What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is a holistic practice that integrates the mind, body and spirit in order to create balance within. Ayurveda is the science and wisdom of life and self-healing. Practiced in India for over 5,000 years, the name means true knowledge of life (that which exists and ages within time). "Ayus" means age or life-span. "Veda" is wisdom/ true knowledge.
Recorded in the ancient scriptures called Vedas, and further expounded in classical texts such as "Charaka Samhita", "Sushruta Samhita" and "Ashtang Hridayam", Ayurvedic treatments and recommendations are based on the following principle: While symptoms may collectively appear common to many, their cause is uniquely rooted in the individual's temperament, diet, life-style, genetics and past actions. Health is directly impacted by the harmonious relationship between man and his environment. Hence though three people may complain of a headache, their cause and healing will be individual. Ayurveda does not treat disease, it addresses the root of the problem as the entire well-being of the person. Ayurveda takes into consideration all sensory input the individual has, and advises him/her regarding five-sense therapies and balancing the elements and forces active within the body. This the client accomplishes through diet, herbology, and lifestyle changes.