Ayurvedic Health Coaching

Ayurveda, the Sanskrit word for the science of life, is possibly the oldest health care system in the world. It comes from ancient Vedic culture in the Indus Valley. More recently, between about 1500 to 1850, power over this region was extremely volatile and shifting. Anti-Hindu and anti-Buddhist crusades set many of the ancient Ayurvedic texts and cultural artifacts ablaze. By 1850, the British took control of the territory, closed Ayurvedic educational institutions and forbade its practice. Although so many of the ancient writings were lost, Ayurveda’s wisdom will never be erased. It has been kept alive through a rich oral tradition, passed down from master to disciple. The practice is so effective, that it is used all over the world today, and has influenced other holistic systems, like Traditional Chinese Medicine.

This rich science is predominantly a preventative system that keeps the body, mind, and consciousness in proper alignment. It teaches that dis-ease begins in the gut, and therefore places a great deal of emphasis on treating the early stages of digestive discomfort. It teaches us how to rebalance our digestion, to reverse potential pathologies. Ayurveda restores, rejuvenates, and heals by attuning into the cycles of nature, our guiding light. Our circadian rhythm is guided by the relationship between the sun and the earth at any given time, in each of the seasons. As the sun rises, our digestive fire rises. It peeks at 12 noon, when the sun is highest in the sky, and slows as the sun sets. We cycle our habits in accordance with the days, and also the seasons, to nourish our bodies through these shifts.

Ayurveda teaches that we are born with a specific constitution called our prakruti. Our constitution is set at conception and never changes. It is a combination of the three doshas (vata, pitta, and kapha). These doshas are comprised of the five classical elements (known as air, ether, fire, water and earth). Our prakruti is based on the ratio of these elements in our body, and this ratio sets our unique physical, emotional, and mental patterns. Prakruti is our optimal state. The more closely we adhere to this ratio, the healthier we are. Our imbalanced state is called vikruti. Simple food, lifestyle and herbal guidelines specific to one’s prakruti (birth constitution) and vikruti (current imbalances) affect all body systems. The food we eat creates each tissue layer, so in a very real sense, we become what we eat, digest, and don’t let go of.