Ayurveda is an increasingly popular form of complementary wellness. It embraces the idea of healing the whole body through taking care of the physical, mental and emotional well-being. Ayurvedic practitioners are seeing more and more patients on a regular basis, suggesting diet and lifestyle changes to help them overcome their health problems. Many people rave about the way that Ayurveda changed their lives, restoring their strength and helping them overcome any wellness problems that they may have previously been experiencing.
Doshas are an important part of Ayurveda and a vital part of improving health and healing the body and mind. This is part of the whole-body approach that Ayurveda is so celebrated for. The energies that make up our body, mind and spirit are of varying types, and these are named Vata, Pitta and Kapha in Sanskrit. Ayurveda works with these doshas to help balance them and thus restores wellness.
Vata is the primary dosha and it governs sensory and mental balance and well-being.
Pitta is the fire element, and it is thought to be the energetic force behind digestion and all metabolic processes in the human body. The Pitta helps our body to break down food and transforms it into nutrients, and this makes it a very powerful dosha indeed, as we need it to be working well in order to sustain life.
Kapha is the water and earth energy, and is the most grounded of all the doshas. It supports our body and provides us stability, both physically and emotionally. It is thought to be responsible for patience, compassion and modesty.
Ayurveda believes that any illness is the result of an imbalance of the doshas, and that these can be corrected through herbal remedies, massage and dietary and lifestyle changes.