Ayurveda
Here at Ayurveda for Balance, we strive to bring the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda to the modern world. "Ayu" means life and "veda" means knowledge, so Ayurveda is the knowledge of life. Ayurveda originated thousands of years ago in India, and is one of the oldest wholistic approaches to health care in the world. Ayurveda's understanding of health, dis-ease prevention and treatment is still practiced widely today around the world.
​
One of the basic principles of Ayurveda is the balance of the doshas. When they are in balance there is health and vitality, when they are out of balance, it will cause dis-ease.
What Are The Doshas
​
Doshas are the three life forces (or energies) that are present in all forms of life, in every cell, and in every organ.
​
The three doshas are
-
Vata - the airy energy of movement
-
Pitta - the transforming fire energy
-
Kapha - the stabilizing earth and water energy
​
Every person has all three “doshas" in varying proportions defining their unique constitution. This explains the huge variety of individual differences and preferences.
​
We are all born with a particular combination of the doshas. This is your base constitution or prakruti. But lifestyle, routines, foods, climates or stresses etc. can influence the proportions of the doshas and you end up with doshic proportions that are different than the ones that we were born with. These "new" proportions are called imbalances or vikruti.
​
When your current doshic balance corresponds to your base constitution you experience optimal health, energy, and vitality.
​
Working with an ayurvedic practitioner, you will learn what your base constitution and your imbalances are and how to address the imbalances. Learn More About Ayurveda
​
Everything in this world has qualities: hot, cold, dry, moist, soft, hard etc. The doshas have their qualities as well:
- Vata is mobile, light, cold, dry...
- Pitta is hot, mobile and slightly moist...
- Kapha is heavy, cool, moist, stable...
Similar qualities enforce each other, while opposite qualities reduce or balance each other. We use the qualities to find the best way of treatment for the doshic imbalances. For instance somebody with a Vata imbalance will do well with the Vata opposing qualities: stable, heavy, warming and moist. Warm oil massages, properly spiced cooked foods, warming, calming but moisturizing herbs will all be beneficial for a Vata imbalance.
​
Ayurveda works with constitutionally appropriate diets, daily routines regarding self-care, meal times, exercise routine and sleep, management of sensory input and where needed, herbal formulations to bring you into, or keep you, in balance.
​
As everybody has a unique combination of the doshas, the recommendations and treatments for each client will be customized to each client specifically. This is personalized medicine.
Nothing works for everybody – but everything works for somebody.