Ayurveda teaches us how to live harmoniously with nature and each other. Understanding Ayurveda, this sister science of yoga, helps us live healthier lives and thrive with more harmonious relationships.  The essence of Ayurveda is understanding your body mind uniqueness.

When Nature is Kind

It was a natural action to sit in the shade on the beach yesterday, feel the warm breeze on our skin, the soft sand underfoot, be lost in the sound of the water, and watch as the waves came closer then move away. It was a feeling of abundance and harmony with Nature and like-minded individuals. Time was no more, even as the sun was going down.

We all knew we would get a good night’s sleep and there was spontaneous smiles at the thought. Nature was our friend.

I’d like to think we naturally gave back friendship with our appreciative hearts, off tune songs and chants, our Salute to the Sun yoga exercise, and tears of love. That in that public space where seven of us came together the harmony we created soothed Nature. Those who liked structure and those who preferred to go with the flow laughing together when the obvious differences surfaced.

Fierce Nature

The Mind thinks in opposites. So now I think of those who are experiencing the hardship of Nature’s fury: water in the wrong places or no water at all. Senses bombarded by unpleasant odors and heart wrenching scenes that seem to be everywhere.

My hope is that from time to time, their minds are able to serve them well. To recall a moment of beauty; to imagine a peaceful sunrise; or a drink of clean water. And that they are able to keep a song in their hearts.

Invitation

I invite you to make sense of your world with Ayurveda and understand your unique body mind.  Ayurveda has a wealth of knowledge that teaches the individual how to enhance the body’s healing process and restore balance. It points the individual to it’s sister science of Yoga to find the healer within through personalized yoga and meditation practices.

test-ayurvedic-mind-body-constitution1

Ayurveda is an ancient Indian healing system that allows you to gain insight into your body mind.  It explains how to keep the body mind balanced with the internal and external environment, and functioning optimally.

When you have insight into your unique body mind nature, you can adjust your yoga exercise practice for balance. In addition to this Yoga Ayurveda connection, you understand:

Your likes and dislikes
Why you do the things you do
How you are likely to respond to stress
What diseases you are more likely to succumb to
What your dominant tendencies are, both negative and positive

The ancient seers realized that the 5 universal elements exist within all of creation. That the qualities or metaphors of earth, water, fire, air and ether is present within nature in various combinations.  For example: observe the proportion of solidness – earth – that’s within a palm tree and an oak; the quality of lightness – fire – within garlic and pepper; and the quality of movement – air – within a tortoise and a hare.

A unique combination of the elements, called doshas, form the body, and each body must be cared for it its own unique way to achieve and maintain balance with the environment.  This is essential for health as an excess or deficiency of an element can ultimately result in disease.

Take the test to gain insight into your unique body mind nature.

This is part 1 of a series on Yoga Ayurveda.

When you know your Ayurvedic constitution you can make important choices regarding your speed and style of practice of yoga exercises. While Yoga Exercises means a lot more than physical movement, this focus is on the physical aspect of yoga.

Let’s take 3 key qualities of our body mind: strength of body, temperature of body, and movement of mind.

Strong Body
If your constitution is the weakest of the three, choose a style of yoga that reflects this. A strong Ashtanga practice is an excellent choice for those with a strong body. Those with a weaker body might be able to keep up with such a practice but would require a much longer rest period to recover.

Movement of Mind
When the mind is very active, a grounding practice is important to achieve stability and balance. Focus the mind on whatever part of the body is touching the ground. If the mind is dull and lethargic, large upward movement of the arms will stimulate the body mind.

Temperature of Body
Always feeling cold? Increase heat with strong breathing during the exercises, especially in the cold seasons. If on the other hand your body temperature tends to be hot, avoid over-heating the body by practicing a cooling forward bend when necessary.

Balance your body mind with yoga exercises and Ayurveda.

Have a safe practice.