CHAPTER
1

Discovering Ayurveda

In This Chapter

Around 5,000 years ago, Indian sages began developing an intricate system of health and well-being. Through observation and practice, they discovered many secrets to lasting health based on an understanding of an individual’s many facets. They orally passed along that wisdom for generations, and eventually it became the leading medical system in India. During the British rule, that system went underground but was still practiced in private homes. After time, that wisdom reemerged and spread far past the borders of India and into the lives of people worldwide as practitioners were drawn to Ayurveda’s tried-and-trued methods that have surpassed the test of time.

The lesser-known sister science of yoga, Ayurveda is based on the belief that health can be achieved only through a delicate balance among the mind, body, and spirit. We are all a reflection of our environments and can transform our personal health only through awareness.

In this book, I share this ancient Ayurvedic wisdom with you. Some of these concepts may be totally foreign, while others you may have known your entire life. However, everything will make total sense on an intuitive level because according to Ayurveda, the true secret to health already exists inside you.

What Is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is a medical science deeply focused on healing and maintaining the quality and longevity of life. Ayurveda combines science with psychology, spirituality, and philosophy, seeing each individual as a microcosm of the universe, with the complexity of the cosmos.

According to Ayurveda, the cornerstone of health is achieving mind-body balance. However, this isn’t as simple as it sounds. Ayurveda offers specific guidelines, practices, recipes, and remedies to enable you to achieve this balance. On top of that, the guidelines vary for each person and even change throughout the year, across the seasons, and throughout your lifespan. It sounds complicated, but it is life-changing wisdom that is definitely worth knowing for lifelong well-being.

The Meaning of Ayurveda

Ayurveda actually originates from two separate Sanskrit words: ayur, meaning “life,” and veda, meaning “knowledge.” Therefore, to achieve balance, you must have complete knowledge of your life. Ayurveda recognizes that human beings are so much more than physical bodies, rather multidimensional beings with layers of emotions and intuition. Although you may not be “spiritual” per se, the foods you eat and the way you lead your life affect you on a spiritual level every day. Ayurveda helps you recognize that interconnectivity.

Definition

Ayurveda, pronounced aye-your-VAY-duh, is the science of life based on achieving mind-body balance. It encompasses medical, spiritual, psychological, and philosophical components all focused on promoting lifelong wellness.

The History of Ayurveda

Ayurveda was first discovered in the Indus Valley region of India more than 5,000 years ago. It was passed along orally for generations until it was initially recorded in the ancient Indian Vedas or “the books of wisdom.” The Vedas are considered the oldest written knowledge in human history and were believed to be composed between 1,700 and 1,000 B.C.E., although some say the knowledge and references they contain date back 10,000 years. The Vedas address everything from ways to heal the body to how to become one with the universe. You could definitely say the Rishis, the spiritually enlightened prophets who wrote these texts, were centuries ahead of their time.

How did the original sages discover such knowledge? Nobody exactly knows. They were believed to obtain this innate wisdom directly from the universe to help heal, uplift, and empower the people of this earth. This knowledge was passed down for centuries across generations in memorized chants, known as sutras. Ayurveda is the sole system in the Vedas with the purpose of maintaining health because our physical bodies are our vehicles for our spiritual experience.

Around 800 B.C.E., the first Ayurvedic medical school was founded by Punarvasu Atrya, which later influenced Charaka, a scholar who lived around 700 B.C.E. and wrote the Charaka Samhita, describing 1,500 different plants and identifying 350 of them as valuable medicine. This text is considered the first major text of Ayurveda. About a century later, the Susruta Samhita was written, which formed the basis of modern surgery and is still consulted today.

Ayurveda’s comprehensive understanding of the human body was far ahead of its time and became an example for surrounding countries. It eventually spread along what is known as the Silk Road, making its way east from India across China and down to Indonesia. By 400 C.E., Ayurvedic texts were translated into Chinese, and by 700 C.E., Chinese scholars came to India to study Ayurveda, which greatly influenced Chinese medicine.

The land and sea routes of the Silk Road.

The science also traveled west across the Persian Empire, up to Europe, farther east to Egypt, and south to Somalia. Arab traders spread the knowledge of Indian herbs in their Materia Medica, and this information reached the Greek and Roman Empires, eventually becoming the basis of European medicine and Herbology.

