AYURVEDA
- "A gateway to Indian Medical
Heritage."
Ayurveda
in Sanskrit means "the science of
Life". It is an ancient, unfailing system
of treatment based on medicines prepared from
herbal plants found in abundance in India.
Ayurveda is an integral part of the people of
India. In the recent years this ancient
knowledge system of medicine has gained global
acceptance especially for alternative ways of
preventive, curative and rejuvenative
processes making life a more pleasurable
experience.
We can find historical evidence of Ayurveda in
the ancient books of wisdom known as the
Vedas. In the Rig Veda, over 60 preparation
were mentioned that could be used to assist an
individual in overcoming various ailments. The
Rig Veda was written over 6,000 years ago, but
really Ayurveda has been around even longer
than that.
Click
here for details on special Ayurvedic
treatment.
Ayurvedic
colleges, Hospitals, Health farms &
Resorts and Nature cure Federations provide
Ayurvedic treatments and recreational holidays
all over India.
In
addition Beauty parlours, at all major hotels,
once catered exclusively to women, now have
men’s section offering hair cuts and shaves.
Today, there is a comprehensive range of skin
and hair treatments for both men and women –
hair massages with herbal oil, herbal face
packs, manicures and pedicures.
Herbal
cosmetic products, tonics and oils are widely
used in India and a massage with herbal oils
after a hectic day of activity is marvelously
relaxing. Many of these are now available in
department stores in the West.
We
are all part and parcel of nature. Just as the
animals and plants live in harmony with nature
and utilize the Laws of Nature to create
health and balance within their beings, we,
too, adhere to these very same principles. In
essence Ayurveda has been in existence since
the beginning of time because we have always
been governed by nature's laws. Ayurveda is
made up of two Sanskrit words: Ayu which means
life and Veda which means the knowledge of To
know about life is Ayurveda. However, to fully
comprehend the vast scope of Ayurveda let us
first define "Ayu" or life.
According to the ancient Ayurvedic scholar
Charaka, "ayu" is comprised of four
essential parts. The combination of mind,
body, senses and the soul.
Mind,
Body and Senses
We
tend to identify most with our physical
bodies; yet, in actuality, there is more to us
then what meets the eye. We can see that
underlying our physical structure is the mind,
which not only controls our thought processes
but helps assist us in carrying out day-to-day
activities such as respiration, circulation,
digestion and elimination. The mind and the
body work in conjunction with one another to
regulate our physiology. In order for the mind
to act appropriately to assist the physical
body, we must use our senses as information
gatherers.
We
can think of the mind as a computer and the
senses as the data which gets entered into the
computer. Smell and taste are two important
senses that aid in the digestive process. When
the mind registers that a particular food is
entering the gastrointestinal tract, it
directs the body to act accordingly by
releasing various digestive enzymes. However,
if we overindulge the taste buds with too much
of a certain taste, such as sweet, we may find
that the ability of the mind to perceive the
sweet taste is impaired; and thereby the body
becomes challenged in its ability to process
sweet foods. Maintaining the clarity of our
senses is an essential part in allowing the
mind and body to integrate their functions and
help in keeping us healthy and happy
individuals.
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