Ayurveda made Simple A study that looks for the cause of the imbalance and try to bring harmony to your body . Understand how the body works helps towards a healthier being. Integration with nature is paramount for a balanced living, the cure comes from within.     There are three goes of life or Purshartha : - Dharma - Teaches moral value, wrong / right, and purpose of ones life. - Artha - Wealthy. - Karma - Desires. - Liberation or Moksa. Mind    Body    Soul     Some of the ingested food turns into toxins or Ama. Food once ingested and broken turns into : - Agni - fire - Metabolic waste - Mala - nutrients for the Dhatus Dhatus: - Rasa - Plasma - Rakta - Blood - Massa - Muscles - Meda - Fatty Tissues - Asthi - Bone - Majja - Bone Marrow - Sukra - Sperm , female eggs     One Dhatu helps form the other one the use of  herbs or Rasayana, and spices help keep the balance. But you must keep in mind , different food for different body constitution.     Triupstambha,  three pillars of Ayurveda - Ahara -  Food - Nitra - Sleep - Bharmcharya - Discipline "Astmaya indriatha Samyoga ",  Improper sense connection with object. The cause of all problems is in our body and so its solution.     We have ten senses, also known as Pancha Gyanendria or Knowledge Sences and Pancha Karmendria or Action Sences. Pancha Gyanendria - Eyes - Tong - Nose - Skin Ear Pancha Karmendria - Hands - Feet - Tong - Genitals - Anal   The mind controls all senses. And the imbalance of senses cause problems.     Trigunas - Three qualities of the mind. - Sattava - Balance state of mind - Rajas - Movement of energy, full of desire and attachments - Tamas - Inert, negative thinking, letargic. Without Rajas the others wouldn't exist. - Sattava Balance between Vatta, Pitta, Kapha. Preference to foods that is light, easy to digest. Person that is honest, thoughtful, understanding. Vegetables, fruits. Dincharya, Daily routine. Wake up one hour before sunrise. Clean your teeth. Tong cleaning. Oil Buchecho Yoga. Self Massage, or Abhyangam. Pranayama. Breakfast 8h - 9h Lunch 12h-13h Dinner 18h-19h Shatkarmas or Shatkriyas, are a set of yoga purifications of the body, to prepare for the main work of yoga towards Moksha, Liberation. - RAJAS Active, with new ideas, high Pitta and Vatta, must avoid stimulating food, can suffer from insomnia and tendency from heart attack. - TAMAS Blind followers, Dark, Inert. Must avoid Tamas food, such us fried, unhealthy, processed. Your consciousness knows when something is Good or Bad, you have that lingering feeling afterwards. Pancha Karma, method of cleansing the body of all the unwanted waste. After lubricating it . PunchaKarma are 5, hence the term PANCHA (Five), KARMA (Procedures) The body can be divided on the basis of the parts that need cleansing. Head, GIT (gastro- intestinal system), upper and lower. The five main Karmas to cleanse the complete body are - Vamanam (therapeutic emesis) - induced vomiting helps clear the upper gastro till the duodenum (end of stomach) and part of the respiratory tract. - Virechanam (purgation) - induced purgation clears the lower gastro from the duodenum (end of stomach) till the exit. - Anuvasana (enema using medicated oil) - Oil enema helps lubricate the rectal area and take out all the lipid soluble waste out through the anus. - Nasyam - nasal instillation of medicated substances helps clear the respiratory tract and para-nasal sinuses. - Astapana Vasti (Therapeutic Decoction Enema) - decoction enema cleanses the area from the transverse colon till the anus. Pancha Mahabuta The five great elements. - Sky, Space - Air - Earth - Water - Fire Sky, Space: Infinite, open, light, disperce Air : Fluid, movement, quick, agile, active, agitated, Water: Fluid, liquid, moving, transparent, Earth: Groundness, stability, inert, slow, calm, Fire: Sharp, hot, intense, transforming, Doshas Doshas is the psiologic classification of human body on the basis of the five great elements ( Pancha Mahabuta ). It is one of three substances, ( Vatta, Pitta, Kapha ), that are present in a persons body. - Vatta Air + Space. - Pitta Fire + Water - Kapha Earth + Water Vatta - Thin, light and wiry frame, long and tapered fingers and toes, small dark eyes, smaller mouths and thin lips. - Dryness of skin, hair, lips and joints. Irregularity in bones and teeth, spine. - Extreme sensitive to cold, wind or dry weather. - Function of movement, walking, talking, speaking, any motion in the body, space. - May suffer from arthritis, anxiety, migraine. - Irregular menstrual cycle, with premenstrual, physical and emotional symptoms. - Erratic appetite and irregular digestion - Nerve function, sense of touch, pain. - Can be high or low, cause insomnia and loss of memory, too much thinking related to high Vatta. - Mobile, light, dry, rough, cool, supple - Very active mind. Creative, artistic with imaginative. Ideas change often. Open and tolerant of others. Energetic but sporadic. Pitta - Governs all the heat, metabolism and transformation in the mind and body. - It controls how we digest food. - How we metabolize our sensory perception. - Responsable for how we discriminate between right and wrong. - Pitta governs the important digestive "agnis" or fires of the