Wisdom of the Ages

Materia medica is a Latin medical term for the body of collected knowledge about the therapeutic properties of any substance used for healing, inspired by Ayurveda.

The Buddha, born around 550 B.C.E., was a follower of Ayurveda, and the spread of Buddhism across Asia was accompanied by the practice of Ayurveda. In a period when so little was known about the human mind and body, Ayurveda explained the cause of diseases; the symptoms of imbalance; the unique body types; and ways to achieve mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

Unfortunately, during the British rule over India, Ayurveda was considered an archaic practice and no longer permitted. Western medicine was forced upon the Indian people, who privately refused to let go of the traditions in their own homes. Ayurveda went underground and lived on through home remedies and recipes that are finally regaining popularity today. Ayurveda became a “kitchen medicine” that healed families with food, spices, oils, and herbs. The city of Kerala in southern India became a safe haven for Ayurveda, and today, it boasts many Ayurvedic centers and institutions. Currently, Ayurveda is experiencing a renaissance, as people struggling with Western medicine crave a more holistic approach to their physical and mental well-being and turn to this ancient wisdom.

Ayurveda Today

Ayurveda is practiced not only in the India subcontinent but also globally. Oil pulling, dry brushing, and self-oil massage are now hitting the mainstream. Much of the wisdom we know about food combining and digestion derives from Ayurvedic knowledge. Turmeric, now being sold in capsules for its antinflammatory, antioxidant, antidepressant and anti-aging benefits, has always been a staple spice in the Ayurvedic diet. Thousands of people travel to India each year to partake in Ayurvedic Panchakarma treatments to detoxify and rejuvenate their health. What’s more, Ayurveda is practiced by millions of people every day who may not even know they are practicing it.

Definition

Panchakarma is a fivefold detoxification and rejuvenation treatment in Ayurveda, involving massage, herbal therapy, and other treatments.

People today are sick and tired of the one-size-fits-all approach to health that has left Americans in a less-than-optimal state of health. They are drawn to Ayurveda’s whole-body approach to health that sees the entire person, rather than just a single symptom. In a time when doctors rarely have time to get to know the individual, people are left on their own to determine the root cause of their diseases. Ayurveda can help unravel those mysteries.

According to Ayurveda, health does not come in the form of a pill or prescription, but rather in a balanced lifestyle. Although a balanced lifestyle regiment is a lot more difficult to follow than taking a prescription, and requires personal responsibility to maintain, it’s far more effective.

One of the tenets of Ayurveda is that the secret of well-being depends on the unique individual. We all have distinctive genetic makeups, lifestyles, physiologies, metabolisms, mental characteristics, and a host of other factors that determine our medical and dietary needs. This concept of individuality hits home with people who have grown weary of general health statements that have left them feeling depleted and defeated.

According to Ayurveda, no single guideline can work for all people because we are all different beings with unique needs. Although this may seem like an obvious finding, it actually took several thousands of years, an obesity epidemic, and a health crisis for many of us to figure out. Ayurveda really was far ahead of its time.

Ayurvedic Versus Western Medicine

Ayurvedic medicine is not meant to replace Western medicine but rather to complement it. Its focus is more preventative, whereas conventional medicine’s concentration is more symptomatic. Ayurveda’s approach to health is to inhibit the disease from appearing. The Western approach to health is to deal with the disease after it has appeared. Today, Western medicine is highly advanced in treating acute conditions and trauma due to its technical sophistication. However, it lacks the understanding of the interconnectivity of these symptoms and the reasons why they keep reoccurring, which Ayurveda uncovers.

Ayurvedic medicine upholds that our physical conditions reflect our mental and vice versa. If a person is experiencing liver issues, an Ayurvedic practitioner will ask them about their unresolved anger. If a person is overweight, they will ask them what they may be emotionally holding on to. If someone is unable to sleep, they will recommend they ground themselves by walking in nature. An Ayurvedic practitioner won’t provide suggestions until they know about your childhood, your eating patterns, your daily schedule, and even your dreams. They do not look just at a problem, but rather at all of the factors that may have caused it. They offer a holistic approach, including the whole person—body, mind, and spirit.

Ayurvedic medicine does include surgeries, medical examinations, and other procedures, which I discuss later in this chapter, but today, those procedures are less practiced than Ayurveda’s everyday dietary and lifestyle recommendations. Many Ayurvedic herbs are available—some being pure and highly effective, others less so. As with any medicine, it’s important to know what you’re putting in your body rather than taking something just because it says it’s Ayurvedic. However, the best and most effective medicine you can consume is the food on your plate.

