Ayurveda

Ayurveda is a natural healing system which originated out of India over 5000 years ago. It is the system for maintaining optimal health through adherence to natural rhythms and cycles - A healing gift that has been given to us from the ancient enlightened Vedic culture.

Ayurveda employs a variety of natural means to bring harmony to the physiology including diet, herbs, spices, minerals, exercise, meditation, yoga, mental hygiene, sounds and smells.

Etymology

Ayurveda is translated as ‘ayur‘ (life) and ‘veda‘ (knowledge of or science). It is commonly known as the ‘Science of Life’.

Three Constitutions

The Rig Veda is the oldest of the four Vedic scriptures and contains the main concepts regarding Ayurveda. It speaks about three cosmic powers associated with Wind, Fire and Earth and how these primal forces relate to the three psycho-physiologic constitutions of man known as Vata,Pitta and Kapha.

From the five elements, the three doshas are derived—Vata,Pitta, and Kapha. Known as mind-body types, the doshas express particular patterns of energy—unique blends of physical, emotional, and mental characteristics.

In Ayurveda, health is defined as the dynamic state of balance between mind, body, and environment. It is possible for each of us to achieve and maintain a vibrant and joyful state of health by identifying our mind-body type and then creating a lifestyle that sustains and nurtures our unique nature.

Vedic Science of Detox of Body and Mind

Our dietary habits, lifestyle and thinking have a collective effect on our overall health. These 3 are considered as the three pillars of health – AhAra (diet), vihAra (lifestyle) and vichAra (thoughts). Any form of disturbance in these three can lead to a disturbance in the equilibrium of the three doshas (vAta, pitta and kapha), which can be loosely translated to the 3 biological energies of the body.

By and by, there is accumulation of vitiated doshas (acting here as toxins) in the tissues of the body. The blood chemistry gets disturbed, leading to various lifestyle disorders like diabetes, hyper and hypo thyroidism, and skin disorders– to name a few. Virechana Therapy or medicated purgation therapy helps remove the vitiated doshas (especially vitiated pitta, since it has an intimate relation with blood tissue) from the body. When these toxins are removed from the body as per the methods given in the original scriptures of Ayurveda, the detoxification is permanent.

dOShANam cha druvANam cha mUlena upahate sati | rOgANAm prasavAnAm cha gatAnAm Agatihi dhruva || – Charaka Samhita, Sutra Sthana. 16

Translation: “Like how when the trees are uprooted from their roots, they won’t grow back, similarly the vitiated doshas (toxins) when removed from their roots through the detoxification procedure will not reappear.”

Agnis in Human Body

As per Ayurveda, the human body has thirteen “Agnis”. “Agni” is the term for the whole process of biological conversion and utilization of energy. Malfunctioning of Agni leads to production of Ama (undigested material that remains in tract and acts as antigens/toxins and are responsible for production of various diseases & autoimmune diseases). Production of Ama may occur at the level of Jataragni (improper digestion in digestive tract), Bhutagni (liver dysfunction) or Dhatwagni (disturbed tissue metabolism). Ama is said to be the root cause of all diseases and can be indicated by lethargy, a coated tongue and foul breath. These undigested substances can be recognizable to us as:

• High cholesterol
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Candida
• Diabetes
• Constipation
• Obesity
• Depression
• Stress and anxiety

“Almost each one of you carry at least 5 pounds of poison in your body, because of the toxification by constantly watching tv and powerful lights, pesticides in your food and so many other reasons. This Nithya Yoga Retreat is specifically focused on detoxification through a sattvic diet, Nithya Yoga and Kriya and cleansing methods. You will be detoxing your body and mind. Whoever wants to have their body detoxified, here is an amazing opportunity.” – HH Paramahamsa Nithyananda Paramashivam

Sattvic Eating

Best time to eat

Ayurveda says that in our manipura region (navel region), we have what is known as digestive fire (jataraagni). This jataraagni is closely related to the sun. When the sun is out, it means your digestion is functioning at its optimum. Always aim to eat your meals between sunrise and sunset (not before or after).

Eat light, sattvic and pure foods for breakfast – fresh squeezed juice, fresh fruit etc. Our jataraagni is at is strongest when the sun is at its highest in the sky (at approximately 1pm). It is best to eat our largest meal between 12pm and 2pm. The evening meal should again be light and best eaten before the sun goes down for the day.

Presentation

Devote at least half an hour to eat and digest each meal (1.5 hours per day for eating is not much).

Remember that one fourth of your food is taken through the eye (sense of seeing) so serve your dish on a beautiful plate – you are worth your best cutlery! It is also a nice practice to set the table you are eating at decoratively.

Gratitude

Say a small prayer before eating your food. It doesn’t have to be too elaborate, simply just say a small thank you for the food that you have and that is about to become part of your body.

