If you’re interested in alternative medicine, you may have heard about Ayurveda, also known as the Knowledge of Life. It is more than just a wellness trend, as Ayurveda is not only about finding a remedy (though it is a popular natural healing remedy).
In addition to being a natural remedy, Ayurveda also promotes principles of holistic wellness and healthy living by encouraging practitioners to strive for a balanced state through improved lifestyle habits. Though Ayurveda has become popular because of yoga, meditative chants, the use of healing oils, and pranayama (breathing exercises), that’s not all. Ayurveya goes deep into the physiological and psychological aspects to truly get to the root of one’s health problems. More importantly, Ayurveda’s holistic view of health could be seen as a form of preventive medicine.
Ayurveda was established in India more than 5000 years ago, as seen in historical records written in Sanskrit in the four sacred books called the Vedas. According to historic records, the Hindu god of Ayurveda called Dhanvantari incarnated himself as a ruler of Varanasi and taught medicine to a group of physicians. The primary principles shared focused on optimal health and wellness, which hinges on the delicate balance between the spirit, mind, and body. Every person is characterized by an interrelation of doshas or energies that circulate in the body. The state of your three doshas, the Vata (movement), Kapha (metabolism), and Pitta (structure) could impact physiological activity.
Moreover, this practice believes that each person is made of 5 universal basic elements.
These 5 elements are earth, fire, water, air, and space. According to Ayurveda, all of these 5 elements and the doshas must be in a state of equilibrium or balance, for you to be in good health. When they are imbalanced due to triggers like poor nutrition, anxiety, stress, dehydration, or excessive exertion, the body enters Vikturi or imbalance. Ayurveda could help you discover what causes you to feel out of balance so you can rebalance emotions, make lifestyle adjustments, and regain energy. More importantly, Ayurveda aims to improve your overall general health no matter your age, offering extensive therapies and remedies for everyone. Check out the primary benefits of adhering to Ayurveda principles:
Ayurveda Helps Manage and Mitigate Stress
Natural remedies for stress and anxiety are important. Today’s fast-paced, modern lifestyle induces a lot of stress, and leaves little time for rejuvenation. If you practice Ayurveda, you could reduce stress and anxiety in your life. Ayurveda promotes the regular practice of the following to relax, rebalance, detoxify, and calm the body down:
- Establishing a yoga and meditation practice
- Eating correct food that supports your unique constitution
- Practicing regular breathing exercising
- Taking herbal treatments
- Conducting massages
All of the above promote an overall healthier lifestyle, allowing you to reduce stress and foster a greater sense of well-being since you know how to nurture yourself and restore energy stores. You also begin to understand your place in life as you choose to carve time for yourself and your passions.
For instance, yoga is said to improve the autonomic nervous system. As a result, you could make your mind more alert, helping you stay more focused and energized throughout the day. By the same token, doing regular breathing exercises allow the proper flow of fresh oxygen into the cells, creating awareness and promoting a healthier immune system to keep infections at bay. As such, anxiety and depression could be treated with Ayurvedic treatments like Shirodhara (pouring massage oil), Abhyangam (gentle massage to stimulate circulation), Shiroabhyanga (combination of Shirodhara and Abhyangam), and Padabhyanga (foot massage).
Promotes Healthy Weight Management
Ayurvedic treatments could help you establish a healthy diet and modify your lifestyle. As a result, you could shed excess weight and body fat. That being said, it is critical to emphasize that weight loss is not the primary concern of Ayurveda, but more so one’s eating habits. Ayurveda is more than just a treatment – it’s a wellness-focused lifestyle. Ayurvedic principles encourage healthy eating aligned with your doshas as a way of fostering self-love. Nutrition is as equally important as yoga exercises and Ayurvedic therapeutic treatments. After all, Agni, or the digestive force converts food into energy for you to live a good life. That’s why it’s important to nourish the body with foods that align with your specific constitution.
With Ayurveda, you stimulate the body to enter detoxification with the correct dietary consumption and restrictions that work with your doshas. When you adhere to this, you can achieve a toned physique. Of course, before starting any diet, you must also consult a medical physician to determine if it will meet your nutritional needs and not interfere with any medications. A CircleDNA test could also help you choose the correct diet that suits you best, based on your genetics, as it aligns with Ayurvedic principles of attaining balance by fueling the body with the right elements suited to your unique DNA.
