An Introduction to Ayurveda ( to view more of our products type puretea in the search box )
A philosophy of health and wellbeing rooted in ancient Indian history, Ayurveda stands for the ‘art of living wisely.’ Focusing on the uniqueness of each individual, it describes a holistic lifestyle that instructs us on how to balance our lives and preserve our health, employing selected foods, tea , homeopathic medicine, and physical activities such as yoga and massage.
Judging by its popularity, its ancient roots are no obstacle to its modern-day application. What is the secret of Ayurveda’s survival and flourishing throughout its 4000-year long history? It is its natural simplicity and logic, aptly described in the first piece of writing devoted to Ayurveda, Charaka Samhita (circa 150 B.C.E.-100 C.E.):
It is called ayurveda because it tells us which substances, qualities and actions are life-enhancing, and which are not.
The centerpiece of Ayurveda is our own health and the Ayurvedic wisdom pushes us to be responsible for our health and live in harmony with the different stages of our lives, the seasons, and the environment we live, work, and play in. The influence these factors have on our health is often ignored, but it remains very significant and it makes sense to adapt our lifestyles in order to optimize our health by reaching a state of harmony between our bodies and their environments. Ayurveda thus encourages us to live our lives to the full while keeping ourselves in top shape in face of the best and the worst of times.
The doshas:
Ayurveda describes three body-mind types that characterize different people, known as dosha: vata, pitta, and kapha. The attributes of each dosha describe our individual characteristics, including inherited traits, likes and dislikes, and various tendencies.
We are always a combination of different types of dosha, but each individual will usually be dominated by a particular one. If our dosha goes out of its natural equilibrium, which can happen for a number of different reasons, our behavior or our health can be affected.
The fundamental characteristics of each dosha are:
Vata types are visionary, imaginative, and possess powerful creative energy, but when they are imbalanced they can get forgetful, confused, anxious, and uptight. Vata types tend to suffer from erratic digestion, bloating, anxiety, or joint problems.
Pitta types are confident, passionate, natural leaders, organized, and tend to be perfectionists, but when imbalanced they can be fiery, snappy, and irritable. Typical problems that pitta types face are skin irritations, overheating, heartburn, and ulcers.
Kapha types are loyal, kind-hearted, calm, and unafraid to love, but too much kapha usually leads to lethargy, insufficient energy, and perhaps even overindulgece. Kapha types are prone to troubles with congestion, excess weight, and sluggish digestion.
In order to keep our bodies in top shape it's important to understand that doshas matter and that we should try and keep them in balance. This task is certainly not easy in this age of constant busyness and omnipresent stress. However, if we invest some effort into learning more about our bodies’ needs, we will be able to understand ourselves better and keep our lifestyles in alignment with our dosha types, giving our health and happiness a major boost!
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