Fragrance of the Food

Bring your face toward the food and inhale the fragrance of the food. Enjoy the different aromas of the food. Allow this sense to be filled.

Touch the Food

Touch the food with both hands and all fingers, feel the textures. All five fingers have minor chakras. Therefore, when we touch the food, we send a signal to our digestive system that you are about to ingest food.

Eating the Food

Let the first morsel be a sacred act to yourself.

Chew the food 32 times – or until food is pulp in the mouth. We do this for two reasons. The first is, when you chew the food slowly, your system has time to understand that enough food has been eaten. You won’t overeat when you chew the food slowly. The second reason is, when you chew the food well, the digestive process begins in the mouth itself where the enzymes in the saliva can start to break down the food. When the food reaches your stomach, it does not have to work so hard to breakdown all the food. Breaking down food in the stomach takes more energy than running around your street block. That is why we feel very tired after eating food.

Have positivity when you are eating and digesting your food

Leave Some Room

You should only fill three quarters of your stomach. Leave the final quarter for some water and air. Small sips of warm water can be taken during meal. Never drink cold drinks during a meal as they can weaken your digestive fire. Leave a complete half an hour after your meal, than you can drink a full glass of warm water if it is required. One can sip water throughout the day. It greases the system and breaks down what is known as ama which is residue of your digestion.

Sit in vajrasana to help digestion. Sit in the vajrasana position (sitting on your heels, knees and feet together) for 3 – 5 minutes after a meal. This position can help the food to digest as a lot of blood will be brought to that area. It helps to remove gas and prevent bloating. If you get the urge to belch or pass wind, that is what the posture is designed to do, so try not to suppress these urges. The posture will help you to feel light and energized after the meal.

Never lay down or sleep after a meal. If you want to gain weight, than this is a 100% guaranteed way to put on weight; sleeping after food

Ayurvedic Constitutional Test

Body Structure & Appearance

Description	Vata	Pita	Kapha
Frame	Tall or short, thin; poorly developed physique	Medium; moderately developed physique	Stout, stocky, short, big; well developed physique
Weight	Low, hard to hold weight, prominent veins and bones	Moderate, good muscles	Heavy, tends towards obesity
Complexion	Dull, brown, darkish	Red, ruddy, flushed, glowing	White, pale
Skin texture & Temperature	Thin, dry, cold, rough, cracked, prominent veins	Warm, moist, pink, with moles, freckles, acne	Thick, white, moist, cold, soft, smooth
Hair	Scanty, course, dry, brown, slightly wavy	Moderate, fine, soft, early gray or bald	Abundant, oily, thick, very wavy, lustrous
Head	Small, thin, long, unsteady	Moderate	Large, stocky, steady
Forehead	Small, wrinkled	Moderate, with folds	Large, broad
Face	Thin, small, long, wrinkled, dusky, dull	Moderate, ruddy, sharp contours	Large, round, fat, white or pale, soft contours
Neck	Thin, long	Medium	Large, thick
Eyebrows	Small, thin, unsteady	Moderate, fine	Thick, bushy, many hairs
Eyelashes	Small, dry, firm	Small, thin, fine	Large, thick, oily, firm
Eyes	Small, dry, thin, brown, dull, unsteady	Medium, thin, red (inflamed easily) green, piercing	Wide, prominent, thick, oily, white, attractive
Nose	Thin, small, long, dry, crooked	Medium	Thick, big, firm, oily
Lips	Thin, small, darkish, dry, unsteady	Medium, soft, red	Thick, large, oily, smooth, firm
Teeth & Gums	Thin, dry, scaly, rough, crooked, receding gums	Medium, soft, pink, gums bleed easily	Large, thick, soft, pink, oily
Shoulders	Thin, small, flat, hunched	Medium	Broad, thick, firm,
Chest	Thin, small, narrow, poorly developed	Medium	Broad, large, well or overly developed
Arms	Thin, overly small or long, poorly developed	Medium	Large, thick, round, well developed
Hands	Small, thin, dry, cold, rough, fissured, unsteady	Medium, warm, pink	Large, thick, oily, cool, firm
Thighs	Thin, narrow	Medium	Well-developed, round, fat
Legs	Thin, excessively long or short, prominent knees	Medium	Large, stocky
Calves	Small, hard, tight	Loose, soft	Shapely, firm
Feet	Small, thin, long, dry, rough, fissured, unsteady	Medium, soft, pink	Large, thick, hard, firm
Joints	Small, thin, dry, unsteady, cracking	Medium, soft, loose	Large, thick, well built
Nails	Small, thin, dry, rough, fissured, cracked, darkish	Medium, soft, pink	Large, thick, smooth, white, firm, oily

