It is quite difficult to explain what Ayurveda is in a short sentence, partly because it is such a vast and rich body of knowledge (wisdom, actually) that includes everything that has to do with life and death, really, and even other dimensions beyond our physical body. Even if I could tell you in one sentence what Ayurveda is, you wouldn’t be able to really comprehend it until you spent some time exploring it yourself.
Ayurveda is most often translated as ‘the science of life’, or ‘the science of longevity’. But this is not an accurate translation. Ayurveda is actually two Sanskrit words combined: ‘ayus’ meaning ‘that which is moving towards death’ (definition from Dr. Ram Manohar) and ‘veda’ which refers to a spiritual knowledge system, or a system of wisdom about life. So in the word Ayurveda, it is already implied that we have some limitation (death).
Some might know Ayurveda due to Yoga since they are sister sciences, some might know Ayurveda through diet and nutrition (since is became popular among vegetarians even though Ayurveda is not originally vegetarian), some might know Ayurveda through massage or spa centers, some might know Ayurveda as an alternative healing system. Well, Ayurveda is a little bit of all that and more.
Ayurveda is considered one of the oldest of the “life sciences” that has been kept alive until now. It originated in India at least three thousand years ago, some people will say it has around five thousand years (or even more) of history. While a lot has changed in the world from then til the present time, Ayurveda is still relevant: it is based on timeless wisdom that can still be applied today, because it is a knowledge system that follows the rhythm of nature.
Ayurveda touches upon all possible aspects of life – not just the physical aspect but also the spiritual. It has a very complete way of looking at the universe and it is able to tie in the physical/material with the subtle/energetic beautifully – and that’s how I fell in love with Ayurveda. Once you learn to look through the principles of Ayurveda, everything simply starts making sense.
Ayurveda and self-knowledge
The biggest contribution from Ayurveda to my life so far has been in the aspect of helping me connect the dots. That’s why I chose self-knowledge as an approach to my practice of Ayurveda. Since a key aspect of Ayurveda is the concept of gunas (qualities) – and there are qualities in everything in the universe, you can’t help but slowly start paying attention to the qualities of things. And when you start developing this awareness, the magic happens!
Awareness is a door for self-knowledge. We often hear people say ‘know yourself’, what exactly does that mean? How do you even start to look into yourself? Well, Ayurveda is a great tool for that. Ayurveda forces you to pay attention to your body and to the environment and to realize its relationship, and from this big insight, your life will be transformed.
How popular is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is regaining popularity slowly in different parts of the world. It is becoming increasingly popular particularly in the U.S. due to the work of Vasant Lad and the school he founded, the Ayurvedic Institute. There are other great American authors that published Ayurvedic books, such as Robert Svoboda and David Frawley. In Europe, it is also becoming increasingly popular. I actually got my first certificate from an Ayurveda school in Germany. And it is becoming a trendy thing in Brazil too.
Some people get to know Ayurveda through food and nutrition, because Ayurveda mainly uses the idea of food as medicine. You might come across a few Ayurvedic recipe books when you are browsing a bookstore. That’s actually how I had my first contact with Ayurveda – through a book from Laura Pires, an author who wrote about how Ayurveda helped her with multiple sclerosis.
Other people get to know Ayurveda through Yoga, since they both share some common principles and philosophies that come from the Vedic knowledge. Ayurveda will also frequently suggest Yoga exercises and meditation or breathing exercises as part of the daily lifestyle recommendations to improve our well-being. Some will say that Ayurveda is only complete when combined with Yoga and Jyotisha (vedic astrology).
Then, there are people who get to know Ayurveda from spa centers or massage centers. And finally, there are people who might have heard of Ayurveda through Ayurvedic herbs and supplements, which are also becoming a trend.
In India, Ayurveda is recognized as an official medical system, and is covered under the government’s healthcare schemes. Overall, Ayurveda’s popularity continues to grow globally, with more people seeking natural and holistic approaches to healthcare and well-being.
What are the main treatment methods in Ayurveda?
Ayurveda offers a lot of different methods to support the healing process. It first takes into consideration the diet of the individual, but it also puts a lot of emphasizes on daily habits such as the amount of physical activity, elimination habits, cleansing habits (not just cleansing of the body but of the mind too). These all because they relate to digestion, and Ayurveda is super big on digestion but I won’t get into details in this post.
Ayurvedic treatment methods can include the use of diet, herbs and spices, massage, purification procedures (Panchakarma), exercise and yoga, meditation, breathing techniques, marma therapy, aromatherapy, color therapy, sound therapy/ mantras, the use of gems, the use of amulets, the use of mantras and even astrology… you see how broad it is.
The knowledge provided by Ayurveda can be used in a preventive manner, or it can help with not so serious, early imbalances in the body, or it can be used to treat serious conditions and even to support and complement the treatment of complicated illnesses that modern science does not yet know how to deal with it.
Why is Ayurveda considered holistic?
Ayurveda takes a holistic approach when looking at a patient because it does not only look at the disease or the symptoms of a disease and tries to treat the symptoms, it looks at the whole individual takimg into consideration his body, mind and soul. It also takes into consideration his family history, his diet and lifestyle, the environment where he lives, his relationships… his whole life basically. We do not only have a physical body, we have an emotional body too that directly affects the physical body.
What are the 8 branches of Ayurveda?
The knowledge from Ayurveda later got categorized into 8 branches: Kayachikitsa (internal medicine), Shalakya Tantra (ophthalmology and ear, nose, throat), Shalya Tantra (surgery), Agada Tantra (toxicology), Bhuta Vidya (psychiatry), Kaumara Bhritya (Pediatrics), Rasayana (science of rejuvenation or anti-ageing) and Vajikarana (the science of fertility and aphrodisiac).
Some of these branches are more popular and more practiced than others. But you can see how Ayurveda is broad!