Ayurveda is a system of holistic living and medicine that originated in India many thousands of years ago. The word Ayurveda is Sanskrit and translates to “the knowledge of life”. It is a systematic science that utilizes the natural rhythms of nature to prevent, diagnose and treat disease. The influence of Ayurveda can be seen in all the world’s holistic medicine.
Sadly, with the invasion of India, many of the traditions of Ayurveda were forsaken, not forgotten, forsaken. Recently, however, Ayurveda has seen an unprecedented comeback, especially in the West. We can thank Dr. Deepak Chopra, my teacher, for much of the resurgence in interest.
Ayurveda is the most widely embraced and accepted preventative holistic medicine in the West. In large part, this is due to the fact that Ayurveda embraces new medicines and technologies. The Ayurvedic view is if it is working for you, then stay with it. If you are controlling sleep disorders, depression, high blood pressure or any other ailment with Western drugs, you should take the advice of your physician. What Ayurveda can do for you...and doctors absolutely love this...is change your stress levels, your sleeping routine and your nutritional choices making you healthy at the root of your disease and ultimately eliminating many of your drug choices. Western physicians are really smart and caring people. They want you to prevent disease. They actually never want you as a sick patient. They just want to see you once a year for annual check up to tell you that everything is wonderful.
Ayurveda is a simple science for life that teaches and empowers the individual to reconnect with the rhythms of nature. Ayurveda honors that you are one with nature affected by the rotation of the planets, the pull of the tide, the changing seasons and the movement occurring throughout your day in each minute. It honors that you are unique. It honors that you are a creature of this earth as well as of the divine.
The Rishis of India identified the building blocks of nature and indeed the whole universe as five great elements, space, air, fire, water & earth. Rishis are legendary yogis thought to have magical powers known as “Siddhis” and believed to live for hundreds of years. Imagine an aging man sitting in a loincloth on the top of a mountain in the snow meditating in perfect peace and physical comfort. Rishis of India sat in meditation and contemplation and asked God, The Universe, The Cosmic Mind or their Higher Selves many of the same questions that we ask ourselves today. Why am I here? What is my life's purpose? How do I stay healthy, vibrant and young? It is believed that through the meditation process the Rishis downloaded from cosmic consciousness, the formula for living a healthy and happy life.[1] This formula includes diagnosis with and management of the elements
I don’t know if it is true that the Rishis received a download or not. I guess it seems kind of far out. Perhaps these Rishis of 5,000 years ago were simply great observers of nature. Perhaps they simply sat by their fires and noticed that when a piece of wood goes into the fire it comes out transformed. Maybe they then had the thought, “Wow, that’s just like when I eat, it goes in one way and comes out another. Perhaps I have fire in my belly.”
Maybe they watched a dry dead leaf blowing on a fall breeze and observed that the leaf would quickly dart one way, then another and finally come to an abrupt halt only to fly up again. Perhaps they had the thought, “Wow, that’s just like my mind. My thoughts go this way and that and suddenly stop. I must have wind in my mind”.
Imagine the people of 5,000 years ago planting their spring gardens. A rock sits in the middle of their field. They push and push and it just doesn’t want to go anywhere. They think wow, that’s just like the 5 pounds I put on after the Spring Solstice celebration. I must have earth in my body.
It’s really a very assessable way to identify with our bodies and minds. It is truly amazing what was known over 5,000 years ago. People knew the earth is round and rotates on an axis. People knew that the earth traveled around the sun. Ayurvedic physicians knew how to diagnose and "treat" diabetes. They also knew how to deliver complicated births. They even performed surgeries. More fundamentally, a plan for living that prevents disease, aging and needless suffering was devised. Learn more about this amazing lifestyle at Elemental OM. We offer the Elemental Cleanse™ to immerse you in this lifestyle for 28 days. Bring your body, mind and Spirit to balance. LEARN MORE>>>
[1] This formula was passed down for generations in prose and finally captured in the Vedas and around 500 BCE in two medical texts called Susruta Samhita and Carkaka Samhita.
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