Ayurveda: The Mother of All Healing Sciences
The wisdom that Ayurveda imparts forms the basis for an understanding of the workings of nature and our interrelationship with it. According to Ayurveda, all of nature, including our own selves, is created of the same basic materials and is affected by the same cycles, laws and rhythms. Gaining an understanding of these forces empowers us to take charge of our health and well-being. Ayurveda provides the foundational knowledge and the tools necessary to apply these basic laws of nature to our daily lives. As we do so, our bodies, minds and souls respond quite naturally with a return to our intrinsic nature: a healthful state of balance.
According to Ayurveda, health is achieved by restoring our natural state of balance. At the time of conception, our unique individual constitution is determined. Ayurveda understands our constitution on a cellular or energetic level, and when we live our lives in a balanced, wholesome manner, the energetic balance is maintained and illness can find no foothold within our being. However, we live in a world fraught with stresses and imbalancing influences that undermine our natural state of balance, opening the door for disease and disharmony. Ayurveda provides the framework for an understanding of our natural state of balance as well as our imbalanced states. When the body is out of balance or harmony, it communicates this imbalance by creating symptoms. Symptoms can be thought of as our body’s cries for attention. When we listen to our bodies and make the necessary changes, balance and harmony are restored and symptoms disappear. This is how the body heals itself.
Ailments
What Diseases Does Ayurveda Treat?
Ayurveda does not treat
disease, but rather the energetic imbalance causing the disease. It is
particularly effective in restoring balance to those suffering
from chronic conditions. Examples of this include asthma, insomnia,
digestive disturbances, headaches, ulcers, skin conditions, depression,
high blood pressure, arthritis and menstrual difficulties, to name just
a few.Treatments
What methods are used to restore balance?
Ayurveda utilizes a truly holistic approach to restore balance, addressing all aspects of one’s being. In Ayurveda, body, mind and spirit are interwoven, and all are treated simultaneously. This is accomplished through an endless number of healing modalities including (but not limited to): Food programs, herbs, self-massage, aromatherapy, color and sound therapies, yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, and lifestyle adjustments.Does Ayurveda replace traditional healing practices?
Ayurveda uses natural processes and methods whenever possible to restore and maintain health by addressing disease at its cause, thereby resulting in a shift to wellness on a fundamental level. Traditional medicine usually attempts to restore health by providing symptomatic relief or by attacking the disease, usually through the use of artificially created drugs and medicines. As a result, Ayurveda and traditional medicine compliment each other quite beautifully. Ayurveda is complementary to traditional medical practices and does not replace medical diagnosis and treatment.Do you prepare your own herbal formulas?
Yes, a very important part of Ayurveda is individualized treatment that can be adjusted as symptoms improve or change. As a result, at Shanti Yoga and Ayurveda we prepare the majority of our herbal formulations, customized for each individual client.
Our ultimate goal is for you to become your own self-aware healer, and Ayurveda stands ready to guide the way. Ayurveda is, in fact, for life: for restoring and maintaining optimal health, all the days of your life.
If I decide to see an Ayurvedic Specialist, with whom would I be working and what are your qualifications?
My name is Marisa Laursen, and I am a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist as well as the owner of Shanti Yoga and Ayurveda.As a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist, my mission is to co-create with you an individualized program for healing, serving as your guide, coach, teacher and healer along the way.
I would like to be helped by Ayurveda. What do I do next?
You may begin by contacting Marisa Laursen at Shanti Yoga and Ayurveda and scheduling an appointment.Below you will find an outline of the steps that will occur.
Information Gathering
I will begin by providing you with a packet of information to complete and return to me prior to our first appointment. Intake Packet...Initial Consultation
At this first appointment, I will spend approximately two hours with you, gathering additional information as I cultivate an understanding of your states of balance and imbalance.Report of Findings
Approximately one week after the Initial Consultation, we will meet again. At this meeting I will present an overview of Ayurveda, explain your individual constitution and your current state of imbalance, and will lay out my general treatment plan for you. I will also recommend healing practices for you to integrate into your lifestyle for the following two weeks. At this time you will receive a two-week supply of a personalized herbal formula.Follow-up Consultations
Follow-up visits generally last about one hour. We will discuss your progress, review your symptoms and concerns, and integrate more lifestyle practices as appropriate. We will also evaluate the effectiveness of the herbal formula and make modifications if needed.Follow-up visits are recommended every two weeks at the beginning of the program, and then they begin to taper off until they occur only seasonally. Healing and growth require change, and this can be one of the most challenging tasks of all. Although many symptoms improve quite rapidly, others take longer, depending on the length of your imbalance and your willingness to embrace the program.
I would love to know more about Ayurveda. Could you explain further?
Certainly.The knowledge of Ayurveda is exceedingly deep and profound, and so far I’ve only explained it in very simple terms. Let’s explore it a bit more deeply, beginning with an explanation that according to Ayurveda, all of nature is composed of five basic elements.
The Five Basic Elements
The five elements, of which all of nature is created, are more than the tangible elements themselves; they are representations of ideas. They are poetic, symbolic metaphors that help us to understand the building blocks of the entire world around us. The five elements are earth, water, fire, air and ether (space).Earth
Earth is the idea of solidity and stability. A piece of wood, metal, plastic or bone is made up of the idea of solidity. In the body, earth represents our physical structure. In the mind, earth represents mental stability.Water
Water is the idea of flow and liquidity. Water represents the liquid form of matter. Water represents not only H20 but also all liquids. In the body, water represents fluid; in the mind it represents gentle, loving and compassionate emotions.Fire
Fire is the idea of light, heat and transformation. Obviously, fire is hot and gives off light. Its transformative power is seen in its ability to convert wood to ash. Fire creates the heat of fevers and the fire of a cayenne pepper. It illuminates truth and dispels ignorance. In the body, fire governs digestion; in the mind, perception. Emotionally, fire is responsible for fiery emotions such as anger and irritability.Air
Air is the idea of motion. Everything that moves is propelled by the element of air. It is the force that moves a butterfly, a jet airplane, a person’s arm. It can even move earth in the form of an earthquake. In the body, air represents the movement of nerve impulses, the movement of breath and the limbs. In the mind, it is responsible for the movement of thought.Ether (Space)
Ether is the idea of connectedness or space. It is the space that exists between things; the “black matter” recognized by physicists (the ancient rishis recognized this concept as well). Ether is the space that the other elements fill. In the body, ether represents the cavities or empty spaces that exist. In the mind, ether represents consciousness.In Ayurveda, it is understood that these five elements are the building blocks for everything. When one combines them, one arrives at a system for understanding the body as well as all of nature. The “combination” of these elements forms the basis for an understanding of what Ayurveda calls doshas. The doshas will be explained in greater detail shortly. But first, an understanding of your natural constitution as well as your state of imbalance is important.
Prakruti: Your Natural Constitution
Vikruti: Your Current State of Imbalance
Unbalancing influences such as diet, lifestyle, stress, emotional upsets, physical trauma, and an endless number of other factors can cause you to become out of balance. In Ayurveda, your current state of imbalance is called vikruti.
Your constitution is a fundamental balance between three basic energies called doshas.