Ayurveda is one of the world's oldest systems of natural health care originating in the ancient traditions of India.
Introduction
Considered the oldest science known to mankind, it is THE natural healing system of medicine used throughout India. Ayurveda mainly focuses on health maintenance.
Ayurveda also is now considered one of the leading forms of holistic medicine available in the West.
History
Ayurveda is the science of life, prevention and longevity. It is the oldest holistic medical system and was first placed in written form over 5,000 years ago in India.
Ayurveda is a world medicine dealing with body, mind and spirit, addressing all factors that influence our quality of life.
The term Ayurveda combines two Sanskrit words 'ayur', which means life, and 'veda', which means science or knowledge, and Ayurveda literally means, "the science of life." According to this science, a living creature is composed of soul, mind and body, and it is therefore the intersection of all these elements that constitutes "the science of life".
Doshas and Elements
The three doshas are vata, pitta and kapha, and the five elements are ether, air, fire, water and earth.
Central to the practice of Ayurveda is the idea that we are made up of five elements: ether, air, fire, water and earth. These elements have been recombined into three distinct attributes of the individual constitution called the doshas.
According to Ayurvedic science, from the time of birth to death, the doshas (positively or negatively) influence one's health status and physical constitution.
Principles of Ayurveda
The principles of Ayurveda state that nothing exists in isolation, so that everything you interact with, your diet, family, work or relationships, has an effect on your health and wellbeing. One of these principles is that the mind and body are connected, and that the mind has a profound influence over our health and well-being.
Eight Branches of Ayurveda
Ayurvedic science is vast and elaborate, and thereby developed into eight branches. Ayurveda was traditionally established by the great sages who developed India’s original systems of meditation and Yoga. The study of Ayurveda includes herbal medicine, dietetics, body work, surgery, psychology and spirituality.
The Charaka Tradition
Six schools of medicine exist within the Charaka Tradition and these were founded by the disciples of the sage Punarvasu Ātreya. Ayurveda is traditionally divided into eight branches which, in Charaka's scheme, are:
- Sūtra-Sthāna = General principles
- Nidāna-Sthāna = Pathology
- Vimāna-Sthāna = Diagnostics
- Sharīra-Sthāna = Physiology and Anatomy
- Indriya-Sthāna = Prognosis
- Chikitsā-Sthāna = Therapeutics
- Kalpa-Sthāna = Pharmacy
- Siddhi-Sthāna = Successful Treatment
Ayurveda versus Western Medicine
While conventional Western medicine is still grounded in the paradigm of mind-body separation, Ayurveda holds that health is more than the absence of disease; it is a dynamic state of balance and integration of body, mind, and spirit.
Ayurveda not only deals with medical science, but also with the social, ethical, intellectual, and spiritual life of man. It amalgamates the accuracy of science and the sublimity of philosophy, poetry, and art.
© 1996-2008 Mark Isaac Thyss/Garden of Healing®. All rights reserved.