Ayurveda
Ayurveda is considered by many scholars to be the oldest healing science. Ayurveda is based on the belief that health and wellness depend on a delicate balance between the mind, body, and spirit.
Knowledge of Life
The Sanskrit term Ayurveda translates to “knowledge of life,” and the principles of this ancient wisdom remind us that the entire web of life is intricately interwoven. With a unique emphasis on total wellness, the art and science of Ayurveda work to harmonize our internal and external worlds.
Our five senses serve as the portals between the internal and external realms, as the five great elements of ether, air, fire, water, and earth dance the dance of creation around and within us. Ayurveda groups these five elements into three basic energy types and functional principles present in everybody and everything. Since there are no single words in English to describe these principles, we use the Sanskrit words Vata, Pitta, and Kapha to describe their combinations.
Everything we experience, be it a physical substance, a thought, or an emotion, has certain qualities. The ancient texts of Ayurveda classify these qualities — called gunas in Sanskrit — into 10 pairs of opposites, making 20 qualities total (for example, heavy vs. light). Theoretically, everything in the universe can be described in terms of these gunas, or qualities, including the doshas. The foundation of Ayurvedic treatment relies upon recognizing when gunas have become excessive or deficient, as this is known to cause doshic imbalance and lead to disease. Ayurveda applies the opposite qualities to return to balance.
​
Agni, the universal principle of transformation that manifests as our digestive fire, mediates between the internal and external, transforming food into bodily tissue and waste, interpreting information into experiential knowledge, and discerning between nutritious material and waste product.
​
​
Ayurveda kindles the agni of the body to digest toxins that have manifested due to internal or external stresses, ensuring optimal functioning of the physical and mental being.
​
Leveraging these basic principles, Ayurveda customizes preventative wellness to each individual's unique constitution. In addition, ancient Ayurvedic doctors produced detailed descriptions of acute and chronic conditions (complete with causes, signs, and symptoms) and developed extensive holistic treatment protocols.
​
In addition, Ayurveda offers one of the world’s most comprehensive cleansing protocols, known as panchakarma. This ancient practice uses five primary therapies to release and eliminate accumulated toxins from deep within the tissues and return the doshas to their proper seats in the body.
​
Ayurveda offers renewed access to our natural intelligence. As the original circadian medicine, Ayurveda holds the key to resolving dis-ease creating a disconnect. Thus, this ancient medicine offers the promise of a more harmonious future for the people and planet.
The soul is the same in all living creatures, although the body of each is different.
What is an Ayurvedic Practitioner?
Ayurvedic Practitioners are competent in health promotion and disease prevention (svasthavritta) and are trained to address disease pathology as seen through the Ayurvedic model.
An Ayurvedic Practitioner utilizes the principles of Ayurvedic medicine to create diet and lifestyle (ahara and vihara) recommendations according to their assessment of the patient’s Ayurvedic constitution and imbalances (prakriti and vikriti), state of the doshas, agni, dhatus, malas, and manas (mind).
They educate, motivate, and counsel patients to support their success in implementing the principles of Ayurveda into their lives. Ayurvedic Practitioners may refer clients to Ayurvedic Doctors for diagnosis and treatment of disease. Responsible Ayurvedic Practitioners will always refer patients to medical practitioners as necessary.
​
Meri Consor is a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner.
Newsletter