What is Ayurveda?

Yoga, Meditation and Ayurveda all originated from the 5000 year old Vedic tradition of India.  Ayurveda encompasses all of the matters of the mind, body and soul, and in addition offers very practical tools to use in our daily lives which restore us back into our natural state of wholeness.

The holistic nature of Ayurveda is among the most popular alternative medical systems today.
The West in particular has embraced this timeless system of healing.

The word Ayurveda literally translated means; Ayus = Life , Veda= Knowledge or Science
Ayurveda is therefore Knowledge of Life.

Ayurveda is individualized.

You will learn your own unique mind-body type which is called your Dosha in Sanskrit. Dosha quizzes are available in the Resource section.

Once you begin to understand and respect your unique mind-body type, you will learn to make the right choices for you.  You will understand that what is best for your sister, brother or friend is not necessarily what is best for you.

You will gradually intuit what your body, mind, spirit and environment need to bring you back into balance and wellness.

Ayurveda is a consciousness-based approach to wellbeing. Consciousness in this context is not referring to the mind. Instead it is referring to:

• Our ground state of existence

• Pure potentiality

• Our changeless core,

• The field of all possibilities.

• Our unconditioned self. 

 Ayurveda is based on the idea that disease is due to an imbalance in our inherent nature. So Ayurveda encourages certain lifestyle interventions and natural therapies to regain a balance between the body, mind, spirit, and the environment.

Ayurveda also rests on the principal that our body is dynamic and constantly transforming.

There are hardly any cells in your body today that were there when you were born, and certain types of cells (skin, stomach lining, and red blood corpuscles) renew themselves very quickly, in a matter of weeks.

Our physiology itself is inherently intelligent.

The many physiological functions guiding the replacement of cells and molecules are dependent on the inherent intelligence that inhabits the human body.

Ayurveda is experiential.

We can actively engage in our own healing process!

The choices that we make with regard to food, personal relationships, sensory experiences , sleep, work, and daily routine all change our  body.

As we shift our choices and experiences our  biology shifts because our biology is the metabolism of experience. 

As you continue on this journey you will continually learn how to feed your body and mind on all levels, engaging in your own healing process. Not to the exclusion of Western medicine,  but in conjunction with it.

Ayurvedic practices include sensory modulation, meditation, yoga, nutrition, emotional wellbeing, physical activity, breathing practices, daily routines and many other tools and practices for shifting our consciousness towards health and happiness!

For me, the study of Ayurveda has crystallized the knowledge of who I am as an integral part of the greater whole. According to Ayurveda, the human body contains the same elements inside of us that are contained in the enviroment outside of us. The earth is made up of approximately 70% water..and so are our bodies!

The poet Rumi reminds us, “You are not a drop in the ocean; you are the entire ocean in a drop.”

How will an Ayurvedic lifestyle benefit You?

Benefits of Ayurveda reach into every aspect of our lives.

As you begin to intuit when your body, mind spirit or environment are out of balance you will also intuit what is needed to restore balance and wellbeing.

An Ayurvedic Lifestyle can actually change gene expression to promote healing, self-regulation, and homeostasis.

While 95 percent of disease-related gene mutations increase your risk factors for disease, they don’t predict the disease. In other words, simply because you carry a genetic mutation that predisposes you to heart disease, you are not destined to develop it. Only 5 percent of disease-related gene mutations are fully penetrant, which means that the gene directly causes a disorder.

Through your daily lifestyle choices, you can optimize how your genes behave, helping to “turn on” the genes that promote good health and “turn off” the genes that promote illness, including genes for Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, diabetes, and many types of cancer. Ayurveda offers tools and guidance to help you create a lifestyle that prevents these diseases and cultivates health. 

As Deepak Chopra teaches, the six most important pillars of health to focus on in our daily lifestyle are sleep, meditation, movement/physical activity, healthy emotions, grounding, and optimal nutrition. 

Current scientific research validates Ayurvedic healing techniques. For example, Ayurveda: Science of Life, Genetics, and Epigenetics.

Ayurvedic Lifestyle Classes

Lesson One: Introduction to Ayurveda

You will set your intentions for the course and will learn the foundational principles of Ayurveda, consciousness, meditation, the five elements, and the three primary mind-body doshas or constitutions: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Through an in-depth questionnaire and analysis, you’ll discover your own dosha type

Lesson Two: Ayurvedic Nutrition

Food as Medicine:  You will learn how to select the most nourishing foods for your dosha. You will be guided in Ayurvedic nutritional practices that will help them maintain vibrant health, encourage eating a variety of foods and consuming them with awareness, and optimize digestion.

Lesson Three: Emotional Freedom

Today you will learn why emotional freedom is the key to your physical, mental, and emotional health. You will learn in-depth practices and techniques of conscious communication which can transform your relationships and help you experience more intimacy and joy in your life.

Lesson Four: Inner Pharmacy

This lesson explores the healing power of the five senses: sound, touch, sight, taste, and smell. You will learn how to strengthen the body’s inner pharmacy using sensory practices to balance each of the doshas.

Lesson Five: Ayurvedic Daily Routine

The final lesson of the course will focus on an optimal Ayurvedic daily routine. The topics include the rhythms of nature, creating an optimal daily routine, doshas and the seasons, seasonal routines,  detoxification, and restful sleep.

During each Lesson 1-5  you will also learn meditation practices and a few simple, yet effective, breathing awareness techniques. Each lesson is approximately 90 minutes.

Let’s work together

Always, text or email to discuss flexible schedules and pricing. Looking to the “root” of dis- “ease” , mental, physical or spiritual, is my passion…. and I want this awareness to be available to all.