Ayurveda: A Practice Beyond Yoga

Summer is the season in our lives where we can work on ourselves, both physically and mentally. Yoga is something I have enjoyed practicing throughout my summers at home. Between work and my summer classes, I am always looking for something to give me more stability in my life during my free time.

I believe that it is so important to take care of not only your physical health, but your mental health as well. Ayurveda, a practice that goes hand-and-hand with yoga, is used to promote your physical and mental state by positively affecting your mind, body, and spirit. The word “ayurveda” stems from the meanings life (ayur) and knowledge (veda), and is based off of the idea that no two people are the same, each one of us being one-of-a-kind, with an energy that is specific to the individual and no one else.

Ayurveda stresses the importance of your energy, or dosha, which can be categorized in three different ways. The dosha known as kapha, symbolizing earth and water, is found mostly in individuals with good memory, slower digestion, and who tend to be more emotionally stable. The dosha pitta, symbolizing fire, is used to categorize energies that are passionate, both mentally and physically flexible, and are dominant in most of their personal relationships. Lastly, individuals with the dosha vatas, symbolizing air and space, are thought of to have more active thoughts and be more spacey.
​
The most interesting aspect of Ayurveda to me is that all three doshas are found in each of us, but the dosha that is dominant can affect our characteristics and features such as our body shape, food preferences, and emotions. When all three are balanced, we can find ourselves in a happy and healthy state, but when the doshas are not balanced, it can lead to poor digestion, skin issues, and anxiety. Practicing Ayurveda can help balance these changing doshas, to keep you on track to living a happy and healthy lifestyle.

Some daily tasks that you can do to promote more balanced emotional and physical states are:

•  Meditate for 20 minutes each day
• Wake up before sunrise
• Try to sit down to eat, rather than sitting in front of a TV or while driving
• Incorporate herbs like ginger, turmeric, and brahmi into your meals
• Try to make as many of your meals vegetarian as you can
• Get enough sleep
• Exercise outside
• Practice yoga and/or stretch daily
• Always give thanks