THE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO AYURVEDA
THE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO AYURVEDA
A Brief Introduction: “Hi. My Name Is”
Welcome to one of the oldest medical systems known to mankind. I will be your guide on this journey and I will do my level best to help make this journey as enjoyable and educational as possible. Let me quickly introduce myself. I am Mike Dhaliwal, M.D. and for a long time i’ve had the passion to further explore and seek out life’s greatests secrets. At the same time, I’ve equally had the same passion for medical advacements such as stereotactic biopsy and resection of malignant brain lesions to extreme cases of emergently cracking open a patient’s chest in the E.R. for life-saving maneuvers such as cardiac massage and so much more. I cannot lie, all this fascinates me. However, having been in the clinical setting for nearly 15 years, I can confidently say that i’ve seen it all - the good, the bad, and the deadly [ugly].
From Clinical Insight Into Deeper Meaning:
Often in the clinical setting, I am able to see a patient and vividly reflect upon how disease must have naturally unfolded throughout the years for many of my patients. To me that is quite remarkable and it is with this remarkable ability that I have sought after something far more meaningful - the ability to see disease naturally unfold back into a state of vibrant health. Ayurveda [‘The Science Of Life”] is just that as we shall explore together. There is a beautiful sutra which comes from the ancient text of Ayurveda.
The Ancient Wisdom Of Ayurveda
“The aim of Ayurveda is to maintain the health of the healthy and to cure diseases of the sick.”
- Charaka Sutrasthana 30:26
Let Us Continue Upon Our Journey:
Imagine if you will - time immemorial. Although challenging, let us think back as far as the mind will allow. Imagine the qualities of nature moving about ... naturally. Those same very qualities of nature are doing just that now in the present moment. It is because of this one fundamental principle [i.e. the law of nature] that the science of Ayurveda is considered timeless and everlastingly signficant.
AYURVEDA ~ THE SCIENCE OF LIFE
Ayurveda comes from two root words. "Ayur" which means 'life' and "veda" which means ‘the study of’. Therefore, Ayurveda is the science and study of life. From the most basic and fundamental principle we can state with certainty that health is a state of perfect balance. The all-encompasing science of Ayurveda takes into consideration just that - the perfect state of balance between the body, mind, and consciousness.
The Forces Of Nature:
Without getting into great details, Ayurveda explains that there are governing forces of nature. For simplicity sake, consider these forces to be that of dynamism and movement [vata], heat and transformation [pitta], and stability and preservation [kapha]. All things in nature contain a unqiue combination and variation of these governing forces. From this perspective, if we further develop an understanding and further align ourselves with these governing forces of nature - we then begin to discover the keys for living a more balanced and meaningful life. Afterall, health is considered a state of perfect balance as mentioned above.
WHAT’S YOUR DOSHA?
Ayurveda looks at each individual as being unique with a varying combination of qualities. This unique set of qualities can be thought of as your signature “dosha type”. For example, some individuals are always moving about with great excitement and creative enthusiasm eagerly exploring the world around them. That would be a classic “vata-type”. Another example would be the typical “Type A Personality” driven by ambition and wanting to succeed to the top. This particular individual would be considered a “pitta-type”. And we all know the loving and accepting individual who is willing to embrace all that life has to offer in abundance - that is, in a way, a “kapha-type”.
Want To Determine Your Dosha Type?
CLICK HERE:
Free "Dosha Type" assessment upon registration.
Registration takes less than 1 minute
AGNI - THE DIGESTIVE FIRE:
Now imagine if you will, a beautiful radiant flame. This fire that you imagine is representative to the digestive flame within your belly. The ancients explained this fire as “agni” which literally means fire. It’s interesting that both “ignite” and “agni” have the same linguistic root. In truth, agni is not only the digestive fire but instead ... everything. More accurately, agni can be thought of that which allows for proper digestion, aborption, assimilation, metabolism, perception, vitality, clarity and alertness. In other words, agni is responsible for just about everything.
Want to Determine Your Agni Type?
CLICK HERE:
Free "Dosha Type" assessment upon registration.
Registration takes less than 1 minute
