Yoga is considered to be the science of self-realization. Ayurveda is the ancient science, translated from Sanskrit as "life-knowledge," the science of life, or self-healing. Yoga is the tradition of ancient yogis for purifying the body and preparing the mind for meditation. Ayurveda is said to have been the knowledge of the gods and was passed down orally until the time came on Earth when negativity dominated, crimes abounded and health was nearly nowhere to be found. Many rishis, or sages, prayed to and/or approached (depending on the account you hear or read) Lord Indra for help in relieving the suffering on Earth. This was when the knowledge was recorded in text form. The two sciences of self-healing and self-realization are dependent upon each other. How can you heal something you don't know, and how can you truly realize yourself or your potential without the knowledge to heal yourself?
I've reached the half-way point in my month-long intensive course of Ayurvedic Nutrition and Cooking, which means I get to cook lunch with the Ayurvedic doctor/my teacher. The other day, we made paranthae- usually a breakfast or lunch dish, prepared with a flour dough rolled into patties into which you place spoonfulls of a variety of fillings (anywhere from potato to chillies, to vegetables, depending on.. a number of things that I'll talk about in a minute). You then roll the patties about a quarter inch thick and place it o the hot taba (or whatever pan you've got) either with a lot of oil, little oil, or no oil, and lightly fry or cook each side until it becomes delicious.
"Paranthae is Ayurveda food?" he asked, surprised, and maybe a bit pleased with himself that he cooks Ayurveda-approved food for his children's breakfast without even knowing it. I smiled and responded that according to the Dr., the importance is not so much on the food itself as the preparation of the food, and the specific herbs and spices used (according to... a number of things that I'll talk about in a minute!) So much for the idea of "you are what you eat," apparently, you are HOW you eat.
Ayurvedic philosophy holds that everything in this world is made up of varying combinations of the "5 Big Elements," ether, air, fire, water, and earth. The actual ratio of your make-up is termed your "prakriti," literally your "nature." Each of the elements has its own characteristics and responsibilities in the form they take in our bodies and minds. For example, earth element is characteristically hard, dry, immobile and strong. the earth energy in the body is therefore responsible for the strength and firmness of the body and can be found in bone and connective tissue. In the mind, earth energy gives a person mental strength, courage and groundedness.
Based on the relationships between the 5 Big Elements, there are three basic elemental combinations that form what are called the "dosha," of a person: Vata, Pitta, Kapha. The dosha is generally how we refer to one's prakriti. There are hundreds of tests on the internet and in various books of more or less reliability in determining your dosha (and it's interesting to have a good friend do the test for you, and see the differences!) It should also be noted that we rarely find someone who is ruled solely by one dosha; we generally find ourselves to be a combination of two doshas with one being more dominant. For example, I have a Pittak-Kaphaj prakriti with Pitta being predominant. The principles of Ayurveda state that a person is treated with specific consideration to the individual's nature, using herbs as needed, and relying on food as medicine. Food is said to be capable of changing the body's inner atmosphere and collecting cosmic energies inside the body. Ayurveda also states that the psychology of a person is considered just as important as the physiology and pathology of an individual or disease process.
When preparing food or medicine, one must take the person's doshic dominance into primary consideration; but that is by no means the only factor. Ayurvedic nutrition places great emphasis on the season, the way in which something is eaten, temperature, as well as the internal effect; proper preparation relies heavily on the idea of balance. When cooking lunch with the Dr., I am always asking questions about the qualities of a food (heavy, light, hot, cold, oily, dry, smooth, sweet, sour, etc. etc.) in relation to my prakriti: "But, Dr.-ji, yogurt is a heavy food and I have low digestive fire- is that alright for me to eat? - But, Dr.-ji, ginger and garlic increase Pitta, and I want to decrease my Pitta, should I eat that?" Her responses always point back to the idea of balance: "yes, yogurt is heavy, but the vegetables are light and dry and will balance in combination. - yes, ginger and garlic increase Pitta, but they also decrease Vata, and the lentils are Vata in nature, and they will balance in combination."
Oh, yeah. The whole story.
