Ayurveda – the knowledge about life

Ayurveda has a very long history with its roots in one of the most fantastic civilizations in the ancient history, originating from Indus river valley. The belief is that there was a massive migration from the north-west region of Asia to the river valley of Indus. These people, known as Aryans, brought a sophisticated, religious and spiritual healing system and a well developed lifestyle – accepted by humans of today. It is a system and knowledge of the whole human organization, from the material body and with all levels of existence such as physical, mental, emotional, energetic and spiritual.

The history about Ayurveda claims that Rishis (from a language called Sanskrit and means prophet) and visionaries in the holy part of Himalaya, received cosmic information during deep meditation. The tradition says that they received their knowledge directly from above as a result of their meditation. The first lessons learned came to us through Rig Veda in the expression of poetry which is as much an art form as a thousand-year-old knowledge.

The Ayurvedic guideline is to achieve health and harmony through own conscious active participation.

The five elements

This pure energy is present throughout the whole universe and it is not a measurable scientific power, but a philosophic concept. The term “five elements”, interpreted by the Ayurvedic system, entails the elements space, air, fire, water and earth. The Ayurvedic tradition claims that our body reflects the nature in the universe and the way the energy works in us.

The five elements interact in order to create three different energy forms: Vata, Pitta and Kapha, mentioned in Sanskrit as Doshas or Tridosha. Each Dosha consists of two elements, Vata is space and air, Pitta is fire and water and Kapha is water and earth. Classical Ayurvedic body types are clearly dominated by a Dosha and it is very unusual that a person develops qualities of Tridosha. They are manifested in our body as flow and spiritual principal but they are also the reason to imbalance and sickness.

Love, beauty, harmony, health and life – where can we find that if not in the plant’s perfect creation? And all this is for us to nurture but also to maintain for the knowledge about the healing and preservation of body and soul or just simply for life itself. I would like to quote a fine legend out of the philosophy of Ayurveda:

”Jiwaka, whose name means one who gives life”, was a student of Atreya, a great Ayurvedic scholar in the time of Buddha. Jiwaka had almost completed his seven years of training as an Ayurvedic physician when his teacher gave him his final assignment. He was instructed to go eight miles into the jungle surrounding the city of Takashila. Within that perimeter, Atreya told him to bring back any plant that had no medicinal use.

While other students returned with many plants, Jiwaka remained alone in the jungle for three days. At last he returned empty handed, saying he could find no plant that did not have a medicinal use. Then Atreya pronounced that he had passed his course and was now free to set up this own practice of rasayana treatments. Jiwaka ultimately became court physician to Lord Buddha.”