"A man is a universe in miniature, and the universe, a giant living
body; the cosmos is similar to a large man, and a man is similar
to a small cosmos".

~Kabir


WHAT IS AYURVEDA

"Ayurveda", which means "Science of Life" in Sanskrit, is an ancient
healing system from India, based on the unchanging, immutable laws
that govern the universe.

Quite a claim for a first line of introduction into a medicine, isn't it?
Yet this beautiful, profound and extremely successful system of healing
and medicine is very much like that sentence. Simple, direct and universal.
Your understanding of Ayurveda begins the moment you look deeply at the
laws that guide all of manifested creation, and then seek to understand
how these laws are playing themselves out in your own life. You deepen
your understanding of Ayurveda even further when you begin to apply the
balancing recommendations that Ayurveda offers into gentle and loving
adjustments in your lifestyle choices.

Would it surprise you to know that Ayurveda is the oldest continually
practiced medicine on the planet? Did you know that Ayurveda is
recognized by the World Health Organization? Or that a great American
society of surgeons today is named after the ancient Ayurvedic surgical
teacher, Sushruta?

Like Yoga, Ayurveda comes to us through the rich and profound teachings
of the Upanishads and the four Vedas; The Rig Veda, The Yajur Veda, The
Sama Veda, and the Athara Veda. These texts are humankind's oldest
literature as well as our oldest spiritual teachings. The Vedas outline
in great detail how to live in harmony with universal law (dharma). All
aspects of right living are discussed, from physical health, to correct
business practices, from harmonizing yourself with society, to specific
practices for spiritual development.

Ayurveda sprang from the Sarasvati civilization of the Indus valley of
ancient India. By 3000 BCE, this civilization extended from the Ganges
in the east to Afghanistan in the west, and from the coast of Iran to
the region of Bombay. It was at this time, the world's largest urban
civilization. The formative period of Ayurveda as we know it today
occurred between 2000 and 300 BCE. The medical material that was found
throughout both the Vedas and the Upanishads was collected, tested and
systematically organized. These findings were compiled into collections called
Samhitas.

Of all of the Samhitas that once existed, only three original works remain.
They are the Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, and Ashtanga Hridaya.
These collections are known as Brihattrayi, and together they
constitute the oldest and longest medical texts in the world.


THE FIVE GREAT ELEMENTS

An important organizing principle of Ayurvedic medicine is the five
great elements (Pancha Mahabhutani). As we explore the five elements
here, allow your subtle mind to embrace their multi-dimensional
qualities. Think of the elements as principles of density, manifestations
of ideas, and fields of expression. The five elements are:

EARTH stability, resistance, form

WATER flow,transition

FIRE perception, heat, light

AIR subtle movement, direction, velocity, time

ETHER communication, exchange between mediums, space


According to Ayurveda, the five elements are a model for all substance
of the universe. Think of the elements as a language we can use to
identify and understand the underlying nature of a condition, as well
as to infer likely relationships between conditions.

We carry an intuitive understanding of how the elements interact with
one another from the abundant examples that Nature provides. And, being
a part of Nature, we are ourselves, an expression of these attributes.
It should be noted that each of us contains and expresses the qualities
of all five elements, but our particular constitution, or nature, has
dominant elements.

These manifest themselves in our manner of perception, our digestion of
perceptions, our approach to life, and our response to conditions.
This is our inherited physical, mental and emotional character or
constitution. We are not separate from our environment of course, so we
also reflect the dominant traits of our environment and society.
Ayurveda acknowledges both nature and nurture.


THE DOSHAS

The five elements distill down to what we all the three "Doshas".
Consider your dosha to be your inherited body/mind constitution. One
of the first jobs of the Ayurvedic Physician or Practitioner, is to
determine which of these three doshas is your own unique body-mind
type. We do this through a variety of diagnostics, including pulse
diagnosis, written tests, and conducting a thorough examination. We may
also ask you to detail for us your current life situation from all
angles, so we may get a holistic view of how best to serve you.

Note that we are describing your nature as a body-mind type, but your
nature would more accurately be described as your
body-mind-emotional-energy type.

We are interested in attending to all aspects of your health, and we
see your spiritual, emotional, and energetic health as very important
to the fulfillment of your overall radiant health!

We call these three doshas VATA (air/ether) PITTA (fire/water) and
KAPHA (earth/water). The doshas, or constitutional "types", predict the
likely ways we will both stay in and go out of balance in our physical,
mental and emotional responses to the world.

Here we would like to introduce one of the most important axioms of
Ayurvedic medicine: Opposites Cure. We know that moving air fuels fire
and that earth or water thrown on the fire will subdue it. Using this
simple and profound approach, the Ayurvedic practitioner will make
recommendations designed to bring the aggravated or subdued element(s)
back in balance.

Here is an example of how we use the language of the five elements and
the three doshas to help a client understand their inherited constitution.

The VATA dosha, when out of balance, manifests as the symptoms of:
anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, indigestion, constipation, gas, emotional
instability, lack of appetite, dry skin, reduced concentration and focus.

The PITTA dosha, when out of balance, manifests as the symptoms of
indigestion, heartburn, certain cardiovascular disorders, skin
eruptions, irritability, high blood pressure heartburn , hemorrhoids,
and general inflammation.

The KAPHA dosha out of balance manifests as the symptoms of congestion,
water retention, weight gain, certain lung and allergy disorders,
lethargy, depression, lymphatic disorders, and heaviness.

In looking over these symptoms, do you begin to see the relationship
between the nature of an element and its expression in the human body
and mind? Do you see a constellation of these symptoms in your own
life?

In doing so, you have begun the first step in applying the Ayurvedic
language towards you own healing.

When your Ayurvedic Practitioner gives you your constitutional
analysis, you may come up as a single doshic type as, for example VATA,
or you might come up as a dual doshic type as, for example, a
PITTA-KAPHA, or you might come up as a combination of all three
elements called a TRIDOSHIC type.

No one doshic type is better or worse than another. You were made
exactly the way nature intended. Our work together will simply be an
educational process where we will work with medicinal and lifestyle
recommendations that will be most effective in bringing you back to
your natural balance.

We stand ready to serve you and your life at the deepest level!

We offer both private in person and phone consultations.

Please check out our "ABOUT THE CENTER" page and our
"SERVICES and RATES" page to learn more!

The Center for Ayurveda is happy to give full permission for all or
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"Does a flower, full of beauty, light and loveliness say, 'I am giving,
helping, serving?' It does! And because it is not trying to do anything
it covers the earth." ~Krishnamurti