Ayurveda - The Science of Everyday Life

Ayurveda is both a preventive and curative form of medicine, an age-old tradition that has existed for over 3000 years. The beauty of this practice is that it relies on nature’s minerals and herbs to remedy ailments and inform a healthy lifestyle. It’s earliest concepts are inscribed in the Atharvaveda (c.2nd millennium BCE) by Dhanvantari. The golden age of Indian medicine in the 7th century CE led to the progressive development of this medicinal knowledge systems dependence on prioritising the balance of the tridosha – vata, pitha and kapha. The tridoshas are the forces that exist within the human body, ensuring health when in balance and resulting in illness when out of balance. 

The functional responsibilities of each dosha: 

Vata 

  • Enthusiasm 
  • Inspiration
  • Initiation and execution 
  • Maintenance of bodily functions
  • Proper functioning of sense organs 

Pitta  

  • Aids digestion 
  • Maintains body temperature 
  • Vision 
  • Appetite
  • Thirst 
  • Skin and hair vitality 
  • Intelligence 
  • Courage 
  • Suppleness in the body 

Kapha 

  • Confers stability 
  • Compactness of joins 
  • Functions of cerebrospinal fluid – maintaining capacity to hold emotions and mental stress  
  • Maintains functions of heart and lungs