This is a broad topic that has consumed my attention in the past months or should i say a year and a half considering that our meaning of this term is way out of balance or we just dont have the time to define it properly, analyse and succintly take action on this good phenomenon. for a person growing up in the southern tip of Africa specifically Botswana this has never been a problem, but through constant globalisation and transfer of lifestyles and practices we find ourselves caught in this vicious cycle that the more developed countries have been fighting for much longer than we know.
One might ask why our older generations never fell victim of illnesses and disorders like diabetes, obesity and other chronic diseases, through my opinion people used to live longer in the past, were never overwhelmed by diseases as they took thier well known traditional medicines and worked all round through thier fields and yards and would even walk for greater distances (good exercise), from what my people tell me their diet was rich in wholeweat and fibre too as well as natural fruits and vegetables. well the obviouis reasons would be the transition in lifestyle from hereforth, work demands (being at the office for long hours on the computer, eating junk and crashing to bed right after arriving at home) and challenges all round not forgeting the current Genetically Modified foods that plague our precious little earth in the quest to satisfy the ever enourmous demanding food market around the globe with fresh produce. The feed offs are sporadical and cannot be covered in an instant, in the hope that through discussion you will further highlight those areas and geberally in subsequent posts.
During my varsity days (not so long ago) i enrolled in two intresting subjects in Organisational wellness and sociology that i somewhat stumbled upon but later proved they would go a long way in synergising my life beliefs and interests with the knowledge i accumulated from then forth. ironically enough without realising these two subjects had a deep relation that i ddint notice at face value; but the one week in sociology there was a discussion of modern and traditional medicine in the contrasts and similarities yet beneficial to society.
This brings me to the main point of this article being one of the ancient Indian traditional form of medicine that was dicussed which is Ayurvedia; defined as as a system, which uses the inherent principles of nature, to help maintain health in a person by keeping the individual's body, mind and spirit in perfect equilibrium with nature.
Now the meaning of Ayurvedia are defined as follows:
Ayurveda is a Sanskrit term, made up of the words "ayus" and "veda." "Ayus" means life and "Veda" means knowledge or science. The term "ayurveda" thus means 'the knowledge of life' or 'the science of life'. According to the ancient Ayurvedic scholar Charaka, "ayu" comprises the mind, body, senses and the soul.
The Origin of Ayurveda:
Widely regarded as the oldest form of healthcare in the world, Ayurveda is an intricate medical system that originated in India thousands of years ago. The fundamentals of Ayurveda can be found in Hindu scriptures called the Vedas— the ancient Indian books of wisdom. The Rig Veda, which was written over 6,000 years ago, contains a series of prescriptions that can help humans overcome various ailments.
What does Ayurveda do to you?:
The aim of this system is to prevent illness, heal the sick and preserve life. This can be summed up as follows: - To protect health and prolong life ("Swasthyas swasthya rakshanam")
- To eliminate diseases and dysfunctions of the body ("Aturasya vikar prashamanamcha")
The Basic Principles of Ayurveda:
Ayurveda is based on the premise that the universe is made up of five elements: air, fire, water, earth and ether. These elements are represented in humans by three "doshas", or energies: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. When any of the doshas accumulate in the body beyond the desirable limit, the body loses its balance. Every individual has a distinct balance, and our health and well-being depend on getting a right balance of the three doshas ("tridoshas"). Ayurveda suggests specific lifestyle and nutritional guidelines to help individuals reduce the excess dosha.
This system teaches maintenance and protection of the whole person (mind, body and soul). Ayurvedic medicine is based on an individual's characteristics and body frame rather than oriented toward treating disease or sickness.
Each of us are made up of a combination of the three types of doshas. The three doshas are comprised of these five universal elements:
Pitta is mostly fire with some water.
Kapha is mostly water with some earth.
Overall well-being and striving for longevity depends on keeping your doshas balanced. Any imbalance among the tridoshas causes a state of unhealthiness or disease. Factors that can bring about balance of the tridoshas are diet, exercise, good digestion, and elimination of toxins.
This system teaches maintenance and protection of the whole person (mind, body and soul). Ayurvedic medicine is based on an individual's characteristics and body frame rather than oriented toward treating disease or sickness.
