What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is a holistic science of daily living that supports health and happiness. It is based on the principle that wellness results from balance in body, mind and spirit. Because every individual is unique and indivisible, what is balancing for one person in terms of diet and lifestyle, may cause imbalances and disease in another. Ayurveda provides guidelines to determine your Ayurvedic constitution and specific pathway for balance.

Ayurveda was propounded and practised by the rishis, or spiritual teachers, of ancient times who spent long periods in isolated study and meditation. The main source of knowledge of this system are the Vedas, especially the fourth or Atharvaveda which dates back to 1000 BC. A few other treatises dating to the same period are the Charaka Samhita on internal medicine and the Sushruta Samhita on surgery. Mythological texts suggest that Ayurveda was gifted by God Dhanvantri to mankind for good living and curing diseases. About a thousand years ago, the gist of these older texts was compiled and called the Astanga Hridayam. These remain the core of Ayurveda as it is practised even today.

Ayurveda was not confined to India alone. Around the 6th century BC, Buddhist monks travelling to Tibet, China, Mongolia, Korea and Sri Lanka carried the knowledge with them. Although it has not survived in its original form, the local concept gained importance as time passed.