Intro to Ayurveda

If allergies are making you miserable, you may find relief with Ayurvedic remedies.

By Scott Blossom

Ayurveda, which translates as "knowledge of life," dates back 5,000 years to the ancient Sanskrit texts, the Vedas. It's a system of healing that examines physical constitution, emotional nature, and spiritual outlook in the context of the universe. According to the philosophy, universal life force manifests as three different energies, or doshas, known as vata, pitta, and kapha.

We're all made up of a unique combination of these three forces. Though everyone has some of each, most people tend to have an abundance of one or two of the doshas. This unique combination is determined at the moment of conception, and is your own personal blueprint, or prakriti (nature).

As you move through life, the proportion of each of the three doshas constantly fluctuates according to your environment, your diet, the seasons, the climate, your age, and many other factors. As they move into and out of balance, the doshas can affect your health, energy level, and general mood.

For more about Ayurveda, go to www.yogajournal.com and type "Ayurveda" into the search box.

	vata	pitta	kapha
ELEMENT	Air and Ether	Fire	Earth and Water
QUALITIES	Dry, rough, cool, mobile	Hot, light	Heavy, moist, cool, stable
OUT OF BALANCE	Flighty, worried, fearful	Irritable, judgmental	Lethargic, stubborn, prone to overeating
IN BALANCE	Creative, lively	Motivated, purposeful	Stable, thoughtful, compassionate
PRONE TO	Constipation, lower back pain, anxiety, joint problems	Acne, diarrhea	Sinus problems, respiratory diseases, inflammation

An integrative yoga therapist, Scott Blossom, L.Ac., lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife, Chandra, and their daughter, Tara. He thanks Chandra, Dr. Robert Svoboda, and Shandor Remete for their input to this article. He can be contacted at www.shunyatayoga.com.

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Reader Comments

layla	When going the alternative medicine route one is often left to research and experiment to find the right products and resources. Here is a new site that is beginning to gather all the resources in one place. You can research conditions for various therapeutic modes, including Ayurvedic medicine, and get information about the effectiveness of therapies and remedies. The site is also a launching point for researching integrated alternative medicine therapies on the web. Go to http://www.rvita.com.
annie	Have recently read of this too....the other day while I was desperate for congested sinus relief.......something my neti pot could not even take care of......I tried it upon waking for the recommended 20 minutes.....don't know for sure if it was that....but my sinuses were clear for the rest of the day! There is a correct technique to do it.......on an EMPTY stomach, no gargling, no swallowing, and mindfullness.....meaning one must sit only and pull the oil. None of that multi tasking business. Check out www.earthclinic.com for more info!
nama	i recently read something about a supposed ayurvedic practise called "oil pulling." my skeptical friends laugh at me and say i'm falling off the deep end. is it truly as beneficial as i've read (detoxes, whitens teeth, etc)?

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