Wisdom of the Ages

The best Ayurvedic herbs are organic, obtained straight from a reliable source, and recommended by a professional.

Ayurveda and Yoga

Today, 30 percent of Americans have practiced yoga, and that number is on the rise. The increasingly widespread practice of yoga has made more people interested in Ayurveda, its sister practice. The Vedas intended these sciences to be practiced together, although Ayurveda is only now beginning to get some of its more popular sister’s spotlight.

If you’ve taken a yoga class, what was your reasoning behind your practice? Was it to become one with a divine source, or was it to become healthier and more balanced? If the former, then you were truly practicing yoga. If the latter, then you were actually practicing Ayurveda.

Ayurveda’s purpose is to achieve health, while yoga’s is to achieve spiritual enlightenment. In fact, most people at yoga classes are likely practicing Ayurveda, rather than yoga, because it’s the health benefits they seek rather than oneness with the divine.

Wisdom of the Ages

Ayurveda and yoga go hand in hand because we cannot become our highest selves if we are not our healthiest selves. Our bodies are temporary vessels holding our eternal souls. They were given to us to experience this amazing gift called life. It’s up to us to treat them with profound love and care.

The better we nourish our bodies, the more in tune with our inner consciousness we become. This is why yoga is a recommended practice in Ayurveda, and Ayurveda is a recommended practice in yoga. The healthier we become, the more spiritually aware we become. The daily practices in Ayurveda have a purpose, and that is to elevate our consciousness. Health is not the end goal but rather the means for it. The end goal is awakening and transcendence. Self-awareness, scientific knowledge, asanas (yoga poses), meditation, and healing modalities are only tools to help us get there.

A Spiritual and Medical System

When most of us think of medicine and spirituality, we think of two opposite ends of a spectrum. However, Ayurveda blends these two disciplines harmoniously. It merges our left and right brains into one multifaceted system that includes all aspects of a human being.

According to Ayurveda, even before they manifest, we can feel illnesses by the subtle layers of our energetic body, which I address further in Chapter 20. If you’ve ever had a sense that something was “off” before it turned into a sickness, that was your subtle energy calling. Ayurveda marries the seen and unseen to create a comprehensive discipline of spiritual and medical well-being.

Ayurveda’s Two Main Principles

Ayurveda teaches two main principles:

Preservation of health: How to maintain wellness and what to do to keep your body healthy and fit to avoid illness.

Methods, medicine, and tactics for disease management and ailments: How to cure and procure a return to health.

The first principle is based on prevention, while the second is based on regaining balance. The two are important and meant to be practiced together.

The Eight Branches of Ayurveda

Ayurvedic science consists of eight branches, collectively called Ashtang Ayurveda. The word ashtang means “eight,” and you’ll see the number 8 pop up in various areas of the Vedas. Yoga similarly has eight branches.

The eight branches of Ayurveda.

Let’s take a look at the eight branches:

Kaya Chikitsa, also known as internal medicine: This psychosomatic practice states that the mind can create disease in the body and vice versa. Its purpose is finding the root cause of an illness and its connection to the mind, body, and soul. This theory describes the three Doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, which I discuss further in Chapters 3 and 4. Ayurvedic herbal treatments, detoxification, diets, and healing therapies are all part of Kaya Chikitsa and the main focuses of this book.

Urdhvaanga Chikitsa, commonly known as otolaryngology: This portion of Ayurvedic medicine is solely related to the head and neck. Ayurveda lists 72 eye diseases and surgical procedures for many eye-related disorders, including cataracts and eyelid diseases. It also contains surgeries and treatments for the ears, nose, and throat.

Damstra Chikitsa, which refers to toxicology: According to Ayurveda, the air we breathe is as important as the food we eat, the environment in which we live, and the thoughts we think. Damstra Chikitsa is focused on toxicology and addresses air and water pollution; toxins in animals, minerals, and vegetables; and health epidemics.

Shalya Chikitsa, which is surgery: Ayurveda’s sophisticated surgical methods influenced the ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Persian, and Chinese empires. Common surgeries included bladder stone and intestinal obstruction removal.

Bala Chikitsa, also called pediatrics: This part of Ayurveda includes pre- and postnatal care of mother and baby as well as childhood health.

