Ayurveda: An Ancient Pathway to Modern Health

Whether you’re interested in preventing serious disease and improving your health in general or you want to treat specific symptoms such as headache, overweight, or insomnia, Ayurveda works.

Thousands of people all over the world who are living proof that this holistic, integrated health system is as effective as it was when it originated in India nearly six thousand years ago.

Ayurveda, a Sanskrit word that means knowledge of life and longevity, is based on principles and rhythms found in nature. It makes use of daily and seasonal lifestyle practices (including diet, yoga, and meditation), healing herbs, purification therapies, and a life-affirming mental attitude.

Although at first glance some Ayurvedic practices may seem exotic, foreign, or downright old-fashioned, they are in actuality universal, timeless, and as useful now as they were thousands of years ago.

In my practice I have found that Ayurveda is more relevant than ever, since it seeks to restore harmony and balance in a world that is growing increasingly out of kilter, with pollution, stress, junk food, accelerating schedules, sedentary occupations, and passive pastimes.

When I came to Ayurveda in 1987, I had been a chiropractor for many years. Although I was able to help my patients, for many the relief was temporary and they suffered from stubborn, recurring musculoskeletal pain. This troubled me as a professional and I looked for a way to go beyond simple chiropractic adjustment.

I had a personal interest too: Although I had been meditating for many years, and was able to keep up a busy practice while raising a family, I was frequently exhausted. When I discovered Ayurveda, I saw that this holistic approach could be the answer.

Ayurveda can bring you to an optimum levels of physical, psychological, and spiritual health. This multidimensionality is the missing link that Ayurveda provides, and that is of utmost importance from the Ayurvedic perspective.

I have found that even people who exercise regularly, eat a well-balanced, low-fat diet, and take vitamin supplements still get sick. In spite of their efforts, something is still missing-they are not paying attention to their inner lives of mind and spirit and are out of sync with their own rhythms and the universal rhythms of nature. They lack connection and deep understanding of their inner selves and their outer world.

Daily Ayurvedic practices nurture the whole person and provide tools to make those connections. The body’s natural rhythms and physiology are attended to, enabling you to better understand yourself and your place in the world and bringing you to a state of gentle pleasure, a blissful feeling of unity with the wholeness of the universe. You are in balance, and symptoms of sickness – the signs of imbalance – melt away.

Ayurveda has a mystical past, but it is a practical approach to everyday health. It can help you reestablish and maintain your overall equilibrium as well as treat specific symptoms-from allergies and acne to headache, insomnia, tension and anxiety, fatigue, indigestion, sexual problems, and hot flashes.

Ayurveda recognizes that each person is a unique individual, with a mind, body, and spirit that are intertwined. I encourage everyone to embrace Ayurveda – and unlock the power to heal yourself!