What I love about Ayurveda

The Ayurvedic approach to health is: “disease is the absence of vibrant health”

The Western medicine approach to health is: “health is the absence of a definable disease.”

Sometimes, you just feel a bit “off.” You don’t have a cold or any sort of infection; a doctor of western medicine might run a series of intrusive tests, take blood, check your blood pressure and heart rate and, finding nothing out of the ordinary, tell you there is nothing wrong. An Ayurvedic practitioner on the other hand, will say “if you don’t feel right, something is definitely wrong… let’s figure out what that is.”

I love Ayurveda because it never accepts this ordinary sense of not feeling good, as normal. Ayurveda has a much higher standard of how one should expect to feel on a daily basis. Ayurveda says: if you are not feeling vital, alive and inspired then something is very wrong!

Ayurveda doesn’t just say “oh, you’re ill, let’s fix that” – it looks at why you’re not feeling great. What’s causing it? What can we change to make it better, and prevent it happening again? Why is the big question in Ayurveda. If we can discover why you don’t feel great, we can work on removing that reason, rather than patching up the symptoms.

Just sit quietly for a few moments, and take stock: do you feel alive and vital? No? Bit run down and rubbish, but you can’t put your finger on what’s causing it? Why not start to investigate your Ayurveda dosha, you’ll see it on the Freebie page? Often once you know which is your primary dosha, you begin to see how you can make small changes to your lifestyle that can help make you feel better.

Here’s an example: Vata doshas tend to digest slowly and can often suffer with indigestion. You could just carry a big pack of antacids everywhere with you, but in the long run that can just make things worse – and what if you run out? Alternatively, a little organic apple cider can work wonders and are 100% natural. Your stomach needs a hand to digest your food, not just shoving any old pill down your throat to try and mask the symptoms. You can also look at what’s causing the indigestion. Stress plays a major part in all bodily functions, and often if you’re a bit stressed your digestion is the first place it shows.

Believe it or not, if you can start to pay attention to your breathing, your digestion can improve. No pills needed! Yoga can also help with digestion, as well as getting your energy moving. It squeezes and massages your internal organs and flushes your blood through your body. A good yoga session can really make you feel fantastic.

Next time you’re feeling a bit under the weather, don’t accept it! Look at why you feel that way, and what you can do to feel better! Don’t just reach for the antacids, the sleeping pills, the ibuprofen!

Love

Anandi