AYURVEDIC MEDICINE
Is a lineage of traditional healing based in India that goes back thousands of years.
Ayurveda contains many practices touching mind body and spirit. Most folks know what yoga is, but not Ayurveda. Yoga is actually a subset of Ayurvedic teachings!
Ayurveda understands the body like an ecosystem. This knowledge is non linear - its a web - and rooted in connections.
7 SACRED RIVERS
Lymph - Blood - Muscle - Skin - Bone - Nerves - REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
In Ayurveda, your body is made up of 7 rivers. These seven rivers are connected, in this order, in the body. A state of 'dis-ease' happens when one or more of those rivers are blocked, causing issues upstream and downstream. This happens surprisingly often! And to different degrees.
For example! If you notice a rash on your skin then its likely you have a few rivers in distress already. And instinctively we know this - if we get a skin condition we really want to address it because something deeper is going on.
The 5 Elements
Ether - Air - Fire - Water - Earth
Where the rivers are the basis of connection, the elements are the basis of state. These elements are how Ayurveda understands the state of your tissues.
Depending on what tissues are in what state, we can determine where you have blockages in your body, and what tools to use to unwind them.
Is your liver hot? or congested and wet?
Is your skin dry? Or juicy?
Are you hot or cold? Wet or dry?
If a tissue is hot, it needs cold. If its dry, it needs wet and nourishment. This is where the world of remedies opens up, and allows you to learn to tune into your own body to meet your own needs. A lot of the remedies are easy to do for yourself, they just take some time and attention.
THE DOSHAS
VATA - PITTA - KAPHA
You come into this world with a specific elemental constitution - based on your genetics, and environment while developing in the womb. This is your dosha. The three doshas are themselves based on the elements:
Vata - Ether + Air
Pitta - Fire + Water
Kapha - Water + Earth
To find out your dosha, we can read your Prakruti - your birth pulse. Your Prakruti is your birth constitution and determines which elements makeup your constitution, including the gunas. Read more about prakruti here
The Gunas describe the quality of each element, and represent a deeper layer of understanding. Are you vata dry? or vata subtle? Pitta hot? Or pitta spreading? Kapha wet? or kapha dense?
All of these clues provide a map to understand yourself deeper - understand the physics of your own being - and the strengths and weaknesses your elements confer.
Who are you? What are your deepest strengths? What do you need to keep an eye on?