In Indian Ayurveda, oil applications and a special diet play an essential role. The combination has a very relaxing effect and also strengthens the body’s resistance. No wonder that Ayurveda enjoys increasing popularity in modern times. The term Ayurveda comes from ancient Indian and is composed of two words: Ayus means life (Sanskrit: Ayur = long life) and Veda means knowledge. Ayurveda is therefore the science of life. Ayurveda originates from the Himalayan region and is considered one of the oldest healing methods in the world. Already 5 000 years ago, the first writings on Ayurveda were written in India.
Ayurveda – a philosophy of life.
Similar to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the ancient Indian healing teachings not only prescribe recipes against certain diseases, but Ayurveda is a philosophy of life. According to Ayurveda, all living beings are supplied with “nutrient juice” through food, which is eventually transformed into the body’s own tissue. In order for this important process to occur, three life energies, called doshas, are necessary:
- Vata (wind) is created from air and space,
- From fire and water Pitta (sun),
- From water and earth Kapha (moon).
Vata energy controls the absorption of food, its transport and excretion. But also circulation, speech, muscle mobility and breathing are the vata area. Pitta energies control the metabolism. They are responsible for converting food into nutritive juices and processing it in the various tissues. Therefore, Pitta is also responsible for regulating body temperature, vision, skin color, radiance and intellectual abilities.
Kapha is responsible for the incorporation of substances into the body. It is responsible for strength and tissue structure. Kapha is used to describe all processes that lead to density, stability and resistance.
Ayurveda has its own views on the structure and function of the human body. Simplified, it can be said that according to Ayurvedic teachings, the human body consists of structural elements (which include skin, bones, tissue types and fine channel systems) and energetic components (i.e. energies that act in the body).
Life in balance
According to Ayurvedic teachings, a person is healthy only when the three life energies, vata, pitta and kapha, are in balance. Diseases can arise when the flow of these energies is disturbed. The Ayurvedically trained physician can recognize these, among other things, by means of pulse diagnosis. Preventive measures play a decisive role in Ayurveda.
The right lifestyle is the most important measure for a life in health. Harmony in all areas of life is recommended: The right mix of rest and activity, tension and relaxation, leisure and work, sleeping and waking.
According to Ayurvedic rules, you should greet the sunrise “with bright senses”: get up before six in the morning and go to bed “with the chickens”, no later than ten in the evening. Nutrition, sleep and sexuality are the three pillars of life according to Ayurvedic teachings. Ayurvedic healing methods include massages, steam baths or oil pours. But food and its preparation also take an important role in the therapies.