Graha Chikitsa, which signifies psychiatry: Ayurveda finds mental well-being an extremely important facet of health. This branch incorporates meditation, yoga, and breathing techniques to overcome anxiety, depression, anger, and other imbalances.

Jara Chikitsa, also called gerontology: This refers to the scientific study of old age, the process of aging, and particular problems of the elderly. It also addresses longevity and practices you can do, such as fasting, to promote longer lifespans.

Vrishya Chikitsa, which relates to aphrodisiac therapy: Sexual health is an important component of Ayurveda because it sustains life. Intimacy can promote spiritual evolvement and strengthen partnerships. Vrishya Chikitsa deals both with fertility-related issues as well as the treatment of sexual dysfunctions.

As you can see, Ayurveda is an integrative system of health that covers many aspects of healing. It overlaps with many fields of Western medicine and also covers some entirely distinct areas of study.

The Secret to Health

According to Ayurveda, the secret to health lies in the digestive system. The Ayurvedic word for digestion is the Sanskrit term for fire, agni. Our digestion is our eternal fire, powering us through life. This digestive fire is responsible for all transformation in the body, including the metabolism, nutrient absorption, and elimination. I share more about this internal fire in Chapter 12.

Not only do you digest food, but you also digest emotions, senses, and experiences. If your agni is not burning bright, you feel stuck and depleted, both physically and mentally. Unprocessed emotions are just as harmful as unprocessed foods, adding heaviness and toxicity to the mind and body.

Ayurvedic Alert

Unresolved emotions can cause mental and physical imbalances in your body, including weight gain and stress-related disorders. It’s important to work through your past for a brighter future.

Many mental imbalances you feel are related to our digestive issues. Depression is caused by a slow, weak digestive fire, making you feel stuck and depleted. An overly active digestive fire causes irritability and impatience. Anxiety and restlessness may be caused by too much gas accumulation in the system. Each of these imbalances is related to your unique Dosha.

The Ayurvedic View of Health

The Ayurvedic view of health is to have a body without pain or illness so you are free to evolve spiritually. When you are sick, you are unable to even think about anything besides getting better. You become stuck in your physical body and obsessed with finding a way to regain health. However, when you’re healthy, you’re no longer concerned with your physical body. You surpass the physical and reach self-actualization, which is the realization or fulfillment of one’s talents and potentialities.

Definition

Self-actualization is the achievement of one’s full potential through creativity, independence, spontaneity, and a grasp of the real world.

To achieve health, you must be physically, emotionally, spiritually, occupationally, and environmentally sound. If any of these components is missing, you won’t truly feel health. For example, if you have a strong body and a great job but weak relationships, the rest of you will suffer. Your emotional imbalance will become a spiritual imbalance that will eventually manifest into physical ailments, which will affect your occupation and those around you. All aspects of your health are interconnected, and if you aren’t balanced in all areas, your entire being suffers.

The Ayurvedic View of Life

According to Vedic philosophy, human life has a definitive purpose, which is split into four pursuits: dharma, artha, kama, and moksha.

Dharma is the comprehensive term for the 10 values every person should have. These principles are as follows:

Wisdom: You must always try to become wiser through study, personal experience, and learning from others.

Truth: You must always be true in thought, words, and actions.

Forbearance: You must remain calm and composed in all circumstances.

Control of senses: You must control your senses and learn to master your emotions.

Control of mind: You must exercise full control over your mind, which is always restless.

Forgiveness: You must forgive others, for it makes you physically and morally stronger. However, it isn’t advisable to forgive someone who has done you wrong multiple times.

Nonstealing: You must never steal or take something from another without asking permission.

Cleanliness: You must keep your body, home, and mind clear and pure.

Nonanger: You must resist anger, even when provoked.

Knowledge: You must always seek knowledge of the physical and spiritual domains from all possible sources.

Artha is the acquisition of wealth. This doesn’t refer to only material wealth, but rather the four forms of artha:

Knowledge: Knowledge is the greatest form of wealth. It transcends material wealth because spiritual knowledge cannot be lost and leads to true fulfillment.

Health: Health includes physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. Good food, exercise, and thoughts are required for proper health.

Contentment: Contentment means being happy with what you have and letting go of the need to possess and become more. Contentment is a form of wealth because it provides mental peace and moral strength.