body. - Warm, Bruise and bleed easily. - Pale skin, red thin hair. - Strong digestion, can be sharp or excessive, and can eat more and not gain weight. Become irritable if skip a meal. - hot, oily, light liquid, mobile, sharp, soft, smooth. - Regular menstrual cycle, with premenstrual physical and emotional symptoms. - Prone to inflammation, ulcers, acid reflux, acne, allergies, rashes, itchy red eyes - Quick or intense temper. - Sensitive to the sun. - Have average endurance, but strong determined and can push past limits. Kapha - Stocky built, large and strong frame, tendency to gain weight easily, well developed chest, thick eyelashes, round faces with full lips. - Soft, thick, oil hair, usually wavy and plentiful. - Intolerant of cold and damp environments. - Cool extremities that maybe be clammy ( cool sweaty palms and feet ). - Steady appetite with slow but regular bowl movement and minimal urination. - Tendency toward colds, congestion, allergies, water retention, and slugginsh digestive system. - Regular menstrual cycle with little premenstrual symptoms. - Heavy sleepers with tendency to over sleep. - Easy going, fun loving, patient, slower moving, endurance, grounded depositions, resistant towards changes. Prakruti The Prakruti of a patient is given a lot of importance in Ayurveda. Often translated as a person’s constitution, the term actually means “original creation.” The Sanskrit prefix “pra” means “original” and “kruti” means “creation”. A person’s prakruti is the inherent balance of the three doshas at the moment of their creation. It is at this moment that a person’s physiological and psychological tendencies become fixed.  For example, people have tendencies that influence the thickness of the skin, the length of the fingers, the shape of the palm and the strength of digestion. There are tendencies toward or against every bodily feature and physiological function. In addition, there are tendencies toward a specific personality type and even how a person will react emotionally to stress. We have tendencies to be introverted or extraverted, excitable or calm, intense or laid back. All of this is coded in the constitution. A person’s prakruti (constitution) does not usually change throughout a person’s lifetime.  Nature of a person's constitution, body energy. The nature of a person , is decided on the day of conception. Vikruti Vikruti means “after creation.” The Sanskrit root “vi” means “after” and the root word “kruti” means “creation.” A person’s vikruti is the state of the three doshas after the moment of conception. In Ayurveda, when we talk about the vikruti of a patient, we are referring to the current state of the three doshas and how they are expressing themselves in the body and mind. Due to the less than optimal environment most of us find ourselves in, our vikruti helps us to understand the imbalances or symptoms that we are experiencing. However, it should be understood that in an optimal environment, the vikruti and the prakruti are the same. In this state, tendencies exist in the body and the mind but they are not expressing themselves in a manner that is causing a disturbance.  An important goal of Ayurveda is to understand a person’s vikruti and then understand what aspects of a person’s environment have contributed to the disturbance. Once known, the goal is to correct the environment. In this context, environment refers to both what a patient takes in through their five senses as well as the nature of a patient’s lifestyle. While knowing a person’s prakruti is essential for understanding the deepest tendencies within a person, knowing a person’s vikruti is essential for devising a treatment program. Practitioners should remember that we always treat the current state of the doshas. Every living creature has all three doshas within them. We cannot exist without a certain amount of each. Kapha provides each of us with tissues, pitta provides metabolic action and vatta allows us to move and express ourselves. Our constitution is best defined in terms of the percentage of each energy within a person’s constitution. In this way there are not three types (Vatta,Pitta or Kapha), or even seven types (combinations), but an infinite number of combinations and permutations with no two people being exactly the same.  One can be Vatta, Pitta, Kapha, Vatta Pitta, Pitta Kapha, Vatta Kapha, Vatta Pitta Kapha, or other combinations, self exam can determine ones dosha after carefully looking at characteristics. Vatta - More active, flexible. Pitta - Slow, more organised. Kapha - Quiet, still. To balance ones Dosha you need an opposite life style. Vatta five subtypes. Prana Vatta : Head and Heart region Perform Pranayama Hot stimulation Pranayama Surya Bhedhi Pranayama Stimulates circulation and adds heat. Stimulating Pranayamas like: Kapala Bhati Pranayama - Forceful exhalation - Stimulates fire - Activate Exhalation Bastrika Pranayama - Forceful inhale and exhale. - Improves imune system. - Energetic. Cooling Pranayamas like: Chandra Bhedi Pranayama - Inhale left, exhale right. - Moon energy. Shitali / Shitkari Pranayama - Inhale through mouth with teeth closed. - Ok to make a noise while inhaling. - Good to prevent teeth cavities.