposites known as the 20 Qualities (see here). Ayurveda believes that if we expose ourselves to more of the Qualities that are causing an ailment, it increases or aggravates that ailment. Only an opposite Quality can combat or pacify it and help bring it back into balance.
THE FIVE SENSES RELATE TO SIX TASTES
We are made of the same five Elements as everything else, so our sensory impressions are considered crucial to health in Ayurveda. Just as the food that we select via our Senses creates our bodily tissues, our hearing, touch, sight, taste and smell also determine the quality of our thoughts and emotions. We can therefore use our five Senses: hearing (ears), touch (skin), sight (eyes), taste (mouth) and smell (nose) – which directly correspond to the five Elements of Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth – to bring balance to ourselves and our three Doshas. We can sense Qualities through our five Senses, to make choices that bring balance to our health.
When it comes to food, one of these Senses is particularly important – that of taste. According to Ayurveda, there are six Tastes (see here), which describe the attributes of any food. Since food is made of the same Elements as ourselves, we can determine the correct ratios of different food types to suit us as individuals.
THERE ARE THREE ESSENTIAL FORCES
Prana, linked to Air, is the vital life-force energy that flows through us and all living things; and can be enhanced through freshly prepared foods and other lifestyle practices such as yoga. Tejas is the inner radiance, our courage for life which is responsible for the metabolic processes of the body and is linked to the element of Fire. These together become Ojas – our overall vigour, immunity and strength which is linked to the heart and the element of Water. Foods that are deemed Sattvic are high in Prana.
FOOD IS MEDICINE
It stands to reason that the better the quality of the food, the better the medicine. Just as we are created from the five Elements, so too are foods. Food = Energy. Each food is defined by one of the six Tastes, which helps us to work out which contain the elemental building blocks that we are in need of in our body, and makes it simple for us to get a wide variety of foods to support our growth.
Ayurveda’s approach to choosing the right foods for yourself at any given time, can be compared to putting on a jumper when you start to feel cold – you don’t think about it and it isn’t a big effort – it happens naturally. Many of us don’t know how to express what our body needs and even if we do, we might override our biological intuition, simply because we’ve never been taught to place any importance on it.
Even more powerful than the food we eat is how we eat it, and more powerful than that is how it is digested to boost our digestive fire.
The ancient texts of Ayurveda state that meat is a medicine. Just like other foods, it is only a medicine in the right dose, taken at the right time, prepared in the right way and suitable for the individual. Meat is Rajasic and Tamasic, so although it shouldn’t be a staple of your diet or dominate your plate as Sattvic foods should, it can still be part of a healthy diet. While the right amount will both invigorate and ground certain individuals, the same amount can also stress and depress others, so we need to be conscious in both in the sourcing and eating of meat.
HEALTH AND DISEASE ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN
Ayurveda is about understanding your food and environment through their Qualities and how they affect us. Disease means dis-ease – not being at ease with oneself. It’s our body being out of whack – not communicating with itself and out of rhythm with its environment. If we eat too much of the wrong foods, our digestion is hindered and toxins can accumulate.
A SUPPORTIVE LIFESTYLE IS ESSENTIAL
The most important contribution that anyone can make to their overall state of health is managing their everyday lifestyle. It’s all about finding your rhythm so you can go with the flow. We have choices in our daily diet and routine, and these ultimately create our body, mind and consciousness. The more we understand these choices, the more we support our continued health and happiness. See more on this in the Living la Vida ’Veda section (see here).
Sleep is one of the pillars of Ayurveda, and is considered to be as important as diet in maintaining health and balance in the body. Sleep is the time when the body is able to repair and heal itself. In the East exercise is swapped for rest if you’re suffering a cold or feeling rundown – you are already depleted and your body needs energy reserves to fight the infection. In the West we are encouraged to power on through, with the help of some handy pharmacy extras. However without appropriate rest we cannot absorb all the good stuff that we’ve done for our ourselves – from food through to meditation and movement – and our body won’t have the energy to make light work of the not-so-favourable stuff. Make time for yourself and try the cleanse and reset here.
Yoga and Ayurveda evolved at around the same time and complement each other. Yoga is not about flexibility and strength or exercise, as is often portrayed here in the West – like Ayurveda, it is the union of the mind, body and soul, with a focus on health in order to facilitate regular periods of meditation to reach enlightenment.