Material wealth: It’s important to be able to financially sustain yourself and not depend on others for your needs. Money is energy, and you should value your time and expertise. You should not become a slave of material wealth, but learn to master it.

Kama is the controlled fulfillment of desires. It contains two facets:

  • You must have desires in life because that’s what inspire you to discover and give back.
  • You must not be controlled by your desires because that leads to destruction.

Ayurvedic Alert

Be mindful of your desires! You should have desires without being attached to their outcome. Your desires must be kept in check to make your life useful and purposeful without becoming deluded by wanting more.

Moksha is the fourth and final objective to human life and is the ultimate goal of existence. This is the state of Ananda—pure bliss—which, once you’ve attained it, you desire nothing more. It’s the wealth of pure liberation. You are no longer driven by your desires but can relax into your being. This is the highest objective of life and can only be achieved once you have attained the first three objectives, dharma, artha, and kama. You must start small to become infinite.

Digesting Food and Thoughts: Ojas and Ama

Ayurveda focuses on health to achieve transcendence. By cleaning up your diet, you clean up your life. You create space for positivity and detach yourself from the things that have been holding you back. You build ojas, which is the Ayurvedic term for “vigor” and “the physiological expression of consciousness.” Ojas results from clear digestion. When you are able to break down your food, assimilate nutrients, and evacuate them from your body effectively, you feel radiant, refreshed, and rejuvenated.

However, when food sits in your gastrointestinal tract for too long, toxins accumulate, which are called ama. Ama is the underlying cause of nearly every health issue. A healthy, pure body does not suddenly become ill. It becomes ill as the result of built-up toxicity, year after year, that isn’t eliminated from the body.

Ojas is the life force; ama is toxicity. You have both in your body, and with a balanced diet and lifestyle, you can eliminate ama and radiate with ojas.

Let’s take a moment to assess where you stand. Don’t worry about not quite being a pinnacle of perfect health yet; you’ve just started your journey and now is the perfect time to start. The following table outlines symptoms of ojas and ama so you can determine which is more prevalent in you today.

Signs of Ojas Signs of Ama
You wake up feeling rested. You wake up exhausted.
Your tongue is clear and pink. Your tongue has a white coating.
You have a clear, glowing complexion. You suffer from acne, blemishes, or other skin problems.
You feel steadily energized throughout the day. You have an energy crash midday and often need sugar, caffeine, or a nap.
You enjoy eating abundant vegetables and don’t have food cravings. You don’t like the taste of vegetables and often crave foods.
You can digest food easily without feeling bloated, gassy, or tired. You often feel bloated, gassy, or tired after meals.
Your body has a pleasant smell. Your sweat tends to have a sharp, foul odor.
Your mind is clear and peaceful. You constantly get anxious, angry, or depressed.
You rarely become ill. You are susceptible to infections.
You can fall asleep soundly. You have difficulty falling sleep.

Where do you stand? You can be honest with yourself; no one is judging. If you’re more on the ama side, have no fear. That will change by the time you’re through reading—and implementing—the suggestions in this book.

Beginning Your Journey

Now you know what Ayurveda is all about and how it connects with all facets of your life. Perhaps you’ve never heard of Ayurveda before this book and these concepts are totally new to you. Perhaps you’ve been practicing yoga for many years and want to take a deeper look at its roots. Regardless of your background, this book came to you for a reason.

There are no coincidences in life. Ayurveda’s ancient wisdom was put in your hands to transform your life. In this book, I help you achieve mind-body balance, heal those around you, and actualize your potential through the practices of Ayurveda. I know how overwhelming Ayurveda can be so I simplify this complex science without watering it down, using terminology you can understand and relate to. I provide the practices, recipes, and remedies you need to bring this ancient wisdom off the pages of this book and into your life. All I ask is that you listen to the voice within.

The Least You Need to Know

  • Ayurveda is a comprehensive medical and spiritual system that merges the mind, body, and spirit.
  • Ayurveda is the world’s oldest health system—at least 5,000 years old—and is still practiced globally.
  • Ayurveda is the sister science of yoga with the purpose of health and well-being, while yoga’s purpose is spiritual awakening.
  • When you are healthy, you are full of ojas—vibrant, energized, balanced, and peaceful. When you are unhealthy, you are full of ama—exhausted, lazy, smelly, and sick.
  • The purpose of health surpasses the physical body and instead is achieving self-actualization, which enables you to reach your highest potential.