Each of us are made up of a combination of the three types of doshas. The three doshas are comprised of these five universal elements:
- space
- air
- earth
- fire
- water
Pitta is mostly fire with some water.
Kapha is mostly water with some earth.
Overall well-being and striving for longevity depends on keeping your doshas balanced. Any imbalance among the tridoshas causes a state of unhealthiness or disease. Factors that can bring about balance of the tridoshas are diet, exercise, good digestion, and elimination of toxins.
A healthy person, as defined in Sushrut Samhita, one of the primary works on Ayurveda, is "he whose doshas are in balance, appetite is good, all tissues of the body and all natural urges are functioning properly, and whose mind, body and spirit are cheerful." hoooooray my spirit jumps up and this links in with what i later learned in wellness about wellbeing, this is one of the concepts we discussed at length. you see contrary to what people think wellbeing/welness is not a race to be perfect or the most difficult thing, no its just our habbitual mindsets and it boils down to assesing your wellbeing through many simple tests availiable wich show you how you fare in the different aspects of your life e.g Mental/psycho, emotional, physical.
This follows on the different combinations of doshas a person can be called the Tridosha.
What is 'Tridosha' or the Theory of Bio-energies?:
The three doshas, or bio-energies found in our body are:
- Vata pertains to air and ether elements. This energy is generally seen as the force, which directs nerve impulses, circulation, respiration, and elimination.
- Kapha pertains to water and earth elements. Kapha is responsible for growth and protection. The mucousal lining of the stomach, and the cerebral-spinal fluid that protects the brain and spinal column are examples of kapha.
- Pitta pertains to fire and water elements. This dosha governs metabolism, e.g., the transformation of foods into nutrients. Pitta is also responsible for metabolism in the organ and tissue systems.
You can find out your Dosha @ http://healing.about.com/library/quiz/dosha/bldoshaquiz.htm
OR
or go to http://healing.about.com/library/quiz/elements/blelements.htm to see what four natural elements are you mostly aligned with between Earth, Air Water, and Fire. Understanding what each element represents helps us evaulate where our indiviual strengths and weaknesses are. Healers have found that focusing on the elements can often be helpful when seeking what course of treatments would best address our problems.
I particularly found out that my Dosha type is primarily Kapha, and that the elements i am more aligned with are FIRE and WATER.
Fire represents energy, tool for transformation, connection to personal power, and inner strength. Water represents emotional release, intuition, and inner reflection.
The elements i am not as strongly connected to are air and earth. Air represents intellect, mental intention, and connection to universal life force. Earth represents grounding, foundation of life, substance, connection to life path, and family roots. Again this should be done with caution as it may or may not be true...
Kapha Body Structure:
- Large Frame
- Tends to be overweight
- Thick and pale-colored oily skin
- Strong white teeth
- Blue Eyes
- Full lips / Large mouth
Kapha Characteristics:
- Speaks in slow monotone
- Requires deep sleep
- Steady appetite
- Heavy sweating
- Business oriented
- Good memory
- Passive
- Dislikes cold and damp
- Loves good food
- Enjoys familiar surroundings
Other useful Ayurvedic treatments:
Look out for my next post as i explore this phenomenon called wellbeing further; as i said before its multi dimensional and cannot be discussed in a single post. i shall be particularly dwelling on the interests of diet, and how a good diet impacts the wellbeing wheel, as my Dosha suggests above i am a sucker for good food; but the health element is a critical one as i havent been practising it for the better part of my life, fully that is; and i have taken keen intrest in this young man for a long time; http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes, with his lavish display of good food, real good food, with a mix of herbs, grrens and fibres in an unorthodox yet healthy way.
He takes food that are so called bad and makes them healthy; his challange of trying to change the diet around schools in the UK, has been close to me.
AND THIS IS WHAT HE CREATES THROUGH IS COMPONENT OF DIET BIT BY BIT:
SO IT CALLS FOR US TO BE DEDICATED THROUGH THE REST;
Remember it begins with getting out of your comfort zone, acknowl;edging work that needs to be done, and taking that initial single step to a better life...
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