The impact of Eastern medicine on Western wellness has grown tremendously over the last decade. From 2012 to 2016, the number of Americans doing yoga grew by more than 50 percent.
Modalities like yoga open the door to other forms of eastern wellness like Ayurveda. Check out this brief introduction to Ayurveda and how you can use it to promote mental, physical and emotional healing in your body:
Brief Introduction to Ayurveda
Ayurveda has a history that dates back more than 5,000 years ago. The term Ayurveda means the ‘science of life’ in Sanskrit.
Originating in India, Ayurveda didn’t reach the U.S. until recent years inspiring various forms of treatment like homeopathy and polarity therapy.
Ayurveda comes from the Vedic culture which passed down the medical tradition orally before written records took form only two thousand years ago.
The Principles
The Ayurvedic approach to wellness is based on the belief that everything in our bodies and lives is interconnected. Your mind has the power to heal your body.
Through the expansion of your awareness, you can bring balance into your body through daily Ayurvedic practices. Practice getting enough sleep and exerting less force in your daily life.
When your desires match those of what you actually need, you’re considered to living an Ayurvedic lifestyle.
Ayurvedic Diet
The Ayurvedic diet is one that promotes variety and reduces cravings. Including each of the following areas in your diet means you are satisfied longer and less likely to eat junk food:
- Sweet
- Salty
- Sour
- Pungent
- Bitter
- Astringent
Try to include a little of each flavor in each meal including a variety of colors in your recipes. Minimize raw foods which can be harder for the body to digest.
Food colors that are deep blue, red, green, purple and orange are the biggest immune boosters and contain antioxidants required for a healthy body. Along with flavors, these should be included in meals when possible to promote wellness.
Ayurvedic Body Types
There are three main body types in Ayurveda: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Ayurvedic massage is based on the need to appeal to the needs of each body type.
These three body types carry with them emotional, mental and physical characteristics that can help you better understand which practices work best for you.
Vata
The Vata body type is thin and frail. If you have a Vata body type, you’re more likely to maintain an irregular eating schedule and lose weight easily.
Vata tends to be more creative and imaginative with constantly changing moods.
Pitta
The Pitta body type belongs to the more intelligent, efficient Perfectionist. This person has a medium, symmetrical build with warm skin tones.
Pitta is ambitious and quicker to anger than the other body types. This personality is intense, avoids heat and tends to make friends based on where he or she works.
Kapha Dosha
The Kapha body type is stocky and round. This person experiences slower, heavier digestion after meals.
They tend to be calm and with high stamina. Conflict can lead to depression and laziness with this body type.
This brief introduction to Ayurveda can help you get started without the need for drastic lifestyle changes. Simple tips like getting more rest and eating a wider variety of nutrients are already staples of Western medicine.
Work towards gradually incorporating more advanced modalities as you increase your understanding of how Ayurveda can improve your health. For more self-care tips, check our blog for updates.
