97A Meegolla Rd - Matale District - Sri Lanka
hello@nalanda-center.org

Ayurveda

Ayurveda

Ayurveda, the traditional Indian medicine, is based largely on Sankhya philosophy, one of the main systems of thought in India. It is the foundation for much of the yoga philosophy and practice so popular throughout India and in the West today.

Its fundamental premise is that each individual should live according to their own true nature, according to the Tao: The Path. It stipulates that “the way which can be named is not the way. It is nameless, formless and eternal. It is the origin of all that is and it is all that is. It is nothing and it is everything. It is doing and not doing.”
An Ayurvedic treatment consists of balancing the three gunas using diet, herbal treatments, massages, inner cleansings as well as yoga and meditation.

Sankhya philosophy is one of cosmic dualism. It is similar to the Yin/Yang principle of Taoist cosmology. According to Sankhya, two primordial entities: purusha : consciousness and prakriti: primordial matter, manifested from their unmanifested state. The interaction between these two create a fine material called mahat: universal intelligence and from mahat emerges individual self-awareness and differentiation: ahamkara or ego. All manifested objects are composed of three qualities or gunas: sattva: clarity, purity, rajas: turbulence, activity and tamas: inertia, ignorance. The three gunas correspond to our states of mind. If we are in a sattvic state, we are peaceful, calm, compassionate, wise and clear. If we are in a rajasic state, we are unsettled, agitated and discontented. And when a state of Tamas rules, we feel lazy, foggy and only slightly self-aware.
Ayurveda as well as Chinese medicine have arisen from Taoism, which is recognized as one of the six main religions in China and is believed to have evolved out of a pre-Taoist shamanistic tradition.

What are the main principles of Ayurveda?

To understand Ayurveda, three principles are particularly important:

  • The Five Elements (Pancha Mahabhutas)
  • The doshas (Pitta, Vata, Kapha),
  • Vital energy, the way in which energy flows and transforms within the body.
The 5 Elements (Pancha Mahabhutas)

According to Ayurveda, nature, like the human body, is composed of five elements: Ether (or space), Air, Fire, Water and Earth.

These five elements are present everywhere around us:

  • in nature
  • in animals
  • as well as within ourselves, as human beings, in varying proportions.

For example, fire manifests in digestion, water in bodily fluids, and air in movement and respiration. It is the combination of these five elements that forms what are called the three doshas.

Vata, Pitta, and Kapha are the three main energies used in Ayurveda to describe the functioning of the body and mind. We all possess these three doshas, ​​but in different proportions.

The doshas allow us to understand the action of the 5 elements: 

  • The Vata dosha corresponds to the elements Air and Ether and represents all movement, such as breathing.
  • The Pitta dosha corresponds to the elements Fire and Water and represents all transformation, such as digestion.
  • The Kapha dosha corresponds to the Water and Earth elements and represents everything that is stable and structuring, such as bones, muscles and tissues.

Thanks to these different concepts, it is possible to describe an individual’s birth constitution, called  prakruti,  as well as their current state or any imbalances, called  vikruti . When your doshas are balanced, you are in excellent health. When one of them becomes out of balance, the first imbalances appear, such as energy levels, sleep disturbances, or digestive problems.

In Ayurveda, it is important that like increases like and that opposites balance each other:

  • For example, to treat dry skin, the use of oily substances will be recommended in order to provide moisture to the body.
  • To reduce the presence of heat in the body, which can manifest as inflammation, we will use substances that have a cooling quality (cooling spices, for example).

Remember to observe things, nature, the people around you, and attribute the corresponding qualities to them!

Three other concepts allow us to go a little further in understanding Ayurveda: Agni, Ama and Prana :

  • Agni : This is the digestive fire . It represents the body’s ability to digest food and transform it into energy. When this digestive fire functions properly, food is well assimilated. When it weakens, digestion becomes more difficult.
  • Ama: Correspond to the residues that accumulate when this transformation does not happen correctly.
  • Prana: Refers to the energy or vital breath that animates the body and accompanies, in particular, breathing and movement.

A large part of Ayurvedic practices thus seeks to maintain efficient digestion, limit the accumulation of Ama, and promote good circulation of Prana.

Events

Today

List of events in Photo View