The ancient practice of Ayurveda was invented nearly 5,000 years ago in India. Ayurveda operates under the premise that each individual was born with a unique constitution or dosha that can be either vata, pitta, kapha, or a combination of either two or three of them. It's considered to be a science of balance and longevity. The goal of Ayurvedic Therapy is to keep the body and the dosha in balance because it brings both mental and physical well being and health.
The Ayurvedic Diet
The diet is another important aspect of Ayurvedic Therapy. Certain foods bring your individual constitution or dosha back into balance and certain foods promote imbalance. For example, individuals that are pitta tend to have a fiery, tempered personality, so it is not recommended that they eat hot and spicy foods like chili peppers.
Seeking Therapy
Seeking Ayurvedic Therapy involves going to an Ayurvedic Center run by an Ayurvedic Practitioner. Practitioners usually study under an Ayurvedic guru from India. While it depends on the practitioner, venerable schools include the Ayurvedic Institute in Arizona which is run by Dr. Vasant Lad.
An Ayurvedic Session
During your session with an Ayurvedic practitioner, you will be asked many questions. A good practitioner will probably talk with you for at least 30 minutes before deciding your dosha. The questions concern many topics, including your appetite, your bowel movements, your activity level and your dreams. The answers to these questions and a host of other questions will explain your dosha. Each dosha is equally healthy, so long as it stays in balance. But within each dosha are characteristics which show that the dosha is out of balance. For example if an individual that is vata has anxiety, scanty sleep, or is lonely, this means that they are out of balance.
Herbal Therapy and Diet Changes
The practitioner will then prescribe what is necessary to bring the body back into balance. The practitioner may prescribe certain herbal remedies or they may prescribe certain changes in the diet. For example, vatas need to avoid cold, frozen and raw foods to maintain balance. A kapha individual needs to avoid dairy while getting plenty of exercise to maintain balance.
Panchakarma
Aggravating the dosha causes the body to go out of balance, supposedly creating toxic by-products. When the body is in balance it promotes a happiness, health and longevity. Ayurvedic Therapy is used to maintain or bring back into balance the doshas of the body. This is done by first eliminating the toxic build up that is blocking the body's balance. Therefore, detoxification or Panchakarma is a major aspect of Ayurvedic Therapy. A Panchakarma session at an Ayurvedic center can consist of an warm body massage. This is a vigorous massage that loosens the toxins on the inside of the body. Next is a full body steam where the oils from the massage dilate the pores so that the toxins can more rapidly be shed from the system. The third part of the therapy is mental rejuvenation when warm oil is poured onto the forehead to pacify anxiety, promote relaxation, and then calm the nervous system.
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