Introduction
to Ayurveda
Ayurveda means “knowledge of life.”
Its roots date back to more than 5,000 years ago in India—making it the world’s oldest recorded health system. According to Ayurvedic theory, everything in the universe — living or not — is connected. Good health is achieved when your mind, body, and spirit are in harmony with the universe. A disruption of this harmony can lead to poor health and sickness. Rather than focusing on symptom management, Ayurveda looks to find the root cause of disease by examining a person’s emotional, mental, spiritual, physical and medical state. Using that full understanding, Ayurveda seeks to heal through diet, lifestyle and herbal practices—all of which are customized to the individual. Ayurveda is not meant to replace Western medicine; it’s meant to complement it.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to Ayurveda. That’s part of what makes this ancient medical science so beautiful—it takes the individual into account and teaches us how to be in tune with ourselves on all of these levels so we can aspire to live in harmony with our true nature.
According to Ayurveda, no two people are the same. We’re each designed of our own unique makeup known as our constitution or our prakruti. A person’s constitution is created at conception and does not change throughout one’s life. There are three doshas (subtle governing bodies of the mind and body) that make up a person’s constitution—each vary in dominance. The three doshas are vata, pitta and kapha. They’re derived from the five elements of ether, air, fire, water, and earth. These elements represent different components of your physical and mental characteristics. Ayurveda uses these elements as references to explain all aspects of your physical and mental well-being.
The Doshas
Vata dosha is made up of air and ether. It’s primary qualities are dry, light, rough, cold and mobile. Vata dosha is responsible for movement in the body, including the heartbeat, gastrointestinal tract, lungs, diaphragm and even our thoughts.
Pitta dosha is made up of fire and a small amount of water. It’s primary qualities are hot, sharp, oily and light. Pitta is in charge of transformation in the body, including digestion and metabolism. It’s predominantly in your stomach, small intestines, blood, liver, gallbladder and spleen.
Kapha dosha is made up of earth and water. It’s primary qualities are heavy, slow, cold, oily and dense. Kapha is in charge of structure in the body, including bone density, fat regulation, strength and stamina. It has a lubricating quality and relieves friction between the cells and organs. It’s predominantly in your lungs, stomach, pancreas, plasma, lymph system, joints, sinuses, nose and tongue.
When functioning normally, doshas maintain the good health of the body and guide all the normal bodily processes. When out of balance, they create physical, mental or emotional symptoms that can typically be associated with a medical diagnosis or disease.
Ayurvedic Consultations
As an Ayurvedic consultant, I will help you determine your unique constitutional blueprint by examining traits such as your physical makeup, digestion and elimination patterns, psychological state and approaches to life tasks like work. This information will inform how to bring the doshas into the proper balance that’s right for you. Treatments may include dietary changes, lifestyle adjustments, herbal remedies and additional bodywork therapies such as tongue scraping, abhyanga (self-massage using oil customized to your constitution), breathing exercises (pranayama) and many others.
Ayurvedic Body Care
As an Ayurvedic consultant, I will help you determine your unique constitutional blueprint by examining traits such as your physical makeup, digestion and elimination patterns, psychological state and approaches to life tasks like work. This information will inform how to bring the doshas into the proper balance that’s right for you. Treatments may include dietary changes, lifestyle adjustments, herbal remedies and additional bodywork therapies such as tongue scraping, abhyanga (self-massage using oil customized to your constitution), breathing exercises (pranayama) and many others.
“Cara’s energy is calming, nurturing and patient. She takes her time to explain each step in the Ayurvedic treatments. ”
– Janet, Ayurvedic Client