Ayurveda Definition

Ayurveda is a form of alternative medicine that has its roots in ancient India and its origins can be traced back more than five thousand years. The system of Ayurveda is very popular in its country of origin and over the last couple of years, it has also risen to popularity in the western parts of the world. According to Ayurveda, everything in the world can be attributed to three different “energies”, also called doshas – Vata, Pitta and Kapha. We are all born with a unique combination of these three doshas and the ratio between the doshas varies from person to person. 

The term “Ayurveda” is a composition of the two Sanskrit words “ayuh” meaning “life” and “veda” meaning “science” or “knowledge”. Ayurveda can therefore be roughly translated as “the science of life”. Ayurveda is a holistic system and therefore doesn’t just focus on treating the symptoms of a disease, but takes the whole person into account instead.

Ayurveda was first mentioned in ancient scholastic texts from the Indian Vedic period, which lasted from approximately 1750 to 500 BCE. During this time Ayurveda prospered and its teachings were well known all across India. But unfortunately, the popularity of Ayurveda wasn’t meant to last forever. For nearly a thousand-year period, India was thrown into political turmoil and had to suffer severe cultural oppression under various invading countries – most notably the British Empire.

In these turbulent times the practices and teachings of Ayurveda were largely suppressed but fortunately were kept alive by scholars and practioners (“Vaidyas”) in various parts of India. When India became independent in 1947, Ayurveda resurfaced and became yet again India’s most important system of healthcare.

In the 1980s Ayurveda also became a popular practice in western countries, partly thanks to the New Age movement. Besides this, individuals like Dr. Vasant Lad, Dr Robert Svoboda and Dr Deepak Chopra contributed immensly in bringing Ayurveda to the Western world. Nowadays health-conscious individuals from all over the world study and apply Ayurvedic principles in their daily life and Ayurveda’s popularity is growing more and more.

In Sanskrit the word for health is “svastha”. The term doesn’t only refer to physical health but also includes our senses, our mind and our soul. Full health is achieved when all of these components manage to interact harmoniously with each other. The state of “svastha” can be reached by subscribing to an Ayurvedic lifestyle.

Traditionally, Ayurveda is not only used to treat already existing diseases but also to prevent the development of new disorders. According to the principles of Ayurveda, a disease is the result of a disturbed balance between the three doshas. Imbalances to one’s unique state of dosha equilibrium is mainly caused by wrong diet and wrong lifestyle. Other contributing factors are digestion, metabolism, climate, environment, age, season and traumatic experiences.

According to the classic Ayurvedic teachings, almost all diseases can be treated with Ayurveda – even though it may take months or years for the symptoms to improve. In Western countries, Ayurveda is often used to treat chronic problems such as allergies, headaches, skin diseases, digestive disorders, rheumatic diseases, sleep disorders and to improve general well-being as well as immunity. We at AmrtaSiddhi offer a variety Ayurvedic Programs to achieve this. Our Ayurvedic protocols focus on detoxification, weight management and rejuvenation.

As already mentioned, each body contains the three doshas Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Each of these doshas is attributed to a specific element and specific qualities. The essential nature of the three doshas is as follows:

Each of us has a different composition of these three doshas in our bodies. This composition is responsible for our Ayurvedic body type (“prakriti”). According to Ayurveda, there are seven different body types: