What are the Principles of Ayurveda?

The beauty of Ayurveda lies in its simplicity! Despite being the oldest healing and wellness science known to mankind, the principles of Ayurveda have been derived from the universal laws of nature, which are extremely simple to comprehend, understand, adopt and follow, and are applicable even today.

There are a few simple things that Ayurveda follows and advocates. If we, as human beings, stick to these basics and follow them religiously, then we can easily lead a healthy and happy life. Take a look at these principles and see if you could follow them for your own benefit:

1. Oneness of Everything: Ayurveda believes that all living and non-living beings are a part of the nature and are made up of the same material and energy… of course, in different proportions. So, when we follow the natural rhythms, our health and well-being is ?automatically ?preserved and the longevity of our life gets enhanced. Every time we go against the principles of nature, we create an imbalance that will result in diseases or ailments.

2. The art of Balancing: Balance is the name of the game. Anything and everything should be done in moderation. Too much or too little of anything could be too bad. If we sleep too much then we will become lazy, and if we sleep too little, then we will become crazy. So, the key lies in moderation.

3. Life doesn’t Stop: Ayurveda believes that Life never ends… it just changes forms. When we cease to exist, life will move on to another form – maybe a plant, an animal or any other living being and continue to exist.

4. The Material is the Same: All living and non-living beings are made up of five materials or Panchabhootas, as Ayurveda calls them. These five elements are: Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Space. We will discuss the Panchabhootas in detail in our next post.

5. The Energy is the Same: The entire cosmos or universe, as per Ayurveda, is made up of three different kinds of energies: 1) The energy of Movement or Vata, 2) The energy of Transformation or Pitta, and 3) The energy of Binding or Kapha. Again, we will talk about these principal energies in detail as we go along.

6. The Healer is Within: Ayurveda believes that our body is the healer. The immune system is within us and that is what protects us from various diseases or ailments. An Ayurvedic Physician can just recommend us to do the right things, take the rights foods, do the right exercise etc. But it is the body that will heal itself and get back into a state of balance. So, the basis of Ayurvedic clinical approach is to support the healer within.

7. Holistic Health: Health and well-being is not determined only through a healthy body. A healthy mind and a healthy soul play an equally important role. So, doing the right things, having the right thoughts, working towards the right personality traits, displaying the right qualities and indulging in right activities go a long way in determining the quality of our life.

Simple, aren’t they? As we mentioned earlier, Ayurveda is one of the simplest health sciences to follow. All we need to do is do the right things, and we are sorted. Stay with us as up next we will elaborate the five elements that we are made up of.