What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is “the science of life.” "Ayur means life and veda is science or knowledge. It is considered to be one of the world’s oldest forms of medicine that treats the whole person: mind, body, and spirit. Ayurveda is an ancient science of well-being that emphasizes living in harmony with your rhythms, tendencies, and imbalances. Because of it’s focus on increasing self-awareness and living a lifestyle based on that awareness (knowing and paying attention to what strengthens you and what weakens you), Ayurveda is experiencing a resurgence in popularity and viewed as an important component of preventative medicine.

Svastha

Svastha is the Sanskrit word for health. The deeper meaning is “being firmly situated in perfect health.” At first glance one might perceive this as attempting to attain perfect health and living without any sort of physical and emotional ailment, but it is the opposite. Svastha asks you to accept your current situation, imbalance, and struggles but to care enough about yourself to make decisions in such a way that won’t aggravate or intensify your imbalance. When you live in this way, imbalances do begin to lessen and your body, mind, and life start to feel better.

Doshas

Here in the west, if anyone knows about Ayurveda, they know about the Doshas. While doshas are an important part of Ayurveda, they are only a small part of a deep philosophy. Doshas are patterns of energy that make up your physical, emotional, and mental being. There are three doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. You are born with all three doshas, but typically one is dominant and sometimes all three are dominate. Your doshic make up impacts how you look, the emotions you experience on a regular basis, the foods you crave, the physical challenges you experience, and so much more. Because the word Dosha means “fault,” these energies go in and out of balance. The imbalanced dosha creates your personal challenges. Understanding and paying attention to what dosha is out of balance is a part of how Ayurveda increases self-awareness.

How I use Ayurveda

First, my training in Ayurveda is rooted in women’s health and LOVE. Learning to accept where, how, and who you are exactly as you are in this moment. Learning to be ok with emotions that are uncomfortable and physical health issues that are challenges and unwanted. Leaving judgement behind and stepping into radical self-acceptance and embrace this human body and life as it is with all of joys and difficulties. That being said, my approach is not rigid or dogmatic.

Ayurveda states disease starts in the mind. This means disease starts with unresolved or suppressed emotions and poor decisions, also known as “failure of the intellect.” Failing to make better choices, saying no, saying yes, and living in a way that out is of harmony with your body and mind.

My work as an Ayurvedic Life Coach is with the mind and emotions, improving decision making, and increasing self-love and acceptance. While I don’t directly address physical issues, often times physical problems improve with emotional processing and lifestyle changes. My clients start by completing an Ayurvedic intake which gives me an understanding of their lifestyle practices and imbalances. We go over their intake in an extended first intake session. I make recommendations based on the intake. From there, I expertly combine Ayurveda with the rest of my tools to help you feel calm, at ease, and like you are ok, no matter what.

Got your imbalance? here are some ideas to help bring yourself back into harmony: