What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda originated in India more than 5,000 years ago and is the oldest continuously practiced health-care system in the world. Drawn from an understanding of nature’s rhythms and laws, Ayurveda is built around the five elements of either earth, air, fire or water.
Ayurveda brings wisdom into how to keep your body in balance as well as how to purify it. Ayurveda teaches the importance of tissue restoration and rejuvenation as well as making your senses available to perceive the true reality of who you are.
To that end, it teaches a proactive approach to avoiding illness: fresh food, daily exercise, relaxation/stress reduction, and regular cleansing. According to Ayurveda, the five elements (space, air, fire, water, and earth) manifest in each of us in a unique way to give us our physical and mental qualities. These five basic elements then combine into three constitutions or doshas: vata, pitta, and kapha.
The unique combination of these three doshas in each individual has a specific influence on their physical, mental, and emotional tendencies. Identifying which is your dominant dosha(s) can help you find the right diet and lifestyle choices that will maintain personal balance and promote health and well-being on all levels.