Ayurveda

I wanted to write a few words about ayurveda, since I'm certain to mention it here and there throughout the blog, and since (though I don't always follow the rules) my general approach to cooking is ayurvedic. This is not because I think it is crucial to follow a specific set of guidelines, but rather because it is natural to me. It is the language through which I understand health and lifestyle and cooking. These days, as I meet often with a naturopath to heal a stubborn liver infection, I notice more and more how much it is my language. She may explain that there is such and such an issue in the small intestine and this is the kind of treatment that I need, but it's all just information that I don't really understand and that I take on blind faith. That is, until it gets translated into ayurvedic terms and I realize that I have a pitta constitution (which is made of heat and fire), and that the liver and the small intestine are the seat of pitta (or heat) in the body, and these herbs are bitter and sweet, which are properties that cool and balance excess heat. Then, not only do I understand what's happening in my body when I take my medicine, I know the kind of lifestyle to lead to stay calm and cool and balanced, in order to help my body along as it heals itself. 

I find that it often appears that people who are really into health and natural medicine lead very restricted lives (or perhaps become a touch obsessive, to the comic relief of the rest of us), but being familiar with a holistic health care system can also bring a lot of freedom. It's like learning a subject in school. History perhaps. You can put a lot of effort into memorizing a lot of facts, though perhaps you have some difficulty remembering exactly how they all fit together, or, if you have a great teacher, you can understand an overview of a major event or era, and then suddenly all the little pieces click together, and you get a feeling for the whole thing. That is just how it is with holistic medicine. It is a way for us to understand life. (Ayurveda = "the science of life.") When we have an understanding of the whole, it doesn't matter if we know all the details or not (or if we always strictly adhere to certain principles or not). We can always look them up when we need them. And they make sense when we do, because we automatically know where they fit in the big picture.

So what is ayurveda? Most simply it is the Vedic, or ancient Indian, health care system. It's the branch of yoga that relates to health care. Unlike current western medicine, it places a great emphasis on maintaining health and happiness -- maintaining balance in the body so that disease doesn't occur. It is certainly sophisticated in its treatment of disease as well, and many other health care systems fit easily within its philosophy. Yes, even western medicine. One of the traditional eight branches of ayurveda, surgery, has today been replaced by allopathic medicine. 

To me, "following ayurveda" simply means being aware that we are part of nature. It's the process of becoming more and more in harmony with nature. Our body is intelligent. It knows what we need. Certainly, if our dog or cat's body knows enough to crave grass when it has a stomach problem, find some, eat some, throw up, and regain good health, our human bodies have some hidden talents, too. But that is why yoga and meditation are vital aspects of ayurveda -- they let the mind get quiet. If our mind is quiet enough, we know if something is good for us or not from the first bite. Our body tells us. Of course this innate intelligence of the body is easily confused these days by bad habits, chemical additives, sugar addictions, etc... But that's alright. That's why we have the rules, that have been written down and preserved through the ages. So that now, if we are sick, or we're not sure what the best things for us are in order to keep healthy and happy, we can figure it out. 

The first step is to figure out our own "constitution" or dosha: vata, pitta, kapha, or a mix. Then you can find out what foods and lifestyles are the best for your body type. It's a lot of fun to play around with, but if you're really interested in this stuff, I highly recommend reading anything by Dr. Vasant Lad and/or Dr. David Frawley, who, I think it is safe to say, are the leading ayurvedic scholars for anyone who lives in the West. They have done a tremendous service to us in bringing a vast amount of ancient Vedic knowledge to North America, and have given it in an amazing way: they easily explain the eastern philosophical concepts that put all their information into a beautiful perspective, and they adapt their practical information to suit western minds, lifestyles, climates, foods, herbs, etc. My favorite books by them are posted on the left hand column of this blog. Another good place to start is the online resources page of the Ayurvedic Institute website, Dr. Lad's wonderful North American ayurvedic college.