About Ayurveda

Origin
Ayurveda is a holistic system of healing that originated in India thousands of years ago. The word Ayurveda literally translates to mean “the science of life”. The written documentation of this science is found in the oldest Hindu scriptures, the Vedas. These sacred scriptures are more than five thousand years old and Ayurveda has been practiced long before they were documented. It is believed by many scholars that knowledge of Ayurveda spread out from India and influenced the ancient Chinese system of medicine, Unani medicine, and the humoral medicine practiced by Hippocrates in Greece. For this reason, Ayurveda is often referred to as the "Mother of all healing."

Meaning
Ayurveda is a Sanskrit term, made up of the words "ayus" and "veda." "Ayus" means life and "Veda" means knowledge or science. The term "ayurveda" thus means 'the knowledge of life' or 'the science of life'. According to the ancient Ayurvedic scholar Charaka, "ayu" comprises the mind, body, senses and the soul. Therefore, owing its very meaning Ayurveda renders itself to be more than a system of medicine. Ayurveda is a philosophy of holistic healing which recognizes that we are all an inherent part of nature. Just as the animals and plants live in harmony with nature and utilize its laws to create health and balance within their beings, we too must adhere to the very same principles. The recognition and practice of the natural principles propounded by the Ayurvedic system helps a person maintain health by bringing them in harmony with nature and lead them into equilibrium with their true self.

Principle of Ayurvedic Healing
Ayurveda's premise that mind, body, and spirit are intimately connected is revolutionizing the way Westerners understand their body and their health. Ayurveda teaches that separating mind and spirit from the body creates physical imbalance, which is the first step in the disease process. It naturally follows that re-integration of the three is the first step towards healing. Based on this principle, Ayurveda views disease as the natural end result of living out of harmony with the environment and symptoms of disease as the body's normal way of communicating disharmony. Thus, Ayurveda's approach to healing is to reestablish harmony between self and environment and create an optimal environment for health.