While going to school for nutrition I became fascinated with Ayurveda- ancient Indian medicine and one of the world's first recorded scriptures of medicine carved into massive stones called "veda's".
The word Ayurveda translates to "Science of Life" or "Knowledge of Life".
I became fascinated with Ayurveda, a type of traditional medicine because lifestyle and health were one.
Texts on Ayurveda contain "Basic Morning & Evening Routines", "How to Build a Healthy Meal", "Basic Yoga Stretches", "Natural Remedies", "Body Symptomology Diagrams", "How to Balance Your Constitution".
Education was given to the people. A fascinating way to manage a healthy society!!
YOUR BODY - YOUR SIGNS - YOUR SYMPTOMS
Ayurveda began at a time before electronic-based medicine, before we had x-rays, MRI's or any other means of analyzing inside of the body- other than cutting it open and viewing with our eyes.
Ayurveda developed a system of reading body symptoms and corresponding them with solutions. Certain nutrients, herbs and foods were identified to heal various signs of imbalance.
Ayurveda taught practitioners how to guide their patients into reading their own intuition. If more people were educated about health, there can be less pressure on the medical system.
DO YOU KNOW YOUR CONSTITUTION?
Diving deeper into Ayurveda, we can classify our body type into a specific constitution type (vata, pita, kapha). If you are interested in taking a test, google it!
Once you identify your constitutio, you can learn about the best foods to fuel your body, your 'agni'= metabolic fire, with daily routines, types of activity, types of foods, spices and more.
MORE CONCEPTS YOU WILL NOTICE THROUGHOUT NATURE IS HEALTH INSPIRED BY AYURVEDA
We are what we eat. We are also what we are unable to excrete. We are also a sum of our environment.
Connection with the people surrounding us, our environment and to the universe balances 'health'.
All things in the universe are comprised of the same elements. Every being has their own individual constitution. To thrive, we must be in-tuned with the nutrients needed for our own individual body.
Our body (and the universe) is in a constant state of flux ~ health is sustained with our ability to adapt and stay within the flow.
Imbalance creates disease- notice the origins of this word: dis-ease (or lack of harmony / peace).
To regain balance we must simplify. We must remove foreign irritants. We must allow the body to balance itself by eliminating the factors that are preventing it to do so.
Everyone is different and the most productive thing we can all do for our own health is to learn ques and signals from our OWN body versus listening to what is 'good' and 'bad'. Figuring out what works best in each unique body is what health is all about.
Ayurveda uses food, plants and the elements to heal and rebalance the body.
"When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need." -Vedic text
What does holistic nutrition mean? HOLISM & NUTRITION
Thanks for reading,
-Samantha