Ayurveda (pronounced aye-your-VAY-duh) is the world’s oldest health system, stemming from ancient India more than 5,000 years ago. In fact, it’s the health system from which all others originated—Chinese, Western, and Herbology included. The Sanskrit word Ayurveda means “knowledge of life,” and in order to achieve complete health, you must have knowledge of all aspects of your life. This healing system transcends the physical and combines the medical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and metaphysical, which are all interconnected.
Ayurveda dives into the complex mind-body relationship and brings you back into balance—kind of like that blissful feeling you get after a yoga class when you’re lying in shabasana, or corpse pose. Yes, you can feel like that all the time, and I’m going to teach you how. In this book, I explain not only what Ayurveda is, but also how to apply it easily to your life to transform your health and happiness.
My name is Sahara Rose Ketabi, and I’ll be your guide in this sacred journey. I’m a Certified Ayurvedic Pracitioner, Holistic and Sports Nutritionist and wellness blogger behind EatFeelFresh.com I discovered Ayurveda when I needed it most. I was suffering from chronic digestive issues and jumping from one diet to another, searching for the answer to my health. I looked in green smoothies and Paleo forums and finally realized that the answers already existed inside of me, where I never thought to look.
Ayurveda provided me with the tools I needed to tap into the innate wisdom my body already contained. It showed me that the foods that work for me might not work for my friend, family member, or even myself a few months ago. We are constantly changing beings, and our diets and lifestyles need to change, too. A healthy digestion is the secret to a healthy mind, and as soon as I healed my gut, my entire world opened. After that, I vowed to share the tips I learned along the way, from India to Bali to Los Angeles, and now to you.
I wrote this book as the very tool I wish I had when I was lost and confused, trying to figure out what would work for my body. After visiting an Ayurvedic practitioner who knew just about everything going on with me, physically and mentally, I knew Ayurveda’s personalized approach to health was what I’d been missing. However, I shied away from Ayurvedic books because I found them confusing and unrelatable, especially with my busy lifestyle and mostly raw vegan diet. I didn’t have hours a day to hand-crush exotic Indian herbs, simmer lentils, and perform oil massage. However, I so badly wanted to implement Ayurveda’s sacred knowledge into my life because I knew the healing potential it had. This book is simple yet all-encompassing.
I’ve made the multifaceted healing system of Ayurveda understandable and digestible so you can begin applying it to your life today. I teach you how to master the basics first and then slowly integrate more Ayurvedic practices into your life. I believe true health comes with gradual shifts, not radical decisions that bounce back just as quickly as they come, and my approach provides the framework you need for lifelong balance.
This book is not a set of rules and regulations by which to run your life. It is not a diet, fad, or new theory that will be irrelevant by the time you’re done reading it. It’s an age-old healing science that has withstood the test of time, and we are returning to it for its tried-and-trued wisdom. I don’t expect you to read this book cover to cover in one sitting, but I want it to become your guide, something you refer to for the rest of your life whenever you need it. It’s something you can come to when your digestion feels off, you need a spiritual reminder, or you just want to learn more about your body.
I believe the secret to health is merging intuitive ancient wisdom with fact-based modern science because they often point to the same thing, the mind-body connection. Throughout these pages, I offer science-backed research that reaffirms Ayurveda’s 5,000-year-old claims, illustrating how the truth is eternal.
Are you ready to empower yourself to become your own healer and finally find the answers you seek inside yourself? Then I invite you to come with me on this journey to discover the ancient healing science of Ayurveda and begin applying it to your life today for radiant, lasting health.
How This Book Is Organized
This book is divided into six parts:
In Part 1, Ancient Wisdom, Modern Application, I introduce you to the medical and spiritual system of Ayurveda. I discuss its deep history, why it’s regaining popularity, and how it compares to Western medicine and yoga. I also share ways you may already be practicing Ayurveda unknowingly, showing you that the guru is already inside you!
Part 2, Your Unique Mind-Body Type, covers everyone’s favorite part of Ayurveda: discovering your Dosha, or mind-body type. I give you a quiz to discover your Dosha and share the physical and mental characteristics of each in simple terminology that will finally make sense. I then show you how the Dosha you have today might be different from the one you were born with—and how that’s where your imbalances come from. Finally, I offer dietary, lifestyle, and even yoga and meditation advice for your unique Doshic constitution.
Part 3, Establishing an Everyday Routine, is all about lifestyle. I teach you how to set up a daily schedule, including a morning and nighttime routine, for optimal energy, digestion, creativity, sleep, and mind-body balance. I cover everything from oil pulling to tongue scraping to dry brushing, so get ready for some serious self-care in these chapters.
In Part 4, Ayurvedic Nutrition, we turn to food. As a Certified Ayurvedic, Holistic, and Sports Nutritionist, this part is really my forte, and I share all the information you need to make it yours, too. I discuss the digestive fire, the Ayurvedic diet philosophy, common nutritional disorders, and toxins in food. In addition, and this is my favorite part, I give you plenty of delicious recipes so you can begin applying this wisdom at tonight’s dinner.
Part 5, The Spiritual Side of Ayurveda, contains some of the most important takeaways in the book. What brings many to Ayurveda are the physical benefits, but what makes many stay are the spiritual. This part discusses the three cosmic forces, universal qualities, and energies we are all made of. You may be familiar with your physical body, but I show you that you actually have four more. I also discuss chakras, koshas, and everything in between, bringing you back into your true state: bliss.
In Part 6, Ayurvedic Healing, you learn how to apply this ancient healing wisdom in your life. I provide home remedies for everything from digestive disorders to skin conditions to everyday illnesses, teaching you how to become your very own healer.
Extras
Throughout each chapter in this book, you’ll find three types of sidebars that hold extra nuggets of wisdom. Here’s what to look for:
Definition
Sanskrit can be confusing, but it shouldn’t keep you from learning about Ayurveda. In these sidebars, I break down the definitions of complex terminology to help you make sense of it all.
Wisdom of the Ages
These sidebars contain insight, useful tips, or just fascinating wisdom that will inspire you.
Ayurvedic Alert
Watch out! These sidebars offer cautions of things to be mindful of on your path to achieving mind-body balance with Ayurveda.
Acknowledgments
I first would like to thank the universe for always working in my favor, my spirit guides for leading me in the right direction to fulfill my dharma, my heart for reminding me to always follow my path, my body for housing this human experience, and my soul for filling me with wisdom that sometimes I’m not even sure comes from myself.
In the physical realm, I would like to thank Deepak Chopra for generously writing the foreword to this book, inspiring me more than any other thinker has and believing in me to spread the message of Ayurveda. You have shown me that I am indeed the universe. I would like to thank my parents, Afarin and Mahmoud, for their lifelong support and the many lessons they have taught me along the way—to be strong in my beliefs and wise in my approach; my boyfriend, Steven, for being the Shiva to my Shakti and empowering me with loving care; my brother, Amir, for being my lifelong companion and debate partner; my literary agent, Marilyn Allen, for believing in my vision and allowing it to come to life and into bookstores; my Eat Feel Fresh “Freshie” community, for their years of support on this crazy journey called life; and my readers, for being so receptive to this new yet ancient way of being. Finally, to the era of the divine feminine, I am so honored to be a part of the shift. Atma Namaste.