Waste Materials / Metabolism

Description	Vata	Pita	Kapha
Urine	Scanty, difficult, colourless	Profuse, yellow, red, burning	Moderate, whitish, milky
Feces	Scanty, dry, hard, difficult or painful, gas, constipation	Abundant, loose, yellowish, diarrhea, with burning sensation	Moderate, solid, sometimes pale in color, mucus in stool
Sweat/Body Odor	Scanty, no smell	Profuse, hot, strong smell	Moderate, cold, pleasant smell
Appetite	Variable, erratic	Strong, sharp	Constant, low
Taste preferences	Prefers sweet, sour or salty food, cooked with oil and spiced	Prefers sweet, bitter or astringent food, raw, lightly cooked,without spice	Prefers pungent, bitter, astringent food, cooked with spices but not oil
Circulation	Poor, variable, erratic	Good, warm	Good, warm, slow, steady

General characteristics

Description	Vata	Pita	Kapha
Activity	Quick, fast, unsteady, erratic, hyperactivity	Medium, motivated, purposeful, goal seeking	Slow, steady, stately, strong, good
Strength/endurance	Low, poor endurance, starts and stops quickly	Medium, intolerant of heat	Endurance, but slow in starting
Sexual nature	Variable, erratic, deviant, strong desire but slow energy, few children	Moderate, passionate, quarrelsome, dominating	Low but constant sexual desire, good sexual energy, devoted, many children
Sensitivity	Fear of cold, wind, sensitive to dryness	Fear of heat, dislike of sun, fire	Fear of cold, damp, likes wind and sun
Resistance to disease	Poor, variable, weak immune system	Medium, prone to infection	Good, prone to congestive disorders
Disease tendency	Nervous system diseases, pain, arthritis, mental disorder	Fevers, infections, inflammatory diseases	Respiratory system diseases, mucus, edema
Reaction to medications	Quick, low dosage needed, unexpected side effects or nervous reactions	Medium, average dosage	Slow, high dosage required, effects slow to manifest
Pulse	Thready, rapid, superficial, irregular, weak/like a snake	Wiry, bounding, moderate/like a frog	Deep, slow, steady, deep, rolling, slippery/ like a swan

Mental Factors and Expression

Description	Vata	Pita	Kapha
Voice	Low, weak, hoarse	High pitch, sharp, moderate, good	Pleasant, deep, good tone
Speech	Quick, inconsistent, erratic, talkative	Intelligent, penetrating, critical	Slow, steady, dull
Mental Nature	Quick, adaptable, indecisive	Intelligent, penetrating, critical	Slow, steady, dull
Memory	Poor, notices things easily but easily forgets	Sharp, clear	Slow to take notice but will not forget
Finances	Earns and spend easily	Spends on specific goals, causes or projects	Holds on to what one earns, particularly property
Emotional tendencies	Fearful, anxious, nervous	Angry, irritable, contentious	Calm, content, attached, sentimental
Neurotic tendencies	Hysteria, trembling, anxiety attacks	Extreme temper, rages, tantrums	Depression, unresponsiveness, sorrow
Faith	Erratic, changeable, rebel	Determined, fanatic, leader	Constant, loyal, conservative
Sleep	Light, tends towards insomnia	Moderate, may wake up but will fall asleep again	Heavy, difficulty in waking up
Dreams	Flying, moving, restlessness, nightmares	Colorful, passionate, conflict	Romantic, sentimental, watery, few dreams
Habits	Likes speed, traveling, parks, plays, jokes, stories, trivia, artistic activities, dancing	Likes competitive sports, debates, politics, hunting, research	Likes water, sailing, flowers, cosmetics, business ventures, cooking

Total	Vata ..	Pita ..	Kapha ..

Ayurvedic Lifestyle

• Waking up
• Rise Early (before 4:30am)
• Declare completion
• PanchaKriyas (Eye wash, JalaNeti (Sutra Neti for advanced yogis), natural evacuation & enema)
• Drink neem juice or lemon juice on empty stomach
• ThailaKriya – Oil Pulling
• Cleaning Tongue and Brushing Teeth
• Oil Massage
• Bathing – Be inside your boundary when you bathe. Let your mind be where your body is, full awareness of the sensations
• Moving – Any practice of Hatha Yoga
• Being mindful with every movement throughout your day
• Mindful Eating – Practice ‘Mindful Eating’ at every meal
• Sit in vajrasana after meal

Recommendations

Description	Vata	Pita	Kapha
Oils	Require oils that are heating & lubricative	Require oils that are cooling	Require oils that are heating and invigorating
	Sesame, Almond, Jojoba, Wheatgerm	Coconut, Sandalwood, Almond, Sunflower	Sunflower, Sesame, Safflower, Mustard, Corn

References

http://yoga.nithyananda.org/2014/07/11/ayurveda-and-yoga/ http://nithyanandatimes.org/detox-your-body-mind-the-vedic-way/