What is Ayurveda?

“Ayur” derived from Sanskrit means life or lifespan, and “Veda” means knowledge, wisdom, or truth. Ayurveda, originating in India, is the most ancient holistic healing system that has been continuously practiced for over five thousand years. It provides comprehensive guidelines on how to maintain and create vibrant health, prevent or reverse disease, and address many chronic conditions naturally. The World Health Organization recognizes Ayurveda and calls it the greatest promise for public health. It is a simple and effective approach to create vibrant health, prevent disease, and address many chronic conditions.

How does Ayurveda work?

Ayurveda rests on the principle that when we harmonize our nature with the greater nature all around us we can live in balance, and experience vibrant health in body, mind, and consciousness. Everything in the manifested world consists of the five elements: space, air, fire, water, and earth. As we learn the unique combination of these elements in us and our environment we grow in awareness, skills, and tools to maintain or regain balance in many simple ways.

What are some examples of Ayurvedic harmonizing practices?

Dietary: Eating fresh whole foods, prepared with culinary spices, and eating mindfully. Supporting our all-important metabolic power, our capacity to digest, absorb, and assimilate nutrients, and bolster how we digest our life experiences.

Lifestyle: Aligning our days and nights to the circadian rhythms of waking and sleeping, activity and rest, fasting and eating cycles. We also align to seasonal cycles and to the different life stages.

Exercise: Getting fresh air, being in nature, moving in ways that are best for our constitution and health and wellness needs. 

Yoga: Applying the full spectrum of yogic practices and philosophy including ethical conduct, yoga postures ideally suited for the season and our constitution, breath practices (pranayama), proper use of our senses, meditation practices that develop concentration and unfold our true nature.

Herbal remedies: teas, single herbs, herbal compounds to support digestion, cleansing, and species health needs to awaken the inner healing intelligence of our body-mind.

Mediation: Simple and effective practices to develop inner peace, freedom from anxiety and fear, developing true self-compassion. Meditation develops our capacity for self-observation in all of life’s moments. Moment-to-moment awareness is the key to deeper healing.

Why Ayurveda and Yoga?

Historically, these two Vedic sciences were never separate but were always intricately intertwined. Ayurveda is the healthcare system of Yoga. Bringing Ayurveda into Yoga offers the practitioner and teacher assessment and diagnostic tools to better support the deeper needs of each student, not only through asana (postures) and pranayama but also through dietary and herbal protocols and to harmonize the spiritual approaches of Yoga. Bringing Yoga into Ayurveda adds a spiritual and psychological dimension to the many tools and treatment options Ayurveda provides. 

“Yoga as applied according to Ayurveda is one of the most powerful approaches to healing the mind and emotions that is available in the world today. Re-integrating yoga and Ayurveda bring out the full healing potential of each.” — Dr David Frawley

Is this approach for me?

You do not need to be a yoga practitioner or know anything about Ayurveda to benefit from this approach to healing and reaching your highest potential.

Integrate Ayurveda is for you if:

• you want to take charge of your healing in a more natural way

• you are open-minded to new perspectives on well-being

• you have minor chronic conditions affecting your digestion, circulation, weight issues, musculoskeletal health, nervous system afflictions, hormonal imbalances, pain, sleep issues, and mood fluctuations. 

• you want to create a life that is more simple, sustainable, and has clarity of purpose

• you want to reawaken your passion for life 

• you want to revise or rethink what quality longevity can look like for you

• you love ancient wisdom traditions and want to go deeper with your yoga practices

• you are curious about Ayurveda and/or yoga and want a safe and accessible approach