आयुर्वेद मतानुसार स्वास्थ्य
समदोषः समाग्निश्च समधातु मलःक्रियाः।
प्रसन्नात्मेन्द्रियमनः स्वस्थइतिअभिधीयते॥
— (सुश्रुत संहिता सूत्रस्थान १५/१०)
Meaning: A happy and healthy individual has a balance of Doshas, Agni, Dhatus, and Malakriya.
समदोषः समाग्निश्च समधातु मलःक्रियाः।
प्रसन्नात्मेन्द्रियमनः स्वस्थइतिअभिधीयते॥
— (सुश्रुत संहिता सूत्रस्थान १५/१०)
Meaning: A happy and healthy individual has a balance of Doshas, Agni, Dhatus, and Malakriya.
‘Pancha’ ‘Karma’
The Five Therapies
‘Pancha’ ‘Karma’
The Five Therapies
Panchakarma is inherent to Ayurveda and helps in balancing the dominant doshas in the body for mind and body harmony.
Panchakarma is inherent to Ayurveda and helps in balancing the dominant doshas in the body for mind and body harmony.
Panchakarma
Panchakarma
Panchakarma comprises five main procedures of purification- Vamana (Emesis), Virechana (Purgation), Basti (Medicated enema), Nasya (Instillation of medicine through nostrils), and Raktamokshan (Therapeutic blood-letting) to cure the deep-rooted imbalances in the body.
In the literal translation – Panchakarma comprises two words- ‘Panch’ and ‘Karma’ meaning ‘Five Procedures’. Panchkarma refers to the elaborated methods of purification, for the well-being of mind, body, and soul to release the stress. The therapy allows the body issues to absorb the benefits of food, exercise, and nutrition to the most.
According to Ayurveda, our diet should be aligned to our dosha body type, which can be categorized into three types – Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. These dosha types represent two of the five universal elements of the world – air, water, fire, earth, and space. Each one of us has varying proportions of the dosha – of which one or two doshas are generally prominent. If any of the dosha in the human body is imbalanced or aggravated, then it may result in disturbing the mind-body health harmony.
An ayurvedic practitioner can help in identifying the dominant doshas in the body and potential imbalances that can keep their mind and body in balance.
What’s your dominant dosha?
What’s your dominant dosha?
Dosha types typically display varying characteristics, such as:
Vata – Light build, naturally creative, sensitive, prefer warm, humid climates, dry skin
Pitta – Medium, muscular build, productive, hard-working, irritable, prefer cold climates, fair skin
Kapha – Heavy build, stable, methodical, easy-going, prefer warm, dry climates, oily skin
It is quite possible to have equal proportions of two doshas, referred to as ‘bidoshic’ and all doshas, known as ‘tridoshic’.
Foods for your Dosha types:
Foods for your Dosha types:
Our lifestyle factors are quite possible for the imbalances in dosha, irrespective of our body types. For instance, naturally, athletic pittas can lose weight due to an excess of Vata, or alternatively, gain weight due to excess of Kapha. With the help of herbal remedies, yoga, panchakarma therapies, diet changes, Ayurveda can bring harmony to the imbalances in doshas.
There are six tastes that have been identified in the ayurvedic diet – sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent. Mind and body have different effects of each kind of taste, which may result in either pacifying or aggravating doshas. For example, with an excess of pitta, the effect will be multiplied by consuming more hot and spicy foods.
Balancing Vata:
Vata imbalance is caused due to the excessive consumption of bitter, astringent, and spicy taste. It is important to balance Vata, otherwise, our overall human system becomes irregular and exhausted, affecting the weak organs and tissues of our body. The additional signs of the Vata imbalance include constipation, dehydration, frequent viral infections, low immunity levels, weight loss, anxiety, and disturbed sleep. Vata can be pacified with sweet, sour, and salty taste with easily digestible foods like boiled steamed starchy vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower); ripe fruits; warm milk; grains (rice or wheat); mild spices (cumin, ginger, fennel, cloves) and tea
Balancing Pitta:
Pitta imbalance is caused by excessive alcohol or hot, spicy, oily, fried, salty, fermented foods. If there is an excess of pitta in our body, humans tend to become aggressive and irritable. The additional signs of the pitta imbalance include diarrhea, over-heating, violent dreams, excessive hunger, frequent bacterial infections, and heartburn. Pitta can be pacified with sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes and cool, heavy foods that include boiled, steamed raw vegetables; sweet fruits; limited dairy; grains (rice or wheat); mild cooling spices (cumin, ginger, cloves), and tea.
Balancing Kapha:
Excessive food consumption can contribute to Kapha imbalance. An unbalanced Kapha may lead to mental and physical stagnation. The additional signs of Kapha imbalance include sluggish bowels, craving for spicy foods, procrastination, weight gain, excessive sleep, water retention. Kapha can be pacified with a light, warm, low-fat diet of the pungent, bitter, and astringent diet of boiled, steamed, raw vegetables; ripe fruits (except banana), fat-free buttermilk; grains (corn, millet); strong spices (pepper, paprika, salt); honey and tea.