You Could Start to Notice Better Skin and Healthier Hair
If you want to achieve healthy glowing skin and hair, Ayurveda practitioners attest that you can ditch expensive hair salon treatments and find wonderful solutions in nature. With organic and all-natural ingredients, you could achieve that glow you desire without spending too much or bombarding your system with synthetic ingredients.
Eating a balanced meal, doing toning exercises, and taking Ayurvedic supplements all work together, resulting in healthy skin and scalp. Ayurveda’s general diet guidelines focus on eating fresh food that aligns with your dosha. It also takes into consideration your medical history, customs, traditions, and produce in your area. Because it focuses on high-antioxidant food, teas, herbs, protein, and healthy fats, you could end up seeing great results in your skin and hair. After all, a radiant exterior starts with what you put inside your mouth. Studies affirm that healthy gut health is the foundation of good skin.
Ayurveda Could Naturally Reduce Inflammation
The human body experiences inflammation when you subject it to bad habits like an unhealthy diet, insufficient sleep, alcohol, smoking, stress, etc. Unfortunately, today’s modern lifestyle is packed with triggers that stimulate the cells’ inflammatory response. To make matters worse, inflammation is the root cause of many diseases such as the following:
- Cancer
- Neurological issues
- Diabetes
- Cardiovascular issues
- Pulmonary diseases
- Arthritis
To fight off inflammation and the onset of these diseases, eating according to your dosha type could help. For example, studies show that turmeric with black pepper is an excellent Ayurvedic formulation to fight inflammation and prevent the multiplication of cells, which is also known as cancer. Consumption of the best nutrients at the right time could strengthen your digestive system and reduce toxins in the digestive tract and blood. This could result in stronger digestion and better gut health, leading to an increase in energy levels, better vitality, and lesser mood swings and lethargy. Similarly, engaging in proper exercise and Ayurvedic therapies could help reduce inflammation and boost the immune system.
Promotes Detoxification and Cleansing
Apart from practicing a good diet, certain Ayurvedic treatments could actively eliminate toxins in the body. Examples of these treatments that you could get from a professional practitioner are the following:
- Enemas
- Oil massages
- Bloodletting
- Purgation
- Oral administration
With these therapies, you could help your body eliminate unwanted food and harmful toxins that cause an imbalance and interfere with bodily functions. When you achieve a cleansed state, you could improve your overall health. You could also supplement professional treatments with Ayurvedic home herbal remedies that support digestion, prevent bloating, promote sleep, alleviate stress, and fight inflammation . Some of these herbal ingredients could be found in teas or capsules such as cumin, ginger, fennel, turmeric, and cardamom.
Prevention of Certain Disorders
Ayurvedic nutrition and relaxation therapies could help reduce plaque build-up in the blood vessels and arteries. Plaque is a result of too much bad cholesterol which could lead to high blood pressure, poor heart rate, and eventually heart attack or stroke. With Ayurvedic herbs and supplements given at an appropriate dosage and time, you could combat the onset of certain immunity-related diseases.
For instance, natural herbs and essential oils promote good blood flow to draw out toxins from the body through the pores of the skin. When your body achieves a state of equilibrium, you could keep certain diseases at bay.
Is Ayurveda Right For You?
If you want to start on a path of holistic wellness, or start using more natural remedies in your life, it is important to find an Ayurvedic practitioner that you trust. Ayurveda involves a range of different natural treatments and therapies that are thoughtfully curated to support your unique needs and help your body cleanse and renew itself.
Herbs, oils, and other therapies are chosen based on your constitution. They are chosen to specifically restore your dosha equilibrium. Engaging in Ayurveda is a lifestyle choice that could potentially improve the quality of your life since it aims to cleanse your mind, body, and spirit.
Use Ayurveda’s principles to potentially reclaim your health, since it is a practice that promotes a balanced diet, natural herb intake, good sleep, and exercise. Ayurveda works in perfect harmony with Western medicine so you could use its holistic principles to recalibrate your life and achieve better overall health and wellness.
