Ayurveda Simplified - What is all the fuss about?
Feeling ungrounded, unstable or in a slump? What if the key to balance, health and harmony is within your reach and all it takes is gaining a deeper understanding of your own physiological, emotional and mental make-up? Sounds like a no-brainer? Well, many believe that the answer lies in an ancient Indian philosophy called “Ayurveda.”
The Ayurvedic system is more than 5,000 years old. It has stood the test of time and still thrives in many parts of the world today. In fact, according to Google Trends interest in Ayurveda is on the rise. Why? Because it works!
In this three part blog series, we will distill the intricacies of Ayurveda into simple pearls of wisdom. In this first blog post, we will:
- • Introduce the concept of Ayurveda;
- • Touch on it's history; and
- • Illustrate how age old Ayurvedic concepts make sense in the modern world.
Once you have wrapped your mind around what Ayurveda is, head over to the next blog post in this series where we delve into foundational Ayurvedic principles in more detail. In the third blog post, you will find out why you should start incorporating Ayurveda into your wellness journey.
What is Ayurveda?
The word Ayurveda is derived from the Sankrit words “Ayur” (which means “life”) and veda (meaning “science”). Ayurveda therefore translates to the “science of life.” Ayurveda is a practice of medicine that originated in India and is rooted in
ancient Vedic tradition. It is built upon the premise that every individual is unique, and that the primary goal of health is to achieve balance and harmony between the mind, body, and spirit. In Ayurveda, balance is believed to be achieved by focusing on all three of these spheres equally - the concept of fill your own cup first!
Ayurvedic philosophy is based on the concept that the five elements, i.e. earth, water, air, fire and ether, are the building blocks of every life form, including our bodies. Each person has a unique combination of the five elements. The combination of these five elements results in what is known as the “Doshas.” There are three Doshas, namely Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Whilst each person has all three Doshas in differing distributions, most people have one or two dominant Doshas.
This means that your unique ratio of the elements is responsible for making you who you are on a physiological, emotional, and mental level – think of this as a personalised blueprint for your health! Take our quiz to discover your Dosha and look out for our future blog series where we will dig deeper into each Dosha and their characteristics.
The aim of Ayurveda is to maintain good health by understanding how to bring your Doshas back into balance when imbalances are experienced. In this way you can treat the cause of illness, as opposed to simply treating symptoms.
Since Ayurveda is deeply anchored in the principles of natural healing, it teaches us how to live in harmony with nature, how to be in tune with our physical, mental and spiritual health, and how to practically manage our daily lives in a holistic manner in order to stay healthy. This means eating fresh and seasonal foods, exercising regularly, focusing on our sleep patterns, using affirmations, and nurturing a positive mindset.
A brief history of Ayurveda
Maruva Naturals believes in a modern take on the historic system of Ayurveda and our mission is to help you embark on a holistic approach to your well being. After all, the skin is the biggest organ of the body and the canvas that illustrates what is going on inside. At Maruva we believe in a modern take on the historic system of Ayurveda - we can only understand the progression of Ayurveda and the practicality of applying its principles today if we understand its history. So let's take a brief look!
Ayurveda can be traced back to an ancient school of Hindu philosophical teachings (known as “Vaisheshika”) and the school of logic (“Nyaya”) which advocated that before commencing with treatment, a thorough understanding of the condition and makeup of the specific patient needs to be obtained.
It is believed that Ayurveda developed between 1500 BC to 1000 BC, but it was between 800 BCE to 1000 BCE when important books on Ayurveda were circulated across the world. Global growth of Ayurveda was stunted during the British occupation of India and when the popularity of Western culture began to rise. Despite this, a strong foothold was maintained by the Indian population who continued to follow Ayurvedic principles. Ayurveda began to draw attention from international scholars during the Indian independence struggle and continues to grow as more people start to see the long-term benefits of maintaining a holistic lifestyle.
As of 2021, Ayurveda is recognised as a system of medicine in 16 countries including Switzerland and the popularity of Ayurveda is also growing at a rapid pace in the USA; UK and Australia.
Now that you have been introduced to Ayurveda, head on over to our next blog post where we uncover its principles and pillars.
Trying to get to grips with all the new terms that you have learned about? Make use of our dictionary until you are Ayurvedic fluent!
In the next blog series, we will profile each Dosha; provide practical ways to incorporate Ayurveda into your daily life and understand how to bring your Doshas back into balance when imbalances occur during various stages of life. Also keep an eye out for a future blog series on African Botanicals where we will profile each of our skincare products and highlight the benefits of the African botanicals featured in each product. In the meantime, sign up for our newsletter to get the inside scoop on Ayurvedic lifestyle tips and be the first to know about exclusive promotions.
