I thought I’d share a little about the practice of Ayurveda today. When I found out I had Hashimotos, I started reading everything I could find, not only on Hashimotos, but healthy eating, and any modality that offered an option for good health.

When I found Ayurvedic medicine, I was intrigued. It resonated with me in a way that nothing else had. I know it won’t be for everyone, but I thought I’d start a conversation about Ayurveda, hoping to provide my readers a little information so you’d know what I’m talking about.

First I’d like to stress that Ayurvedic treatment and western allopathic medicine are completely different practices. Their vision of good health, disease and the world are very different.

Ayurvedic medicine is more than 5000 years old and finds its roots in the Indian Vedic civilization, based on the Vedas. The Vedas are a collection of ancient texts gathered by the Rishis, the Indian sages, transmitted in the form of sutraas. The knowledge dealt with the function of the human body, with astrology and with physical science.

The word Ayurveda is an Indian word and comes from the Sanskrit word Ayur meaning life and longevity   Veda meaning wisdom or knowledge. Ayurveda means the knowledge of life and longevity.

Because Ayurveda is part of the Vedas it is considered inspired, not created by man because it was revealed to the Rishis.

Some may ask what is the purpose of Ayurveda?

My answer would be to accomplish three Goals.

To cure sickness

Maintain Health

Self-Actualization

Ayurveda isn’t the same as western medicine where everything is a theory, a hypothesis and then is proven. Ayurveda is more of a lifestyle. It’s goal is to balance the body, mind and spirit, making us whole.

When we look at Ayurveda, we don’t look at it as just a science of the body. It is a way of looking at life and the universe, including religious and philosophical aspects.

While we process this information as each of us understand it, we must accept the principles for what they are, free of all judgement so we might assimilate the information.

When we judge, we block our ability to process and reason.

I mentioned that Ayurveda was a balance of body, mind, and spirit. Because it is all encompassing, it requires a deep understanding in a spiritual sense too. That will be discussed in the next post. Samkhya Philosophy.