by Nandini Natasha Austin, Certified Ayurveda Movement Consultant, Health Coach, and Teacher of Ayurveda Wisdom.
Ayurveda is a buzzword you may have heard of but what does it mean? The literal meaning in Sanskrit is “Ayur,” meaning life, and “Veda,” meaning knowledge,
Ayurveda is considered the essence and concept of the Atharvaveda Book - The 5th Veda
But what is Ayurveda exactly? I'm often asked this burning question by my clients, strangers, and friends at dinner parties, wellness presentations, and the list goes on. And whilst my instinct is to rally off something short and sweet. I usually pause and reply casually, how long do you have?
Photocredit @nandiniaustin - Fire Island
You see Ayurveda is like an 'Ocean of knowledge', so vast and deep, echoing the words of Dr. Jay from the Kerala Academy where I became certified. It's not a light subject like discussing your latest binge-worthy episode on Netflix, nor something you can skim over in one minute. Oh, it goes much deeper than that and no it deserves more than a few minutes to discuss, after all, it is over five thousand years old... But in a world that is moving too fast, with attention spans weaning by the minute, I quite frankly have to think carefully about how to word it, so its sticks and is digestible to all.
So I ask back,
"If someone gave you a scientific manual for longevity and living life optimally would you read it?
My answer to this question would be - it depends.
As a younger version of myself, in my teens, yes I would have probably read it. I was always impatient to learn as much as I could about life and health. Yes inquisitive are words that described the younger me. Even today some of that energy remains, I am still an avid seeker of life, consciousness, and the cosmic world. I've always been a spiritual being but as I have got older my interest in how we maintain this body or vessel of ours and what happens to us humans next has peaked.
Sometimes I believe, I've got one foot on the ground, and the other up there somewhere co-existing between two plains of existence and time. This makes total sense as I am a true Vata, (think Air and Space) But when it comes to anything about health hacks or living optimally you will hear me say, tell me more...
Well, consider for a moment that Ayurveda is like an ancient manual a sort of DIY guide for the body, mind, and spirit. It's a book that you probably had on a bookshelf, but somehow it got filed away, in a dusty box in the garage that is labeled, "to read someday maybe., But when you stumble across it, which could happen by accident, (even though there are no accidents,) you intuitively know already know what's inside. If Ayurveda is meant for you may have a degree of familiarity with it, I like to say it's coming home to Ayurveda. Once you read some of it, you may become enthralled and may find yourself saying "Oh, no wonder I' m like this or I don't like this food," as you read it.
Well, Ayurveda is that manual. If you are into health and self-awareness then it's the sort of book you would voraciously from cover to cover soaking in all the lifestyle rituals and tips. And inside there would be three distinct chapters, the Mind, the Body, and the Spirit. You see the principle behind Ayurveda is to find and maintain a perfect balance between mind, body, and spirit. As all three of these elements are inextricably linked, meaning that an imbalance or being deficient in one will affect the others. You see everything is related...
As a healthy living modality and holistic practice, Ayurveda and Yoga are two branches of the same tree and are sister sciences. Whereas Yoga is geared to quiet the mind and bring you to enlightenment or "Moskha". Ayurveda is a larger body of knowledge that encompasses the body, Mind, and Spirit and it is about the attainment of your Dharma - ie how to live the right way, or as it should be that includes optimally, vibrantly, and sustain longevity.
"Prevention rather than Cure" is the basis of Ayurveda...
So Why Ayurveda now?
Well let's face it, over time our body's ability to seamlessly repair itself becomes weakened. This is going to happen, think wear and tear of the body, or like it's depreciating yearly. But in today's climate, due to an overload of technology, stress, too little sleep, junk food, alcohol, and drugs. Now as a result, our body has to deal with all these additional toxins before it can begin to heal and rejuvenate.
In Ayurveda, this is the critical point we become susceptible and vulnerable to disease, depression, weight gain, and unhappiness. However, with Ayurveda, the opposite effect can be achieved too. Ayurveda strives to prevent illness and treat disease by identifying the cause of the imbalances in the first place and reversing what has caused it.
Ayurveda, has unique inner wisdom, to put the mind and body back into balance through lifestyle changes, the right nutrition, sleep, and exercise for the body mind, and spirit. Thus preventing the onset of symptoms and eventual disease by stimulating our internal defenses.
Ayurveda aims to create harmony in your body, mind, and soul because when these three bodies, (mind-body, physical) are not in alignment, disease, suffering and the struggles of life begin to manifest.
What can I get from Ayurveda?
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Simply put “Ayurveda helps us cultivate a deeper sense of self-awareness to make us accountable for our health and take a 360 approach to health. “It empowers us to make better daily decisions and reminds us to return to a more mindful way of living, using the natural rhythms and cycles of nature. If you would like to learn more and have at least 30 mins then schedule your free consult here.
“Freedom from illness depends upon expanding our awareness, bringing it into balance, and then extending that balance to the body.”
.And to conclude in today's society, where often it's easier to swallow a pill than to make a lifestyle change, many people simply don't want to put in the work or don't know how to. Or they wait for illness or a strategy to strike before they make a change. Ayurveda is about making healthier lifestyle choices for you here and your future self,
''Ayurveda is an ancient philosophy of life that we could do more of in this world today.'' Nandini Austin
So there you have it, Ayurveda in a nutshell, Ayurveda is an innate wisdom everyone can learn and something we could do with more of in this world today.
Cheers
Nandini
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