When I first encountered Ayurveda it appeared to be something rather simple and archaic, but then as I continued to study more deeply I quickly began to realize Ayurveda is in fact a most beautiful and profound system having just as much relevance today as it did 5000 years ago. My hope is that as you begin to study you will also begin to appreciate its elegance.
If you read on you will find several articles, largely based on workshops I have held, which hopefully will inspire you to know more.
Here you will find a straightforward description of the central concepts of the doshas, prakruti, vikruti, agni and ama to help you understand your own situation and to begin to understand how an ayurvedic practitioner will work with you. You will also find a prakruti questionnaire where you can complete a short quiz to determine your innate constitution.
This article examines the Gunas of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, the three states of mind, and how they relate to our well-being. It also looks at the mind and body relationship.
Here we can complete a short questionnaire helping us determine the balance of tamas, rajas and sattva within our mind; this will also also highlight some of the qualities of each mental state. You will see how we must move from tamas, to rajas and then to sattva as we become more balanced. Finally there are some general guidelines to help us increase sattva guna.
This is a very important article as by working directly with the emotions we can quickly transform the way we relate both to ourself and to the world around us. Here you will be introduced to the ayurvedic view of emotion and to the yogic concepts of the samskaras, vasanas and kleshas. The concept of vairagya or detachment is also introduced.
Here you will find a summary of dietary and lifestyle programs which will help you to achieve balance. Whilst it is always best to actually consult a specialist in ayurveda if you can discern your own prakruti or determine your vikruti then adopting these measures will have a tremendous positive effect upon your own well-being. Shamana programs include general lifestyle guidance for each prakruti but they also underpin any other clinical protocols, without which long term healing is not possible.
Everyday ways to increase Prana
In this article you will see how there are some simple everyday techniques to help increase and balance prana. These help to increase our vitality but also help the body to regulate all of our different physiological and psychological functions. |