Whenever I ask a question during the Ayurveda class about whether something is "good," or "bad," I am given a long explanation describing the conditions and circumstances in which the thing is good, and in which the thing is bad. When I asked what a good remedy for a headache might be, Dr.-ji responded with a spitfire of questions about the origin of the headache. Her responses to my questions like the ones above, reinforce the notion that these qualities and elements coexist, are ever-changing, and are always interacting. Nothing exists in isolation and nothing is so pure as western science might wish it was.
Especially us.
I've reached the half-way point in my month-long intensive course of Ayurvedic Nutrition and Cooking, which means I get to cook lunch with the Ayurvedic doctor/my teacher. The other day, we made paranthae- usually a breakfast or lunch dish, prepared with a flour dough rolled into patties into which you place spoonfulls of a variety of fillings (anywhere from potato to chillies, to vegetables, depending on.. a number of things that I'll talk about in a minute). You then roll the patties about a quarter inch thick and place it o the hot taba (or whatever pan you've got) either with a lot of oil, little oil, or no oil, and lightly fry or cook each side until it becomes delicious.
"Paranthae is Ayurveda food?" he asked, surprised, and maybe a bit pleased with himself that he cooks Ayurveda-approved food for his children's breakfast without even knowing it. I smiled and responded that according to the Dr., the importance is not so much on the food itself as the preparation of the food, and the specific herbs and spices used (according to... a number of things that I'll talk about in a minute!) So much for the idea of "you are what you eat," apparently, you are HOW you eat.
Ayurvedic philosophy holds that everything in this world is made up of varying combinations of the "5 Big Elements," ether, air, fire, water, and earth. The actual ratio of your make-up is termed your "prakriti," literally your "nature." Each of the elements has its own characteristics and responsibilities in the form they take in our bodies and minds. For example, earth element is characteristically hard, dry, immobile and strong. the earth energy in the body is therefore responsible for the strength and firmness of the body and can be found in bone and connective tissue. In the mind, earth energy gives a person mental strength, courage and groundedness.
Based on the relationships between the 5 Big Elements, there are three basic elemental combinations that form what are called the "dosha," of a person: Vata, Pitta, Kapha. The dosha is generally how we refer to one's prakriti. There are hundreds of tests on the internet and in various books of more or less reliability in determining your dosha (and it's interesting to have a good friend do the test for you, and see the differences!) It should also be noted that we rarely find someone who is ruled solely by one dosha; we generally find ourselves to be a combination of two doshas with one being more dominant. For example, I have a Pittak-Kaphaj prakriti with Pitta being predominant. The principles of Ayurveda state that a person is treated with specific consideration to the individual's nature, using herbs as needed, and relying on food as medicine. Food is said to be capable of changing the body's inner atmosphere and collecting cosmic energies inside the body. Ayurveda also states that the psychology of a person is considered just as important as the physiology and pathology of an individual or disease process.
When preparing food or medicine, one must take the person's doshic dominance into primary consideration; but that is by no means the only factor. Ayurvedic nutrition places great emphasis on the season, the way in which something is eaten, temperature, as well as the internal effect; proper preparation relies heavily on the idea of balance. When cooking lunch with the Dr., I am always asking questions about the qualities of a food (heavy, light, hot, cold, oily, dry, smooth, sweet, sour, etc. etc.) in relation to my prakriti: "But, Dr.-ji, yogurt is a heavy food and I have low digestive fire- is that alright for me to eat? - But, Dr.-ji, ginger and garlic increase Pitta, and I want to decrease my Pitta, should I eat that?" Her responses always point back to the idea of balance: "yes, yogurt is heavy, but the vegetables are light and dry and will balance in combination. - yes, ginger and garlic increase Pitta, but they also decrease Vata, and the lentils are Vata in nature, and they will balance in combination."
Oh, yeah. The whole story.
Whenever I ask a question during the Ayurveda class about whether something is "good," or "bad," I am given a long explanation describing the conditions and circumstances in which the thing is good, and in which the thing is bad. When I asked what a good remedy for a headache might be, Dr.-ji responded with a spitfire of questions about the origin of the headache. Her responses to my questions like the ones above, reinforce the notion that these qualities and elements coexist, are ever-changing, and are always interacting. Nothing exists in isolation and nothing is so pure as western science might wish it was.
Especially us.
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