Incorporating Ayurveda into my Yoga life has made a big difference, one without the other is only half the benefit. For a long time, my dosha was unbalanced, which affected my nervous system and caused vata symptoms like insomnia, constipation, dryness, anxiety, fear, and an unpredictable digestive system. I didn’t know how important it was to have a regular bowel movement, and even the colour of the tongue and stool can show health issues. I also had bad breath, which was linked to my diet-digestion-lifestyle.
I enjoyed eating healthy foods because my father showed me the benefits of fresh garden produce. Salad and lots of fruit were my favourite meals. I feel lucky that I wasn’t fed junk food as a child and don’t rely on it now for comfort.
Ayurveda has taught me about my doshas, vata and pitta, and how to calm my vata. It has helped me have more regular bowel movements and less insomnia.
Ayurveda and Western medicine view diet and health differently. Ayurveda focuses on identifying the cause of symptoms by examining a person’s daily life, diet, relationships, exercise, attitude, and beliefs.
Ayurveda and Western medicine view diet and health differently. Ayurveda focuses on finding the cause of symptoms.
The 8 limbs of Yoga taught by Patanjali offer ways to explore within ourselves. Over time, we learn to understand our actions and their impact. This aligns with the idea of cause and effect. It’s clear that what we take in through our senses affects our entire being, including our mind.
What you eat today, walks and talks tomorrow
I am always amazed at how many people do not see the link between their diet, lifestyle, habits, and health. Ayurveda and western medicine focus on health differently. Ayurveda encourages us to pay attention to what we consume and how it affects us.
With Western medicine, patients typically ask doctors what is wrong, often receiving medications without attention to diet, lifestyle, or exercise. Many seek quick fixes and avoid taking responsibility for their health, wanting only answers and pills, which complicates doctors’ roles, as one treatment can lead to new symptoms. Initially, patients may feel better, but eventually, new treatments can create additional problems, perpetuating a cycle of seeking external solutions. Yoga, however, helps connect the mind and body to find the answer within.
Charaka Samhita
The oldest and respected Ayurvedic textbook is the Charaka Samhita. It explains that health and disease differ because of good and bad diets, stating, “a disease comes from poor nutrition.”
Western medical opinion is gradually recognizing diet as a risk factor in many diseases. To improve health and well-being, Yoga and Ayurveda focus on diet, lifestyle, exercise, and beliefs.
Ayurveda sees food and medicine as one, not distinct. The flavor of food matters and has nutritional benefits. Food types are classified as tamasic, rajasic, and sattvic.
A sattvic diet is optimal as it is the middle path between tamasic that is heavey and sluggish and rajasic that is manic and fast.
Respecting individual differences
Different people have different reactions to the same foods, and not all foods work for everyone. For example, an egg might be healthy for one person but could cause issues for another.
Western nutrition often overlooks individual differences. Nowadays, food allergies are rising, and people are realizing that what we eat affects our health and wellbeing.
Modern nutrition often suggests a specific amount of fat and protein intake for everyone. In contrast, Ayurveda looks at why certain foods help some people but may harm others.
Western Medicine
As important as what we eat is how we digest it. A patient with sluggish or weak digestion may not receive Western treatment, but Ayurveda considers sluggish or weak digestion a major cause of illness. If food isn’t properly digested, any diet is ineffective and can lead to ama (toxins) in the body that can affect organs and the mind.
Agni is our digestive fire
Ayurveda suggests a cleansing diet because toxins build up in the digestive system from our lifestyle and eating habits. Digestion is seen as a fire, known as agni. Overloading this fire, like eating heavy foods, eating at improper times, or eating before fully digesting the previous meal, can extinguish it.
Eating poorly stresses the stomach, leading to improper food processing and decay. This results in impurities that build up in the body, causing weight gain and various diseases.
Agni – Toxins
The body gets rid of ama using its self-cleaning systems when not overloaded with food, liquids, or unhealthy items. A healthy digestive fire also stops ama or toxins from forming and building up.
Our body naturally removes impurities through the bowels, bladder, and skin, and it can dissolve clots in the legs and plaque in the arteries. Arterial blockages can be treated with meditation, a healthy diet, and exercise. It may sound overly simple, but these natural approaches don’t generate profit, and alternative therapies are often considered less valuable than western medicine.
Hippocrates said: “Leave your drugs in the pot at the pharmacy if you can’t cure your patient with food”
Hippocrates
