Introduction
Apart from saying that Ayurveda is only the science or knowledge of life , we must understand the practical aspect of Ayurveda and how the same can be incorporated in your life and daily routine .Most of the time when you hear of the term Ayurveda , the first thing that comes to your mind is some medicine in the form of powder(Churna), tablet(vati) , decoction (Kadha) or syrup.In this blog we are going to talk about how you can use Ayurveda practices to increase your lifespan . Yes you heard it right ! When we seek a consultation from an Ayurveda practitioner they always suggest some herbal preparation along with a list of do’s and dont’s . In Ayurveda Do’s and dont’s which we call Pathya apathya plays a very crucial role .
Principles of Ayurveda :
There are 2 main principles of Ayurveda
The First Principal of Ayurveda is focussed on Preventive health care or how one can live a longer and healthy life .
The Second Principle of Ayurveda deals with the curative aspect, which means in case due an imbalance if any disease occurs then how to use various herbal preparations to manage the disease.
Before understanding HOW THIS SCIENCE WORKS , we must understand basic physiology of the human body . Each human body has a unique bio ( Doshas) – energy – Vata (Air) , Pitta (Fire) and Kapha (Water) . As per Ayurveda science balance of Tridosha means health and imbalance of Tridosha means ill health.
To understand how these bioenergies come into existence one must understand the concept of Five basic elements ( Panch Mahabhuta ) i.e, Air , Water, Fire, Earth and Space .
Each dosha consists of Panch-mahabhutas in different proportions .
Vata – Air + Space
Pitta – Fire + Water
Kapha – Water + Earth
Concept of Prakriti ( Body type)
Prakrit means “Nature ” . Prakriti of a person is decided at the time of conception, whichever dosha is predominant at the time of conception ,decides the prakriti of an individual .
Prakriti remains the same throughout life and is responsible for physical and psychological traits of an individual .
7 Types of Prakriti as per Tridosha :
- Vata Prakriti
- Pitta Prakriti
- Kapha Prakriti
- Vata-Pitta Prakriti
- Pitta – Kapha Prakriti
- Kapha -Vata Prakriti
- Samdodhaj Prakriti ( Vata-Pitta-Kapha)
Brief Description of Prakriti
| Body frame | Vata Prakriti | Pitta Prakriti | Kapha Prakriti |
| Built / Body frame | Lean and Thin | Medium body frame | Broad Built |
| Skin | Thin , dry and cracked | Oily and Prone to acne | Thick , smooth and fair |
| Hair | Dry and thin | Oily , Premature greying of hair | Thick, smooth and wavy |
| Bowel Movement | Chronic Constipation | 2-3 Times in a day | Sluggish , once a day |
| Appetite | Irregular appetite | Strong appetite | Low appetite |
| Physical activity | Excessive | Moderate | Less mobile |
| Immunity or resistance to diseases | Low | Moderate | Good |
| Prone to diseases such as | Anxiety, Insomnia | Acidity, Acne , digestive disorders | Obesity, diabetes , dyslipidemia |
| Memory | Grasp Quickly , Forget quickly | Moderate grasping and retention | Slow grasping and good retention |
Above description helps you to understand the basic concept of ayurveda and how to understand your body type. As per ayurveda each individual is unique and has to follow a certain dietary and lifestyle guideline based on their unique body type .
